HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-11 Council on Aging Minutes
Department of Elder Services Kathy Shelp, Director
North Andover Council on Aging
Remote Google Meet/Call-in
January 11, 2022 @ 9:00 A.M.
Minutes
Attendance
Members Present: Laurence Smith {Chair}, David VanArsdale {Vice-Chair}, Quentara Costa {Interim-
Secretary}, Patricia Riley, Maria Rosati {Treasurer}, Tallie Abernathy, Jennifer Abou-Ezzi, Lucius
Michel,
Dr. Harry Kaloustian, Remo Zimbaldi, Heather Takesian, Eileen Elliot
Absent: None
Others Present: Kathy Shelp, Director of Elder Affairs; Cahla Ahlstrom, Outreach Manager & Assistant
Director; Lya Morse, Program Coordinator; Denise Casey, Deputy Town Manager; Paula Lynch,
Administrative Secretary
Call to order: 9:08 AM
100% participation, no roll call. Notice by the governor related to remote meeting read by
Laurence Smith.
Minutes: The December minutes were approved unanimously via roll call on a motion by David
VanArsdale and seconded by Maria Rosati.
Director Biannual Review, presented by Kathy Shelp:
Discussion of milestones, including…
● Enhanced programing, documentaries have been popular and consistent
● Partnership with Merrimack College for volunteer work and general involvement of students at
the center
● Creating official strategic plan
● Updated newsletter
● 2 of 9 accreditation credits completed
● Alzheimer’s Group
● Brownie troop meeting on-site
● Staff communication protocols created
● 851 “touched” in 2021 compared to 965 in 2019, unduplicated counts – event count also down,
which could be the reason for less senior center participation. COVID is an obvious factor.
● Budget proposal was created and presented to the town manager. It’s in the process of being
approved, next step will be making edits and presenting it to the town meeting.
o Discussion around reallocating money between line-items. IE: decrease in equipment
rental costs to reallocate toward repair & maintenance, education, activities, supplies.
North Andover Elder Services 120R Main Street North Andover MA 01845
978.688.9560 www.northandoverma.gov kshelp@northandoverma.gov
o Asked for additional $3,000 in salary/wages to pay van drivers.
Grant Application Update, presented by Kathy Shelp:
Awarded last-minute marketing grant of $7,800, must be spent by June 30, 2022. It came up at year-end
with a very quick application deadline that Kathy put together and submitted. Focus is creating awareness
of the center.
● Some funds will go to website, particularly being able to click to view site in various languages
● Some funds will go toward household mailers to provide information on caregiver services ($5k)
● Luke to work on creating a tagline, he will present on this separately another time.
● As a group, we’re called on to find contacts/access to minority groups so we can understand how
to better serve them at the senior center. Generally senior centers are under-utilized by minority
groups.
Strategic Plan, presented by Kathy Shelp:
One of the biggest priorities is rebranding and improving the website.
● We are encouraged to review other senior center sites, AgeSpan, etc and report back on what we
like and don’t like.
● Needs assessment is coming down the road, which will improve our marketing/programming
abilities.
● Question from Luke: Needs can change, is this an ongoing effort or single time? Kathy responds
saying you revisit every 5-years. This is because you make adjustments to questions to pinpoint to
current focus. It typically costs $30-40k, so it’s not something you can do too frequently.
● Rolling plan, each year will be reviewed and updated as needed.
Tallie Abernathy makes a motion to support the plan, seconded by Quentara Costa. Unanimously
approved.
Senior Center Update, presented by Kathy Shelp:
Jose has resigned. He’s moving to Georgia. It’s a huge loss to the center given his amazing service.
st
January 31 is his last day. They will be posting the job as 2 part-time jobs vs 1 full-time. This may help
navigate times when a driver takes vacation, so there is at least one person still around.
Adjournment at 10:00 A.M., by a motion by Patricia Riley, seconded by Remo Zimbaldi and approved
via roll call unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Quentara Costa, Interim-Secretary
North Andover Elder Services 120R Main Street North Andover MA 01845
978.688.9560 www.northandoverma.gov kshelp@northandoverma.gov