Loading...
Minutes 07-02-18 MINUTES OF THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD AT THE SENIOR CENTER, 1021 S. FEDERAL HIGHWAY, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, JULY 2, 2018, AT 2:15 P.M. PRESENT: Terry Iles, Vice Chair Amy Blackman, Recreation Superintendent Marsha Bionta Brent Rolle, Recreation Supervisor Margaret Newton Antonio Villatoro ABSENT: Jennifer Gomez Andrew Richardson Jean Young 1. Call to Order Chair liames called the meeting to order at 2:23 p.m. Ill. Pledge of Allegiance The members recited the pledge to the Flag. Ill. Attendance — Review Rentals IV. Approval of Agenda 1. Additions, Deletions, Corrections Delete the presentation by Jennifer Gomez 2. Adoption The agenda was approved by consensus. V. Approval of Minutes (for January 8, 2018 meeting) Motion Vice Chair liames moved to approve the January minutes as presented. Ms. Bionta seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton each, Florida July 2, 2018 I. Unfinished Business Brenton Rolle, Recreation Supervisor, explained at some point, the Board will need to elect a Chair. It is a suggestion to look at members who have not been present if they want to remain a member. Additionally the Chair of the Board resigned. Ms. Blackman explained the Board should go through the nomination and election process. Mr. Villatoro moved to nominate Terry liames as Chair, Ms. Newton seconded the nomination for Ms. liames as Chair. Ms. liames did not accept the nomination. Ms. liames nominated Ms. Bionta as Chair. Mr. Villatoro seconded the nomination for Ms. Bionta as Chair. Ms. liames explained she nominated Ms. Bionta because she is retired and Ms. liames is not. Ms. Bionta accepted the nomination. The motion unanimously passed. Ms. Bionta nominated Ms. liames for Vice Chair. Mr. Villatoro seconded the nomination. Ms. liames accepted the nomination that unanimously passed. Ms. Bionta thanked all for their membership and for their efforts in trying to do good things for the City and seniors. A. Palm each County Commission on Ethics Training Mr. Rolle explained every member of every Board has to complete the Ethics Training. It has been over a year the members have been asked to take the training but so far only Chair Bionta and Ms. Gomez have completed the training. The training could be taken at the Center's computer lab. At the end of the training, members have to print the acknowledgement form, sign and date it and returned to the City Clerk. There is also a link that can be used to take the training at home. It is a mandate. Ms. Blackman requested the members get it done within the next two weeks. VII. New Business A. Jennifer Gomez Presentation This item was previously removed from the agenda. B. Margaret Newton (Healthier Boynton Beach) Ms. Newton explained Palm Heath Foundation has given Boynton Beach a great deal of money. The community chose to learn about caring and senior citizens and especially seniors who need help for caring. They have established Healthier Boynton each, Ricky Petty is their leader. The Foundation just allotted grants to members in the 2 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 2, 2018 community to do various things with the goal of working with seniors and others. There are young people in the community who are caring for the elderly or even young adults. The grant she received will be giving iPads to people. The target group is the Community Caring Center and they are working with five people now. On the iPads, they are loading books and music with the help of the Library. They are loaded with materials for caregivers. Music for relaxing, audio books and meditation. They met a few weeks ago, individuals filled out apps and five people have been chosen. Hopefully they will have the iPads loaded before the library closes. All were invited to exercise at the Carolyn Sims Center and especially caregivers. They have line dancing once a week on Thursday evenings, which was made possible from a grant. There is a grant for men only who are caregivers and it is a popular program. Ms. Newton agreed to provide the information. The grant ends in December, but there will be a second round of grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 so Center patrons can avail themselves to any further programs and Healthier Boynton Beach just issued a senior citizen survey. The next meeting is not until the third Thursday in August at 9 a.m. at the Carolyn Sims Center. All of the information is on the Healthier Boynton Beach website. The survey is from Palm Healthcare. Ms. Blackman advised they could put it on social media. A goal of the program is to change the perception of what a caregiver is. There were many individuals participating from the 33435 zip code, not from the senior population and she was unsure why. She thought members may not perceive themselves as caregivers. Vice Chair liames agreed. There are large health care groups in the County, and others such as Morris Life, PACE and the Alzheimer's Association who are really targeting Boynton Beach with information. Mr. Rolle explained Healthier Boynton each will have a table at the Health Fair. Vice Chair liames suggested putting up a poster so she can come in and talk about caregiving. She advised caregiving is one tough business and that is what she does. Mr. Rolle explained they posted flyers and