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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOA 01/13/2004Mansfield Council On Aging Minutes to Board Meeting January 13, 2004 Present: Frank Nilson, Mary Butler, Norma Smith, Ben Boynton, Donna Harrington, Gale Farrugia, and Debi Surprenant. Sonia Walgreen and Ed Sliney, Sr. are excused. Call to Order: Frank Nilson Called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM. Correspondence: The Correspondence file was circulated. Minutes, Treasurer's Report, Warrants, and Budget: Norma noted that she was present at the December 2003 meeting, and the minutes did not list her as being present. The minutes should reflect her attendance at that meeting. In the Treasurer's Report, Mary reported that the gift account has a balance of $4,148.55. The balance includes a gift from Representative Mike Coppola. The Warrants and the Budget were examined. With a motion from Donna and a second from Ben, the Minutes, with the correction noting Norma's presence at the meeting, the Treasurer's Report, the Warrants and the Budget were accepted as presented by unanimous vote. Director's Report: New Camera—Gale showed the Board the new digital camera purchased with a donation from Ed Sliney. Gale and Donna were unable to buy the first choice because it was not in stock, but the second choice, the Canon Power Shot A80, was just as good, and they purchased it. The new camera will be well used in all programs. New Meals Site Coordinator—The Meals Site Coordinator, Heather Dodenhoff has left the position as of the end of December. The new Meals Site Coordinator, Marlyn Loftis, has started. Outreach—The Outreach staff has been very busy, especially with home delivered meals intakes. This poses a problem for the meals programs with the delivery of the meals. Back-up Driver—We are actively looking for a back-up meals delivery driver to do fill-in when the regular drivers can not deliver. The ad will be put on the Cable and Donna will put it on the web site. Budget Planning—Gale reported that the Finance Committee has not been heard from regarding dates for Budget hearings. Donations—The COA has received two donations. The first is from Rep. Coppola of $1,000.00, which will be split equally with the Social Services Department. It has been suggested that a Community Assistance Fund be started to assist needy residents in paying utility, mortgage and rental bills. There was some discussion. Gale will meet with John to find out how to proceed, and she will report back to the Board. The second donation was made by Joann Hicks in honor of Ruth Branchini. Gale has suggested planting a dogwood tree in front of the building to shade the benches. Assistant Director's Report: Statistics—With 20 work days, the COA logged in 463 telephone calls and had 574 people sign in for programming. Meal Program—Debi reported that the meals program has been very busy with a steady increase in home delivered meals requests. Also, Debi has been very involved with training Marlyn to take over the program. Alzheimer's Support Group—Debi has received an increase in interest for a support group for caregivers or family members of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. She will contact Christine from Willow Crossing to discuss the possibility of forming a Spring group. Old Business: The issues were discussed in the Director's Report. New Business: Gale reported that she will be attending a meeting about Med Wheels on January 23`d. At the previous Med Wheels meeting, at which were Representatives Coppola and Poirier, it was reportedly stated that an individually COA operated program based upon the design of the successfully run Mansfield COA program could be used in the place of the Med Wheels program. Therefore, Gale will be making an escort program presentation to determine if that program is more feasible as a replacement to the Med Wheels program. Housing Task Force: Donna Harrington gave a report on the progress to date of the Housing Task Force. She indicated that the town's involvement in building affordable housing units will allow a more controlled and planned method in affordable housing development. S E BEST Report: Mary Butler led a discussion about the Nutrition Program. All other BESI business is going well. Questions and Answers: None. Adjournment: With all business being finished, Ben issued a motion to adjourn, with a second from Norma. The vote was unanimous, and the meeting was adjourned at 4:30 PM.