Committee Concerning People with Disabilities

COMMITTEE CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MEETING MINUTES City of Middletown 61 Durant Terrace March 3, 2020 6:00 PM 1. Members Present: Marty Knight/Chairperson, Elderrean Paules, Joseph Carta (via phone), August DeFrance, Phil Cacciola & Richard Pelletier. Absent: Joseph Bibisi and Keith Vinci 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 February 4, 2020, was made by Phil Cacciola and seconded by Elderrean Paules. The motion carries. Departmental Reports:  Elderrean Paules stated that she had seen Mark Radziwon and he indicated that he qualified for Long Term Care which includes transportation by Veyo. Also, next week there will be a corned beef and cabbage dinner at Monarca Place. A discussion ensued.  Cathy Lechowicz stated that the Municipal Agent, Laura Runte, reached out to Mark Radziwon regarding his transportation issue. It was determined that he qualifies for Veyo transportation which means that it is a direct pickup and drop-off. She also stated that it is very important that people reach out to Laura so that she can navigate what resources they are entitled to and how to maximize the benefit. A discussion ensued.  August DeFrance stated that he had nothing to report because they have not had a meeting.  Richard Pelletier stated that the steel is going up now. A great deal of the foundation already has been poured. They will be able to get the building up and do the inside work at that time. Things have been going very well but they are 1 month behind schedule. A discussion ensued.  Joe Carta stated that he does not have anything to report.  Phil Cacciola stated that he has nothing to report but that he wanted to make sure that they go forward with the green envelopes. Cathy stated that she will reach out to Chief McKenna. This Thursday, at the CDB, the DOT is coming to discuss the impact that the work on the bridge will have to the on-ramps and it will disrupt the sidewalks and roads on the North end. It was suggested that Cathy bring up this issue at the meeting. A discussion ensued.  Cathy stated that Keith wanted the updated information on the Committee members. We have updated the information on our current members. Last night, Teisha Perry was appointed to our committee. She will begin next month. Our Municipal Agent, Laura, fielded 159 general questions in February with 1 new ADA issue regarding an elevator being down at the Wilcox Apartments. They have assured a date when it will be fixed. Cathy will follow up with Laura to check the status of this issue. Cathy called MAT to discuss the issue with Mark. She spoke specifically about what happened with Mark Radziwon. It was determined that their system has limitations if a time is changed. The computer system will not allow for changes. They are looking to change their software to a program that is more user friendly. A discussion ensued.   Marty Knight stated that there is an ordinance in terms of the breakdown of the members of this committee. There are terms that are expiring in April. They are Joe Carta, Richard Pelletier, Elderrean Paules and Phil Cacciola. They have all expressed a desire to remain on the committee. The terms are for 5 years each. Tateisha is replacing Dr. Helen Evrard. A discussion ensued. Old Business New Business: Miscellaneous: Adjournment: A motion of adjournment was made by Phil Cacciola and was seconded by Richard Pelletier. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:58 pm. Respectfully submitted, Laura Bruni Runte