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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOA 12/20/2005Mansfield Council On Aging Board of Directors Minutes to Meeting December 20, 2005 _ 10 Present: Sonia Walgreen, Mary Butler, Ed Sliney, Sr., Norma Smith, Donna Harrington, Ben Boynton, Frank Nilson, Debra Surprenant, and Gale Farrugia. Call To Order: President Sonia Walgreen called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM. Correspondence: Gale circulated the Correspondence File. Ed Sliney made note of an article outlining the dangers of household plug-in air fresheners with catching fire. Warrants, Budget, Minutes and Treasurer's Report: The Warrants, Budget and Minutes to the Board Meeting of November 8, 2005, were examined. Donna requested a correction to the minutes. The change reflects a clarification of the numbers of adults involved in the leaf raking program, which should say "at least 12 adults from the school were present." Mary also issued the Treasurer's Report. She informed the Board that the Gift Account balance was $3,566.12. Mary made a motion that the Warrants, Budget and Treasurer's Report be accepted as presented, and that the Minutes to the November 8a' Board meeting be accepted with the correction added. Ed Sliney offered a second to the motion, and it passed by a unanimous vote. Director's Report: Emergency Closing due to Weather—Gale led a discussion about closing the COA during times of weather emergencies when the Town Hall is closed, for example, on a Friday afternoon. Because the Town Hall was closed on Friday, December 9'h, during the snow storm, Gale consulted Sonia about closing the COA during the storm. Gale requested that she be able to close the COA during a weather emergency, such as the December 9a` storm, without Board approval, and when John D'Agostino is unavailable when the Town Hall is closed. After a discussion, Norma offered a motion to allow Gale to use her judgment regarding the closing of the COA during a weather emergency. Donna issued a second, and the motion passed with a unanimous vote. Gale will confer with the Town Manager regarding the proper protocol concerning this matter. Donation—Class of 1956 -Gale reported that a member of the Mansfield High School Class of 1956 approached Gale with an offer of a donation. The funds will be used for something specific. After a discussion, some suggestions were offered. Mary proposed that the funds be used to purchase a scale to be used in the new weight management program, and another proposal was to purchase a permanent bulletin board for the dining room. Gale will bring present these ideas to the person who spoke with her about the donation. Althea Sankey—Gale informed the Board that Althea Sankey is out on sick leave. Gale spoke to her, and she is recuperating well from her surgery. Tax Work -Off Program—Gale reported that there are complaints from the seniors participating in the Tax Work - Off Program regarding the way the abatements are deducted from the tax bills. Gale spoke with Treasurer Richard Boucher and Nancy from the Assessor's Office about the problem. The abatement has been split over the two tax bills, and it does not officially appear on the tax bills as a deduction, but copies can be obtained from the Assessor's Office Also, the abatements had been deducted from the following year's taxes. The problems are being fixed. Medicare Part D—Gale led a discussion about Medicare Part D. She informed the Board that the SHINE counselors are very overburdened, and are in great distress. There was a discussion about Medicare Part D and its impact on senior services. Friends' Holiday Party—Gale announced that the Friends' Holiday Party scheduled for December 9th was rescheduled to Friday, December NO'. Donna and Sonia will try to attend. Assistant Director's Report: Statistics—Debi reported that, for the month of September, there were 841 people signing in for programs, with an unspecified amount of phone calls logged. In October, there were 945 people signing in for programs, with 588 incoming telephone calls. Weight Loss Program Debi informed the Board that a new program might be starting up after the first of the year. Debi reported that Gale had wanted a nutrition and weight loss program for seniors. The program is coming together, and it will probably be a joint effort with the Community Visiting Nurses. The C VNA also has some money to operate the program. It is hope that the program will be offered by the end of January or the beginning of February. Nutrition Programs—The caterer continues - to offer tasty meals, and there have been only a few problems. The highlighted monthly meal seems to draw in a few more people at the site. There have been no complaints. Old Business: Illuminated Signs—Gale reported that the DPW has delivered the first 25 signs ordered by seniors through Triad. There was a discussion about the project, and the installation process to be completed by staff members and volunteers from the Sheriffs Office, and the Police and Fire Departments. Alzheimer's Units— Lt. Neal Boldrighini reported to Orale that he and other Mansfield members of the Fire and Police Departments were trained by the Sheriff s Office on the use of the electronic monitoring systems. Lt. Boldrighini was very impressed with the sensitivity of the GPS tracking ability. New Business: Donation of $1,000.00—Gale announced that the National Chapter and the Local Chapter of the Elks has donated $1,000 to the Friends' Fuel Assistance Fund. FY 2007 Budget—Gale reported to the Board that she submitted the FY 2007 Budget on 12/19. The budget guidelines called for a 2.5% increase, but Gale submitted a budget which reflected a 3.25% increase. BESI 800# --Gale also informed the Board that Bristol Elder Services, Inc., has discontinued the toll free 800 number. There was a discussion about the financial consequences for COA's. Housing Task Force: Donna had nothing to report. BEST Report: Mary had given her report during the discussion about the BESI 800 # discontinuation. Adjournment: With all business being completed, Frank made a motion to adjourn, with Ben offering a second to the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 PM, at which time the Board met with the COA and Social Services staff for the annual holiday get-together.