Committee Concerning People with Disabilities

COMMITTEE CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MEETING MINUTES City of Middletown 61 Durant Terrace – Recreation/Community Service Building December 4, 2018 6:00 PM 1. Members Present: Marty Knight/Chairperson, Joe Carta (via phone), August DeFrance, Joseph Bibisi, Dr. Helen Evrard, Elderrean Paules, Richard Pelletier and Keith Vinci. Absent: Phil Cacciola 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 November 6, 2018, was made by Joseph Bibisi and seconded by Keith Vinci. The motion carried with two abstentions by both Elderrean Paules and Richard Pelletier. Departmental Reports:  Elderrean Paules stated that there are 4 new tenants at Monarca Place. There will be a Christmas get together on December 17th. A discussion ensued.  Richard Pelletier stated that things were going along smoothly. There is a strong lobby in Middletown that thinks that using the geothermal is the way to go with the new middle school. The building would need 144 wells for the size of the building in order for the geothermal to work. This would also cost an additional $2 million dollars to the cost of the building. A discussion ensued.  August DeFrance stated that they had a boat house meeting and they are trying to determine how to get people down to the river. They are figuring out how to level the land. A discussion ensued.  Joe Carta stated that he did not have anything to report. Cathy stated that the Sprint building will be upgraded with the appropriate ramps. Also, regarding the voting issue, Lisa Santangelo told Cathy that all future voting issues should be brought to the attention of the moderator immediately. A discussion ensued.  De. Helen Evrard stated that she has nothing to report.  Keith Vinci stated that there was a law on the books for sign language interpreters that they are in the process of updating. A discussion ensued.  Joseph Bibisi stated that the warming center opened up on November 19th at the South Congregational Church. There is an average of about 22 people a night. They will peak at about 35 people per night within the next month or so. A discussion ensued.  Cathy Lechowicz stated that she wanted to share her first experience with a relay call. There was a discussion about the construction of the middle school and what rooms the Recreation department needs. There was also a question about the skating rink. A discussion ensued.  Marty Knight stated that on January 25th at the Inn at Middletown the Lion’s Club will be celebrating their 90th anniversary as a club in Middletown. The Middletown club is the second oldest club in the district. A discussion ensued. Old Business New Business: Miscellaneous: Adjournment: A motion of adjournment was made by Joseph Bibisi and was seconded by August DeFrance. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:40 pm. Respectfully submitted, Laura Bruni Runte