Active Adult Advisory Board Meeting

Regular Meeting Active Adult Center Advisory Board September 16, 2025 A meeting of the Madison Heights Active Adult Center Advisory Board was called to order by Chair Salley, September 16, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at the Madison Heights City Hall Building at 300 W. 13 Mile Rd., Madison Heights, MI 48071. Present: Bessler, Faulkner, Mowry, Ratliff, Salley, Smith and Quigley. Also Present: Center Supervisor Cowan, DPS Director Ballantine, Councilor Wright. Excused: Brand, Juska-Svoba. 19-01. Minutes. Motion by Ms. Ratliff seconded by Ms. Smith to adopt the minutes from the meeting of July 21, 2025. Yeas: Bessler, Faulkner, Mowry, Ratliff, Salley, Smith and Quigley. Nays: None. Excused: Brand, Juska-Svoba. 19-02. Meeting Open to the Public. None. 19-03. Staff Report. Ms. Cowan welcomed new Board members Annie Brand and Kat Faulkner and reelected member Mike Salley, and thanked outgoing members Suzie Patton and Margaret Topping. Ms. Cowan updated the Board on programs that are coming up including lunch and learns, trips, classes, and a Situational Awareness Event. 19-04. Maintenance Requests Mr. Ballantine provided the Board with an update on the punch list and maintenance tasks. The City’s electrical contractor has completed repairs on the indoor lighting, and the installation of the handicap-accessible bathroom button is currently underway. He also reported that the window contractor advised against adding additional tint to the windows, as it could risk causing damage. However, Mr. Ballantine said he would explore alternative solutions to reduce sunlight in the room if any viable options arise. 19-05. Budget Requests None. 1 9-16-25 AACAB Regular Meeting Active Adult Center Advisory Board September 16, 2025 19-06. Unfinished Business. Ms. Cowan shared that Bianco Tours day trips are now online in CivicRec, and that she is investigating how to add the overnight trips online but due to various payment options it has proved difficult. Ms. Cowan also provided an update on the City and AAC newsletters. She mentioned that the September–November edition of Madison Heights Happenings has been mailed out, with additional copies available at the front desk. The newsletter is full of useful information, and although the first issue had some rough edges, she’s confident it will develop into something great. The AAC newsletter will continue to be published monthly, but in a smaller format— reduced from 20 pages to 8. She commended Ms. Parker for doing an excellent job condensing the content. While the newsletter is available both at the AAC and online, the AAC will still offer a mailed version for the same annual fee of $12, which covers postage. 19-07. New Business. Ms. Cowan informed the group that the positions of Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary will be open. She provided a brief explanation of the responsibilities associated with each role. Following a group discussion, it was decided that the election of officers will take place at the October meeting. Additionally, Ms. Cowan expressed her interest in taking a photo of the newly formed Board. Recognizing that some members may be absent from the October meeting, the group agreed to schedule the photo for the November meeting to ensure maximum attendance. 19-08. Treasurer’s Report. None. 19-09. Council & Administration Updates. Councilor Wright reported that the HREC is having a Rev’n in the Heights event on September 13 in the City Hall parking lot. The Fire Department will also be having an Open House at the same time. Councilor Wright also stated that the new trash cans have a five-year warranty, so if they are broken to call Priority Waste to have them replaced. There was some discussion on trash pick up being delayed and questions about bulk items. 2 9-16-25 AACAB Regular Meeting Active Adult Center Advisory Board September 16, 2025 Councilor Wright reported the 11 Mile streetscape is wrapping up. Councilor Wright stated that a new restaurant is looking into building where the former Marinelli’s was located; however, some traffic flow issues need to be worked out. There was discussion on residents not wanting the alley behind the restaurant to be widened to accommodate traffic, since it would bring too many cars close to their homes. Ms. Cowan asked whether Council had ever considered holding community forums to inform residents about upcoming projects and provide an opportunity for public input. Ms. Faulkner agreed and inquired specifically about when the 11 Mile streetscape project was first announced. Councilor Wright responded that the initial details had been mentioned during Council meetings several years ago. While some Board members acknowledged they had heard about the project, they felt the full scope—particularly how extensive it would be—had not been clearly communicated. Ms. Quigley asked whether, if Council held a public meeting and 150 attendees expressed opposition to a proposed project, Council would take that feedback seriously and halt the project. Councilor Wright replied that such input would indeed have an impact. Mr. Ballantine updated the group on the new trash pick up rules and gave a reminder that homeowners did not have to put their trash receptacles out each week if it is not needed. Mr. Ballantine reported the Beautification awards at the last Council meeting went well. All the winners were present and accepted their awards. Ms. Bessler stated she saw a Facebook post in one of the Madison Heights forums stating some incorrect info on the judging, including stating the bus doesn’t stop and that winners from last year won again. She stated she posted a comment with correct info stating the bus does stop, all judges have a scoring sheet and don’t know who the winners are until everyone else does and winners from last year are not allowed to win the following year. Ms. Bessler stated she would like to see the Board judge Halloween decorations as well. Ms. Cowan stated she will request that in next year’s budget. Mr. Ballantine stated the City received a great amount of responses to the Parks and Recreation Master Plan survey and that a rough draft of the results would be announced at the September 29, 6 pm, meeting. Mr. Ballantine stated the City newsletter is now split up into Madison Heights Happenings- “happenings” going on in the City- and Madison Heights Matters (an insert in the C&G News) with items that “matter” such as trash pickup, elections and code enforcement info. 3 9-16-25 AACAB Regular Meeting Active Adult Center Advisory Board September 16, 2025 Mr. Ballantine reported that the Downtown Touchdown event to officially open the 11 Mile streetscape would be held on Saturday, October 4, and that there will be a block party with music, food and vendors. Mr. Ballantine stated there will be a Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 11 at Rosie’s Park with hayrides, cider and donuts. A petting zoo, face painting, music and more. Ms. Cowan reported she is working with volunteers from the pickleball association to start demo classes in the spring, and to watch for more info. She is also working on bringing a new chair volleyball class to the AAC. Mr. Ballantine reported Madison Heights and other affected communities (Sterling Heights and Fraser) are working with GLWA on a task force to find out why the widespread water breaks happened and to see if the City can be reimbursed for at least a portion of the extensive costs. He also stated the DPS crew did an amazing job repairing all the breaks. Ms. Smith stated there is a major issue at the Towers on Dequindre, where she resides. During Covid the main floor bathrooms were shut down, and they haven’t been open since. Staff is giving residents conflicting info from the bathrooms are not working (even though staff uses them) to they have not been cleaned. Not having the bathrooms operational is proving extremely difficult for residents who want to participate in activities on the main floor, need to wait for a bus or just sit outside near the entrance. She asked if the City could reach out to find answers and help. Councilor Wright stated he would reach out to the coordinator of one of the Towers to see if he can get answer. 19-10. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 2:09 pm. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 1:00 pm. Jennifer Cowan Active Adult Supervisor 4 9-16-25 AACAB