Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSenior Advisory Board - Minutes - 01/11/1995SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD Minutes of the January 11, 1995 Meetin CALL TO ORDER The January, 1995, meeting of the Senior Advisory Board was called to order by Kay Rios, chair, at 2:03 P. M. on Wednesday, January 11, in the Senior Center, 101 Remington Street, Fort Collins. A quorum was present. ATTENDANCE Members Kay Rios, Chair Yvonne Myers, Vice Stan Ulrich, Secretary Jane Davis Jane Goodhart Ed Johnson Marjorie McTaggart Wayne Moellenberg Mary Alice Spelts Jill Taylor Margaret Watts AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION Guests Gordon Morthole Bill Lamperes, CHS Donna Deschenes, CHS Jeff Bridges, Senior Job Match Staff Barbara Schoenberger, Liaison Jennifer Klink, RSVP Jaime Mares, City Council Liaison: Absent No one wished to speak before the Board. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Kay Rios called for additions or corrections to the minutes. Jane Goodhart pointed out that Davis on Page 3, in the first line of the second paragraph under Follow -Up an Neighbor to Neighbor Presentation should be replaced with Goodhart. Barbara stated that the last sentence in the second paragraph under Dial -A -Ride Update on Page 4 should be deleted. After the corrections were made, Ed moved that the minutes should be approved as amended. Margaret Watts seconded the motion, and it carried. CORRESPONDENCE The secretary read a memorandum from Rita sions, City of Fort Collins. It included boards and commissions and mentioned those OLD BUSINESS Senior Job Match Harris, Boards and Commis - work plans for all the that were still delinquent. Chair Kay Rios introduced Bill Lamperes, principal, Centennial High School; Jeff Bridges, director, Centennial Neighborhood Association; and Donna Duschenes, Service Learning/Grants Coordinator, Centennial High School. All three had been invited to talk about the Senior Job Match Program. Bill began the presentation with a brief historyt philosophy and organization of Centennial High School. After that, Page 2, SAB Minutes, nuary 11, 1995 ` Jeff Bridges explained how Job Match was organized and the reasons for its formation. After the introduction, Yvonne Myers questioned the inclusion of services that the proposal says the SAB would provide. She stated that the Board obviously would be able to identify clients for referral, but she made it clear that the SAB would not be able to supply additional funding or to write grants. As far as critiquing and reviewing forms, applications and brochures and reviewing quality assessment surveys are concerned, Yvonne added that she hoped all these actions would have been taken beforehand. She also questioned the statement, "The Fort Collins Senior Center and the City of Fort Collins Advisory Board will be used to assure thorough sensitivity training to issues of older adults" in the "Project Overview." She feels that the SAB wouldn't be qualified to under- take those projects. Jeff Bridges replied that those statements were misstatements on his part, but the intent was that Job Match would bring the names of acknowledged sensitivity trainers to the SAB and have the Board approve them and to add others to the list and to recommend more training if needed. Kay added that unless we are involved in the program, we can't assess it. Marjorie McTaggart mentioned that nowhere in the proposal can she find a reference to confidentiality. Some of the information, she said, could be confidential in nature and she thought that seniors who divulge that kind of information should be assured that it will remain confidential. In the discussion that followed, Kay stated that the question now is whether or not the proposal can be re -written with all the items that refer to the SAB taken out. Jeff answered that that process is now underway, and Bill Lamperes added that if the SAB didn't want to be responsible for some of the liabilities mentioned, Job Match would be willing to assume them. Kay agreed with Bill's statement and requested that in the future before any proposal that includes the SAB is circulated, it should be presented to the SAB beforehand! After much more discussion, Kay said that the Board should decide whether or not it endorses the concept of the Job Match Program and then decide how much responsibility the Board is willing to assume in the project. Yvonne Myers moved that we endorse the concept of Job Match. Ed Johnson seconded the motion. During the discussion period, the question of credibility was raised.Barb said the proposal commits serveral organizations, two of which she knew had never discussed the program, to various duties and responsibilities. How can the SAB, therefore, be sure that the organizations mentioned in the proposal had agreed to accept the commitments listed? The proposal did not say that it was a draft copy, nor that it had been adopted by the listed agencies. The proposal gave the impression that everything in it had been agreed upon. Jeff stated that committing the various organizations was an error on his part. After more discus- sion, Wayne amended the motion to read, "The SAB endorses the concept of the Senior Job Match Program contingent upon satisfactory resolution Page 3, SAB Minutaft January 11, 1995 • of the questions raised in the discussion of the proposal." Yvonne Myers, who made the motion, and Ed Johnson, who seconded it, agreed to the change. The motion was then carried. After the vote, Kay asked for volunteers to assist Jeff in re -writing the sections of the proposal that mention the SAB. Ed Johnson, Jill Taylor and Yvonne Myers agreed to serve on the committee. The SAB then decided to hold a special meeting on Wednesday, February 1, to review the re -written parts and to determine the degree of involve- ment of the SAB in the Senior Job Match Program. Neighbor to Neighbor Update Before calling on Jane Goodhart for her report, Kay read a letter that she had received from Rusty Collins, director, Neighbor to Neighbor. In the letter, Rusty had answered the questions that the SAB had about Homebounders in working with seniors who had housing problems. Jane then reported that