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Minutes 01-10-11 MINUTES OF THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2011, AT 3:00 P.M. AT THE SENIOR CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Denise Chamberlain, Chair Katharine Cregan Blanche Girtman Jean Young Lillian Bruzzese, Alternate (arrived at 3:52 p.m.) Betty Spinelli, Alternate Steve Lulkin, City Liaison Absent: Patricia Frazier Katherine Lynch Virginia Q'Conneii I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 2:56 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance/Moment of Silent Reflection The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, followed by a moment of silent reflection. III. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll. IV. Approval of Minutes Ms. Cregan requested the spelling of her first name be corrected from "Katherine" to "Katharine. " Motion Ms. Young moved to approve the minutes as amended. Ms. Girtman seconded the motion that motion that passed unanimously. 1 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 10, 2011 V. Approval of Agenda Motion Ms. Spinelli moved to approve the agenda. Ms. Young seconded the motion that passed unanimously. VI. Chairperson's Remarks .:. Introduce new Members Ms. Lynch was unable to attend the meeting. Chair Chamberlain introduced Ms. Girtmanr retired educator and former member of the City's Community Relations Board for many years. .:. Need for one Alternate Chair Chamberlain advised an alternate was no longer needed, as Ms. Spinelli had been moved from a regular to an alternate member. Chair Chamberlain introduced guest Terry Lonergan, member of the City's Financial Advisory Committee (FAC)r and Don Scantlanr Chair of the FAC. Mr. Scantlan advised the FAC was in the process of reviewing the actions of the City's Budget Committee and the issues facing the City. He also announced he was running for City Commissioner for District IV. Chair Chamberlain advised Ms. Lonergan and Mr. Scantlan were also in attendance with regard to the Shopper Hopper, a bus service provided mainly for seniors at a cost to the City of approximately $250,000. The Shopper Hopper transported seniors from their homes to various destinations in the City including pharmacies, grocery stores and the Senior Center. For many seniors, the Shopper Hopper was their only means of transportation. Chair Chamberlain advised the City had attempted to implement a volunteer program, "We Care," approximately five years ago, but could not get the program started. "We Care" called for volunteers to transport people to doctors, grocery stores and other destinations. While the volunteer drivers would have been provided a stipend for gasoline, people did not wish to take on the responsibility of using their cars to transport others. Other volunteer programs had been attempted as well. Members expressed their concern for the possible demise of the Shopper Hopper. During the winter months, the Senior Center provides a meal for nearly 150 seniors and for manYr the food provided would be their only meal for the day. 2 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 10, 2011 If the bus service were discontinued, many of the seniors would have no way of getting to the Center. The fare for the Shopper Hopper is currently $1 round trip and 50 cents each way. Chair Chamberlain felt that if the fare were increased to $1 each way, while people might not be pleased initially, most would acquiesce if the alternative were no bus service at all. The Shopper Hopper operated pursuant to a schedule established by the City and \Nould stop at the Mall, Publix, Walgreen's and other destinations. The bus vvould not wait for the shoppers but would return at scheduled times. Mr. Scantlan suggested the members consider possible alternatives to the Shopper Hopper, including Palm Tran. Ms. Lonergan referred to an article that appeared in the Palm Beach Post several months ago noting that the Village of Wellington had contracted with one or more taxicab companies for transportation services. The cabs would transport riders within the boundaries of the Village at a cost of $2 per ride. Ms. Lonergan did not believe it was necessary to be a senior to utilize the service. Chair Chamberlain noted the Senior Center was nationally accredited, due in large part to the Shopper Hopper system that brought people to the Center. Staff was in the process of applying for re-accreditation this year. However, re-accreditation would not be possible if the Shopper Hopper program were to be discontinued. It was noted the Boynton Beach Senior Center was one of 11 senior centers in Florida that had achieved accreditation, whichr in addition to being prestigious, was an asset to the City. Ms. Lonergan noted she had been advised by Wally Majorsr Director of Recreation and Parks, that a television at the Senior Center had been stolen and replaced almost immediately through a donor. Ms. Lonergan inquired whether the Board had ever considered approaching a major corporate donor such as Walgreens, CVS or Publix to assist the Shopper Hopper program, especially as these entities benefited by the service. Chair Chamberlain felt City staff should explore this option. Ms. Lonergan commented the Financial Advisory Committee had been tasked with 60 areas of study and each Committee member either selected or was assigned to review an area. Ms. Lonergan selected the Shopper Hopper program. It had been determined the $200rOOO cost to the City to maintain the Shopper Hopper program was expensive and not a fiscally responsible number. Ms. Lonergan indicated she was attempting to find ways of keeping the program alive, especially since it been on the "chopping block" every year. Motion Ms. Girtman moved that the Board ask the Financial Advisory Committee to look into securing a corporate donor. 