Senior Services Commission

Draft Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Senior Services Commission Village of Northbrook July 10, 2014 The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Activity Room at Crestwood Place Senior Apartments. Present were Chairman Wax and Members Bachrach, Forde, Ganitopoulos, Louis, Moore, and Stern. Members Nevin and Rosenberg were absent. Also present were Village President Frum, Deputy Village Manager Rowitz and Liaison Sabo, Realty and Mortgage (R&M) representatives Crane and Jaworski, and Recorder Anetsberger. Review and Approval of Minutes Manager Crane suggested that page 2 under Old Business, paragraph 2, be amended from “Reserve Fund Report” to read “Capital Maintenance Plan” in all instances. Member Louis suggested a correction on page 1, under Manager’s Report, last paragraph, changing the word “April” to “May”. Member Louis, seconded by Member Ganitopoulos, moved to approve the minutes of the May 18, 2014 Senior Services Commission meeting as amended. On voice vote, the minutes were approved. Village President’s Report Village President Frum addressed the residents of Crestwood beginning her talk with a background history of Crestwood School and how it was purchased by the Village and repurposed as a senior facility in 1985. 2015 is the 30th anniversary of Crestwood Place. No federal or state funds were used to make the purchase. The Village issued bonds to build and renovate the facility. Crestwood is property tax exempt because it is a Village owned. The building is meant for independent living and was never intended for assisted living. The Senior Housing Commission was formed to oversee the building and later rolled over into the Senior Services Commission. President Frum shared that Northbrook is one of the oldest communities on the north shore. The average age of Northbrook residents today is middle to late 40s. Two private, for profit senior facilities have opened this year; one offers independent living (The Lodge) and the other offers assisted living (North Shore Place) along with another currently under construction on the northwest side of Northbrook. Northbrook seems to be rebounding from the recession. President Frum offered time for questions from the audience. Chairman’s Report Chairman Wax introduced new Village Staff liaison, Rob Sabo. Deputy Village Manager, Jeff Rowitz will still be available as the circumstances warrant. Manager’s Report Manager Crane presented copies of the new Capital Maintenance Plan completed by Thornton Tomasetti. The cost figures at the beginning of each section are the totals for the 20 year plan. There is a 20 year spreadsheet at the end of the report. The Commission should take the opportunity over the next two months to review the report. Discussion of the report will be on the September Senior Services agenda. Manager Crane stated that the Capital Maintenance Plan looked at structural and mechanical items and provided a detailed report indicating the years in which various repairs and replacements should be planned for. Member Forde asked if the report could be placed on the 1 Village website. Member Louis questioned whether the report should be posted to the website as it is a draft and has not yet been reviewed. Member Louis suggested that the report be placed on the website as a draft copy and that it be placed on the September agenda for discussion. Chairman Wax stated he wants the item as an upcoming agenda item. Deputy Village Manager Rowitz suggests placing the report on the website noting it is unconfirmed. Manager Crane reported that one tenant was lost due to moving to a greater care facility but occupancy is currently at 100%. Because of sound building maintenance and affordability, the occupancy rate has been very good. Budget and Finance 1) Review of April 2014 Financial Report Chairman Wax said the operating report shows a greater cash contribution to the fund than was budgeted for the year. Chairman Wax questioned the last sentence on the April statement under Professional Services stating that the payment was made in the current month. Chairman Wax is suggested that R&M and Deputy Village Manager Rowitz get together and inform Chairman Wax what happened. Member Stern, seconded by Member Forde moved to approve the April 2014 financial report. On voice vote, the motion passed. 2) Review of May 2014 Financial Report Chairman Wax said that May is the first month of the new fiscal year. The May budget went over budget due to other professional services. This is reflected under department equipment on page 2. Operating income before debt services shows over budget of $1,727.00 Member Louis questioned why the capital maintenance plan was under Department Equipment. She felt it should be under special services. Member Louis, seconded by Member Ganitopoulos, moved to approve the May 2014 financial report. On voice vote, the motion passed. Old Business 1) Walk-in Showers A review of the bathtub to walk-in shower conversion RFP was delivered by Deputy Village Manager Rowitz for 15 new walk-in showers at Crestwood Place. A proposal of $4,389 per shower for a total cost of $65,835 was received from A CPM Construction, who had done this work in the past. Village purchasing policies require competitive sealed bids for projects exceeding $10,000. In accordance with this policy, the Commission teamed with Village staff to seek competitive sealed bids. Three bids were received, and A CPM Construction was the lowest responsive bidder, at $4,141 per shower for a total cost of $62,115. It was noted that A CPM’s bid was $3,720 less than their previous proposal. With the Commission’s approval, Deputy Village Manager Rowitz will put it on the Village Board agenda for approval at their July 22 meeting. A motion by the Commission for the Village Board to approve a contract with ACPM Construction of $4,141 per shower for a total not to exceed $62,115 was made by Member Louis and seconded by Member Bachrach. On voice vote, the motion passed. 2) Capital Maintenance Plan The Capital Maintenance Plan was presented during the meeting and will be reviewed by the Commission. It will be discussed at the September meeting. 