Committee Concerning People with Disabilities

COMMITTEE CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MEETING MINUTES City of Middletown 61 Durant Terrace June 1, 2021 6:00 PM 1. Members Present: Marty Knight/Chairperson, Elderrean Paules, August DeFrance (via Webex), Phil Cacciola, Richard Pelletier, Keith Vinci, Joseph Bibisi, Tateisha Perry (via phone) and Joe Carta (via Webex). Absent: Staff Present: Catherine Lechowicz – Director of Recreation and Community Services General Public: none 2. Meeting Called to Order: Called to order at 6:03pm. 3. Public Hearing: 4. Approval of Minutes: A motion to approve the meeting minutes of May 4, 2021, was made by Phil Cacciola and seconded by Elderrean Paules. The motion carries. Departmental Reports:  Elderrean Paules stated that it has been very quiet at Monarca Place. Phil Cacciola mentioned that it is a problem that Monarca Place does not have a generator for when the power goes out. This is an issue with the elevator not working. There is potential that Monarca Place will receive a generator. A discussion ensued.  Richard Pelletier stated that he was able to do a walk through at Beman School. Cathy added that she did a walk through as well. The Middletown Board of Education will not be starting school until September 10th. They want to make sure that they have enough time for this school to be completed. A discussion ensued.  Joseph Bibisi stated that the warming center was at the hotel this year. They served 25 people on average. A discussion ensued.  Phil Cacciola gave an update on the Memorial Day parade. A discussion ensued.  Keith Vinci said that he was still trying to find out more about the place in Wallingford that is for hearing impaired. He also said that a member of the community had passed away. His name was Richard Crane and he was deaf. Richard frequented the senior center and played cards with other members of the community. He also stated that it would be nice to have a sign language interpreter at all ceremonies and programs like the ceremony that was held for the veterans. A discussion ensued.  August DeFrance stated that the Boat house committee has not received the final costs. They should have that information for the July meeting at which point it will be forwarded to the Common Council.  Joe Carta stated that he didn’t have anything to report.  Cathy stated that there is work being done on the exterior of the senior center. They are being sensitive to make sure that there is access to the building. The walkways are clear. The building has been leaking water when there are rain storms. There was remaining funds from the building budget which is being used for this purpose. A discussion ensued.   Marty Knight asked Cathy for an update of the status of the Committee Concerning People with Disabilities. Cathy stated that the ordinance was approved in December 2020. He also inquired about what will be happening for the summer CCPD meetings. A motion was made to take July and August off by Phil Cacciola and was seconded by Richard Pelletier. The motion carries. A discussion ensued. Old Business New Business: Miscellaneous:  Joseph Bibisi stated that the Covid-19 vaccine clinic here at the senior center went so smoothly that it was incredible. He wanted to pass along this to the staff. A discussion ensued.  Elderrean Paules has to do a service project through the Lion’s Club. Last year they collected tabs on top of cans for the Ronald McDonald House. If you have thoughts or suggestions, please let Ellie know. A discussion ensued.  Tateisha stated that Silver Petrucelli was selected as the group for the roofing projects. They are waiting for the grant confirmation which should be known by June 22, 2021. These are the roofs for Snow School and Farm Hill School. The committee will have to vote to approve solar panels on the roof. A discussion ensued. Adjournment: A motion of adjournment was made by Phil Cacciola and was seconded by Richard Pelletier. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:29 pm. Respectfully submitted, Laura Bruni Runte