Minutes
Council On Aging · from the Town's website · 4 pages · 35 KB
open the file ↗ · original at the source ↗
MEETING MINUTES WINTHROP COUNCIL ON AGING Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026 Time: 10:30 AM Location: Robert A. DeLeo Senior Center 35 Harvard Street, Winthrop, MA 02152 Present: Matt Rodes, Director, Council on Aging Linda Cronin, Chair Heather Martin, Vice Chair Kathy Driscoll, Secretary Andrea DeSouza, Member Cynthia Huff, Member Absent: None I. Call to Order The Meeting was called to order by Linda Cronin, Chair - Council on Aging, at 10:30AM. II. Approval of Minutes A Motion was made by Cynthia Huff and seconded by Heather Martin to approve the Minutes of the May 14, 2026, Council on Aging Meeting. The Minutes were approved. Linda Cronin read aloud the Minutes of our May 14, 2026, Meeting. All agreed that all of the programs and events noted on those Minutes had gone very well. III. Programs Report A. The Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon is scheduled for Monday, July 27, at noon. The meal will be from The Hong Kong Dragon, and the entertainment will be John and Lori Wadkins. B. The annual Police and Fire Department Barbecue is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11. C. Matt Rodes reported that there will be two cardio-drumming classes in the months of August, October and November. These classes are scheduled for the first and third Mondays of the month from 4PM to 5PM. Beginning in January of 2027, we will have two classes each month. Matt reported that those signed up for the class will receive a text/email to remind them and asking them to notify the Senior Center if they are not able to attend so that someone on the Wait List may have a chance to attend. D. Matt Rodes reported that there will be a brunch and tour of the Lighthouse Nursing Home/Rehab Center in Revere scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, from 11AM to 12PM. Our van will be available to drive participants to the Lighthouse. This event will be listed in the August Newsletter. Linda Cronin reported that we have a visit to the Prospect House in Revere in the works as well. She believes this will likely be sometime in August. E. Matt Rodes reported that the CLEAR Team will have office hours at the Senior Center on the third Wednesday of the month from 10AM to 11AM, beginning July 15. Linda inquired as to whether the CLEAR Team could administer vaccines such as the flu shot, etc. at the Senior Center. Matt indicated that the Health Department/CLEAR Team/CVS will generally reach out to us with respect to setting up a clinic for these vaccines. F. Matt Rodes reported that the Program Director at The Parc, who is a Notary Public, will be offering free Notary services to seniors once a month, with the first service date being Wednesday, July 15. It is requested that anyone requiring Notary services sign up at the Front Desk ahead of time. G. Matt Rodes reported that we are still working on having sessions with the Suffolk County DA ’ s Office on a quarterly basis. H. Matt Rodes reported that we have scheduled a Red Cross Preparedness Program and Hands Only CPR course for August 25 at 12:30 PM. This will not be a CPR certification class. I. Matt Rodes reported that a representative from Home Instead Senior Care will be conducting a presentation at the Senior Center regarding their services on September 1 at 1:30 PM. J. Matt Rodes reported that Life Care Centers of America will be conducting a presentation on “ The Long-Term Care Puzzle ” in December. The date for this event has not yet been determined. K. Matt Rodes reported that our new Programs Coordinator, Kristina Stevens, is also working on scheduling another Energy Fair with National Grid for some time in December. This event generally includes additional services such as Mass Saves, CAPIC, etc. L. Matt Rodes reported that the Friends of the Winthrop Council on Aging have several upcoming events planned. They are planning an indoor yard sale to be held at the Senior Center on Saturday, September 26; a pasta dinner currently scheduled for Monday, September 28 (with the menu and the date both subject to change) and a restaurant night at Hong Kong Dragon tentatively planned for some night in September. As there are several events planned for September, there is a chance the restaurant night could be moved to October. Regarding the pasta dinner event, Matt indicated we may open up this event to include other people such as family members. M. Andrea DeSouza inquired as to the status of the weekly Zumba and Tai Chi classes as the instructor for these classes had mentioned she may cancel the Zumba class. Matt