Committee Concerning People with Disabilities

COMMITTEE CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MEETING MINUTES City of Middletown 61 Durant Terrace – Recreation/Community Service Building February 6, 2018 6:00 PM 1. Members Present: Marty Knight/Chairperson, Joe Carta (via phone), Richard Pelletier, Keith Vinci, Elderrean Paules, Dr. Helen Evrard, Phil Cacciola and August DeFrance. Absent: Joseph Bibisi. Staff Present: Catherine Lechowicz – Director of Recreation and Community Services General Public: none 2. Meeting Called to Order: Called to order at 6:01pm. 3. Public Hearing: 4. Approval of Minutes: A motion to approve the meeting minutes of January 9, 2018, was made by Elderrean Paules and seconded by Dr. Helen Evrard. The motion carried with August DeFrance abstaining. Departmental Reports:  Richard Pelletier stated that he had just found out that the funding for the middle school project has been approved by the Common Council. The City gave $30,000 and the Board of Education gave $20,000 so that they can begin with architectural renderings. A discussion ensued.  Dr. Helen Evrard stated that she did not have anything to discuss.  Elderrean Paules stated that Monarca Place has finally gotten their security system in place. Also, next Tuesday is Mardi Gras and they are having a pot luck party in the community room. A discussion ensued.  August DeFrance stated that he did not have anything to discuss because the meeting was cancelled again.  Joe Carta stated that he did not have anything to discuss.  Keith Vinci stated that Unified Theater was a big success. The kids did a fantastic job. Keith taught the children how to sign the song “Stand By Me”. A discussion ensued.  Phil Cacciola stated that they signed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. It was nice that everyone was standing for the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. The Mayor appointed a committee for the Shepard Home. The Shepard Home is for disabled veterans. Phil was appointed to this committee. Larry Riley, Tom Serra, Seb Giuliano and Phil Cacciola are on this committee. The building will have to be fully accessible. The Columbus Housing is providing some of the funding and the city is as well. A discussion ensued.  Cathy Lechowicz stated that she would like to recognize Unified Theater. Also, the brochure has been updated. The City does have a TTY phone. There are people that do not use TTY because they use Skype or use other methods of communication. This brochure could be put out at the library and City Hall and other public places. Lisa Santangelo and David Bauer were supposed to be in attendance at this meeting but have not shown. A discussion ensued. Old Business New Business: Miscellaneous:  Elderren Paules passed out a dining fundraiser brochure supporting the Lion’s Club. The Lion’s Club in Middletown has been around for 88 years. This brochure states that a portion of your dining bill will go towards this cause.  Marty received a phone call from a representative of Lion’s International stating that he will be interviewing Marty and an article about his life will possibly be the feature in the May Lion’s magazine. Adjournment: A motion of adjournment was made by Richard Pelletier and was seconded by Elderrean Paules . The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:43 pm. Respectfully submitted, Laura Bruni Runte