Council on Aging

City of Chicopee Council o Aging March 12, 2024 . Members Present: S. Tawrel, S. Gelinas, K. Rousseau, D. Naumchick, C. Gemme, & M. Rider, H. Lenhart, K. LaBreck, A. Monroe Excused: L. Houle Staff: Sherry Manyak Guest: Eleanor Cachat I. Call to order ▪ The meeting was called to order at 4:45pm. There was no request to record the meeting. Audrey Monroe joined as new member of the Board of Council on Aging II. Public input ▪ No public input this meeting III. Review of minutes • Minutes from the February 20, 2024, meeting were reviewed and accepted. IV. Business Reports A. Executive Directors Report • Sherry reviewed the directors report for February. The center has been focused on staffing. Diane Gay is retiring. The clerk and office position as well as the cook and full-time driver positions are all open. Jonah will be going on leave. Casey will help cover Jonah’s role while he is out. Patsy continues to cover her old role. • Holly and Sherry met with HCC about interns for some of the open roles. • There was a St. Patrick’s Day event today and the Spring Dinner will be next week. A ladies day is planned in May and the Carnival • Report was unanimously approved. B. Café and Kitchen Revenue Report • The Café had very good sales in February and the profit was $1490. Leftovers continue to be very popular. • The dining room had a loss of $221 but this is understandable knowing the meals are only $2.00.  • The activities of the Café manager does not reflect all of the work that she does. It was suggested that the number of meals served and all of the extra food that is provided should be reflected. C. Fiscal Reports • Sherry reported on the February budget. The program tech has moved over to the Formula grant for salary the rest of the year. She has requested “wish list” from staff for next year’s budget. The center remains on target for all budget lines. There is a grant in place to support the reduced lunch prices, so the losses are covered. The fiscal report was unanimously approved. • One slot for marketing for Veterans Voices was secured. • There was a grant secured for additional raised bed gardening and this will cover the purchase of all equipment. • There will be a gardening club meeting in May. It was noted that a soil sample was sent out last year and there was no contamination. D. Chairs and Flooring Updates • Sherry ordered new chairs like the ones in the new City Hall auditorium. The chairs have slides so that they will not damage the floor. A total of 118 chairs have been ordered. The Director of Maintenance wants all of the chairs replaced so he is going to the City Council with this request. • There have been extensive discussions about replacement flooring. participating in classes. There are concerns about the options because they are not sustainable. The current floor is stained however the city planner wants to use the same type of flooring • Motion to send a letter to the Mayor and the Director of Maintenace regarding sustainability concerns for the flooring product by K. Rousseau. • Second C. Gemme • Motion unanimously approved E. Budget • Patsy is developing the first draft and then Sherry will collaborate with her to finalize the budget for submission. • Sherry plans to request more funding for food because the grant will not be available. She will also request to increase Diane’s position to full time • The new van should be here by the time the new budget is in place • She plans to eliminate the back-up transportation position because there are full time drivers  F. Outdoor Gardening • The goal is to have raised garden beds for participants. There will also be additional gardens that will provide vegetables for the kitchen. • Volunteers will be sought to support the gardening efforts this summer. The kitchen manager position has been open since the fall and an offer went out for a person to fill this positions. • There is a new driver position that is open, and the center has been interviewing for a candidate G. Friends of RiverMills • Doreen provided an update on the Friends activities. The by-laws were finalized and distributed to the members. There is a Veterans event on March 27th. The group donated funding for the new chairs that have been ordered. • Easter Raffle is being promoted to support Friends. The cost is $5.00 for each ticket to win a basket of lottery tickets, $100 gift certificate to Chicken Queen and other Easter treats. • All of the officers have terms ending and will not return so there is a need to find new people who are willing to serve as officers. V. New Business A. • There was some feedback that the flooring in the larger room was looking worn and dirty. Sherry is seeking to replace the flooring in the lunchroom and the café. She is also looking to replace the chairs. These chairs will match the ones in the new Chamber building in City Hall. VI. Meeting adjourned at 5:40 pm • Next meeting is April 9, 2024 Submitted by Karen S. Rousseau