Council on Aging

Approved by Fitchburg COA at 10/10/2024 meeting Council on Aging Board of Directors Monthly Meeting April 14, 2022 1:00pm FITCHBURG CITY CLERK Fitchburg Senior Center Fireplace Room Oct 11 2024 3:00 pm 14 Wallace Ave, Fitchburg, MA 01420 Meeting called to order at 1:00pm Present: Bill Walsh, Peg Padovano, Deb Dion, Michele Morin, George Rodriguez, James Craigen, Josie Woods, Bonnie Hautala, Joe Byrne Not Present: Joan Goodwin (participated via phone) George Bourque, Annie Demartino Guests Invited: Andrew Van Hazinga Guests Attended: Andrew Van Hazinga Minutes: Minutes from March meeting were reviewed. Motion to accept was approved pending addition of James Craigen to attendance Treasurer’s Report:  Sunshine Fund – Past balance $205. Current balance TBD  Utility bill will three times amount next month due to no bill received  Motion to accept report was approved. President’s Report: RFQ- Architectural firm was chosen from a pool of 5+ candidates/companies/ Plans have been started and proposals are being collected for work not previously started. Grant money will be used for any engineering to be done prior to construction. The next step will be hiring a General Contractor as per City protocol. Building Update- On schedule with RFQ as mentioned above. Mike is out on medical leave however building has been appropriately maintained and cleaned. It was mentioned that the cleaning company has done a great job. Russell has full access to the building and has a fob and will respond to any emergencies (he is 3rd in line to respond). Office Space- A motion was made to request $300/mo rent from Sen. Cronin’s office which is the same amount previously collected from Sen Tran. The BOD agreed that this was an acceptable amount taken into consideration to added space being used. Motion was approved. Veteran’s Office- A request was made by the City to retrofit the Veteran’s Office space to accommodate the move of the Substance Use Prevention Coordinator’s office from City Hall. The space will be used by Susan Christensen and two other employees. Page 1 of 4 The BOD discussed what the space was to be used for and was in agreement that 1) Space should be used for administrative purposes and not treatment purposes 2) Access to the building should be limited to normal business hours 3) Due to the existing parking deficit, parking spaces need to addressed 4) The cost to provide utilities, clean and maintain the space need to be addressed The move has already been approved and implemented by the City without BOD input. Bill will speak to the City regarding BOD concerns. A motion to send a letter to the Mayor with said concerns was approved. Director’s Report: (reported via telephone by Joan) Joan is out on leave until she receives a note from her medical doctor and will (hopefully) have an update prior to next meeting. Financial Statement- No surprises Budget Update – None Programs & Activities- Ongoing Newsletter – New sponsors have been obtained. Resonate and Local Roots, both of whom are cannabis dispensaries. The letter to the City regarding the impact of not having a Program Coordinator/PC (which was to be sent per motion made at March meeting) was not sent. This was due to the fact that Joan has continued to perform PC duties in addition to her Executive Director duties, often on weekends and after hours and the impact on the seniors has been minimal. However, there has been a tremendous negative impact in all other aspects of the administrative responsibilities of the front office which all staff has assumed without a change in roles, responsibilities or pay. The Staffing Survey performed by a consulting firm hired by the City has been completed and results are pending. The question of proper chain of communication between the City Council and BOD with regard to budget cuts and staffing was asked of Andrew Van Hazinga. He indicated that the Mayor (not the Council) makes the budget cuts. The budget is to be approved in June and there is an opportunity for anyone to publicize their concerns and address the Council. The budget was submitted with the request for Program Coordinator. Andrew will have a conversation with Calvin brooks with regard to proper steps that COA should take to address budget concerns. He also suggested the COA schedule a meeting with Council President Anthony Zarrella. Susan Davis indicated to Joan that she is NOT to be working while on FMLA. The BOD reiterated that PC job functions are not the responsibility of Jennifer and Kathy in the front office. A motion was made to for Joan to cease performing PC responsibilities. Motion was approved. Page 2 of 4 Committee Report: By Laws- tabled until next meeting. Building Committee- See update in President’s report Advisory & Legislation- none Personnel – Joan and Mike are on leave until further notice. Communications: Joe Byrne spoke with Barry Bill Galvin’s office with regard to the Friends of the Fitchburg Senior Center filing status. According to public record, they have not been in good standing since 2016. The Department of Revenue can not however release any documentation or financials due to privacy issues. A motion was made for the COA to extend an invitation to the Friends to attend a BOD meeting to explain their status, position and future intentions. Motion was approved. Should they decline the invitation and/or not provide a sufficient explanation as to their current filing and financial status, legal action may be taken. Joe will also look into the option of requesting s State Audit. New Business: Tabled due to time constraints. Old Business: Standards of Conduct reviewed by City Solicitor. Waiting for written response. Job Descriptions for Joan and Russell requested but not received. COA Bylaws tabled until next meeting. Motion to adjourn at 2:30pm approved. FY 2022 Meeting Dates Second Thursday of the month at 1pm unless otherwise noted. January 13 February 10 Cancelled March 10 April 14 May 5 (special meeting called) May 12 June 9 *No meetings July and August* September 8 October 13 November 10 December 8 (Holiday Luncheon) *Dates, times, additional meetings subject to change* Page 3 of 4 ITEMS/ISSUES PENDING COMPLETION/RESOLUTION Item/Issue Action Status By Laws BOD to review and amended as necessary Pending Job Descriptions BOD to obtain and review job descriptions for Pending Executive Director and Facilities Director to confirm scope of responsibility Gutters Russell to update on approval from MHC re: non- Pending copper gutters. Written response requested. Gutters Bill to provide copy of correspondence with pending MHC Masonry Bill to provide copy of correspondence sent Pending requesting action. Friends of the Bill Galvin will follow up. Written response Pending Center requested Armory Cafe Letters of thanks and recognition to be sent. A Pending copy to be provided to BOD. Letter from Sally Copy of correspondence to be submitted to BOD Requested Craigen Letter to Cronin’s Letter to be sent re: $300 monthly rent Requested Office Letter to City Letter to be sent regarding Veteran’s space Pending concerns Invitation to Copy of correspondence requested Pending Friends Standards of Confirmation from City Solicitor requested Pending Independence Page 4 of 4