Senior Citizens Commission

CITY OF SHAWANO SENIOR CITIZENS COMMISSION AGENDA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2025 9:00 AM SHAWANO CITY HALL, 127 S. SAWYER STREET, SHAWANO 1) CALL TO ORDER 2) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3) ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS 4) APPROVAL OF AGENDA 5) APPROVAL OF PRIOR SENIOR CITIZEN COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES 6) CORRESPONDENCE 7) PUBLIC COMMENT 8) REPORTS • Civic Center Report: • Gift Shop Report: • Commission on Aging Report: • Garden Report: 9) CONSIDER/APPROVE ACTION ITEMS • Wendy Lecker with Curative Connections presentation. • Discussion/Action regarding options for the homeless. 10) FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 11) ADJOURNMENT * NEXT MEETING DATE: NOVEMBER 19, 2025 AT 9:00 AM DISABLED ACCESSIBLE (Contact City Clerk prior to meeting if require additional services.) Page 1 of 6 It is possible that members of and possibly a quorum of members of other governmental bodies of the municipality may be in attendance at the above-stated meeting to gather information; no action will be taken by any governmental body at the above-stated meeting other than the governmental body specifically referred to above in this notice. OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLIANCE This agenda was posted in 3 public places (City Hall, Premier Community Bank and the Shawano Library) as well as sent to local news media. Therefore, all laws regarding posting of agendas for open meeting law compliance have been met. Page 2 of 6  September 17, 2025 Shawano, Wisconsin CALL TO ORDER  The meeting was called to order by chairperson Jack Young at 9:00 am. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS  Members Present: Alderperson Jack Young, Lynnae Zahringer, Bonnie Wolf, Lois Flaig, Joan Porter- Priem, and Roger Olson.  Members Absent: Dennis Zdiarstek, and Mayor Bruce Milevitz.  Others Present: Lisa Passon-Civic Center Coordinator; Ericka Kowalkowski-Director of Aging w/ADRC; Nicole Sasse-Dementia Care Specialist w/ADRC; Eddie Sheppard-City Administrator; and Kendra Brusewitz- Director of SAM 25. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  Motion by Zahringer to approve proposed agenda, seconded by Wolf. Motion carried by voice vote. APPROVAL OF PRIOR SENIOR CITIZEN COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES  Motion by Wolf to approve prior meeting minutes, seconded by Olson. Motion carried by voice vote. CORRESPONDENCE  None. PUBLIC COMMENT  None. REPORTS • Civic Center Report: Given by Lisa Passon, Civic Center Coordinator. Vorphal Fire and Safety from Green Bay was at the Civic Center 08/22/2025 to inspect the 4 fire extinguishers in the building. A1 Elevator was here on 09/11/2025 for the monthly elevator inspection and routine maintenance. He did find a small hydraulic leak, so he fixed it and replaced the part. $112.57 spent at Walmart for cleaning supplies, coffee, ice cream and toppings, granola bars and yogurt – which Passon set out for National Senior Center month. Passon has scheduled a few special treats because Sept is National Senior Center month. The week of Sept 8th, a sundae bar was served on Mon and Tues of that week – the groups that participated were very appreciative and enjoyed the treats. The week of Sept 15th, yogurt and granola bars were served on Tues and Wed. The Civic Center has a new musician joining us on Sept 25th – Lynn Marcks. She comes with many years of experience doing interactive music therapy, piano and guitar lessons, as well as singing and music storytelling. The Market Messenger is putting together a quarterly insert called, “Wise & Well, The Vibrant Years”. It is a new publication for folks 55 and older. Passon did contribute an article along with a few pictures and schedules for the Civic Center for the months of Sept, Oct and Nov 2025. The Civic Center has had several requests to rent the building: Shawano County 4H Horse Banquet awards on 10/26/2025, Kevin Rhode 10/17/2025 and 10/21/2025 and Brooklyn Thebo on 01/03/2026. Page 1 of 4 Page 3 of 6  • Gift Shop Report: Given by Bonnie Wolf, Senior Citizens Commission member. The Farmer’s Market was ok for the Crafty Boutique on 09/06/2025, but they did very well there on 09/13/2025. The Crafty Boutique is looking forward to Octoberfest on 10/04/2025. • Commission on Aging Report: Given by Ericka Kowalkowski, Director of Aging, ADRC. Ericka submitted 4 articles to the Market Messenger for the new