she had attended the meeting in which Rusty Collins and Kim Ragan, director of Home - bounders, were present and it was a very positive meeting. She added that another meeting with the top executives of Living Centers, the parent organization of Homebounders, and Kim was scheduled for February 19, and she had been invited to attend. One of the topics discussed at the meeting will be whether or not Living Centers will continue, or drop, Homebounders' services in Fort Collins. Wayne said he would like to have a copy of the letter from Rusty Collins because he could use that information when he gives talks in the community. Kay stated that a copy would be included with the notice for the special meeting. Update on Trailer Park Kay reported that she had talked with several residents of the Pioneer Trailer Park, and they are still concerned that they are going to lose everything that they have invested in their homes. At the present time, the city says there is no plan of development for that site, but it is in a prime location. The city still hasn't found enough spaces to accommodate all the trailers. In the meantime,,the rates have been raised $50.00 a month for a total of $245.00 a month. Kay added that she had also talked with Alma Morales, and she is willing to help if racial discrimination exists. At a meeting with the Housing Authority the night before, many expressed the feeling that they had just gotten away from government, and they don't want the government to bail them out again. Many issues are involved, and the inhabitants are organizing and have already scheduled a meeting. Kay ended her report by saying there isn't much the SAB can do at the present time, but that we should keep informed for ways to help. Election of Officers Kay presented the slate of officers that had been selected at the last meeting and asked for nominations from the floor. Ed moved that the nominations be closed and that a white slate of the pro- posed candidates be cast. Marjorie MCTaggart seconded it, and the motion carried. The officers for the 1995 year are Kay Rios, chair; Yvonne Myers, vice chair; and Stan Ulrich, secretary. Page 4, SAB Minutes, auary 11, 1995 Bylaws Update Marjorie McTaggart moved that Kay appoint a Bylaws Committee that would report back to the SAB. Ed, Wayne, Stan and others seconded the motion and it was carried. Kay asked Marjorie to chair the committee and asked Wayne and Stan to serve on it, too. Senior Center Update Ed reported that construction on the new senior center is progres- sing slowly. The latest published date of completion is now February 17. After that bombshell, he read a letter from the director of Administrative Services, Tom Frazier, to the general contractor. In it, Tom states that he feels the contractor is not assigning enough workers to the project and asked for a meeting with the contractor. The purposes of the meeting will be to dis- cuss the project's schedule, the contract and options if the center is not completed by February 17, 1995. What the city is doing now, Ed continued, is correcting the problems that had been found in the construction so far. The contractor is now reasonably close to finishing the mistakes that had to be corrected. Problems still exist, though, because it generally takes from seven to fourteen days to get an answer to a question or to have a mistake corrected. The reason, Ed said, is that it might take only a few minutes to get or send a fax, but seven to four- teen days to get the facts to correct a situation. Some problems that remain are (1) outside painting is not being done during the beautiful weather that we have had and (2) not enough crews are working on site. The general contractor seems unconcerned, even though he is being fined $500.00 a day since last November. Ed feels that the February 17,completion date is unrealistic and added that if talking is all that is necessary, the job would be finished by now. Things are coming to a closure, but one thing is not changing and that is the bickering and accusations about who's doing what and why it isn't getting done. Another big problem is that many sub- contractors made commitments for a November completion date and at the same time made arrangements for other jobs in December, January and February and are now pulling off their men to work on other jobs. Yetta Rollin/Kay Jones - Mailing List Kay mentioned that Yetta Rollin and Kay Jones would like to keep abreast of SAB happenings and requested that their names be put on the mailing list. Barbara stated that Yetta is already on the list and that she would add Kay's to it. NEW BUSINESS City Staff Adjusting SAB Agendas Kay wanted to include this item on the agenda because the meetings had been running over two hours, but since the present meeting was Page 5, SAS Minutes, Wuary 11, 1995 • running over two hours, she requested to defer this item to a later meeting. Upcoming Meeting Locations and Special Meetings Kay announced that the next regua)lr meeting of the SAB is scheduled on Wednesday, February 8, at 2:00 P. M. in the Rangeview Clubhouse, 4560 Lark Bunting Street. To get to Rangeview, Yvonne instructed, one should take the first right turn after the railroad tracks when traveling west on Harmony Road from College. The format of the meeting will be similar to the presentations to the gerontology classes at CSU. Members are encouraged to bring refreshments. A transportation presentation will be part of the agenda. The March meeting will be held in the usual place at the usual time, Wednesday, March 8, in the Senior Center at 2:00 P. M. Western Medical, a home health agency that does much work with mental health issues, will be asked to make a presentation at the meeting. Presentations, outreach meetings and other events were discussed as possibilities for future meetings, but nothing was "etched in stone" beyond the March meeting. Kay stated that she needed to make several more phone calls to confirm dates with different groups and she would have a written schedule for future meetings at the special meeting in February. The members could discuss final arrangements then. Oakbrook Investigation Since Kay said that she didn't have enough information about the