Council on Aging

Approved by Fitchburg COA at 10/10/2024 meeting FITCHBURG CITY CLERK Oct 11 2024 4:09 pm FITCHBURG COUNCIL on AGING MINUTES of NOVEMBER 30, 2023 MEETING PRESENT: George Bourque, Margaret Padovano, Debbie Dion, Todd Goodwin, Bonnie Hautala, Amanda Koeck, Alexander Vera and Myles Wilcox ABSENT: Jim Craigen, Joe Byrne, Pastor Annie Belmer and Andrew Van Hazinga Meeting called to order at 1:08 PM NO OFFICIAL BUSINESS WAS CONDUCTED DUE TO THE LACK OF A QUORUM. MINUTES from October 26, 2023, meeting were emailed to Board members. No vote was taken to approve the minutes due to the lack of a quorum. TREASURER’S REPORT: None PRESIDENT’S REPORT: *Alexander Vera and Myles Wilcox were introduced to the Board. Vera will serve as Chief of Staff and Wilcox will serve as Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor-Elect Sam Squailia. They have temporary office space at the Fitchburg Senior Center. *Michele Morin is no longer a Board member as she chose not to seek reappointment. Richard Doucette withdrew his intention for appointment due to personal reasons. We brainstormed possible replacements for vacant positions. *Bourque reiterated the COA serves solely as an advisory board to the Executive Director and we have no governance responsibilities. The Mayor determines our budget. Koeck stated the COA doesn’t need a treasurer because we have no funds to control. Koeck confirmed that the Board controls its own Sunshine Fund. *A search committee is being formed to select the next Executive Director of the Fitchburg Senior Center due to the resignation of Jennifer Brennan. The job has been posted and special consideration is being given to candidates who applied prior to November 26, 2023. Interested Board members should contact Bourque immediately. Bourque, Hautala, Craigen and Byrne have already expressed their interest. HR’s Susan Davis will be involved in the interviewing process. Mayor-Elect Squailia will ultimately select the next Executive Director. DIRECTOR’S REPORT: *No COMMUNICATIONS were reported and no OLD BUSINESS was mentioned today. *NEW BUSINESS: Koeck and Bourque requested the Board’s assistance in quelling any hearsay circulating in the building. Please encourage people to ask questions in a truthful effort to garner facts rather than spreading gossip. *Padovano expressed her concern with unnecessary parking tickets being issued to motorists parked in the vicinity of the Senior Center. She mentioned that many of those motorists are volunteering at the Senior Center. The City should be encouraging people to visit the downtown area. *Dion expressed her displeasure with the lack of a quorum for the second consecutive meeting. Board members should honor their appointment and make an effort to attend every meeting. Dion suggested that Koeck should request Board members to contact her with the status of their attendance at all upcoming meetings. This could easily be done when we receive the minutes and meeting agenda from Koeck. Thank you for your attention to this suggestion. *Dion suggested the possibility of returning to meeting on the second Thursday of the month. Please note that we changed to the fourth Thursday of the month to allow Brennan and former Treasurer Josie Wood ample time to meet and discuss the monthly Treasurer’s Report. Since the COA doesn’t need a treasurer, as stated in the President’s Report, perhaps this change would boost attendance. *Yes, we will meet on Thursday, December 28, 2023, at 1:00 PM. It was suggested that Board members attend the New Year’s Luncheon at noon prior to our meeting. This luncheon is sponsored by Fidelity Bank and features special musical guest Eddy Troxler. *Vera reported that the Inauguration of City Officials will be held on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the auditorium at Fitchburg High School. The Inaugural Ball will be held at the Fitchburg Senior Center on Saturday, March 2, 2024. The snow date is Saturday, March 9, 2024. ADJOURNMENT: 2:00 PM Respectfully submitted, Debbie Dion