HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-04-04-COA-min Town of Lexington Council on Aging Board Meeting
Wednesday,April 4, 2018
2:30pm to 4:12pm
Lexington Community Center, Dining Room#139
Present:Julie Ann Shapiro (Co-chair), Betty Borghesani (Co-Chair), Ellen Cameron (Vice-chair), Nancy
Adler, Sophia Ho, Rich McDonough, Camille Goodwin, Bonnie Teitleman
Staff: Charlotte Rodgers (Human Services), Hemali Shah (Senior Services), Melissa Interess (Senior
Services), Christine Dean (Community Center), Michelle Ciccolo (Selectman)
Public Comments:
• Anne Frymer corrected the spelling of her name.
Approval of Meeting Minutes:The March 2018 minutes were approved with above correction.
Staff Reports:
Hemali Shah (Senior Services)
• A 3 week dance workshop is planned for June
• Senior Services in collaboration with the Friends of the Council on Aging are planning an early
evening(5-7PM) garden party as a fundraiser on June 29. Cost will be $20. It will include a live
band, appetizers and drinks, and silent auction and/or raffles.
Melissa Interess (Senior Services)
• The grant proposal for a mental health outreach team was not funded.
• A group has been exploring the possibility of adding an additional lunch day at the Community
Center catered by Brookhaven. Although the food is affordable,the logistics to deliver such a
meal are complicated.
• Alternatives might be a light snack available late morning or a soup and sandwich
option. Other venues and options are being explored.
Charlotte Rodgers (Human Services)
• Presented Human Services Department utilization statistics from 2015-2017 that demonstrated
increases in the following categories from the start of 2015 through the end of 2017:
o Information and referrals up 40%
o Health and wellness up 65%
o Senior dining up 57%
o Meals on wheels up 26%
o Mental health and support groups up 129%
o Non-seniors served up 20%
• A Board member inquired about the Town's response to the opioid crisis. Director Rodgers
reported that while the opioid crisis is a concern, Lexington has had small turnouts for 2 Narcan
trainings, a film "If Only", and an open house for vendors of substance use treatment programs.
• The Human Services budget has passed Town Meeting.
• The Age-Friendly engagement with UMass Boston will begin in Fiscal Year 2019. Jan Mutchler,
PhD will be invited to the June COA meeting to provide a refresher on the initiative and discuss
next steps.
Christine Dean (Community Center)
• Reported that the golf course is now open.
• She described the Article that is on the agenda for Town Meeting, which is a request to approve
funds to pay for a feasibility study of Community Center expansion options.
New Business:
• Ellen Cameron volunteered for the Minuteman Cane Committee
• Board vacancies-two candidates are pending appointment letters from Town Manager.
• Discussion of the pros and cons of senior parking programs in Lexington
o Michelle Ciccolo proposed that parking be part of the age-friendly Lexington assessment
• Charlotte Rodgers reported on study of transportation needs for Lexington, Bedford and
Burlington
• The Board meet and greet has been rescheduled for the June meeting at 1:30pm.
Liaison Reports:
• Community Center Program Advisory Nancy Adler will speak in favor of Community Center
expansion at Town Meeting; she invited everyone to attend and speak in support of the
feasibility study to look at expansion options.
• Lexington Housing Partnership- Rich McDonough reported on the accessibility and affordability
formula for building.The Lexington Housing Partnership Board believed that the Article
approved by the Planning Board did not include adequate representation from the
builder/development community which are key stakeholders in determining the feasibility of
building accessible homes at a high percentage (25%). It's not clear that there is enough demand
for such a product and therefore builders/developers may be unlikely to buy/build these type of
properties in this proportion. Therefore,the Lexington Housing Partnership is recommending to
the Board of Selectmen that they not put forward the article & return it to the Planning Board
for reconsideration.
• Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee-Camille Goodwin described 2 upcoming meetings:
o Housing April 23 8:30 AM Room 242
o Transportation May 18:30 AM Room 242
o The meetings have been recorded thus far and are available online at
https://www.lexingtonma.gov/planning-office/pages/comprehensive-plan.
Meeting Adjourned 4:12 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Teitleman
Secretary