Council on Aging

City of Chicopee Council on Aging November 12, 2024 . Members Present: S. Tawrel, K. Rousseau, C. Gemme, S. Gelinas, K. LaBreck, D. Naumchick, M. Rider, S. Michalik Staff: Sherry Manyak Excused: L. Houle, A. Monroe 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 III. Review of Minutes  Minutes from October 9, 2024, were reviewed. The minutes we approved unanimously. IV. Directors Report  Bright Nights trip opened for signups today and it is completely sold out. Members were very upset and there are 75 people on the waitlist.  Sherry had moved the sign-up time moved to 9am and people are waiting until 9am so that they are not waiting outside. They are considering moving to the afternoon. The registrations are running better, and the line moves quicker.  Community Development has been to the center a few times working on a needs assessment of the community. They have a really good response rate. Community development does provide support to the exercise  Sherry and Holly attended the MCOA meeting, and they were both certified as MCOA leadership. There was a lot of great information shared   The Festival of Trees is ongoing and there have been almost 2000 entries to date.  Sherry is planning a conference on aging in the spring. There will be multiple breakout sessions over the course of the day. A speaker from Western MA Elder Care will be coming. Sherry is also trying to secure Kerry Stacks as a speaker as well. Health New England will sponsor lunch.  The next newsletter will be out for circulation soon.  There will be a Winter Dinner in December.  Volunteers are being sought to make meatballs for Bright Nights as well as help with serving food at the event.  The Directors Report was unanimously approved V. Café and Kitchen Revenue Report  The Café reported profit of $70 for October. There were extra supplies purchased in preparation for the holiday season  The meal program reported a profit of $519 with 1088 meal tickets sold. They continue to work on some inefficiencies to bring that level higher.  Election day was very busy for the café. All of the food was sold out early on. Many donated to the Festival of Trees as well that day.  New coffee makers had to be purchased because the current ones are aging. This new vendor will support the new machines.  Monitoring of the kitchen has increased to help with inventory maintenance.  The Ice Machine leaked and resulted in the cabinets needed to be replaced. The center will replace the ice machine once the cabinets are installed.  The Café and Kitchen report was unanimously approved VI. Programs  Give Thanks Dinner 11/19  Bright Nights for Seniors 12/4 & 12/5. There will be dinner provided and there will be 2 Christmas trees to be raffled off.  Holiday dinner 12/17. VII. Fiscal Reports  The fiscal report for October was circulated to the board. A new report was also circulated that had all of the funding merged.  The meal program may run out of money and Sherry will have to go to the city council for additional funding.  It was noted that all the memberships have been paid for the year.  The van has had funding encumbered for this purchase.  The Formula Grant is reflected on page 7 and reflects the first installment of funding. The center will receive $222,000 over the year.  The Center received a $5000 donation from one of the members.  The fiscal report was unanimously approved. VIII. Key fobs  All the staff have key fobs to access the building during off hours. IX. Committee list for 2025  The committee list was reviewed. S. Tawrel to update and circulate the list. X. Receptionist handbook  The receptionist handbook has been updated and a draft was circulated. This handbook will be provided to all of the receptionists once completed.  A meeting for all of the receptionists will be held to review the information  There will also be a meeting of all the volunteers to go over guidelines.  There is also a driving handbook that is being finalized to share with transportation workers and volunteers. Xi. New Coffee Vendor  The center is using Jims Organic Coffee. The vendor provided a new grinder, and the coffee makers are being replaced. The vender provided the coffee makers at cost. XII. Staffing  There continues to be a vacant part time nurse. The center may look to move to a full-time position in place of 2 part-time positions. XIII. Council on Aging Holiday Party  A number of options were reviewed including: o Do it on a paint and dine night. The meal is chicken parmesan o Do the same thing as last year – have pizza and share treats. A dinner was planned for June that was not able to be carried out.  One person suggested a $10 gift exchange for a Yankee swap.  The group agreed to meet after the 12/10th meeting and have the paint and sip dinner that is planned for that time. Everyone will bring a $10 gift for the Yankee Swap. XIV. New Business  Sherry presented information about the RiverMills Council on Aging handbook. The draft will be distributed to the group and feedback is requested. XIV. Meeting Adjourned The meeting was adjourned at 5:45pm Next meeting December 10, 2024, at 4:45pm Submitted by Karen S. Rousseau