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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSenior Advisory Board - Minutes - 03/12/2008CITY OF FORT COLLINS SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES Meeting held March 12, 2008 Northside Aztlan Community Center 112 E. Willow Street Fort Collins, CO 80524 Chair — Marcia Richards — 970-223-8581 Staff Liaison — Barbara Schoenberger — 970-224-6026 City Council Liaison — Doug Hutchinson, Mayor — 970-221-6506 This was an out -reach meeting held at the Northside Atzlan Community Center; a tour of the facility preceded the regularly scheduled 1:30 meeting Attendance: Bud Herin Kathy Schuster Valerie DiBenedetto Cathy Martin Stan Ulrich Peggy McGough Bob Phillips Anita Basham Marcia Richards Excused Absence: Matt Jackson Unexcused Absence: Guests: Betty Aragon Dave Colliton Doug Hutchinson, Mayor Liaison: Douglas Hutchinson, Mayor Staff: Barbara Schoenberger Karen Bryner Steve Budner Peggy Bowers I. Call Meeting to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Marcia Richards at 1:30 p.m. II. Attendance An attendance sheet was passed. II. Marcia Richards, Chair of the SAB, gave a short explanation of the purpose and function of the Board, followed by an introduction of the Board members and their liaison roles within the community. III. Mayor Doug Hutchinson, City Council Liaison to the SAB, responding to the SAB's consensus that transportation is a major concern of seniors in our community, presented a brief overview of some current developments in the area of transportation. 1. Transfort has increased services by adding 2 new fixed routes. 2. Since Dial -A -Ride service has been reduced, statistics show an increase in the disabled (20%) and senior (6%) riders on the fixed route system. 3. The Mason Street Corridor project, having recently been granted 70 million in Federal funds, is closer to becoming a reality, and it will enhance transportation, economic development and our community lifestyle. An efficient user-friendly BRT (bus rapid transit) system will connect Cherry St. to Harmony Rd., creating a 5 mile north -south byway which will include pedestrian walkways and bike trails. 4. Windsor and Fort Collins recently signed an intergovernmental agreement to work together on the I-25/392 interchange. Mayor Hutchinson believes this type of cooperative effort is essential in order to influence transportation and economic development in the northern region. 5. A "transportation summit", sponsored by the NMPO, will be held March 26 at The Ranch. Senators Allard and Salazar will speak and the keynote address will be given by Governor Ritter. The purpose of the event is to address regional transportation issues. Citizens are encouraged to attend; advance registration is necessary. The Mayor responded to questions following his presentation. Bud Herin: Why was City Council apposed to the RTA? Mayor: The City Council was apposed to the RTA because the majority of council believed it would increase growth and cause people to drive more. Anita Basham: If Fort Collins is strapped for money why is the city putting this much money into the Mason Corridor? Mayor: The Mason Corridor is not just about transportation. It will stimulate economic development in our city. The funding is made up of 70 million of Federal funds matched by 2 million from the City. IV. Guest: Dave Colliton (Director of Fort Net) attended the meeting, having been invited by the SAB to provide information for seniors facing financial crises and foreclosures. He emphasized that early intervention is important and that there are resources available locally: Neighbor to Neighbor, The Foreclosure Hotline, and Consumer Credit Counseling. Brochures from these agencies were distributed. V. Approval of Minutes Feb. 13, 2008 Bud Herin made a motion to accept the minutes as written; Peggy McGough seconded the motion. The motion carried. VI. Correspondence A. Notification was received from Matt Jackson that he would not be able to attend today's meeting. He has resigned from the OOA board, so he will no longer be able to serve as the liaison to that group. B. An e-mail was received from Judy Vasiliauskas advising of her resignation from the SAB due to health issues. Peggy McGough made a motion to accept Judy's resignation with regrets. Bud Herin seconded the motion. The motion carried. Kathy Schuster, secretary, will write Judy a note acknowledging her resignation and thanking her for her service on the Board. C. As a result of informal conversations of SAB members with the Mayor, a letter was received from him explaining the city policies regarding the naming of Recreation/Park facilities. VI. Old Business A. Liaison Reports Cathy Martin • Senior Law Day will be held Aug. 9`h instead of Aug. 8`h, as indicated in the Feb. 13 SAB Minutes. Peggy McGough • The Older Worker Job Fair will be held on Wed. April 16`h from noon until 4 p.m. at the Fort Collins Senior Center. For more information call Michelle Miller at 498-6657. • The Rocky Mountain Senior Games will be held in Greeley June 18`h thru the 22na • The Art Show is Friday, April 25`h, 1p.m. — 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 26`h 9 a.m. - noon. The Artist Reception is May ls`, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Stan Ulrich • AARP 1. The local AARP chapter chartered a bus for seniors to attend Senior Day at the State Capitol on Feb. 27`h. The Larimer County delegation was one of the largest groups in attendance. The program included speeches given by representatives and senators, as well as the opportunity to observe a legislative session. 2. An AARP steering committee decided not to sponsor the annual conference held for seniors in Oct. due to declining attendance. TRIAD of Latimer County is undergoing many changes. Because of decreasing attendances at the SALT (Seniors and Lawmen Together) meetings, the Board at its monthly November meeting discussed possible avenues on how to reorganize the organization. The following suggestions were adopted as policy: 1. Develop a TRIAD Speakers' Bureau. This organization will serve as a resource for senior groups and SALTS. 