Minutes
Council On Aging · from the Town's website · 1 page · 38 KB
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MEETING MINUTES WINTHROP COUNCIL ON AGING Date: Thursday, November 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 Nicole Rizzotto, Assistant Director and Outreach Coordinator, Council on Aging Linda Cronin Andrea DeSouza Kathy Driscoll Cynthia Huff Heather Martin Mary Vitale Absent: Alice Haskell, Chair, Council on Aging Call to Order The Meeting was called to order by Matt Rodes, Director, Council on Aging, at 10:33 AM. Approval of Minutes A Motion was made by Linda Cronin and seconded by Cynthia Huff to approve the Minutes of the October 9, 2025, Council on Aging Meeting. The Minutes were approved. Programs Report Matt Rodes distributed Rose Kaye’s updated report on upcoming Senior Center events and activities. He reported that she is working on setting up various parties and informational sessions for 2026. Matt Rodes reported that the Winthrop Police Department and the Suffolk County DA’s Office will be conducting a Fraud Prevention session at the Senior Center on Tuesday, November 25. He reported that the Winthrop Police Department’s Senior Outreach sessions will resume in January and are currently scheduled through May of 2026. Matt Rodes reported that we still have parties and events planned for each month that are currently awaiting Grant approval. One of these is a proposed “line dance/square dancing” session. Matt Rodes reported that CAPIC will be at the Senior Center on Friday, November 14, and also on Thursday, December 11. We are hoping to have more sessions next year. These sessions are open to the public. Matt Rodes reported that Rose Kay has scheduled a National Grid Energy Expo for Tuesday, January 27, 2026, from 10AM to 2PM. Matt Rodes reported that the CLEAR Team will not be holding its monthly meeting in December but will be speaking at an upcoming Coffee and Conversation. There was a discussion on how to get the word out to people about these sessions, and one thought was to perhaps change the name of the meetings to show that it is part of the Town’s Health Department. Matt Rodes reported that tickets for our Holiday Party hosted by and held at the Elks on Sunday, December 7, are sold out, and there is a Wait List. The van will be available for transportation to the Elks on that day. To date, eleven people have signed up for van transportation. These people will be notified of their pick-up times on December 3. Outreach Report There were no new updates to report. Nicole Rizzotto reported that she continues to receive many requests for medical appointment rides. Director’s Report Matt Rodes reported that Andrea DeSouza has now been officially confirmed as a new member of the Council on Aging, and she will be officially sworn in at the Town Clerk’s Office on Monday, November 17. Matt Rodes reported that beginning in January of 2026, the Senior Center will remain open until 6PM on Mondays. Cardio Drumming will be held on the first Monday of the month from 4PM to 5PM. This class will be limited to 20 people, and the fee will be $5/class. Matt indicated that to date 14 people have expressed interest in this class. He reported that Movie Day will be moved from Tuesday to the second Monday of the month at 3:30. Matt also indicated that the Friends of the Winthrop Council on Aging are hoping to host bi-monthly or quarterly dinners on this later-open day. Matt Rodes reported that the Senior Center will close at noon on Wednesday, November 26 and will be closed on Thursday, November 27, and Friday, November 28, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Matt Rodes reported that we are working on setting up day trips for next year. He reported that we will be stopping the use of the We Travel payment system set up with Best of Times as it is not working the way it was supposed to. He also indicated that we may not be using Best of Times next year. He will be discussing this with the Travel Committee. In response to Linda Cronin’s suggestion that if we are not able to set up a “walking group” using the High School/Middle School, perhaps we could ask St. Michael’s/St. John’s Catholic Church if we could use their property, Matt Rodes said he will ask Trisha Noonan of the Friends of the Winthrop Council on Aging who works at St. Michael’s if she could check into this. Heather Martin asked if there had been any update on the bowling which had been canceled due to there no longer being a lane clearer. Matt Rodes reported there was no update as of yet. Old Business There were no updates to report. New Business There was no new business to report. Public Comment: Prior to adjournment, a member of the public who was in attendance at this meeting spoke to the Council regarding various programs/support groups she had been involved with at a Senior Center while living in Florida. She and another person are writing a book on aging; they are looking for people’s thoughts on aging to include in this book and provided surveys on this topic for interested people to fill out. Adjournment There being no further business, a Motion to adjourn was made by Heather Martin and seconded by Linda Cronin and Mary Vitale. The meeting was adjourned at 11:08 AM. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Respectfully Submitted Kathy Driscoll, Secretary, Winthrop Council on Aging Adopted by the Board at the meeting of December 11, 2025 ___________________________________ Alice Haskell, Chair Winthrop Council on Aging