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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-05-21-COA-min.pdf LEXINGTON COUNCIL ON AGING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES May 21, 1997 ATTENDING Clark Cowen, Chairperson Phyllis Rand Nancy Freed,Staff John Curry Jacqueline Davison Peg Jemison Gene Isotti Anne Kriebel Ed Grant Barbara Rubin Chris Gelling, Staff ABSENT Jack Fisher Sheldon Spector CHAIRPERSON'S REMARKS The meeting was called to order by Clark Cowen at 4 35 p m Clark expressed the thanks of the COA Board at the Town Meeting regarding the approval of the COA budget and issued an invitation to the open house at the new Day Care site There will be no elections at the June meeting. Jack Fisher has drawn up a proxy authorization form for the use of the Boards, and forms were distributed. MUZZEY CONDOMINIUM ISSUES The minutes of the April 9th meeting were accepted. It was noted that the 1997-98 meeting schedule that was mailed is incorrect. The meetings will continue to be held on the second Wednesday of the month, and corrected schedules were distributed. There was a general review of the history of the relationship between the Muzzey Condo Association and the Senior Center because of the recent discussion at the Board of Selectmen's meeting. The public/private partnership of condominium ownership has historically created tension which came to a head over the issue of assigned parking places, The issue of assigned parking spaces was brought up by the Muzzey Trustees in 1994 but shelved because of a letter from Steven R. Frederickson, Director of Inspectional Services This letter stated that the by-laws of the Condo Association provided for use of the parking lot for the Senior Center between the hours of 8:30 and 4'30 A recent event at the Senior Center which drew a large attendance sparked this issue anew The Town Counsel, Norm Cohen, has written the Trustees a letter restating the 1994 position. In addition at the Selectmen's meeting, the Trustees were advised by the Town Manager Rick White that if they wanted the requested assessment increase they would have to create a more harmonious relationship with the COA. There will be a Trustees meeting on May 28th at the Senior Center PROGRAM COORDINATOR Clark introduced Chris Gelling, the new Program Coordinator, who presented a brief outline of ideas to expand the demographic base of seniors using the Senior Center These include new cultural programs, accessing the business community including the Chamber of Commerce and using the resources of the schools. Chris welcomes ideas that will achieve this goal Nancy Freed announced that interviews for the position of administrative assistant will be held on Thursday May 22nd. When an appointment is made Chris will be able to devote all of her time and energies to her new position. MEALS ON WHEELS PROGRAM John Curry gave the MOW financial report and distributed current statistics showing a deteriorating picture. This is the result of several factors. On July 1st, 1996, the vendor increased the cost of the meals by sixty cents per day and added a paper charge of thirty-five cents per two meals. In addition, the number of meals delivered daily has decreased from about 35 to 20 The result is a negative balance for April, although there is still some cash to be collected. Solutions to this problem include more publicity (the recent article in the Lexington Minuteman was very good) mailings to health care providers for referrals, raising the price and the participation. Nancy explained that other COAs charge donations of under $2; their programs are under the aegis of MHC and partially subsidized. It was suggested that more regular billing and ordering the exact amount of meals would also help the situation. In addition, Nancy will look into reevaluating the contract we have with MHC A motion was made and unanimously passed that the cost of the two meals delivered in the MOW program be increased to $6 per day, effective 7/1/97 ( ADULT DAY CARE SITE Nancy announced that there will be an open house at the new Day Care site on Wednesday, June 25th, from 5-8 pm. Board members are cordially invited to attend. The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 pm. Respectfully submitted, Phyllis Rand, Secretary