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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-10-03 Council on Aging MinutesOrq Town of Reading TOWNCLERK RECEIVED „na Meeting Minutes READING, MeA,_, Pa41 K Board -Committee -Commission -council: 2922 DEC -6 IM 1:00 Date: 2022-30-03 Time: Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Select Board Meeting Room Address: Session: Purpose: Council on Aging Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Jacquelyn Behenna, Rosemarie Debenetto, Joan Coco, Karen Fotino, Karen Janowski, Karen Pinette, Nancy Ziemlak, John Parsons, Marilyn Shapleigh, Beverly Cunio, Sally Hoyt, Nancy Tawadros Members - Not Present: Debbie Small, Karen Fotino, Sandra Shaffer Others Present: Jenna Fiorente, Karen Herrick, Chris Kowaleski Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Nancy Ziemlak Topics of Discussion: Meeting Opened at 6:33pm Motion made to accept the minutes of 9/2, seconded, vote taken, accepted by all members. Select Board Update - No report ReCalc Update -John Parsons At the last meeting discussion included: the RFP for purchase of space for a new SeniorCenter, timeline reviewed, promotional video was viewed, sent out 20,000 cards received about 1,503 surveys. About 500 surveys less than what's needed to make the 8% standard, UMASS's report will be available in late November, a presentation was made by the Town Manager and Select Board at the Lunch and Learn on 9/29. The process continues. Recorded videos of all ReCalc meetings are available on rctv.org. Elder & Human Services Update- Chris Kowaleski Chris reviewed the latest participation report. We are very close to pre -pandemic numbers. Lunch and Learn reactivated and very well attended. Request was made for $800 from the Burbank Trust Fund for the following programs: birthday lunch, pizza & movie day, thanksgiving event. Motion made to approve funding, seconded, all members present voted in favor. Financial Report - All expenses were accounted for in the report included in the packet. New Business- New Senior Center Page 1 1 Discussion of the draft letter to be sent to the ReCalc was read and edited. A motion was made, seconded, and all in attendance voted in favor of the letter to be sent to ReCalc. The full discussion can be viewed on rctv.org. Motion made to adjourn at 8:36pm, seconded and all approved. The full recording of this meeting can be viewed on rctv.org All documents discussed at the meeting are included below or in the packet doc. Final Letter to ReCalc: To: John O'Neill, Chair Reading Community Active Living Center Committee From: Marilyn Shapleigh, Chair Council on Aging Date: October 4, 2022 RE: New Senior Center Thank you for seeking input from the Council on Aging concerning the purchase and renovation of the former Walgreen's property as a possible site for a new Senior Center. There are some clear benefits for use of this space, although we have some hesitations around the suitability of the site as well. It is an exciting time for the 60+ population of Reading to be moving ahead to the next phase of implementing a plan for a new Senior Center. The Town of Reading has conducted a number of studies and generated reports during the past five years that have documented the need for a new Senior Center. The 60+ community has outgrown the existing building on Pleasant Street. The Council on Aging supports the search for a building that will provide full accessibility and the space needed to meet the needs of the population we currently serve and expect to serve as the population ages. The primary reasons we are looking for a new space for the Reading Senior Center are: • lack of adequate accessibility, • the desire for additional space to meet the needs of the population we currently serve, and anticipate to serve Recommendations for Next Steps: Research: Complete the WASS study and consider its recommendations before making decisions. Inclusivity: Engage an expert in the field of universal design to advise the COA, the ReCalc Committee, the Select Board and other decision makers in this process about Page 1 2 the design principles that are likely to "make or break" a new senior center's ability to ensure the building's infrastructure will be accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, or other demographics. Our current senior center, in spite of what were undoubtedly sincere efforts on the part of well-meaning Reading residents and town leaders who saw the Reading Fire Station as a great opportunity, is not an inclusive environment. Please, let's consult an expert to help us avoid making the same mistakes again. Feasibility: Conduct a feasibility study of any site before making a decision. We agree that there are some clear benefits to this site including a larger footprint and an in -town location but we also have some concerns around the suitability of the site which are listed below: ➢ Accessibility Accessibility is of key importance to the COA and we feel that the Walgreen's site needs further study. Prior to purchase of the building, it will be very important for the town to ensure that the building will