Senior Citizens Advisory Board

City of Coral Gables 405 Biltmore Way Coral Gables, FL 33134 www.coralgables.com Meeting Minutes Thursday, September 7, 2023 4:00 PM https://coralgables.zoom.us/j/86149844627 Adult Activity Center Senior Citizens Advisory Board Senior Citizens Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 7, 2023 CALL TO ORDER Began at 4:06 pm THIS IS AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING. DID NOT MEET QUORUM ROLL CALL a. Roll Call and Excusal of Absences Present: 3 - Board member Julian Sevillano, Board member James “Jim” Berlin and Board member Hendrik Woods Absent: 4 - Vice-Chair Kelley Schild, Chair Celia Suarez, Board member Jean Connelly and Board member Richard Thurer APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES a. Approval of August meeting minutes After reviewing the previous meetings’ minutes the board did not have any comments or request any updates to the minutes at this time. SUPERVISOR'S REPORT City of Coral Gables Page 1 Senior Citizens Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 7, 2023 a. General Updates AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson began by noting that Fall programs have officially begun, and she went through some of the new programs that will begin this month, including Watercolors, Neuroplasticity Yoga for Seniors, funded by the Coral Gables Community Foundation, and Argentine Tango. Katherine went on to say that the Coral Gables Community Foundation granted the AAC a $5,000 grant to help support programs like Mind & Melody and Technology workshops. Katherine also highlighted that, despite the sponsorship, classes would have a normal rate. Board member James "Jim" Berlin then inquired whether the AAC had applied for this award, to which Katherine responded that Deputy Director Carolina Vester had been able to contact a representative from the Community Foundation and assist the AAC in applying for the grant. AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson proceeded by adding that the Annual Boards and Committees Ethics Training is set for September 29th at the PSB and that all board members are required to attend. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then inquired whether members who had previously attended the training were required to attend again. Director Fred Couceyro responded that while the City Clerk's office stated that the training was mandatory, members who contacted the City Clerk's office directly may be told otherwise b. Special Events AAC Western Roundup 2023 - Friday, September 22nd at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm An Afternoon at the Cinema, "Cool Hand Luke" - Saturday, September 23rd at 12:00pm - 3:00 pm AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson began by outlining the next Western Roundup, which is scheduled on Friday, September 22nd from 2pm-4pm, with 33 tickets now sold, but with non-resident tickets being available on Monday, ticket sales are likely to climb. Katherine went on to discuss An Afternoon at the Coral Gables Art Cinema, sponsored by Commissioner Menendez, on Saturday September 23rd at 12pm, with just 47 tickets already reserved. The AAC Halloween Spooktacular is scheduled to take place on Friday, October 27th from 1pm-4pm, with tickets going on sale to residents on September 25th and non-residents on October 9th. The Art Show is planned for Friday, November 17th from 6pm-9pm, with emails being sent out to notify members as registration approaches, and the AAC Holiday Luncheon is scheduled for Friday, December 15th. Board member Hendrik Woods then inquired about the individual artwork restriction and if a board member may still judge the artwork while submitting their own. The artwork restriction will initially be set at four pieces per participant, but as the date of the show approaches, the limit may be adjusted depending on the number of entries received, according to AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson. Katherine then explained that any board member who submitted artwork could still vote, but not in City of Coral Gables Page 2 Senior Citizens Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 7, 2023 any area in which they provided artwork. Katherine then discussed the addition of two new categories, watercolors, and mixed media, as well as the inclusion of a potential expert to assist the board in selecting art show category winners. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters then highlighted the impact of registration policy changes on the first month of the Fall season, revealing that although certain classes experienced a considerable increase in resident attendance, others saw little to no change. Gregory then emphasized that this is only the first month following the policy change, and that the effects of these changes will be visible when the policy change has been in effect for a longer length of time. Community Recreation Director Fred Couceyro then underlined the importance of maintaining resident priority, adding that it is a priority throughout the department. Board member James “Jim” Berlin then inquired whether we had noticed any changes in registration rates because of the fee increases. AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson responded that the fee increases would not go into effect until October 1st, which means any programs that begin after that date will be subject to the fee increase. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then inquired about the policy for adding new agenda items, indicating that she had submitted an agenda item that was not on the official meeting agenda. Director Fred Couceyro indicated that the procedure was to respond to Susan with a list of any agenda items she wanted included for the meeting. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then requested that the Senior Advisory Board get the official registration policies for residents and non-residents for both the YC and AAC. Director Fred Couceyro responded by saying that those materials will be provided with the board and that the new AAC registration policy had been reviewed with the board prior to implementation. Celia then inquired about the separate registration policy for special events such as the Western Roundup, for which there has been low enrollment and non-resident tickets are not set to become available until two weeks before the event, believing that this would be too short notice, affecting ticket sales. Director Fred Couceyro noted that we can assess how this event goes and make adjustments for future events, but that residents should continue to have priority registration. Celia then raised concern about limiting ticket sales to two per person, saying that if this restriction looks to be impacting event ticket sales, she will reconsider. The ticket limit, according to Director Fred Couceyro, was set to prevent residents from obtaining numerous tickets to bypass the wait with their non-resident friends. After some discussion, Fred and Celia agreed that when non-resident tickets went on sale on Monday, September 11th, residents would be able to purchase as many additional tickets for the event as they desired. c. Administrative Updates Cycle Day - Tour of Parks - Sunday, September 17th at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm City of Coral Gables Page 3 Senior Citizens Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 7, 2023 Parks Pollinator Palooza - Saturday, September 23rd at 9:30 am -11:30 am Director Fred Couceyro wondered if anybody had any specific queries concerning the agenda's administrative items. Board member James "Jim" Berlin then inquired as to whether any progress had been made on the survey discussed at a previous board meeting. AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson, said that she is currently working with Deputy Director Carolina Vester to develop the survey's exact details. NEW BUSINESS OLD BUSINESS a. AAC National Senior Citizens Week Board member James "Jim" Berlin then stated that he would like to thank AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson, AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters, and the entire AAC staff for putting on the Senior Week Festivities, as well as all of the board members for attending and participating in the various events. Following the success of the Senior Week events, AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson stated that Baptist Health has expressed an interest in hosting regular discussions here at the AAC once a month or every other month, and the South Florida Chamber Ensemble has received a grant and would like to perform at the AAC on a regular basis, possibly even during the art show this year. Board member James "Jim" Berlin then wondered whether SHINE might return closer to open enrollment and assist AAC members with the process. Katherine said that she would call Kathy and see if it is possible to set up at least two days and links where anybody interested in meeting with SHINE may schedule appointments. DISCUSSION ITEMS City of Coral Gables Page 4 Senior Citizens Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 7, 2023 a. Annual Reports b. Workshop Plans Board member Julian Sevillano then stated that Dr. Mike Merzenich, founder of BrainHQ, would be in Miami in October and that Julian hoped to have him visit the AAC where Brain Gym is held. Board member Hendrik Woods then inquired if programs like SHINE should be marketed more prominently at the AAC in order to reach more individuals. AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson stated that she will investigate the different options. AAC Supervisor Katherine Anderson then stated that she had sent the board a calendar invites for the September 14th workshop from 11:30am-2:30pm, stating that the agenda needed to be finalized, stating that this is not an official meeting, and no motions will be passed, and focusing on the board's annual report. Director Fred Couceyro then requested that the board include the various registration concerns mentioned by Board Chairperson Celia Suarez on the workshop agenda so that the board could reach an agreement on those issues. Board member Hendrik Woods then inquiries about the workshop's purpose and how the board intends to learn about the issues that are important to seniors in the neighborhood. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then answered that the workshop's objective is to set goals for the coming year and outline which topics the board would like to focus on moving ahead. Hendrik then addressed several difficulties, such as affordable housing for seniors, to which Director Fred Couceyro remarked that such are challenges that this board may find difficult to address. Board member James "Jim" Berlin then questioned about the potential of establishing an AAC drop-off zone on Andalusia. Director Fred Couceyro indicated that it is a challenging issue that would require either a building project to establish the drop off zone or taking one of the street parking places, but they are open to look into and explore the many options. ITEMS FROM THE SECRETARY Next meeting date October 19, 2023 at 4 p.m. ADJOURNMENT 5:02pm NOTE City of Coral Gables Page 5