insert. One on aging and the transition; one on nutrition and learning to minimize recipes to cook for 1 or 2 people; one on caregivers-because November is National Caregivers month; and one on Medicare basics. Ericka brought current flyers for ADRC projects and programs that the ADRC is advertising right now. Kowalkowski will be giving a presentation on 09/18/2025 for the “Lunch Bunch”, through the community education dept. The ADRC’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Walk was 08/24/2025, it was a huge hit this year. They doubled their participation from 2024. Kowalkowski is also working on the 8521 Grant, which is due at the end of 2025 – this helps subsidize things like the taxi program and elderly transportation to various social events, etc. One of the Meals-on-Wheels drivers has been out for an extended period, so an LTE driver has been graciously filling in, so the program can continue to flow smoothly. Kowalkowski distributed flyers regarding, “Alzheimer’s: Empowered Caregiver” series. This will take place on Mondays at the Tigerton Community Center, 221 S Birch St, in Tigerton, starting 10/06/2025 thru 11/10/2025, from 3pm to 4pm-classes are rotated throughout different cities in the Wolf River region. The ADRC is also doing a “Boost Your Brain and Memory” class at the Shawano Public Library on Fridays from 10/10/2025 through 11/14/2025, from 9am to 1030am. • Garden Report: Given by Roger Olson, Senior Citizens Commission member. Olson stated that the garden season is winding down. Due to the lack of rain, the vegetables are being harvested sooner. Gardeners have reported that onions, squash and pumpkins are being stolen. Porter-Priem asked if Olson is going to write a thank you letter to the garden members? Olson responded yes, they will write a letter of appreciation. CONSIDER/APPROVE ACTION ITEMS • Nicole Sasse- Elder Benefits Specialist with the ADRC will do a presentation: Sasse stated that this is not a presentation yet, but more of an introduction. Sasse started 05/05/2025 and is completing on-boarding training. EBS works with people aged 60 and over, ADRC also has a disability benefits specialist that works with age groups 18-59. ADRC is regional, so it serves Shawano, Oconto and Menominee counties, as well as the Stockbridge-Munsee Indian Reservation. Oconto and Menominee counties do have their own EBS, but Shawano assists them occasionally. Sasse’s role is to help older adults figure out what benefits they are entitled to, how to apply for them and how to take the steps required to obtain those benefits. EBS assists with Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, Foodshare, Energy Assistance, Housing, and the Consumer Loss Program. EBS is a legal service, so they do work under the license and supervision of their program attorney who advises and guides what EBS does. Sasse does visit the meal sites in Shawano County monthly for community outreach, as things are always changing. • Discussion/Action regarding options for the homeless: Given by Eddie Sheppard, City Administrator and Kendra Brusewitz, SAM 25 Director. Per Sheppard, this has been an ongoing conversation, starting with some people going to City Council meetings and asking the Council to understand the homeless situation better. The City Council has taken that to heart. SAM 25 has done an amazing job helping people in our community, but it is seasonal. Questions come up asking what happens to the homeless in the off-season? Sheppard shared that the City Council has reached out and had conversations with Cheryl, the executive director of NEWCAP. NEWCAP has been working through a few options with their board – such as a few trial programs; one is a potential on-site program in the off-season to support the homeless and give them a Page 2 of 4 Page 4 of 6 safe place to stay. NEWCAP is still working through some issues such as bathroom services and structural housing-as opposed to tents-because there are costs to these things and NEWCAP is trying to get a handle on those things. Ultimately, the goal is to get a working group together with stakeholders. Everyone with SAM 25, NEWCAP, the City of Shawano and Shawano County want to be part of the solution, but resources are tight. No one has significant resources to just be able to dedicate towards the homeless issue. The city’s role in this issue can be to work as the facilitator, and hopefully they can bring the stakeholders – i.e. SAM 25 and NEWCAP – who knows way more about the issue than the city, so