Oakbrook situation at the present time, that item will be deferred to a later meeting. The problem is a conflict between management and the residents, and if the "teaser" has any validity, the, meeting in which this item is discussed could be playing to a packed house! SERVICE REPORTS RSVP. Jennifer reported that income tax counseling, the VITA Program, will be starting on January 23 for seniors and people with disabili- ties at various locations: Bellvue, Oakbrook I and II,DMA, Foothills dateway, the Wellington Senior Center and the Fort Collins Senior Center. Jennifer also mentioned the Vet Pet Program and wanted to know how to proceed. Kay stated that because of the funding, the program had to be opened to other vets, but since Dr. Tracy Thomas was the only one who was interested, her services should be used for the program. Jennifer added that Dr. Thomas had seen only two patients and she wondered whether or not we should advertise the program more. Jill mentioned that she had developed a brochure about the program and Dr. Thomas's name was listed in it. She said she could make the brochures available to senior centers and other places. Kay added that information about the program should be released to the media, too. Aspen Club. Jill did not have anything to report for the Aspen Club. Page 6, SAB Minutes, Ja..lary 11, 1995 City Council. Ed reported that nothing new was on the Council agenda. OOA. Stan passed out a copy of the ODA funding for 1995. He pointed out that the Office on Aging had given a grant of $6,000 to Senior Job Match, but that the grant had been approved in a sub -committee and then it appeared on the master list that included requests from all the sub -committees. The program, however, had never been dis- cussed in a meeting of the whole committee. He added that the Council has a new chair, Ayleen Burns, because Michelle Johnston's term on the Council had ended. Barbara Ramsdal, membership chair, says the Council needs members in all categories and would be happy to hear from interested persons. The Council had appointed Steve Budner as their representative on the Executive Director Hiring Committe for the Department of Human Development, but he was unable to serve and Steve had asked Stan to replace him on the committee. Seniors Airborne. Kay had no report for Seniors Airborne. She added, however, that she had asked Bill Weddel to come to a future meeting for more ideas. Concerned Seniors. Marjorie said that she didn't know very much about Concerned Seniors' activities, but she added that they sponsor some projects, one of which is the Share Program. Senior Center Council. Mary Alice Spelts said the Senior Center Council had a very short meeting the last time they met, but they did have a very good lunch. She added that the Council had spon- sored the Bon Voyage Party and about 100 persons attended. She said that the members have a very good attitude about the delay of the new senior center opening, and they just refer to it as another DIA. Friends of the Senior Center. Barb reported that the Friends had their Christmas party in December and they are putting together all their programs and plans for the new center. The Hewlett- Packard grant for computers was turned down. The Square has gotten a list of items needed and is now deciding what to buy, and AARP has donated an amount in excess of $1,000 for the pur- chase of a lectern and a tree and other gifts. Poudre Retired School Employees Association will also contribute a gift in the $300-400 range. Barb concluded by saying that the Senior Center funds are growing. OTHER BUSINESS Kam. Kay said she had talked with Duane Rowe about the Paint-A-Thon and asked where the program stood and when we were going to start on it. Mr. Rowe replied that they had not thought about it yet, but he will start meetings next week to talk about the program. She added that Jane Goodhart had suggested a punch card for Dial - A -Ride users and that Dial -A -Ride also had been thinking about a coupon book. Hopefully, some multiple -ride system will be worked out. Kay also mentioned that City Line was dropped from the Senior Section because it would have cost $1,000 to have it included. Kay concluded her report by saying that the annual report Pdge 7, SAB Minutes,onuary 11, 1995 • is due by the end of February. Marjorie. Marjorie announced that Prime Time is no longer Plus because the advertisers were no longer interested in having a pull-out section for Prime Time. She added that if any of the members missed the Prime Time articles, they should let the editor know. She added that the sculpture for the new senior center is on display at 281 North College. Ed. Ed had a question about City Dialogue. He wanted to know if the SAB would be participating in it as a project. Kay said that she was planning to attend and she urged the others to attend, too. Ed also wanted to know if all courses taught at the Senior Center with the exception of 55-Alive/Mature Driving were open to all ages. After reading the Recreator, he said, he was under the impression that the courses offered were for all adults 18 and older. Barbara explained that the Recreator is mailed to the population in general and is, therefore, open to all. Programs primarily for seniors would not necessarily be published in the newsletter. Jennifer. No further questions. The defense rests. Jill. Jill stated that she is the liaison for a few other organiza- tions than those listed on the assignment. Barbara. Barbara had a question about Item A, "City Staff Adjusting SAB Agendas," under Part VII of the agenda. She wanted to know why it was placed on the agenda. Kay responded that she was not aware that the Senior Center staff presentation was on the agenda the month before, and it prolonged the already long agenda. Ed added that he had been asked at the November meeting to arrange a presentation on the senior center and that is why it was placed on the December agenda. A long discussion followed, and all the officers agreed to make a more concerted effort to attend the agenda -writing meetings. ADJOURNMENT Since there was no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 4:52 P. m. Stan Ulrich, Secretary Kay Rios, Chiar Approved