HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-05-13 Council on Aging Minutes Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes i rEGEIVL[)
TOWN CLERK
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 71H DEC 16 6M 2 S I
Council on Aging
Date: 2019-05-13 Time: 6:30 PM
Building: Pleasant Street Senior Center Location: Arts and Crafts Room
Address: 49 Pleasant Street Session:
Purpose: Version:
Attendees: Members - Present:
Barbara Carney (Associate Member), Joan Coco, Jolyn Ek, Margaret Havey,
_ Sally Hoyt (Associate Member), Pooja Parsons (Associate Member), Sandy
Shaffer, Marilyn Shapleigh, Debby Small, Brian Snell, Jane Burns (Director
Elder Services)
Members - Not Present:
John Parsons, Thomas Procopio, Jayna Stafford (Associate Member)
Others Present:
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Marilyn Shapleigh
Topics of Discussion:
Call to Order by Brian Snell at 6:33
Acceptance of Minutes from April: Accepted.
Elder Services Report -April(Admin): Jane Burns presented the report. A drop in the
number of volunteers was noted and followed by a brief discussion of current needs for
additional volunteers. At the present time, there is not a perceived need for a Volunteer
Coordinator position to address the issue (and funding for such a position is not in the
budget), but the Town will continue to monitor this situation closely due to the importance
of volunteer efforts to Senior Center programs and operations. Accepted.
Financial Report -April (Admin): It is anticipated that fiscal year 2019 spending from
Schroeder and Burbank will not exceed interest earned. There was no spending from
Patrons in April due to the disabled van. Accepted.
MVES Report., No Board meeting was held in April. Legislative advocacy efforts are focused
on elder housing support and salary increases to help curtail high levels of employee
turnover among home health aides.
Old Business:
Staffing Update: A new receptionist, Kelly Caughlin, has been hired. Today was her first
day on the job. She will be working 8:30-1:30 Monday through Friday. Volunteers start at
1:00, a schedule which allows for a 30-minute overlap.
Van Update: lane Burns contacted Mobility Works and learned that they do not have a 12-
passenger van for rent. They have only a 6-passenger van - which they rent for $130. Ms.
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Burns is researching other options. The town has budgeted $60,000 for a new van; funding
approval has not yet gone through the state legislature. If approved, the purchase will need
to go out for bid. It will probably be fall, at the earliest, before a new van is acquired.
Volunteer Appreciation Dinner., All arrangements are in place.
June Comedian Show: We have 2 comedians lined up to perform on June 20th. Pizza will be
served, followed by the show.
Dementia Friendly Reading: This month's COA packet includes meeting minutes. Jane
Burns conducted 3 presentations this past month. All were very well attended and received.
Multiple additional events and trainings are planned.
New Business:
Birthday Gift Cards - Funding Request: A motion to spend $300.00 for gift cards from
Burbank was made by Joan Coco. Seconded by Jolyn Ek. All in favor.
Charging for Special Events: This item was placed on the agenda because the question of
whether or not we should be charging for special events keeps coming up in discussion.
Points discussed Include the following. Many communities charge for long trips. Due to
funding requirements, we cannot charge for MassDOT van trips. Some towns charge for
special dinners, If the meal is not donated. The Mystic Valley method is to set up a donation
box with a suggested amount, but it is a challenge to be able to make change. When
charging for trips, It is a challenge to collect payment from "no shows". The amount of
money that could potentially be raised from events that involve small numbers of people is
small. Discussion on this matter closed.
Additional Summer Dinners: lane Burns asked the COA for Ideas for summer dinners. After
discussion, it was recommended that we offer a barbeque dinner in July and a Chinese
dinner in August. Jane Burns will research costs and place a funding request on the COA's
June meeting agenda.
Follow-up Discussion to the Update on our Disabled Van: Jolyn Ek made a motion to
approve $150 for 1 trip in June out of Patrons. Seconded by Thomas Procopio. 1
abstained. 8 in favor.
Special Events:
• 375th Events.
o There will be an opening event in June for"Paint the Town" at the Pleasant
Street Center. A motion to spend up to $250.00 from Burbank to support this
event was made by Marilyn Shapleigh. Seconded by Joan Coco. All in favor.
Next Meeting: June 10, 2019
Motion to adjourn by Joan Coco, seconded by Sandy Shaffer. All in favor. Meeting
adjourned at 8:07 by Brian Snell.
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