2. The TRIAD Board will meet quarterly instead of monthly. 3. The Board will still publish a newsletter which will be e-mailed to senior centers, senior church groups, senior agencies and senior housing unites. 4. TRIAD will sponsor one big event a year. It could be based on safety, security, crime prevention, or any other current problem. 5. The organization will be chaired on a rotating basis. PRSEA- The Poudre Retired School Employees Association is an organization of retired employees in the Poudre School District. It meets on the first Tuesday of each month except in June, July and August. With a membership of more than 500, it is possibly the largest senior organization in Latimer County. One of the objectives of the organization is to take an interest and part in education after retirement. Another objective is to continually work for better retirement benefits; the PRSEA and its parent organization, the Colorado Retired School Employees Association, have been active lobbyists in the legislature by testifying for, or against, bills in committee hearings. Anita Basham • The Transportation Board will meet at 6:30 tonight, March 12a'. • Senior Center Sports Club — Senior Center members who are actively involved in competitive sports are invited to attend quarterly potluck dinners and an annual dinner hosted by the Senior Center. The Senior Winter games were held in Feb. at Keystone. The Summer Games are scheduled for May and June. B. Communication Committee Stan Ulrich reported that the Communication Committee met in February and adopted the following guidelines: 1. To select topics for submission to the city and county publications. 2. To review articles of SAB members before submission to the city and county publications. 3. To encourage SAB members to write articles and letters to the editor for publication. 4. To assign a committee member each month to submit an article about the proceedings at the monthly SAB meetings. The committee also recommended the following topics to be covered in the following months: 1. Programs and activities of the Aztlan Center. 2. New OOA programs — Laura Sutherlin and Stan Ulrich 3. Eldercare Network 4. BOB -Bud Herin 5. Change of bus route 8 6. Bicycles for Seniors — Marcia Richards C. Board and Commission Training Training is now required for all Board and Commission members. Board members will be receiving a letter from the city notifying them of this new requirement. If an individual is unable to attend the scheduled training session, a DVD of the training session will be available for check-out. D. Visit to Loveland SAB Kathy Schuster, Stan Ulrich, and Barb Schoenberger attended the Loveland SAB meeting on March 50'. A guest speaker, Katy Mason, gave an overview on the services provided by the OOA. Chairman Earl Stevens reported on proposed cuts to Medicare/Medicaid that would be very detrimental to seniors. Similar to the Fort Collins SAB, the Loveland SAB voiced concern about transportation issues facing seniors. Barbara Schoenberger distributed copies of information regarding Medicare/Medicaid cuts (referenced above) to the Fort Collins SAB. E. Bridging the Gap Kathy Schuster, Valerie DiBenedetto, and Judy Vasiliauskas attended the BTG meeting on Feb. 20 ". Evaluations were positive for the 2007 event which was held on a Wed. vs. the usual Friday in late Sept. Committee members are researching various facilities where the event might be held, as well as soliciting ideas for a speaker. The next BTG committee meeting is scheduled for March W. F. Senior Center Expansion Committee — Bud Herin 1. A breakfast meeting was hosted at the Senior Center to educate and recruit additional members for the Senior Center Expansion Committee. 2. A checking account has been opened at Bank of Choice to receive donations and pay any bills for the Senior Center Expansion Committee. 3. "The Ladies of Locust Grove" will present a fashion show on April 13°i at the Senior Center; the proceeds will go to the Senior Center Expansion fund. G. Social meeting with Mayor & City Council Peggy McGough confirmed that invitations have been extended to the Mayor and Council members to attend the May 1" Art Show Reception from 4-6 at the Senior Center H. SAB member attendance at City Council meeting A sign up sheet was passed for SAB members to select a date to attend a City Council meeting. Anita Basham, Marcia Richards, and Kathy Schuster are scheduled to attend the April 151 Council meeting. I. Presentation for April SAB meeting Craig Foreman will be the speaker for the April SAB meeting, providing an update of the Parks & Recreation Policy plan. VII. New Business A. Question of Name Change for Senior Center (referenced under "Correspondence") A history of the Senior Center and the name change query was reviewed, noting that the SAB had previously voted to table the Question. Following a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of addressing the Question again, Peggy McGough made a motion that the Question be removed from the tabled status so that further discussion could ensue. Cathy Martin seconded the motion. A vote was taken; the motion did not carry (with a 4-4 vote). The Question of changing the name of the Senior Center will remain tabled at this time. B. Second quarter Out -reach Meeting Kathy Schuster, who is responsible for organizing the 2"d qtr. meeting, will be out of town in June. Kathy Schuster and Cathy Martin (who is responsible for the P qtr. outreach meeting) agreed to work together or exchange responsibilities for the 2 outreach meetings. VIII. Other Business IX. Adjourn Bob Phillips made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. Bud Herin seconded the motion; the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 4p.m. Submitted by: Karen Bryner, Recording Secretary Marcia Richards, Chair Kathy Schuster, Secretary