BELMONT COUNCIL ON AGING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
MINUTES….JULY 7, 2003
PRESENT: J. BRUSCH, E. HAMANN, J. HORNER, G. FALVEY, E. FINNEGAN,
J. KANTOR, H. KAZARIAN, A. LOUGEE, B. MIRANDA,
T. MORIBITO, N. NIV-VOGEL, P. SOLOMON..
ABSENT: N. HEGARTY
The meeting was called to order at 7:45 pm by Barbara Miranda, Chair. The minutes of the June 2 meeting were amended to read…11th. Paragraph…”Estelle Raiffa has been involved in fund raising for the Friends of the Senior Center and has sent letters to potential donors.” The minutes were accepted as amended.
The Chair and members of the Board gave special thanks to retiring Board members G. Falvey and E. Finnegan for many years of service to the Council on Aging.
The Chair announced that Joe Horner has been reappointed to the Board and Anne Lougee and Neil Hegarty were appointed to fill the two vacated seats.
Senior Citizens' Concerns: None presented.
Director's Report: Attached. For website viewers refer to link entitled "June Director's Report." Nava continues to await news as to whether there will be an override on the state's budget.
Springwell Report: Ethel Hamann reported the following:
Lisa Guglietta, Program Manager for Resources and Referral reported on the new library at Springwell. Books, videos and other materials related to aging issues are available for people to sign out for up to 30 days. The library was started by a grant. Future plans include having internet access, listing collection on Springwell's website, and the availability of shut-ins being able to download materials from the library.
Sue Temper described a new outreach initiative in the community. This will start with Waltham & Watertown. Posters and pamphlets will be used in stores, libraries,
doctors' offices and drug stores showing how Springwell can help people.
The governor has not signed off on the budget yet. It looks like things will be pretty well level funded for the next year. The pharmacy program otherwise known as the Prescription Advantage Program got refunded, but it’s not clear if it will open again for new applicants. Under the new structure, Springwell will report to the Department of Elder Affairs, which will be under the EOHHS (Executive Office of Health & Human Services). As of January, 04, the Department of Elder Affairs will have the responsibility of all long term care including Medicare and Medicaid.
The spring fund raising campaign is now called the Elder Independence Fund. They have received $8,141 from 182 donors (including 37 new ones). This is down by 42% from a year ago.
It was reported on the 6 month Area Plan Goals for the AAA that the demand for volunteer shoppers has increased greatly along with the demand for medical escorts. Boston College Legal has agreed to come into full compliance & will have the paid staff and students undergo Cori checks.
Old Business:. The Town Meeting voted to approve the appropriation for schematic designs of a new senior center. The Chair reported that she and the Director wrote thank you notes to everyone who assisted in the campaign to inform Town Meeting members of the issues related to the vote.
The Town Moderator is appointing a building committee to work with the architect to develop the plans. It was recommended that seniors and others interested in the new senior center be given ongoing opportunities to share their input with the members of this committee.
The drawings should be ready by November '03. At that time, the Friends group will be ready with a plan to increase public awareness and begin a major fundraising effort.
The current plan is for the fire station debt exclusion vote to take place by April, '04. This will be followed by a debt exclusion vote in 2005 for the building of the senior center.
New Business: The Chair announced that according to the by-laws, a Nominating
Committee has been formed to prepare a new slate of officers for next year. The committee consists of: John Brusch, Henry Kazarian and Phyl Solomon. This committee will present a slate at the September meeting and the Board will vote at
the October meeting.
A proposed calendar of meeting dates for '03 - '04 was presented by the Chair for
confirmation. Board members are to contact her with any conflicts.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Phyl Solomon
| 