indicated that as of now, the classes are still ongoing. He indicated that the instructor had spoken to him about some scheduling changes, such as adding additional weekly Tai Chi sessions, but this could be difficult due to the other already scheduled classes and events. IV. Outreach Report There were no new updates to report. V. Director ’ s Report A. Matt Rodes reported that our two new employees, Kristina Stevens as the Programs Coordinator and Carol Ferullo as the Front Desk Clerk, have begun their new positions and are coming along very well. Kristina is already busy working on upcoming events. B. Matt Rodes reported that our new minivan is working out very well. In response to a question from Linda Cronin as to what van you would get when making an appointment for transportation, Matt reported that it depends on where you want to go. The minivan is mainly being used for the longer-distance trips such as Stoneham, Reading, etc. He indicated that when booking a ride, it is important to indicate if you are traveling alone or with a companion. C. Matt Rodes reported that we have made some changes to the van shopping schedule. He indicated that there has been some concern from some shopping trip users regarding the new later afternoon schedule. For the time being, this is not planned to be changed, and we will work with people regarding the timing. D. Matt Rodes reported that he is working on having the Fire Chief or a representative from the Fire Department come to the Senior Center to demonstrate the proper use of a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket. E. With respect to the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, Matt Rodes reported that invitations had been sent out to the volunteers. He asked if any volunteers who had not received their invitation to let the Senior Center know and asked that volunteers RSVP by July 17. F. Matt Rodes reported that the buses for the Tall Ships brunch/lunch cruise will be leaving the Senior Center at 8:15 AM on Sunday, July 12. Attendees are asked to be at the Senior Center by 8:00 AM. Matt will have the Senior Center opened up at 7:30 AM that morning for those who wish to wait inside for the buses. G. Matt Rodes reported that our new patio furniture for the outside garden area looks very nice. We also have new bistro tables that will be going into the middle room and will be used, among other things, for the Mahjong players so that they will not have to continue using the card tables with the foldable legs that are more unstable. He also indicated we may also get an awning for the outside patio area. He reported that we are receiving a $1,500 donation from The Elks to the Friends of the Winthrop Council on Aging, and we may use that donation for the awning. H. Matt Rodes reported that he will follow up with the town ’ s Maintenance Department regarding having our building power-washed. He reported that Nicole Rizzotto has already power-washed the outside patio area. Nicole ’ s daughter knows a young man who has a power-washing business, and we may perhaps ask him to do this for us. I. Matt Rodes reported that we are still waiting for the new closet in the middle room. J. Matt Rodes reported that we recently had a major leak from a roof-top air conditioning unit which flooded the area near the front desk and along the hallway to the big room. This leak occurred in the overnight hours. The air conditioning unit in question will be repaired. K. Matt Rodes reported that we are eliminating the $20 Senior Center membership fee. L. Cynthia Huff reported that the Town ’ s celebration for the 250 th anniversary held at the Landing was excellent, and she praised the services of two of our van drivers who drove the two town-wide shuttles on that day. VI. Old Business There were no old business updates to report. VII. New Business Kathy Driscoll reported that she and Cynthia Huff had recently learned that the schedule for the Ethics Training Course for Municipal employees, which includes the members of the Council on Aging, has apparently been revised, requiring employees to take the Ethics Training course every two years now and completing the Receipt of the Summary of the Ethics Training course every year. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business, a Motion to Adjourn was made by Heather Martin and seconded by Andrea DeSouza. The meeting was adjourned at 11:28 AM. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Respectfully Submitted, Kathy Driscoll, Secretary, Winthrop Council on Aging Adopted by the Board at the Meeting of September 10, 2026 ___________________________________ Linda Cronin, Chair Winthrop Council on Aging