posters for the event. It was suggested any speaker come in the morning as there are a lot of caregivers at the Center then and some caregivers do not know there is assistance available. Ms. Newton agreed to come out. B. Revision of Senior Center Sponsorship Package Mr. Rolle had a sponsorship package put together by Allison Killup, Marketing and Outreach Manager. The package put all sponsors on a fiscal year cycle and they can change the newsletter and Funfare to match those cycles. Some sponsors are ready to start. The Health Fair will be held on Thursday September 20th at the Ezell Hester Center. If all goes well, it will be the largest one held. He advised they need help getting the word out to advocates from the churches and Center. He explained it is not just for seniors. There are caregivers who are not seniors so they need to have people there who can give out information. Ms. Newton asked about sponsors and learned the sponsors donate to the Center and the package contained different levels of 3 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 2, 2018 sponsorship. Mr. Villatoro asked if the Board had input into the package and learned they did not. Vice Chair liames asked if there could be a smaller amount of sponsorship than $700. Mr. Rolle explained lesser donations could be advertised in the newsletter that will be on a four-month cycle, than a three-month cycle to match the Funfare Magazine. The Center is currently advertising that now. Vice Chair liames thought for small companies, $700 was a lot of money, but it was noted it was for the year. A sponsorship allows the person to do things, in house where as advertisers do not. Ms. Blackman commented those that take advantage of sponsorship opportunities, get a pretty good deal for what they are getting. Most of the continuous sponsors are insurance, finance and health care companies. Sponsorships are individual decisions made by the business owner. Mr. Rolle advised there are handymen that consistently advertise because everyone needs a handyman. Ms. liames asked if the Center was going to provide sponsorship opportunities quarterly, if the sponsors could pay quarterly as it is hard to pay out of pocket all at once. Mr. Rolle explained the payment is paid upfront at one time which was an operational decision. Vice Chair liames disagreed and commented the person who signs up is guaranteeing they will pay the entire year. Mr. Rolle noted if they did not, the Center has no recourse. Ms. Blackman explained that has happened before and it was not cost effective to pursue legal remedy. Ms. Newton asked how Healthier Boynton each could fit in with a sponsorship. Mr. Rolle explained there was already an agreement between Healthier Boynton each and the City and he gives them a table at the Health Fair. They do not advertise as far as the newsletter and they are not asked for sponsorships because of the partnership. This was similar to the line dance instructor who received a grant from Healthier Boynton Beach personally, and then the instructor signed a contract with the City and went through the background check and insurance in order to teach the class free of charge at the Center. Healthier Boynton Beach could provide a similar grant to someone else to teach or hold a class at the Center. Ms. Newton explained the expectation is Healthier Boynton will be in the community. Vice Chair liames noted the Woman's Club is a 501(c)3 and thought they would sponsor something. Ms. Blackman noted the Woman's Club no longer owns the building. Vice Chair liames understood and commented they still had a club. Ms. Blackman explained the Woman's Club had not approached the Center for anything. Vice Chair Liames commented someone should ask them. Ms. Blackman agreed someone could approach the club. Ms. Newton explained when she reviewed the sponsorship material, it looked like it was geared towards for-profit entities and smaller entities may not be represented. Ms. Newton is a member of the Center and noted Morris Life sponsored an event. She would be more inclined to go with Morris Life than a smaller company because they participate at the Center. Mr. Rolle explained there is a determination of value for service and sponsorships are priced out. Sponsorships are for whoever wants to 4 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 2, 2018 become a sponsor. In the past, they have had doctors, companies and larger companies, such as Humana, Aetna etc. participated and wrote checks. Staff could go further and charge more for sponsorship, but they have a responsibility to keep costs low or almost free for members, which the sponsors help subsidize. Sponsorship funds reduce the price of services. Mr. Rolle explained he knows how much needs to be subsidized so it is no cost to seniors. Chair Bionta commented the members could all be a voice for the sponsorships. C. The Role of the Senior Advisory Board Chair Bionta made copies of the Ordinance detailing the Board's mission. Some duties needed to be reviewed and worked on so the public would know about the Board. Presently, no one knows what the Senior Advisory Board does. It was suggested having members attend the Health Fair would help give the Board some visibility. She thought someone could sit at the table and take suggestions. She requested the members read the Ordinance and discuss it at the