BELMONT COUNCIL ON AGING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
MAY 13, 2003
Present: M. L. Ahearn, J. Brusch, V. Falvey, E. Finnegan, E. Hamann, J. Kantor, H. Kazarian, B. Miranda, T. Moribito, N. Niv-Vogel, P. Solomon.
Absent: J. Horner
Visitors: G. Aguilar, Pat Brusch, Barbara Brown, Hildy Dvorak, Mary Ann Johnson, Anne Lougee, Gerry McCarthy, Dick Stubblebine, Heli Tomford.
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. by Barbara Miranda, Chair. The minutes of the April 8, 2003 were accepted with no corrections. Pat Brusch, chairman of the Capital Budget and Permanent Building Committees was introduced to explain the process that the article requesting funding for schematic drawings of a senior center on the Kendall site would take to be approved at Town Meeting. The senior center article will be presented this next session of Town Meeting on June 16 or 17. The Warrant and Capital Budget Committee, and Board of Selectmen will report as to whether they favor the article. A brief presentation by a representative from the COA explaining the need for a permanent center will then be given. The question and answer period will cover most of the issues. A
handout should be either mailed ahead of time or given out at town meeting. The due date for the mailing to Town Meeting members should be about June 1.
Assuming a positive vote the Moderator appoints a building committee, which is autonomous and not beholden to any group. The committee would be comprised of two representatives from the Permanent Building Committee, one from the Warrant Committee, one from the Disability Access Committee, one from the COA, and one from the neighborhood. A lawyer and a banker would also need to be included. The new senior center building committee would hire an architect who will design a building including the COA specifications. The COA specifications would be handed over to this building committee and they should be complete within a few months. Once the specifications are in the hands of the building committee the COA does not have a say any longer in the rest of the process of building. The architect comes up with cost
estimates after the schematic design and a public meeting is held. The new center will be financed by a debt exclusion and fundraising. Neither the building committee or COA can sell the debt exclusion, but the Friends of Belmont Senior Center can promote it.
The Friends will go into the June town meeting to tell what we have in the way of pledges to help with the Center. This is a key component in persuading the members of the Warrant and Permanent Building Committees as well as Town Meeting.
Following Pat Brusch’s presentation the regular monthly COA board meeting resumed.
Springwell Report- from the April 24, 2003 Board Meeting. The House Ways and Means Budget came out on April 23. It will go to the full House next week, then final recommendations will be made. In mid May the Senate Budget will be presented. Then the House and Senate will compromise and send a final budget to the Governor to sign. Many changes will be made before it is finally accepted. The House version at this point cuts the Senior Pharmacy Program, eliminates state funding for the money management program, eliminates the Homeless Elders Residential Placement program, SHINE grants to COA’s, and a 5% reduction in the amount available for the per elder formula grant to each COA in the state. Many programs would be level funded including Protective Services, Home Care,
Supportive Senior Housing and ECOP (enhanced community option program). Local services would be cut.
The Client Care Specialist Program will end May 16. Protective Services has had an unusually large number of referrals (32) in the first two weeks of the month. The Title III grant proposals for next year have gone out and are due back by May 30
Director’s Report is attached. Nava has requested 3 proposals for Title III grants: transportation (drivers), caregiver respite program, and some health promotion programs.
The Arts Fest today was very successful and was a celebration of what seniors have been doing all year.
Henry Kazarian and Dick Stubblebine will help man the COA table for Town Day this Saturday.
A new phone line just for transportation has been approved by the Buildings & Grounds department.
A staff appreciation lunch will be held on either June 11 or 13. Ginny Falvey will be the coordinator.
The membership drive for the Friends has brought in about $10,000 in dues from 350 households. There will be a board meeting for the Friends on May 19.
If the COA budget stays level funded it would reduce the hours of the Assistant Director/Program manager to 12 ½ a week. A motion was made for a resolution that “ in the interest of fairness and thinking ahead to the COA’s future it is felt that the hours of the Assistant Director/ Program Manager should be increased to 20 hours for this year’s budget.” The resolution passed by a majority vote.
The meeting adjourned at 9 pm.
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