Council on Aging

City of Chicopee Council on Aging April 9, 2024 . Members Present: S. Tawrel, S. Gelinas, K. Rousseau, D. Naumchick, C. Gemme, & M. Rider, H. Lenhart, K. LaBreck, A. Monroe, L. Houle Staff: Sherry 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 ▪ No public input this meeting III. Review of minutes • Minutes from the March 12, 2024, meeting were reviewed and accepted. IV. Business Reports A. Executive Directors Report • Sherry reviewed the directors report for March. The center was able to hire a cook. This person will do the baking and café meals. Anne will do most of the other cooking for lunches, however they will be cross-trained. They have not been able to interview for the Driver, Clerk and Office Assistant. The office assistant is the only position that is posted. • Sherry met with Lee Pouliot to discuss the outside shade. Lee involved an architect, and the project is now estimated to be $400,000, the original quote for $60,000. • Sherry has requested to remove the granite slabs in the front of the building. Lee refused based on the slabs being historical. Sherry consulted the historical commission. The slabs are from the original FaceMate factory. While the historical commission agreed that the slabs are unsightly, but they are historical. • Motion by K. Rousseau that the mayor be invited to the next COA meeting to discuss concerns regarding the city planners involvement at the RiverMills. L. Houle seconded the motion. • Motion was unanimously approved. An invitation will be sent to Mayor Vieu • Ice and water have been installed in the Garden room. • A lot of work was focused on completing the budget for the next year.  • A ladies day is planned in May and the Carnival • The Garden Club starts May 8th. DPW will come out to level out the land before they install the structures for the gardens. • More furniture has been ordered for the patio including tables for 6. • The container with all of the furniture was moved and much of the materials have fallen over. The entire container needs to be emptied and organized. There is a concern that some things may have been damaged. • Sherry is working to get a large shed for the upper part of the property. • The Easter Egg hunt and the dog appreciation day were highly successful events. • Report was unanimously approved. B. Café and Kitchen Revenue Report • The Café had very good sales in March and the profit was $101.31. However, there was a charge to the café of $1776 that should have been charged to lunch program. The profit will look more like $1800 once this is corrected. • A review of the reporting for the café and lunch program. Some funds for prepaid meals were not being reported. A system has been developed to ensure all of the revenues and expenses are booked appropriately. • It was noted that there are gift certifications available for purchase and this should be communicated to the public. C. Fiscal Reports • Sherry reported on the March budget. The center remains on target for all budget lines. Repairs to equipment includes $17,000. Maintenance has been covering this expense, but this line item will move to maintenance for next year. The fiscal report was unanimously approved. D. Chairs and Flooring Updates • A total of 132 dining room chairs and they should be in by the end of the month. A floor has been selected and is out of the bid. It will look like boards. The café area will also get new flooring. The work must be completed by June 1st. Dave also requested to purchase 78 additional chairs for a total of 200. The chairs have slides so that they will not damage the floor. • The Rotary Club of Chicopee is in discussions with Sherry about a donation to the center.  E. Budget • Sherry circulated the 2025 budget for review. A substitute transportation position was eliminated because there is adequate staffing for cross coverage. The overtime budget was requested to be increased to $20,000. The repairs to the equipment budget will move to the maintenance department. The catering line has increased to $50,000. This will balance the deficits created by keeping lunches at $2.00. • The COA sent a letter to support an increase for the director. The union is looking into this. • RiverMills budget is based on approximately $65 per older adult living in Chicopee per year. • The center uses the Formula Grant to subsidize a number of salaries. • Motion to approve K. LaBreck and D. Naumchick • Unanimously approved. VI. Meeting adjourned at 5:40 pm • Next meeting is May 14, 2024 Submitted by Karen S. Rousseau