Commission For Persons With Disabilities

Commission for Persons with Disabilities Regular Meeting Minutes November 7th, 2019 6:00 PM Present: Committee Chair Elanah Sherman, Amy Dudek, Kevin Harkins, Cynthia Litton, and Julie Menders Excused Absences: Mark Marcy and Kevin Saythany Others Present: Clifford Carter, Jr., Ray DeBlasio, City ADA Coordinator Brigid Marks, Michael Menders, Arthur Mueller, and Lottie Scott Call to Order: Elanah called the meeting to order at 6PM. Determination of Quorum: It was determined a quorum was present (5/7). Approval of Minutes: On a motion from Julie, seconded by Kevin H, the October 2019 Meeting Minutes were approved as presented. Citizen Comments: None Communications: None Old Business: Westgate Shopping Center-Update: No updates. Upcoming Norwich Census - Update: Elanah attended a Census meeting on November 6. Ten of the 20 people who have signed up were in attendance. The majority participates as part of their employment with public or private entities. Elanah will be serving on the Government and Community sub-committees. She reported that Norwich is historically one of the least counted municipalities in the State, partly because of its transient population, high percentage of renters, and significant immigrant population. Charging Stations- Next Steps: A meeting of what has become a Charging Station Sub-committee of the Commission met on October 11 at the senior center. In attendance were Sub-Committee Chair Julie Menders, Chris Riley of NPU, Mayor Peter Nystrom, Elanah, Art Mueller, Phil Pavone of A-Z Pawn, and Amy Dudek. An emerging preferred location is in the area of Stop and Shop. NPU is doing research on types of stations; an important criterion is the charging speed. Elanah was asked by Chris to explore possible funding sources, as well as statistics on the number of motorized equipment users in the City. She prepared a report on these issues for the November sub-committee meeting, scheduled for November 1 but cancelled because utility emergencies from the storm precluded Chris’s attendance. Julie will be scheduling another meeting. Elanah has resigned from the sub-committee. Disability Awareness Week - Final Reimbursement: A motion was made by Kevin H, seconded by Cyndi, that up to $80.00 in refreshment expenses be reimbursed to Elanah; the motion was approved unanimously. Discussion of the 2019 Disability Awareness Week will be on the agenda for the December meeting. 2020 Calendar - Discussion re. Meeting Time: Members discussed the advisability of changing the meeting time from 6:00 PM to 4:00 PM to accommodate para-transit users. A motion was made by Kevin, seconded by Cyndi, to 1) keep the meetings on the first Thursday of every month, except when that Thursday falls on a holiday, in which case the meeting will be held on the second Thursday; and 2) change the meeting time to 4:00 PM, pending room availability. The motion was approved unanimously. New Business: None. Adjournment: On a motion from Julie, seconded by Amy, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 6:29 PM for the Founding Members Reception in Room 335. The next meeting will be at 6 PM on Thursday, December 5th, 2019 at Norwich City Hall in Room 319. Meeting Minutes taken by Ivery Stakley, revised for submission by Elanah Sherman