Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-08-29-HSC-min.pdf Minutes Human Services Committee , 8/9/88 Present Harvey Lowell Chairman Bob Cushman Co- Chairman; Marion Shepp Sylvia Perlman Leonora Zola Seymour Mandel Sheila dartin; and Steve Baran Human Services Coordnator Minutes The Minutes of 8/8/88 were approved Human Services Committee Party It was agreed that there would be a party for the ,.ommittee members at the Versailles at 7 40 p m on Sunday evening September 18 Guidance Committee Forums Maria Haynes Chairman of the Guidance _ommittee ad _nvited the Human Services Committee to act as co-sponsors of a forum on subjects of interest to the school and the community After some discussion it was decided that since the essential purpose of the meetings remained unclear and since the Human Services Committee had not been consulted in planning for the forum it would be best to announce the Committee members interest in participating in the Forum while not undertaking to sponsor it Recruitment of new members to the._,Committee Bob Cushman had asked Leo McSweeney to give an opinion on how the Committee should be constituted in the light of the Committee ' s earlier discussion on representation of various constituencies Should members be advocates of those constituencies? Mr McSweeney said that it seemed preferable to maintain the same kind of membership as before he would consult with the other Selectmen to determine their opinion and whether they had any candidates for membership on the Committee It was announced that Committee Chairmen had received notification of the number of vacancies on each committee and its charge (see attached Charge for the Human Services Committee) Harvey Lowell and Bob Cushman volunteered to find out from the Selectmen whether or not the Human Services Committee should recruit new members and how to respond to interested candidates L Agenda for the coming Year ( Taking up the topic of an agenda for the coming year Harvey Lowell appraised the Committee of a felt paucity of recreational outlets for special needs youth (see announcement attached of special needs music programs in Lexington from "Together News for the Rehabilitation Community September 1 1988 p 4) Bob Cushman noted that the golf course represented a major commitment by the Town to recreation Marion Shepp discussed the need for affordable housing for special needs adult children Special needs issues were identified in the 6/19/86 hearing on needs and priorities Other concerns identified in that hearing such as crisis response youth problems and needs of the elderly had been responded to by the Committee whereas special needs remained as unfinished business The Committee agreed to pursue special needs issues as a central concern during the coming year Leonora Zola suggested assembling the people interested in special needs recreation since the earlier information obtained may have become stale in some ways Harvey Lowell agreed that a series of meetings involving different constituencies on this topic as well as transportation for special needs populations was in order Bob Cushman thought it would be stimulating to bring constituencies together with organized bodies mandated to deal with their needs e g Recreation Committee and Recreation Director/citizens with special needs issues It was suggested that the Committee might examine other special needs recreational models such as the special needs park in Salem or the Arlington recreational program The Town should redefine what is meant by recreation which now frequently relates to physical structures playgrounds pools basketball _ourts ) more than programs Next meeting The next meeting of the Human Services Committee will take place on Monday September 26 at 8 p m in Room 111 Respectfully Submitted, Stephen Baran Human Services Coordinator