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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-26 Council on Aging MinutesTOECEIVED WN CLERK • Town ogtg READING, MA. Minutes Meeting Minutes 121k. 2023 JAN -9 AM 11: 21 Board — Committee - Commission —Council: Date: 2022-01-26 Time: 7:00pm Purpose: Joint meeting of Council on Aging and Reading Center for Active Living Committee Location: Zoom Meeting Members Present: Jacquelyn Behenna, loan Coco, Karen Pinette, Sandra Shaffer, Marilyn Shapleigh, Nancy Ziemlak, Debbie Small, John Parsons, Karen Fotino Others Present: Mark Dockser, Kevin Bohmiller, Amy O'Brien, John ONeill; Michael Coltman; Ron Assini; John Parsons; John Sasso, John Parsons Minutes Respectfully Submitted by: Nancy Ziemlak Meeting called to order at 7:07 pm John O'Neill read the charge of the ReCalc to begin the meeting and bring the Reading COA up to date on the charge. The ReCalc members agree that the current Senior Center is inadequate to meet the needs of the of the over 60 community. The ReCalc minutes were reviewed including the list of needs generated at the last meeting. Marilyn S made a suggestion to add to the list: • Handicap space internal • More parking space for Handicap (two not enough) Location Discussion: Michael Coltman's question to the COA was, is the location of downtown important for a new center? Nancy Ziemlak: There are 7000 Seniors in Reading, are we reaching the all the seniors? The location in the center of town is nice for surrounding shopping. Joan Coco—An out-of-town center is not attractive because we may have to do more transportation. It was suggested that it should have the data to create a map showing where Reading seniors are living in relation to the current Senior Center and possible other locations. Limitation Discussion: Marilynn Shapleigh: • Visited Lynnfield, Wilmington Senior Centers. Many of them are not located in the downtown are but some of them have bus service to get to the location. • Another shortcoming is the lack of a real kitchen (i.e.Lynnfield has its own Chef.) Meals create a social environment that supports community building. • When seniors are taking care of others that can't be left unattended could the senior center support a short- term drop off so that they can participate in an exercise program, tax assistance, class, etc. Some gyms for instance make short term childcare available. • Handicap accessible Bathrooms are required on all floors. • Create a Waiting room for drop off and pickup purposes. • Big Limitation of current center is the ability to do more activities(i.e. Double Zumba, Art Clases, Bingo, congregate lunch programs). Michael Coltman mentions the current center does not a big room. Marilynn Shapleigh: The Lynnfield center a big room that can be divided. Program Ideas Discussion John O'Neill - What about senior discounts to movies, musuems? Kevin Bohmiller—Yes, the recreation group offers discounts. Should offerthem to the seniors. Short -Term Needs Discussion: • There are a lot of short-term needs for seniors today. Can we address some of those now? ReCalc can work closely with COA to make recommendations. But recognize that short term needs are the charge of the COX • John Sasso: We don't want to step on COA toes with short term needs, but we support the needs. We recognize that what ReCalc is planning for is years down the road +3-5 years in planning for major improvements. • Why not consider short term locations, like the temporary Library near Market Basket. it's currently empty. Outreach and Survey Discussion • There are over 6000 seniors that have not even received a Senior Newsletter, mainly due to Covid pandemic. COA is looking to revamp that again. Strongly Recommend that the ReCalc reach out to the other 6000 seniors for the input. • Tom Mottl: noted that on a survey you may get only 50% response so other methods will have to be used (i.e. focus groups, public forums( • Marylyn Shapleigh: There needs to be outreach to informing residents about what the Town does offer. Otherwise responses could be redundant. A reminder that not everyone has internet or computer access. Need to identify how to engage people at the Senior Living center to talk to them. • The survey should be also educational, informative not just question based. Marilyn and Nancy both expressed a concern that the COA needs to conduct research now so that short term gaps can be identified and remediated through the budget process even during the pandemic which will undoubtly continue for another 4- 6 months. Senior Center versus All Age community center: Discussion turned to the charge of ReCalc. Is it to consider a center for the entire community beyond Seniors? John O'Neill explained that the Charge is to consider a multi-purpose community center. • Michael Coltman agreed that it is very important that ReCalc consider all ages that could have access to the center and to meet the broader needs of the Reading Community. Participating in the Center early on makes for a smoother transition as people age and/or plan for the future. • Tom Mottl stated that interactions with all ages is very important. John O'Neill mentioned that there is a negative