COA Board Minutes 2-20-24 Beverly Council on Aging Advisory Board
Minutes
Date: February 20, 2024
Place: BCOA and Senior Center, Colon Street
Members Present: Barrence Whitfield, Blair Smith, Rich Tabbut, Susan Feeney, Daniel
Wuenschel, Cynthia Montalbano
Members Absent: Stephanie Tallo
Staff Present: Suzanne Kosch, Chris Gomez
Staff Absent: Bruce Doig
Meeting Called to order: 2:30 p.m.
Secretary Report: Motion to accept minutes from December 2023 meeting, accepted by Susan
Feeney, Seconded by Barrence Whitfield. All in favor.
Director's Report
Building Concerns and Usage
Meeting began with Chris Gomez reporting that plans for fixing heating system and paving of
parking lot were on track.
Administration and Finances
YTD budget reviewed. No outlying concerns identified. Brief discussion and review of budget
categories; formula grant, enterprise fund and general fund.
Chris informed board that the new vehicle (Chrysler Pacifica) had arrived and was in operation.
A trip is planned for Nahant and a visit to the Tides restaurant.
It was noted that Chris Gomez's one year anniversary at the Beverly COA and Senior
Community Center is upcoming on March 131h.
Programs and Events
Chris Gomez reviewed details of upcoming programs at the COA.
Spanish for seniors continues to be well attended and there is interest in a more advanced class
The paint on canvas continues to be well received, as was the Paint and Sip program
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Upcoming events include trips to the Encore Casino, Cape Ann Museum, and the Lynn Senior
Center
There are 60 people signed up for the `Birth of Rock and Roll" lunch
For Black History month the movie "Harriet"will be shown
Meetings/Activities/Clients/Clients of Concern
Maurice Pratt from the Essex County Sheriff's department came in to present a program
There was discussion regarding the coordination of the tax write-off program for seniors. This
program continues to be fully the responsibility of the COA to coordinate for the city of Beverly
AA meetings continue to be held in the building.
The Caregiver support group facilitated by Senior Care is underway
Personnel Updates/New Business
Sophie, the temporary part time Outreach and Activities assistant resigned. The position is
posted.
Tracy, the part time CDL bus driver also resigned and that position is posted.
There are two new interns, one from Beverly High School for 15 hours a week for 4 weeks and,
one from Gordon College for 10-15 hours a week through May 2024
Motion to accept Director's Report by Rich Tabbot, seconded Susan Feeney. All in favor.
Committee Reports
Grants Committee- There was one grant application approved.
Awards Committee—No new business
Unfinished Business
Ongoing discussion for revisions of the Grant Policy. Suggested edits were to make language
clear to exclude from eligibility individuals who were not both Beverly residents and regular
BCOA participants as well as non-Beverly residents.
A motion to accept these proposed changes was made by Susan Feeney, and seconded by Cyntha
Montalbano. It was agreed that a vote would be deferred until all board members were present.
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New Business
The Building Use & Occupancy Agreement document was presented for discussion.
This included the Caterer's Agreement and Alcoholic Beverage Policy.
Sampe Building and room usage policies were also provided for the Beverly Public Library, The
Carriage House at Lynch Park and Camp Paradise
Discussion as to existence of a current policy for the BCOA, Suzanne Kosch agreed to explore.
Considerations included types of building use requests to be considered and the distinction
between municipal groups versus private groups.
Consideration was given to reasons the COA may not want to offer building use for private
events such as weddings, birthday parties or similar non-senior related events.
There was consensus that speaker events related to senior citizen concerns would be viewed
favorably.
Discussion regarding informational sessions of benefit to seniors would be reasonable, but these
would generally be sponsored by the COA as a program. An example provided would be having
an informational session regarding Harborlight Homes and development projects in the city.
Recommendation was made to create a policy if one does not currently exist
Discussion as to role of Chris Gomez having ultimate decision making capacity for building
usage.
Chris is hoping for something equitable for potential applicants for building use.
It was agreed to continue discussion at future meetings.
Motion to adjourn BOD Meeting Motion to adjourn by Susan Feeney, seconded by Barrence
Whitfield. All in favor.
Adjourned 3:48 pm
Next Meeting: April 9, 2024
Respectfully submitted: Blair Smith, Chair
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