Council on Aging

City of Chicopee Council of Aging February 13, 2018 . Members Present: C. Gemme, S. Michalik, S. Tawrel, H. Lenart, K. Rousseau, M. Rider, S. Gelinas, K. LaBreck, S. Alvera, E. LaFlamme, Staff: S. Manyak I. Call to order  The meeting was called to order at 4:45pm. There was no request to record the meeting. II. Public input  There was no public input for this meeting. III. Announcements  The Budget committee met 2/9/18 to discuss the 2018/19 budget proposal. K. LaBreck, C. Gemme, H. Lenart, S. Tawrel H. and S. Manyak participated in the meeting. IV. Review of minutes  Minutes were reviewed from Jan 9, 2018 and accepted as written. V. Business Reports A. Report on Heating System  J. Croteau was in attendance to update the group on the efforts to address the heating issues. A consultant from EDM visited the center to assess the issues. He attempted to assess the valves and dampers which appear to be working too slowly, thus causing a delay in heating and cooling room. Carl Dietz was the chairman of the building committee and has been taking the lead on this issues. There is a meeting scheduled on 2/16/18 with EDM and Johnson controls to discuss the issues that have been experienced since the beginning. It is unknown who will be responsible for the cost to repair the problems. The pre-heater or energy wheel is not working correctly which is part of the problem The economizer is also not functioning correctly, which would work to balance the intake of air. Carl will be  able to report back on the meeting next month. The Board expressed strong frustration with the length of time it has taken to address this problem, which has been occurring since the building opened. Members of the board and S. Manyak plan to attend the meeting being held on 2/16/2018  Fiscal Report  The fiscal report for January was distributed to all members. An unexpected expense was noted due to a hazardous waste spill.  The Fiscal report was accepted as presented. B. Executive Director’s Report  The Executive directors report was distributed to the group.  Interviews have been held for the café position and the program director this week. A strong candidate was identified for the café. The candidates for the program directors will be asked for a second interview. There have not been any applicants for the social worker.  The contract for the Formula Grant was sent to the RiverMills and the Mayor has signed it. The funds should be disbursed soon.  The FaceMate B room will be converted to a small computer room with some of the funds. However, the Formula Grant will not cover computers so other grant funding will be used to purchase these items. All other furniture and equipment are to be covered by the Formula Grant. This conversion will occur after tax season because there is assistance with taxes being provided in the FaceMate rooms at this point in time.  The IPads continue to have issues with updates and the city IT department is working on this.  The city has just installed a new firewall which has shut down several phones in the building. IT has provided temporary phones while they try to resolve the issue.  The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is being developed and is due for submission the end of this month. This pays for the senior companions programming.  The Directors report was accepted as distributed. C. S.A.L.T. Report  The last meeting was 1/12/18 –and the report was distributed with the meeting materials. S. Michalik is the current chairman of the group. The Scam program was very successful.  Smoke detectors are available through the Lions Club for a nominal fee. The Fire Department continues to be available for installation D. Friends of the Senior Center Meeting  Minutes from the last Friends meeting were distributed with the meeting materials. The meeting was well attended and they continue to try to increase membership. The patio was discussed at lengths. The engineering department provided some preliminary plans. The plans must be sent out to bid. The goal is to have the project completed by Memorial Day. It is expected to cost about $38,000.  The parking lot drains will be improved when they install the patio. The DPW will be doing this work.  Currently, the group owes $385,000 on the building. There have been discussions about the speed with which this loan is being repaid. This bond was for 20 years. A question was raised has to how the funds will be raised. Large donations need to be targeted for this debt. It has been suggested that a professional fundraiser be contracted to alleviate the debt. It was recommended that the board monitor fund raising efforts more closely moving forward. E. Awards  A history of the awards was provided in the meeting materials packet. There are 2 awards: The Adam Marcincowicz Award and the Excel need to be identified by April 13, 2018. The identification of nominees is a priority item for the March Meeting.  Hosting the Volunteer Dinner be held outside of the RiverMills for this next year. It has been held at the K of C 4044 in the past. F. Sub-committees 1. A list of sub-committees was distributed with the packet. Members are requested to identify which sub-committee they will work on.  G. Budget Proposal for 2018-19.  The budget proposal was review with the budget sub-committee.  The Mayor has as to project what capital expenses will be for the next 5 years. The purchasing of new vehicles for transportation was identified as the priority. The mayor has stated that a new vehicle will be purchased the next 4 years and a van will be purchased in year 5.  A wish list was also developed and included increasing the receptionist hours, an increase to cover all exercise expenses, and some additional funds for programming to address potential short falls from the Friends of the Chicopee Senior Citizens due to the need to repay the debt on the building. Additionally, a request will be made to adjust the salary for the office manager position.  Other increases or changes include the step increases for the staff per contract.  There requests to add to education and training to support the development of Sherry and Holly, who are new in their role.  Plans for increases in basic expenses such as power and heat.  Special services were annualized based on the 6 month expenses to project the accurate amount that will be needed across the entire year.  The total budget is projected to be $642,310,78, which is an increase from $623,826.61  A question was raised as to whether a back-up generator for the building. It was noted that the center is considered a warming center for emergencies so the electricity should be repaired quickly. This was added to the wish list as a fifth item.  The 2018/19 budget proposal was approved unanimously by the group. VI. Meeting adjourned at 6:25  Next meeting March 13, 2018 4:45pm Submitted by Karen S. Rousseau