Council on Aging

City of Chicopee Council on Aging May 14, 2024 . Members Present: S. Tawrel, S. Gelinas, K. Rousseau, M. Rider, H. Lenhart, K. LaBreck, A. Monroe, L. Houle, S. Michalik Staff: Holly Angelo Excused: D. Naumchick 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 April 9, 2024, meeting were reviewed and accepted. IV. Business Reports A. Executive Directors Report  Holly reported that she attended a meeting for the Historical commission that the large stones in front of the center can be moved and placed somewhere else on the property.  The center will receive a grant with a 20% match from the center that will support a wheelchair van that will support 2 wheelchairs.  Holly and Sherry had a budget meeting with the mayor last week and the group was very supportive. They have requested an additional $50,000 to replace the grant that is supporting the meal plan. The maintenance budget has been reduced because the city budget will cover a lot of supplies now, under the current structure.  The new chairs are in place and there has been a lot of positive feedback.  An addition to the building was requested and the mayor requested a needs analysis to aid in the decision making. The original building plans had a version that allowed for an addition. It was noted that additional storage should be included in any addition.  Lunches and programming will stop after tomorrow so that the floor can be replaced. It is hoped that this process will only last 2 weeks. There will be additional food in the café. A picture of the future floor was circulated.  A movie event and the birthday party on May 30th was moved to June as a result of the project.  A question was raised about the shed and Dave Rice is to attend the next meeting to describe the project.  The garden is going in soon. The Garden Club met for the first-time last week. The custodians built the raised gardens to get them ready for planting.  Report was unanimously approved. B. Café and Kitchen Revenue Report  The Café had very good sales in April with a total of 166.52 in profit. The budget is being revised to clarify lunch program vs café. Cynthia, the new café manager has been a great addition to the staff. It was noted that there is still soup available. C. Fiscal Reports  Holly reported on the April budget. The center remains on target for all budget lines. It was noted that the future custodial budget was reduced due to reorganization of that department. The center is approaching the end of the fiscal year and remains on target.  A question was raised about the use of air conditioning. It was noted that the kitchen is extremely hot, and fans are used. There is air conditioning, but it is not meeting demand.  The fiscal report was unanimously approved. V. New Business A. Patio shade – A question was raised about shading the patio and the dramatic increase in price from $40,000 to $400,000. This is in response to proposals from the planning department which involved digging up all of the patio. The planning department was part of the original planning for the patio and now they are saying a major renovation is needed. The patio was donated in memory of people so it should remain intact if possible Diane Gay will be the secretary, the corresponding secretary is Diane Broso, VP is Fran LaBreck, President is Mike Wilk. B. Invitation to Mayor – The mayor will attend the next meeting. It was noted that there is a conflict for the time of the next meeting on June 11, 2024. A change of date was discussed and June 20th, Juen 26th, or June 27th were suggested as alternatives. C. COA Board Gathering The group discussed an end of year gathering. Masses was suggested as a location for the event as well as Milano’s. Masses was agreed as the location. VI. Meeting adjourned at 5:30 pm Next meeting June 27, 2024, at 4:45 Submitted by Karen S. Rousseau