Council on Aging, October 5, 2017

HOLDEN COUNCIL ON AGING

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Conference Room – Senior Center

Present:           Susan Sullivan, Faye Ellis, Wayne Howard, Maureen Locke, Eric Johansen,

Rick Mansfield, Louise Charbonneau, Maureen Buffone.

The Meeting was called to order by Sue Sullivan at 8:00 a.m.

The Minutes from the September 7, 2017 meeting were approved and accepted.

F.H.C.O.A. REPORT

            Faye reported the account balances as follows:

                        Commerce Bank                                                                    $16,345.72

                        Leominster Credit Union (furnishings acct.)                          $2,850.22

                        Leominster Credit Union C.D.                                               $24,206.46

                        LCU Trip Account                                                                  $6,794.70

Faye reported that the plans for the Friends Fair are coming along.  They decided not to call members for bake table donations, but rather try to solicit donations through the newsletter and posters.

The Friends are looking into a battery reimbursement program for hearing aid batteries.

There has been concern about low attendance at the monthly Friends’ meetings.  There was discussion about changing the day and time of the meetings to see if it would make a difference.  A decision will be made at the next meeting. 

Wayne Howard will replace Rita Brennan Olson who has stepped down as one of the directors for 2018-2019.

HELP AT H.O.M.E. REPORT - Jim Robinson

No representation.

BOARD OF ELDER SERVICES REPORT - Richard Mansfield

Pending receipt of report from Rick Mansfield.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT - Louise Charbonneau

OCTOBER EVENTS

Wednesday, October 4 … 12:00 Noon The Holden Municipal Light Department hosted a luncheon in recognition of Public Power Week for HOLDEN SENIORS ONLY.  Our menu was grilled steak tips, smashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls and butter, dessert and beverage.  A huge thank you to the Light Department, Dan, Jim and George from the DPW and my husband, Scott, for bringing his large cooker and cooking the steak tips.

Friday, October 6 … Morning Glory Café closed in observance of Columbus Day

Monday, October 9 … Senior Center Closed in Observance of Columbus Day

Wednesday, October 18 … Stories of Halloween … We will celebrate the season and the diverse heritage of the New England region by presenting a performance by storyteller Davis Bates entitled “Halloween Harvest:  Seasonal Songs and Stories.” The program includes farming stories and songs from the past and present, sea songs and chanteys, Native American stories, ghost stories and family tales.  It includes a short lesson in how to play music with spoons from a kitchen drawer.  A big thank you to the Holden Cultural Council for funding this program.

Thursday, October 19 … Book Discussion Group … 10:00 … Our Book Discussion Group will be reading Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben.

Wednesday, October 25 … Flu Shot Clinic … 1:00-3:30 … This is the second of two Flu Shot Clinics. Please remember to bring your insurance card with you.  The clinic is open to Holden elders and town employees. A very big thank you to our friends at Walgreen’s Pharmacy for providing this clinic.

Monday, October 30 … Potato Bar and Pumpkins …  12:00 Noon … We invite you to join us on Monday, October 30 when Sue will be offering a potato bar for lunch.  Delicious baked potatoes and a myriad of toppings for your enjoyment.  To make a reservation, please call 508-210-5578 or see Sue in the dining room at least TWO days in advance (prior to Thursday, October 26).  While you’re here for lunch, come and enjoy our pumpkin decorating contest.  We invite everyone to decorate a pumpkin at home and bring it in for display.  Prizes will be awarded for the Most Original, Prettiest and Scariest pumpkins.  We look forward to seeing you and your pumpkin on the October 30th!!

Wednesday, November 1 … Ghosts … 1:00 p.m. … Margaret Watson will present the most famous historical English and American ghosts, reviewing details of their lives as human beings, their unfortunate ends, and their appearances as spirits.  Learn about Queen Katherine Howard, wife of Henry VIII, Abraham Lincoln and others.

PHOTO CONTEST RESULTS

The judge’s results from the photo contest is as follows:

Color Photo Winners

First Place                   #22                  Iris                               Merryl Havens

Second Place               #18                  Mushrooms                 Wayne Howard

Third Place                  #23                  Daisy                           Merryl Havens

Black and White Photo Winners

First Place                   #10                  Dragonfly                    Allen Smith

Second Place               #11                  Bluejay                        Allen Smith

Third Place                  #13                  Chickadee                   Jan Maxi

There were a total of 25 entries.  You can vote for your favorite up until noon today.  We hope you will take a minute to look the exhibit over and cast your vote for your favorite picture.

MCOA CONFERENCE

As Louise mentioned last month, she and Maureen will be attending the MCOA Conference on October 18-20 in Danvers.  While we are gone, we will bring in volunteers, Helen Holmes and Susan Leroy to help Clare and Mary run the office. 

CARPETS

Hopefully you noticed on your way in that we have finally received our new carpets.  The contract went to Creative Floors from Jefferson.  They were absolutely fabulous to work with.  They worked around our schedule very well.

CLEANING COMPANY

The DPW has hired a new company to clean the buildings.  They just started this week so it’s a little early to determine how good a job they will do.  Hopefully once the “kinks” get worked out, things will go smoothly.

TRIP STATISTICS

I think it’s worth mentioning as further explanation for the reason for changing the way participants register for trips.  Maureen took 255 trip reservations over a 6 month period.  That number does not include questions via phone call, people stopping by the window, etc.  The new method seems to be working.  The transition went relatively smoothly with a few people coming to the window for registration rather than waiting until the designated days and times.

BOARD TRAINING

If any of you are interested, Leicester Council on Aging is holding a Board Training on Friday, October 27 at 10:00 a.m. at the Leicester Senior Center, 40 Winslow Avenue in Leicester.  Emmett Schmarsow, Program Manager for Councils on Aging and Senior Centers from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs will be the facilitator.  For those of you who have not met Emmett, he is a wealth of information and is a very interesting, lively and humorous speaker.  If you haven’t attended a Board training, this is an excellent opportunity. 

NUMBERS FROM SEPTEMBER

Tina Bemis Dish Garden Class – 27

Legal Presentation – 38

Whistler and His Women – 30

Flu Shots – 81

Adult Coloring – 6

OLD BUSINESS

None.

NEW BUSINESS

None.

CITIZENS ADDRESS

None.

ADJOURNMENT

It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 a.m.

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, November 2, 2017. 

Our December meeting will be held on December 14, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. (This is the second Thursday in December.)

Respectfully submitted,

Maureen Buffone