Please post the following:
TOWN OF REDDING
COMMISSION FOR THE ELDERLY
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
9:00 A.M.
HERITAGE CENTER
Present:
Annet Bonfanti
Jack Froehlich
Florence Hayes
Janet Metzger
Bill Morris
Alice Pardee
Sharon Rehme
Gail Schiron
Marie Sibilio
Tom Wylie
Alternates:
Janet Cianci
Rosalind Kopfstein
Jean Whitham
Also Present: Natalie Ketcham, First Selectman
The meeting was called to order at 9:06 A.M.
I. Approval of Minutes from July 5, 2006
The minutes were reviewed by the Commission. Several typographical errors were noted and an amended version of the minutes will be submitted.
Upon a motion by Mr. Morris, seconded by Ms. Pardee, the Commission voted unanimously to accept the minutes as amended.
II. Reports
The Director of Human Services and Senior Center Coordinator reports were reviewed.
Discussion topics included a meeting Ms. Schiron had with Natalie Ketcham with regard to scheduling space at the Heritage Center. As the hours between 3 PM and 5PM Monday through Friday are necessary for after school activities, the Senior Center will not run programs during these hours so as to avoid conflicting programs, with the exception of Tuesdays, when an afternoon movie will be shown.
Flu Shots will be administered to senior residents, on Wednesday, November 1st, from 9 AM-12 noon at the Heritage Center. A registered nurse from the Bethel VNA will administer the shots. Residents should bring their Medicare Part B Card or a Blue Cross card. Pneumonia shots will be offered to anyone over age 65.
Town wide flu shots will be offered on November 18th.
Ms. Rehme stated that Doug Hartline is putting together an updated list of homebound seniors for the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) database. The list will include seniors that are not necessarily homebound but may need some assistance or want to be contacted in the event of a town wide emergency.
There will be some CERT volunteers on hand at Flu Shot Day to get information from seniors who attend the flu shot clinic. Ms. Rehme will circulate a draft of CERT registration forms to members of the Commission for their review.
There has been a drop in requests for the Meals on Wheels service. This is due in part to some seniors entering nursing homes while others no longer require the service.
Ms. Schiron reported that 27 Redding seniors have expressed interest in 25 of the 40 affordable senior housing units proposed for Georgetown. As the project moves forward, all interested individuals will need to undergo a financial review to determine eligibility.
Ms. Metzger reported that all of the senior housing will be in one building. Originally, it was planned to split the number of units between two buildings.
There was also discussion as to the weekly lunches, and the possibility of raising the cost by fifty cents or a dollar for non-senior attendees. An increased number of town employees have been attending the lunches.
Increased prices of everything from the food served to the cost of fuel to go purchase the food has affected the cost of preparation. The average cost of the preparation of the lunches will be looked at more closely to determine if the current fee of $3.00 per meal will be increased.
Ms. Rehme asked the Commission members their opinion on inviting a speaker from a Maplewood Senior Housing in Danbury to make a presentation to them. Some of the Commission members were familiar with the presentation, as they had attended a meeting of area Commissions for the Elderly held in Danbury a few months ago. The general consensus was that the Commission was not interested in a presentation.
Mr. Wylie asked why the plaque commemorating Peter, Paul and Mary was placed in the Computer Room. The original site was to be the Community Room, where a picture and a framed tee shirt from the concert given by the trio were to be displayed. Funds raised at the benefit concert paid for other items in the Community Center, including the AV system installed in the Community Room. More members of the community are in the Community Room than are in the Computer Room, and Mr. Wylie states that this item was hung in an out of the way area.
A decision had been made that hanging all of the items in one room would be too “busy”. The concern here is that other groups in town may want to hang items on the walls of the Community Room. Ms. Whitham pointed out that displaying these items is a form of gratitude for the donation of money and time.
There exists a subcommittee that monitors decorating of public space in town buildings. Members of that committee made the decision as to where and how items are displayed in public spaces throughout town.
The Commission feels strongly that the recognition is not being acknowledged, and Ms. Ketcham suggested that members of the subcommittee, (Jane Ross and Selectman Tina Miller) in charge of decorating public space be invited to the next meeting so this can be discussed, and the importance of the tribute be made clear.
III. Business- General Discussion
Ms. Rehme asked the Commission members if they had any suggestions for additional members, as Pat Castonguay’s resignation on September 3, 2006 has left a vacancy.
Ms. Hayes reported that Mary Jo Kumke, who served on the CFE for many years, had recently passed away.
IV. Adjournment
The next CFE meeting is scheduled for October 4 at 9:00 A.M.
There being no other business before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 A.M.
Submitted by vaz 9/8/2006
| 
