Council on Aging, March 1, 2018
Town Of Holden
MASSACHUSETTS
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COUNCIL ON AGING
Louise Charbonneau
Director
HOLDEN COUNCIL ON AGING
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Conference Room – Senior Center
Present: Susan Sullivan, Faye Ellis, Maureen Locke, Wayne Howard,
Eric Johansen, Stephanie Bacon, Louise Charbonneau, Maureen Buffone.
The Meeting was called to order by Sue Sullivan at 8:05 a.m.
Sue Sullivan welcomed Stephanie Bacon, who is the new Assistant Town Manager and liaison to Town Manager, Peter Lukes.
The Minutes from the February 1, 2018 meeting were approved and accepted.
F.H.C.O.A. REPORT
Faye reported the account balances as follows:
Commerce Bank $17,670.54
Leominster Credit Union (furnishings acct.) $2,851.67
Leominster Credit Union C.D. $24,206.46
LCU Trip Account $7,411.75
There was discussion at the last Friends’ meeting about items disappearing from the cart. The Friends are thinking of ways to keep an eye on it. Louise mentioned that people suffering from early onset dementia may not realize that they need to pay for the items and are not being malicious.
The Friends voted to approve the payment for the school bus in the amount of $684.00 that will transport the third grade students from the Mayo School to the Senior Center for the pen pal party in June.
Wayne Howard and his daughter are working on setting up a new Facebook page for the Friends group.
The Friends monthly meetings have been moved to 9:00 a.m. on the first Monday of the month. There will be a new slate of officers after the April 2nd annual Friends Meeting. The next Friends meeting will take place on March 5th at 9:00 a.m.
The Help at H.O.M.E. committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, March 6th at 4:00 p.m.
HELP AT H.O.M.E. REPORT ~ Jim Robinson
Jim was not in attendance, but notified the board by email that the most recent financial report is the one dated January 24 and provided at the February 1 meeting. February information is not yet available.
Sue offered an explanation of the program to Stephanie Bacon.
BOARD OF ELDER SERVICES REPORT ~ Richard Mansfield
No representation.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT ~ Louise Charbonneau
MARCH EVENTS
Wednesday, March 7 …12:00 p.m. … Baked Potato Bar … Join us as we offer for your enjoyment a baked potato bar with a multitude of toppings to choose from. Sue has offered this yummy lunch several times in the past, and it’s always a huge hit! Reservations will be accepted through Monday, March 5 at 1:00 p.m. Please make your reservation by calling Sue at 508-210-5578 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 7 … 1:00 p.m. … Where Eagles Soar … Please join us for a program on Restoring the Quabbin Eagle Population. Dianne Benson Davis, author of Eagle One, spent four months as a caretaker for eight baby bald eagles and kept a journal of the entire experience. This program is sponsored by the Holden Woman’s Club. We sincerely thank them for their support. Please call 508-210-5570 to make your reservation.
Monday, March 12 … 10:30-12:30 … Free Legal Clinic …Attorney Arthur Bergeron from the firm Mirick O’Connell will be here to offer free 15 minute appointments to answer your legal questions. Appointments are required. No walk-ins. To schedule your appointment, please call 508-210-5570.
Wednesday, March 14 … 12:00 p.m. … Corned Beef and Cabbage Luncheon … Please join use for a home cooked lunch when we will offer a traditional corned beef and cabbage lunch. Reservations are REQUIRED and will be taken through Friday, March 9 or until we reach capacity. Cost for this meal for Holden residents and Holden Senior Center volunteers is $5.00 and for out of town elders the cost will be $7.00. Seating is limited so please reserve early. If you make a reservation and find you cannot attend, we would appreciate you letting us know.
Thursday, March 15 … 10:00 a.m. … Book Discussion Group … The book discussion group will be reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amore Tolles.
Wednesday, March 21 … 1:00 p.m. … Avoiding Medicare Fraud … This program is sponsored by the Medicare Fraud Patrol. It will cover all aspects of Medicare fraud, what to watch out for and what to check. There will be time for questions and answers following the presentation. Free and open to all. To reserve your seat for this informative program, please call 508-210-5570.
Monday, March 26 … 1:00 p.m. … Iceland Through the Camera Lens … Professional photographer and Holden resident Ron Rosenstock will be here to present photos from his latest trip to picturesque Iceland. The show will not only feature his breathtaking photographs, but his lively narrative as well. The show is open to all and refreshments will be served. To reserve your seat for this beautiful presentation, please call 508-210-5570.
Thursday, March 29 … 1:15 p.m. Zumba Gold … We are introducing a new exercise program called Zumba Gold on Thursdays 1:15pm to 2:00pm beginning March 29th. Zumba Gold is a dance fitness class for the active older adult. The class focuses on strength, balance, coordination and range of motion through a fun, high energy, upbeat, low intensity work out. The class is modified for all levels of fitness. EVERYONE CAN DO IT!!! Your certified instructor will be Stephanie Bolduc. Space is limited. Please call 508-210-5570 to register. Cost for Zumba Gold will be $4.00/class.
Senior Center · 1130 Main Street · Holden, MA 01520 · Phone 508.210.5570 · Fax 508.829.0214
FY19 BUDGET
I am providing each of you a copy of our FY 19 budget. Our budget hearing is scheduled to be heard by the Finance Committee on Wednesday, March 7. Other budgets are heard that night as well and where we are on the “agenda” is not known at this time. The hearing starts at 7:00 p.m. in the meeting room at the Light Department. As always, we encourage Board members to attend in support of our budget.
KITCHEN STOVE
Since purchasing the kitchen stove we have frequently received complaints about the smell of gas in the building. We’ve had the gas company here numerous times, the repair technician from Westerman’s has been here on several occasions as well as the fire department with their CO meters which always read zero. On the evening of February 14, the HPD called both Jim Ringgard and myself to come to the building due to the strong smell of gas. We decided to ask the repair technician to come back again, this time with Jim Ringgard present. It was decided that the problem more than likely is one of the pilots under the griddle was not staying lit. A new part has been ordered and until it arrives and is installed, we are running the hood fan 24/7 at the suggestion of the technician.
NUMBERS FROM JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
January Home Cooked Meal – 30
February Home Cooked Meal – 40
Valentine’s Day Celebration - 19
OLD BUSINESS
The budget hearing with the finance committee will take place on March 8th at 7:00 at the Light Department.
We are still receiving frequent complaints about the gas smell in the kitchen. We are working with Westerman’s to rectify the problem.
NEW BUSINESS
None.
CITIZENS ADDRESS
None.
ADJOURNMENT
It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 a.m.
Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at 8:00 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Buffone
Senior Center · 1130 Main Street · Holden, MA 01520 · Phone 508.210.5570 · Fax 508.829.0214