2 New Business Liaison Sabo presented information on the Illinois Premise Alert Program. Residents that have disabilities and people with special needs are invited to sign up for the program to share their information with the police, firefighters and paramedics dispatchers in an emergency. The Premise Alert Program allows people to notify local police and fire departments about a family member who may require special assistance or treatment in an emergency at home by applying for the program. The information will be stored by the police and fire dispatchers for two years. Enrollment applications were made available during the meeting. Chairman Wax asked that more awareness be made within the community. The program is for people with all disabilities. Chairman Wax proposed that the Commission think of any ways and means that this information can be passed on to the general public and not just Crestwood Place. Chairman Wax suggested that this issue be placed on the Senior Services September agenda. R&M representative Crane stated that the packet was placed on every tenant’s door and is also included in the move in packets. Applications can be turned in at the office at Crestwood or turned in to the Village. Discussion stated that a senior expo would soon be taking place within the Village at the Renaissance Hotel hosted by an independent organization and that it would be beneficial to have the forms present there. The Northbrook Farmers Market was also discussed as an attractive site. Member Louis questioned if it was part of the state law that the form is kept on file for only two years. Liaison Sabo will look into the two year requirement and get back to Commission in September. Discussion of Grassroots Village Article A discussion of groups getting together to assist members of their own community independent of Village took place and Chairman Wax asked to place this on the September agenda. Chairman Wax stated that there were three options to consider: 1) Identify people in Northbrook who would be interested in forming a Village on their own; 2) Join the North shore Village which is already in operation involving Evanston, Wilmette, Skokie, Glenview and Winnetka; or 3) Do nothing. He asked that the Commissioners read the article on Grassroots Villages and be prepared to discuss at the September meeting. Recycling at Crestwood Discussion took place after a request to visit the recycling program at Crestwood apartments and to actively get more residents to get involved. Liaison Sabo spoke with Manager Crane about paper recycling and electronics waste. Liaison Sabo explained that the Village supports an e-waste program. Manager Crane related efforts on how to get residents to recycle and will try again by getting special containers for cans and bottles. Residents must become aware on the signage on the bins and follow the rules. Liaison Sabo questioned if paper recycling bins could be placed next to the garbage chutes that are located on each floor. Paper recycling currently only takes place downstairs along with electronics recycling in the basement. Manager Crane stated that the basement seems to be the right place for recycling. There are seven garbage rooms within the building. There is currently only one location for electronics and paper which is located in Building C. Chairman Wax suggested Liaison Sabo and Manager Crane get together to discuss recycling opportunities at Crestwood. The residents asked that recycling be made more accessible. Member Bachrach asked when the last time recycling of bottles and cans was tried. Manager Crane stated that it has been a while and that she would pursue it once again. Chairman Wax stated a new proposal would be forthcoming at the September meeting. Questions from the Audience Resident John Kollar identified three issues for action: 1) The alley between Crestwood and Walgreens is in need of blacktop repair. There is a pothole that should be fixed. 3  2) He asked the Commission to look into replacing the current toilets within the building with a height of 14 inches with new 18 inch height toilets that meet ADA standards. Mr. Kollar along with the Commission stated that the price of a new toilet is $146.95. 3) The generator issue has not been resolved and asked if the cost of replacement is stated within the next budget. Liaison Sabo stated that it was included in the capital maintenance study. The management company stated that the generator does not need to be replaced but just needs regular maintenance. Discussion followed with comments from the audience that the generator does not power the elevator in an emergency. The residents commented that the generator is 25 years old. Liaison Sabo stated he has not had the opportunity to review the report on the generator. The Commission will review the report and place their response on the next agenda. The Commission asked that residents document their troubles with the generator. Residents further related their fears of it not working properly. Chairman Wax stated that the commission is not qualified to make decisions and thus follows the guidance of engineers and experts as discussed in the Capital Maintenance Plan. Chairman Wax further stated that the Senior Services Commission does not have authority to approve big expenditures, only the Village. Member Forde stated we need to get information to find out about any outages and that he does take into account recommendations. Chairman Wax asks that residents write down any of their experiences and the Commission will take a look. Member Bachrach stated that this is one year later and the issue is still being debated. Chairman Wax commented that there was not sufficient information at the time to make a decision. The Liaison that spoke to the Commission two months ago was not an engineer and was not qualified. Member Forde commented that just because something has been budgeted doesn’t mean that the money will be spent. The report will be studied with recommendations and the Commission will question those recommendations. Residents were asked to get their information to Manager Crane and Liaison Sabo. Manger Crane should document as much as possible in order to have a record for the Village. Member Forde stated that we will review at the next meeting and take all the considerations put on the table and discuss them. The Commission will try to come up with a recommendation at that time. A resident asked how the generator was supposed to perform in an emergency stating that it would be a good starting point. Manager Crane discussed the difference on how the generator might respond during a brown out and a black out. Manager Forde and Manager Stern discussed that it is important to define what independent living is and what can be done to help Crestwood residents live independently. Hear from the Audience Comments were received from Crestwood residents. It was determined that if the power should be out and there is a health issue, residents should call 911. A resident asked since there is emergency lighting in the hallway, if there could also be power in the hallway outlets. Next Regular Meeting Date: September 11, 2014 to be held at the Northbrook Village Hall. Adjourn Member Forde moved, seconded by Member Stern to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. The motion passed by voice vote. 4