next meeting. Mr. Rolle explained the Board's activities must fit within the parameters of the Ordinance. A review of the agenda and past meeting minutes showed that had not occurred. The idea is now, as a Board, to develop and come up with ideas. If that does not happen, the City Commission will make that decision, because the Board reports to the City Commission, not the Recreation Department. The work of the Board is for the larger senior community, not the Senior Center. Ms. Blackman understood for the last two years, the Board was very Senior Center focused. She noted the City does not have an advisory board to review the operation of other City facilities such as the Tennis Center. The Board is to assist seniors in the City. If they direct all of the Board's efforts to the Center, the Board is missing a large population of seniors that do not attend the Center. Vice Chair liames noted the duties include obtaining grants, but none of the members are qualified to apply for grants. Ms. Blackman explained the members could research grants and the City has a Grants Coordinator who applies for them. Chair Bionta had previously spoken about age friendly communities which could be one idea. Vice Chair liames noted the Retired Senior Volunteer Program can provide services to the homebound. Ms. Blackman commented the Board could move towards setting up the program. If the organization no longer exists, they could find something else. Mr. Rolle opined the Board should find a way to show why the Board exists and why the Board is important because the City Commission will advocate for its citizens. The Board should advocate for its citizens that are seniors and not the Senior Center members. He commented they recently had a luncheon for deaf persons at the Center and there were no Board members present. He noted there are going to be mid-term elections. The Board and City are apolitical, but there are issues that will affect seniors 5 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton each, Florida July 2, 2018 in the City that the members could review and disseminate the information at the Center. Ms. Newton commented when she first attended a Board meeting the members were talking about umbrellas, but transportation was a huge issue. She hoped the Board would advocate for the trolley again. Vice Chair liames commented they advocated for an extra bus for transportation, but never got it. The Board could strategize how to get the Commission's attention. Ms. Blackman explained if it was an operational decision coming from the group on a budgeted item, she would not want to say it was from the Board. As an example, if there was a homestead exemption, the Board could say each household may save $60 or $100 a year, but if they take that money, it will affect the Recreation Department, which will affect services to seniors and other individuals they serve. There may be unintended cuts. Seniors only recreate at the Center, but seniors live everywhere. Vice Chair liames thought most money goes to youth programs. Ms. Blackman explained Vice Chair liames was incorrect because the department has a revenue fund and the staff and counselors are paid from the revenue fund. The department also receives expanded learning opportunities from the Children's Services Council. All workers that deal with aftercare are paid through the revenue fund. The staff and the building are not. Mr. Rolle's and the Center's staff are paid from taxes in the general fund. Events are from revenue. Mr. Rolle explained every program in Recreation has to sustain itself except here. If the Art Center has a program, it has to charge and develop a cost per child and that is what they are charged. When they determine it will cost $2,000 to hold 10 parties a year, camp fee for five kids will pay for it. It does not cost less to run a party, but they get money from a different sources like a sponsor, it keeps the cost down for seniors. The revenue fund does not just apply to what they take in, it applies to what it pays out and they need a cushion. The department bought a $90,000 bus from revenue generated from youth programs. If the Center did not have sponsorships, they could not hold many events at the Center. Last year, the Center got a $5,000 sponsorship which was used for parties. The Center is also funded from general funds. They share taxes with all City departments. If someone wants equipment or a capital improvement and the Fire Chief says the garage door is broken, the funds go to Fire and Life Safety. Recreation gets a small piece of the pie. Vice Chair liames commented she hoped they could use the bus once or twice a year and it was mentioned there are grants the Board could research. Ms. Blackman commented the Center can use the bus. The big new bus is not accessible, but the old bus can be used on days when kids are out of school. 