Minutes
Council On Aging · from the Town's website · 3 pages · 29 KB
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MEETING MINUTES WINTHROP COUNCIL ON AGING Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025 Time: 10:30 AM Location: Robert A. DeLeo Senior Center 35 Harvard Street, Winthrop, MA 02152 Present: Matt Rodes, Director, Council on Aging Alice Haskell, Chair, Council on Aging Kathy Driscoll Cynthia Huff Absent: Linda Cronin Heather Martin Mary Vitale I. Call to Order The Meeting was called to order by Matt Rodes, Director, Council on Aging, at 10:30 AM. II. Approval of Minutes As there was not a quorum present at the Meeting, a Motion to approve the Minutes of the January 9, 2025, Meeting will be presented at our Meeting of March 13, 2025. III. Programs Report A. Matt Rodes provided the Council members with a printout of all previously scheduled/completed events plus upcoming events which was compiled by Rose Kaye. B. Matt Rodes reported that the Valentine ’ s Party held on February 11 was a big success with a large turn-out. We have seating for 115 attendees for these types of events. C. Matt Rodes reported that Bob DeLeo will be making a donation to the Friends of the Winthrop Council on Aging to sponsor an upcoming event, perhaps in September with Howie Conley as the entertainment. D. Alice Haskell reported that she has made arrangements for ice cream for our upcoming Ice Cream Social in May. E. Matt Rodes reported that he is currently working on the Tax Work-Off Program. Information on this Program will be in the March newsletter. He indicated the monetary amount of the work-off would likely be $750. F. In a follow-up to a previous discussion regarding our procedure for event sign-ups, Matt indicated that we will be leaving the sign-up procedure as it is for now. G. Matt Rodes reported that our Holiday Party this year will again be held at and sponsored by the Elks on Sunday, December 7, at 2PM. Alice Haskell reported that a few people had asked her about the possibility of our having a Holiday Party at the Senior Center in addition to the one we will have at the Elks. As this would not really be feasible, Cynthia Huff suggested that we could have a holiday-themed Coffee and Conversation event again this year as we did in 2024. That event was very successful and was very well-attended. H. Matt Rodes reported that he will be meeting with Pete Solomon to finalize plans to resume our Spanish class. He is hoping this class will begin in mid-March or April. I. Matt Rodes reported that the Best of Times trip sign-up portal is working very well. He indicated that if someone needs to cancel their place on a trip they have signed up for that they will need to tell the Senior Center staff. J. Matt Rodes reported that our new SHINE Counselor, Carol Lupi, will be starting soon. He also reported that Charlie Randall will also be doing phone SHINE sessions as a back-up. K. Matt Rodes reported that Kirsten Kilburn has been working on setting up the Health Fair scheduled for April 17, 2025. She already has six or seven vendors. There will be a background singer for entertainment for this event – Malayna Knox. Her fee is $800, and we are looking for a sponsor for this. If a sponsor is not found, Bayada will pay her fee. The flyers for this event will be going out soon. L. Matt Rodes reported that he is still working on the CAPIC Tax Preparation Program. Their current Director recently left, and they will reach out to us when they are ready. It may not be until next year. They are open to having a Satellite Office at the Senior Center. IV. Outreach Report Matt Rodes reported that our new Assistant Director/Outreach Coordinator, Nicole Rizzotto, will be starting on March 3, 2025. V. Director ’ s Report Matt Rodes reported that the van is now running on Friday in addition to Monday through Thursday. Our two drivers will take turns driving on Fridays, using two weeks on, two weeks off. Friday trips will be restricted to Winthrop, Revere and East Boston. Matt reported that there were 214 rides in January, and we have over $2,000 remaining from the Grant. VI. Old Business Matt Rodes reported that the heat in the Senior Center has continued to go out intermittently. The Custodian, Billy, has been coming to the Center each morning at 7:00 AM to make sure it is working. Rich Cifuni will be getting someone to check into this issue. Matt also reported that our exterior lights are out, and Rich is aware of this. Matt also reported that the National Grid Customer Assistance Event was a big success and that National Grid is interested in holding another event here in the future. VII. New Business There was no new business to discuss. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:21 AM. Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2025. Respectfully Submitted Kathy Driscoll, Secretary, Winthrop Council on Aging Adopted by the Board at the meeting of March 13, 2025 ___________________________________ Alice Haskell, Chair Winthrop Council on Aging