be fully accessible. When reviewing the draft Walgreen layout, we are concerned that the square footage stated for rooms may actually be less when full accessibility is factored in. The Town must confirm that both accessibility and square footage for program space can be maintained. ➢ Renovation After participating in a tour of Walgreens it became very clear that extensive interior improvement will need to occur in order to make this space accessible, provide sufficient storage space, and provide creative arrangement of space to include both permanent rooms as well as rooms that will expand to manage larger events. The senior community must receive assurance from the town that the problems with acoustics, poles in the middle of the floor, difficult to navigate stairs, lack of natural light and windows, non -glare flooring to protect our clients from falling must be fully addressed. The renovation must be done with high quality materials to accomplish this goal. There are other issues that need to be confirmed prior to the purchase of the former Walgreens to ensure that a sufficient budget is planned to take into account all these factors. Otherwise, we may find ourselves with technically more square footage but unusable space for expanded programs and services. ➢ Parking The parking situation is very unclear behind the former Walgreens. Although a second drawing includes a reconfiguration of the parking lot for 30 spaces it must be noted that this will impact the nearby businesses including the police station. The PSC currently has available 26 spaces behind the building, 2 handicap spaces, 1 space for delivery, and an additional 6 spaces across the street from the center. All of these spaces are identified with a sign "Senior Center Parking Only from 8:30am-5:OOpm." Before any decision is made on the purchase of the former Walgreens building parking will need to be agreed upon by the Town. This will become a larger issue as the population over the age of 60 in Reading continues to grow. As we look to improve our current space, a reduction in parking spots would be a step backward. Page 1 3 ➢ Long -Term Needs & Solution In addition, space to expand is a necessary requirement as the elder population is growing. Projections indicate that by the end of the decade, at least 30% of Reading's population will be 60 years old or older. It is unclear at this point if the town considers this building temporary (5 years) or more long-term permanent space for a Senior Center. The data is clear on the steady growth in the population of older adults. As the size of our clientele grows, we will have to expand our programing to continue to meet their needs. Currently, we have 1,400 participants in over 20 monthly programs and we are seeing our numbers increase steadily as we recover from covid. Any new space should be able to accommodate the necessary program expansion for at least the next ten years (perhaps much longer, depending upon the Town's assumptions about the life of the building.) The Pleasant Street Center maintains a data base with daily usage and scheduled programs that can be accessed for further information to determine specific program needs and projected usage. ➢ Needs Assessment We do understand that former Walgreens is an unexpected development and it is important to understand the possibilities. We also understand the time and effort everyone has put into this task to identify best practices and program needs. The data that has been collected gives us a lot of information that must be thoroughly analyzed to help us determine the best course of action in terms of location, accessibility, and program needs. The site visit data, the focus group feedback, and the survey results are integral in understanding the big picture of what is needed now and for the long term. We know, although assessing location is important it is not the only requirement in determining the best fit for a new Senior Center. The COA believes that the original calendar developed by ReCalc allows the town to conduct a rigorous feasibility study which will take all these factors into account while providing the town with a well -researched strategy upon which we can move forward. We also understand that there may be a time constraint with the purchase of the former Walgreen Building and the completion of ReCalc's timeline, but the results of the feasibility study and survey are critical to providing both of our teams with the true data to make sound decisions. As long as the concerns that have been presented by the COA in this letter are adequately addressed, then the COA is amenable to pursuing the opportunity to purchase the former Walgreens property to be used as the future Senior Center. Thank You, Council on Aging Marilyn Shapleigh, Chair John Parsons, Vice Chair Nancy Ziemlak, Secretary Joan Coco, Member Karen Pinette, Member Karen Fotino, Member Sally Hoyt, Member Sandy Shaffer, Member Page 1 4 Deborah Small, Member Joyln Ek, Associate Jacquelyn Behenna, Associate Rosemarie DeBenedetto, Associate Beverly Cunio, Associate Nancy Tawadros, Associate Karen Janowski, Associate Page 1 5