hopefully the City Council can bring that together. Sheppard and Brusewitz have gotten together intermittently to discuss the goal and ways to address the homeless issues. Young asked what the latest report from NEWCAP is showing. Per Brusewitz, to get local answers, she drives to NEWCAP, and last week NEWCAP staff stated they were unaware of a “safe place” and were wondering where that rumor started – too much liability. Some other WI cities have built tiny houses-permanent structures, so the homeless could have a permanent place to belong, get established and acquire the assistance they need. Porter-Priem asked if Sheppard knows approximately how many homeless there are in Shawano? Brusewitz replied that Shawano had 90 people who came into the SAM 25 shelter last winter: 75 adults and 15 children. SAM 25 also knows that at least 30 homeless people are currently on the streets throughout Shawano. Brusewitz stated that this is current data because every January and July SAM 25 does a “point in time” count. Their staff go out from 11pm until 4 am to check for people sleeping on the streets or in parks, etc. SAM 25 keeps very, very detailed data on individuals and/or their contacts. Porter-Priem asked if local churches or other places in Shawano offer free meals daily? Brusewitz told Porter-Priem that SAM 25 works with SAFPARC Food Pantry and can offer handheld, non-perishable food and water or Gatorade to the homeless, but SAM 25 is not a meal site, so they cannot offer meals. SAM 25 does have a year-round resource center manager – the homeless can refuse these services as it is their right – but they can be connected with the ADRC, for example, or mental health professionals if needed. SAM 25 does not transfer homeless people to larger cities because they are already overflowing with homeless, but some of those cities are sending homeless people to the Shawano area. Per Brusewitz, some homeless people are staying on the Mountain Bay Trail; some have cars and are occasionally staying in the Walmart parking lot. But unfortunately, they recently had an incident where people vandalized their cars and spit on them…. which is even more reason to have a “safe park” for the homeless people – they are also humans and deserve respect and to feel safe. The biggest growing homeless population is the elderly. SAM 25 does have requirements to stay in the shelter: No violent felonies within the last 7 years, cannot be on the sex offender registry and must be able to be self- sufficient – able to self-care. This past season, SAM 25 had 2 people that were elderly, but didn’t meet the criteria for assisted living, and were too high-level of care to stay at SAM 25. So, unfortunately, these are the homeless that are falling through the cracks; and this situation is only going to grow because our elderly population is growing daily. Per Sheppard, Shawano sees a lot of use of public bathrooms/park shelters, but these close at night, so human waste and cleanliness does become a public health issue. The whole issue of homelessness is very complicated – especially as far as reaching solutions. This is one of the most complex social issues we have, due to their being so many facets and root causes of homelessness. Per Young, he would like the Senior Citizens Commission to continue with the homeless issue and keep it as an ongoing item on the monthly agenda. Young will continue to give updates to the Senior Citizens Commission regarding the progress from the City Council and/or working groups on this issue, as well as asking opinions and keeping a discussion on this topic ongoing. Brusewitz stated that she does offer tours of SAM 25. Donations are always accepted – monetary, food, clothes and hygiene items. SAM 25 also has a thrift store. People can donate meals. The “in- season” for the SAM 25 shelter was extended by 4 weeks for 2025 – it now opens October 15th through May 15th. The nightly meals are provided by people within the community; anyone can sign Page 3 of 4 Page 5 of 6  up to bring or help serve meals and talk with the guests. • Round Table Discussion FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS  Young will add Homeless discussion to all future meetings. ADJOURNMENT  Motion made to adjourn the meeting by Wolf, seconded by Zahringer. Motion carried by voice vote. Adjourned at 9:38 am. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Passon, Civic Center Coordinator NEXT MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2025 AT 9:00 AM Page 4 of 4 Page 6 of 6