stigma with people of certain age, participating in a "Senior Center" and a community center may help to remove this stigma. • Nancy Ziemlak: While the COA is focused on Seniors, we understand the broader view of a future center for all ages. And it is agreed that the current center does not meet the needs of the 60+ group. Some seniors have expressed a concern that with the addition of a broader audience that the needs of Seniors may not be fully addressed and will get lost in the setting of the priorities. For some, the perception of the current center is that the activities/services are more geared for older seniors and there is a need for more active program and evening programs. For some there is a concern that a mix use center may limit some of services/activities that can accommodate seniors. A big part of going to the center for many is social interaction with peers and we need to make sure that the seniors have a time and place focused on their needs. • Mark Dockser: Has also heard from residents including:. Not enough space for exercise, Movies,Speakem.Meals,Hiring bus for field trips to and from the center Past Practice John Sasso asked what the COA did to respond to the shortcomings of the 2017 study? He asked that the COA share what they addressed as a result of the 2017 study and how we fill in the gaps not addressed. How does ELD collaborate with other town agencies and programs. Jean Delios explained that the study was funded by Town budget. Some things that were addressed: • Computer room enhancements • Reception desk improvements as a result of the pandemic • Staffing • partnered with the schools, the memory caf6 etc have been explored. • Trips with other communities, Museums, Flower show, Nutcraker, Topfields Fair Kevin Bohmiller mentioned that because the staffing has changed in the past two years R will be a matter of researching past reports and possibly contacting former staff to compile the details of this information. limited Mobility: John O'Neill mentioned the importance of How to address people with limited mobility like during the voting times. Funding and Budget Requests: Jean Delious: • Will be presenting at the SB meeting the budget requests for her departments including EHS. Mark suggested if COA wanted to provide input into the budget it must be done by no later than January. Requests should be detailed and well documented. Marilyn and Nancy both expressed a concern that the COA needs to conduct research so that short term gaps can be identified and remediated through the budget process. Budget requests are presented to the Select Board(SB), feedback given by SB, then to Town Manager who then assembles the budget for presentation to FinCom, next FinCom presents to Town Meeting for approval. The FinCom creates a detailed budget report and it is a public record. Mark Dockser: • We should be thinking big and small to convince town meeting that we are going to need funds. There are some trusts that the council has access to. Are there some appropriate things that the council could use. • ARPA Funds - $6-7m allocated to Reading from the Federal government. Plus, the State also has access to ARPA funds for hardships during the pandemic. Work with the State Legislators to find how we could get a grant to those funds. We should be chasing access to those funds. Marilyn wholeheartedly agreed and mentioned that there was an article in the paper of a town that got a new senior center from ARPA funds. We should be able to make a strong case for ARPA. Even for entire Senior Center. Marilyn Shapleigh: Per capita investment for seniors not proportional to the spending from the town. Consultant Discussion: • Nancy Ziemlak: What is the Consultants end product? • lean Delios — The Consultant will be conducting pre -feasibility work including Community engagement, to capture the feedback and then compile a report. The consultant will have responsibility for multiple meetings to seek input from 2 focus groups, 2 public forums, and a survey. • Marilyn Shapleigh: The 60+ community does not have a central voice like some of the other groups in town (i.e. Schools, Athletics, etc.). The COA and ReCalc will need to work together to give the 60+ a stronger voice to get things done to meet the needs. • Mark Dockser: The information from the Consultant's report will provide ReCalc with a heads -up at the next meeting In April to provide some feedback of where ReCalc is going. It's important that Town Meeting members are kept apprised during the process so they can make informed decisions. • Ron Assini: How can market the survey and educational aspect. • Amy O'Brien: We could generate a OR code on the flyer for more information. • Nancy Ziemlak—we have a great one-page flyer that mentions the programs and services of EHS. Mark Dockser: The ReCalc has a vacancy on the group. If someone is interested in joining. COA Motion to adjourn Role Cole, all voted in favor: Joan Coco, Amy O'Brien, Joan Coco, Karen Pinette, Debby Small, Nancy Ziemlak, Sandy Shaffer, Jackie Behanna, Marilyn Shapleigh, ReCalc Motion to adjourn ReCalc Role Call all voted in favor: Ron Assini, Mark Dockser, Michael Coltman, John Sasso, John Parsons.