Minutes
Council On Aging · from the Town's website · 4 pages · 33 KB
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MEETING MINUTES WINTHROP COUNCIL ON AGING Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026 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 Absent: Alice Haskell, Chair, Council on Aging Mary Vitale I. Call to Order The Meeting was called to order by Matt Rodes, Director, Council on Aging, at 10:35AM. II. Approval of Minutes A Motion was made by Cynthia Huff and seconded by Heather Martin to approve the Minutes of the December 11, 2025, Council on Aging Meeting. The Minutes were approved. III. Programs Report A. Matt Rodes informed the Council that our Programs Coordinator Rose Kaye has broken her arm and will be out of commission for at least a month and possibly longer. We discussed the upcoming Valentine ’ s Day Luncheon sponsored by MVES for which we will need volunteer help in setting up. All Council members present at this meeting offered to help with this event, and we expect MVES staff to be on hand to help as well. B. Matt Rodes reported that the Commission on Disabilities ’ s planned talk on ADA Accommodations at Home and at Work will be rescheduled to a date in April. C. Matt Rodes reported that no new events have been scheduled since our December Meeting. Our St. Patrick ’ s Day luncheon, with John and Lori Watkins as the entertainment, is scheduled for March 17. The Police will be resuming their monthly outreach sessions beginning on January 20 and are currently scheduled through May. Our third annual Health Fair is scheduled for April 23. IV. Outreach Report There are no updates to report. Nicole Rizzotto reported that she continues to help people with various issues/situations. V. Director ’ s Report A. Matt Rodes reported that our new minivan is expected to arrive sometime in January or February. Modifications need to be made, as well as painting, logo, etc. We hope to post the position for an additional driver and have a start date for the minivan in mid- February. Matt will talk to Tom and Anthony regarding scheduling. Matt is thinking of moving Anthony to the minivan if he would like this, and Matt would like to get their hours to 18 hours a week each. B. Matt Rodes reported that our previously discussed Walking Group will begin on Wednesday, January 21, in the gym at St. John ’ s/St. Michael ’ s parish. The Walking Group will take place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM to 11 AM. This will be noted in our upcoming flyer. Participants will need to sign up for this at the front desk. Participants will need to enter the gym through the Ocean View Street Parish Center entrance and should turn off the lights and make sure the gym is clean when they leave. An email notice of this new event will be sent out. C. Matt Rodes reported that he and Nicole are beginning to work on the Tax Work-Off Program. This usually takes place in March and may expand to November as additional people are always needed for town elections. He is hoping to get the abatement increased to $1,000 from $750 but is not sure if this will happen. He also indicated he would like to prioritize lower-income individuals for this program if possible. D. Matt Rodes raised the possibility of changing our meeting timetable from every month to every other month. All agreed that this would be fine. Thus, our next meeting will be in March and not in February. E. Matt Rodes reported that our first cardio-drumming session which took place this week was a big success and was very much enjoyed by all who participated. This class will take place on the first Monday of each month from 4 PM to 5 PM. Participants must sign up at the front desk for this class. F. Matt Rodes reported that Reiki sessions can be scheduled now through June. Reiki sessions are held on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 10 AM to 1 PM. G. Matt Rodes reported that our van is operating later on Mondays now to accommodate our new Monday 6 PM closure time. Runs during this later period of the day will be limited to local rides. Matt indicated that we may schedule an afternoon grocery run on Mondays at some point. There may need to be changes to the schedule once we have the new minivan. Matt reported that we may have an orientation session regarding rules for van usage to familiarize new van riders and to provide a refresher to those who already are using the van regularly. H. Cynthia Huff inquired, on behalf of a friend, as to whether Mah Jong lessons were available during our Monday Game Day activities. Matt indicated that the interested person should call him and he could tell her more about this and put her on the list for lessons. I. Matt Rodes reported that the back patio door to the Senior Center garden area is being kept locked for the winter. He also reported that we are looking to obtain a monitor for the security cameras – we do not yet have one. J. Matt Rodes reported that there were some audio issues with the new mics recently installed by WCAT as the sound of the heating system is interfering with them. This may require a filter to fix this, and they will be back at some point to work on this. K. There was a brief discussion regarding the Lighthouse Nursing Home ’ s recent “ cooking demonstration ” which turned out to be more of a simple luncheon rather than a demonstration. Matt reported that Lighthouse would like to do more with us and are working on having a brunch at the nursing home, with a tour of the facility, sometime in the spring. L. Cynthia Huff reported that the recent discussion on nutrition by a member of Mystic Valley Elder Services was excellent, as was the first of five sessions on Cell Phone Photography, also presented by a member of Mystic Valley Elder Services. M. There was a brief discussion on the monthly Coffee and Conversation which continues to be a popular and well-attended event. There are scheduled speakers for the next several months. The Winthrop CLEAR Team will be the speakers for the January meeting, and the Winthrop Police, the Suffolk County DA ’ s Office and a representative from the Parc are all planned for upcoming meetings. VI. Old Business There were no updates to report. VII. New Business There was no new business to report. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business, a Motion to adjourn was made by Heather Martin and seconded by Linda Cronin. The meeting was adjourned at 11:26 AM. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Respectfully Submitted Kathy Driscoll, Secretary, Winthrop Council on Aging Adopted by the Board at the meeting of March 12, 2026 ___________________________________ Alice Haskell, Chair Winthrop Council on Aging