3 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 10, 2011 Mr. Scantlan felt it would be more advantageous to the Senior Advisory Board if a member were to pursue a donor. Chair Chamberlain suggested the Senior Advisory Committee could research the matter and the Financial Advisory Committee could present the item to the City along with the recommendation of the Senior Advisory Board. Ms. Lonergan commented she would be happy to look into the matter. IdeallYr she felt Walgreen's or CVS should commit to $100,000 or $50,000 per year for five years for the Shopper Hopper program. Chair Chamberlain suggested the motion be amended to indicate the Senior Advisory Board suggested the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) look into this matter and would make this recommendation to the City Commission if requested to do so. Motion Ms. Girtman moved to request the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) look into securing a corporate sponsor for the Senior Advisory Board. Chair Chamberlain explained donors would be subsidizing the salaries of the drivers. Ms. Lonergan noted the program began in 1998, employed one part-time and three full- time drivers and operated Monday through Saturday. Ms. Spinelli seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Ms. Lonergan would be making a presentation on the Shopper Hopper program at this evening's Financial Advisory Committee meeting and would maintain contact with the Senior Advisory Board as to the program. Mr. Scantlan believed that a sponsor offering funding would provide the leverage needed to make the program more durable. He also felt it would be easier for an entity providing 100% funding to cut a program. VII. Old Business .:. Committee for new name for Jaycee Park has been postponed until January. Chair Chamberlain and Ms. Cregan met with the committee. The decision of the Committee was to maintain the name "Jaycee Park," as the Park had been known by that name for 63 years. .:. Letters of commendation for Senior Center employees are still being accepted. Chair Chamberlain reiterated the letters of commendation were still being accepted. .:. Reminder - Health Insurance option closed on 12/31/10. (Check new policies and updated periodically). 4 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 10, 2011 This item was not discussed separately. VIII. New Business Chair Chamberlain noted a letter had been received from the City Clerk's Office advising of an Ethics Training session which was mandatory for all City staff, boards and elected officials. The two optional meeting dates are Thursday, January 13th and Wednesday, January 26th, both at 6:30 p.m. Senior Advisory Board members should advise the City Clerk's Office of the dates selected. It was noted the majority of the members would be attending on January 26th. .:. New Problems on Seniors from Members Chair Chamberlain reiterated the problem with transportation in the City. If the Shopper Hopper program were discontinued, a great many people would be without transportation. She urged the Board to: >- Look into the ridership of the Shopper Hopper to determine how many people utilized the service. >- Make recommendations to secure sponsors or funding for the Shopper Hopper. >- Come up with suggestions for a program that would attract volunteers to take seniors to doctors' or other needed appointments. It was noted that riders utilizing the Palm Tran Connection had to be disabled in some manner. In addition, while the individuals were brought to their appointments timely, in many instances, the individuals would have to wait for several hours to be picked up by the Palm Tran Connection. Chair Chamberlain also encouraged the members to give thought to other problems that could be addressed by the Board, and to bring in pertinent articles for discussion as well. .:. Received intent to re-accreditation for Senior Center. (Need Member for committee). Mr. Lulkin would be preparing a press release pertaining to re-accreditation. The project required a review of existing materials and would take between six months to a year to complete. Chair Chamberlain requested the members give thought to participating on the committee. .:. Risk identification program for patients with Dementia or Alzheimer's will be offered by Police Department. 5 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 10, 2011 Chair Chamberlain believed the "Elderly at Risk Identification Program" had already been implemented by the Police Department. She provided copies of a press release which provided information on the program. The Elderly at Risk Identification Program was designed for people residing in private homes that had been diagnosed with Dementia or Alzheimer's disease and would allow a caretaker to pre-register the person with the Police Department. Chair Chamberlain felt the program was excellent and suggested the members make their homeowners associations aware of it. (Ms. Bruzzese arrived at 3:52 p.m.) .:. Senior Center Report - Steve Lulkin Mr. Lulkin reported the following: ~ More than 650 people had been registered at the Center. ~ A number of special events were held including the Center1s anniversary party, Columbus Day pizza lunch, CarFit program, holiday party, and a performance by a magician. ~ The fall/winter program commenced and was well attended. ~ The chair exercise class was held this date and more than 60 people attended. ~ The Center provided lunch for nearly 100 people daily. ~ Senior Day would again be held at the Mall. A dance would be held at the Mall on February 10th at 1:00 p.m. as part of the Center's outreach program. ~ Children from the YMCA carved pumpkins with the seniors on Halloween and entertained the seniors on Christmas. ~ Upcoming events would be held for the Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter. ~ Three Senior Health Fairs will be held at the Mall each year. ~ Staff was in the process of applying for re-accreditation. The Boynton Beach Senior Center was the sixth senior center in the State to become nationally accredited. Up until last year, the Boynton Beach Senior Center was the only accredited Center in South Florida. Out of 145 senior centers in Florida, 11 are currently nationally accredited. 6 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 10, 2011 y The Senior Center was the recipient of the Florence R. Goldman award for the top senior center in the State of Florida for 2009. Ms. Goldman was the Senior Manager of the Margate Senior Center, one of the first senior centers in the State. IX. Next Meeting Date: March 7, 2011, 3:00 p.m. - Boynton Beach Senior Center Chair Chamberlain reminded the members to contact her if they would not be attending a meeting. She also announced a Community for a Lifetime meeting would be held on WednesdaYr January 12th, and another project would be considered. X. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 4:03 p.m. ~_.., ",\ J Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 1/19/11 7