6 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 2, 2018 Mr. Villatoro asked if members could only speak about ideas at meetings and learned anything that potentially could come before the Board could only be discussed at the meetings. Vice Chair liames had an issue she wanted to discuss that she sent to Mr. Rolle, which was not on the agenda. Mr. Rolle explained it was a Center operational issue and nota Board issue. Ms. Newton suggested looking at the duties and determining which items the Board would address. Chair Bionta explained anything in the Ordinance they have questions about could be researched. If the Board wanted to return to monthly meetings, they could. Mr. Rolle thought the comments made by Ms. Newton about Healthier Boynton Beach were instrumental because the issue was larger than the Senior Center. It was a City-wide issue. Chair Bionta explained the minutes are sent to everyone, and she suggested getting the minutes timely so members who were not present at the meeting could see what will occur. Mr. Rolle commented whoever governs the Board would be working with him and they have to receive approval before moving forward on a project. The Board can send out a special meeting notice to meet if needed and it was also important that members attend the meetings. Chair Bionta commented if a member misses two meetings, since the Board meets quarterly, the member has missed six months and it is sometimes difficult to recall what was discussed at the last meeting. Vice Chair liames suggested meeting monthly for a while and then perhaps every other month. She commented when contemplating the RSVP program for the homebound, no one is handling that service. She thought it would involve setting up a program for someone who goes into the home and talk to them and she queried what volunteer programs will be put in place. The Board will have to ascertain what programs to use and advertise it city-wide. Ms. Blackman commented the Board has to determine whether to change the Ordinance. If a change is desired, the Board would discuss it and as the way the Board currently operates, they cannot do anything for another six months. Vice Chair liames noted item 8 indicates the Board shall provide recreation and social programs which does occur at the Center. Mr. Rolle explained the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board was created at the same time as the Senior Advisory Board was created to serve the larger senior population in Boynton Beach. The Senior Center was constructed which is a completely different entity than the Recreation and Parks Board. He suggested the Board weigh its goals of what it is actually able to do, seek approval of projects and think of how they would justify being a Board to the Commission. There has to be a balance, and the Board's mandate had not been reviewed since 1996. Ms. Newton explained she was a member of the Community Relations Board when it was abolished. The City Commission asked them if they were relevant any longer and she said no and to abolish it. She thought this Board could be very relevant and it was 7 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 2, 2018 important to get the word out about the Board. Mr. Villatoro favored having a program where medical volunteers visit homes for quarterly or bi-monthly checkups so they could find medical issues before something occurs. Vice Chair liames commented homebound programs have to be scratched. Preventative checkups by medical volunteers could be done at the Center. Motion Ms. Newton moved to meet next month with the sole goal of establishing new Senior Advisory Board goals. Mr. Villatoro seconded the motion. Ms. Newton commented they would not change anything, but they would introduce new ideas. Mr. Rolle explained it was important to first get the ground rules established on the duties and receive approval. Mr. Rolle will contact the absent members and give an overview of what was discussed, and explain it is imperative they be present if they want to remain on the Board. Vice Chair liames thought they had a brochure. Ms. Blackman explained the brochures only contained Center sponsored events and activities. There are a lot of other activities going on in the City pertaining to seniors that the Center does not offer. Most places that have senior facilities do not allow anyone from the outside to come in. Staff takes brochures and brings them to the YMCA, but the Center does not have resources for individual programs. Members could contact organizations and request information, which would be put in an informational area. Ms. Blackman thought they could enter into an agreement. There is an agreement with the Realtors Association to distribute the City's marketing materials and FunFare Magazine. Churches are a perfect example. Vote The motion to meet the first Monday of the month unanimously passed. It was noted the 6th was the first Monday in August. Vice Chair liames recommended contacting the Community Caring Center by MILK Jr. Boulevard to attend the Health Fair. Mr. Rolle noted there is a cost associated with coming to the event. D. Senior Center Current & Upcoming Events The Health Fair will be held Thursday, September 20th from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Vill. Amy Blackman — Q & A IX Next Meeting: Monday, October 1, 2018 8 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 2, 2018 UNNOMMONEEMEEN It was noted the Board voted to meet tentatively on Monday, August 6th. X. Adjournment Motion Mr. Villatoro moved to adjourn. Vice Chair liames seconded the motion. Mr. Villatoro will talk to "Connie" about the Health Fair as she is in charge of the caregiving youth project. Volunteering is another thing. of The motion unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 4:04 p.m. &7, Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 9