College Park Seniors Committee

College Park Seniors Committee Virtual Meeting November 1, 2023 7:00 p.m. Final Minutes Seniors Committee Members: PRESENT ABSENT 1. Woei-Nan Bair X 2. Adele Ellis X 3. Carol Gray X 4. Mary Anne Hakes X 5. Kathy Baer X 6. Gail Lovelace X 7. Bonnie McClellan X 8. Darlene Nowlin X 9. Arelis Perez X 10. Robert Thurston X Also present : Kiaisha Barber, Director of Youth and Family Services; David Segal, Guest; Joi Woods, Contract Secretary The meeting began at 7:02 p.m. I. Guest Speaker Susan Hartmann , College Park City – University Partnership (CPCUP) A. Susan Hartmann provided insight into the current efforts of CP CUP including: 1) The Community Preservation Trust, an Affordable Housing Land Trust, certified in the state of Maryland. The Trust purchases homes at market rate, repairs and then resells the homes at a discounted rate for new homebuyers for residence. 2) Exploring technical assistance opportunities to create home rehabilitation programming in College Park that supports aging in place, home maintenance and energy efficient upgrades. 3) Supporting activity on the Trolley Trail a. Committee members were invited to participate in the Trolley Trail relaunch planning 4) Partnering with the city to enact bicycle and pedestrian improvements and safety enhancements throughout the city 1  5) CP CUPs Education Committee focus on Early Childhood Education expanding child care and Preschool programming and other ways to support children including a. Partnership with College Park Academy b. Supporting families in education in response to learning loss in math and reading due to the impact of COVID 6) Creative space making and seeking opportunities to connect community through art, music and social experiences B. The committee engaged in Q&A and discussion about Vision 2030. Highlighted points included: 1) A need for inclusion of Seniors and an emphasis on aging in place a. A need for the city’s alignment with the state’s efforts of Longevity Planning b. Considerations for seniors and Universal Design to ensure seniors and residents with mobility needs have ample accommodations c. Public Transportation challenges  Call-a-bus time and mileage limitations 2) Alignment of CP CUP’s Vision 2030 Plan, organizational goals for 2024 and the Seniors Advisory Committee efforts a. Seeking opportunities to promote social interaction and increase attendance at events for residents who are not connected online  Communication  Providing transportation options b. Partnering with the Community Preservation Trust and The College Park Foundation to assist senior residents interested in selling their homes c. Exploration of purchasing abandoned homes in the city d. Efforts to make College Park a retirement destination e. Improving walkability and transportation f. Riverwalk onset is in the design phase to connect and improve unofficial pathways through roadway improvements. Some anticipated improvements include protected sidewalks and bike lanes,  30% design, approval and final design processes occur before transportation developments are funded  Plans to identify gaps and needs for city trails, paths, and sidewalks g. Support from CPCUP to engage in university partnerships II. Call to Order Mary Anne Hakes called the meeting to order at 8:02 p.m. Robert Thurston is on a leave of absence from the committee. III. Approval of Agenda for November 1, 2023 The following items were added to the agenda: A. Grants update B. Communications Contact List C. Senior & Social Sports League D. College Park Emergency Center E. Governor Moore’s Service Here Program 2  Arelis Perez motioned to approve the agenda for November 1, 2023 as amended . Gail Lovelace seconded the motion. All were in favor, none opposed. The motion passed. IV. Approval of the October 4, 2023, Minutes Adele Ellis motioned to approve the October 4, 202 3 minutes as corrected. Arelis Perez seconded the motion. All were in favor, no ne opposed. The motion passed. V. Committee Membership Updates A. The committee welcomed new member, Kathy Baer B. The committee discussed attendance and documenting excused absences. VI. College Park Day and Good Neighbor Day highlights A. The committee discussed highlights from College Park and Good Neighbor Day 1) College Park Day a. The event was well attended with a large diverse crowd including residents from neighboring cities b. Identified support needs for family members assuming caregiver roles for seniors c. Planning considerations to promote AARP livability for College Park Day 2024 d. City Council members, Susan Whitney and Dr. Llatetra Esters partnered with HACCP hosting projects at Attick Towers and Spellman House  The HACCP Committee Chair led efforts for donations to the Salvation Army and Community Shredding with the support 15 university student volunteers o 30 residents from Attick Towers donated o An additional pick up was scheduled for residents to make additional donations  HACCP was honored by CKAR who provided 50 meals for Attick Towers residents B. Good Neighbor Day 1) Cherokee Lane Clean-up was well attended by residents including families with young children 2) Planning considerations to promote AARP livability for Good Neighbor Day 2024 Kiaisha Barber will inquire further about city plans to market the program and report back to the committee. VII. Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN-CP) Arelis Perez provided an update about current efforts, goals, and accomplishments. A. NHN-CP is reviewing current Volunteer rosters, processing background checks and assembling lists for training with the Jewish Council on Aging B. Holiday & Volunteer Appreciation Event, December 4, 2023 3:00-7:00pm, Azteca Restaurant Cantina C. Identifying a point person to lead efforts in utilizing the mailing list; the committee can identify a shadow person VIII. AARP Livability Community Action Plan 3  A. Arelis Perez has stepped down as Co-Chair, Gail Lovelace is the new Co-Chair B. The committee has prepared a Job Description and talking points to highlight the need for a paid Lead for NHN-CP C. Efforts continue in areas of communications and emergency preparedness D. Documents are currently being reviewed 1) Woei-Nan Bair has added ideas to support the initiative. She will draft talking points to demonstrate how the Senior Advisory Committee can support the Age Friendly University initiative. The points will be distributed for review and approval by the committee and revisited during the December meeting. New Business IX. Annual Report A. Bonnie McClellan will forward the mission for review and feedback from committee members about edits. B. Mary Anne Hakes will draft the Annual Report to highlight committee efforts, accomplishments, guest speakers for the year along with committee goals and direction for 2024. The report will be sent to committee members for review and suggested edits before the November 30th deadline. X. Emergency Preparedness A. Efforts are progressing with support from 3 UMD Graduate Students to examine the specific needs for senior residents during emergencies. The findings will be presented for inclusion in the city’s emergency preparedness plans. The students interviewed Stuart Adams, City Council Member and Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services. An interview with Michelle Johnson, Director of HACCP is forthcoming. B. City Council Member Denise Mitchell is proposing to launch and Emergency Preparedness system XI. Grants update A. Housing Authority of The City of College Park (HACCP) Grant 1) HACCP was awarded $20K for a Resiliency Grant from Sustainable Maryland in partnership with Pepco for training and emergency preparedness at Attick Towers. B. Enhanced Mobility Grant 1) Rakhmel Rafi, City Grant Writer conducts a preliminary analysis to assess feasibility between funding needs of city committees and characteristics and grant eligibility criteria  Rakhmel Rafi has interest in attending a committee meeting C. The committee discussed pursuing the Aging Well Funding grant and current city priorities 1) A letter of intent is due by November 30, 2023 2) Gail Lovelace is attending an informational session for the grant on November 17th 4  3) The committee discussed inviting the city’s grant writer to the session and soliciting support to pursue the grant D. The committee discussed requesting that the City’s grant writer prioritizes grants for funds to create meeting space for seniors XII. Communication List A. Carol Gray gave an update about ongoing efforts to build the communication list with the overarching goal to communicate city events and resources B. The committee discussed initiating monthly correspondence with other city boards and committees to learn about upcoming events and resources XIII. City Updates- Youth, Family and Seniors Services ( YSF) A. St. Andrews Episcopal Rectory–renovations are scheduled to be completed and staff relocated to the space in January. XIV. Community Announcements A. Corridor Conversations- Desks for Malawi November 18, 2023 B. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center- November 18, 2023 The committee has prepared a Job Description and talking points to highlight the need for a paid Lead for NHN-CP XV. Meeting Schedule and Guest Speaker s A. The next meeting is scheduled for December 6, 2023 B. Future Guest Speakers 1) Ryna Quinones, City Communications Director- December 2023 2) Jennifer Crawley, Maryland Department of Aging - February 2024 a. Arelis Perez will follow up to invite Jennifer Crawley. XI. Adjournment Arelis Perez motioned to adjourn the meeting . Gail Lovelace seconded the motion. All were in favor, none opposed. The motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:02 p.m. 5