BODJune2021 Beverly Council on Aging Directors Meeting
Date: June 29, 2021
Place: Beverly Council on Aging, 90 Colon Street, Beverly,MA 01915
Members Present: Susan Feeney, Bob Hobbs, Blair Smith, Stephanie Tallo, and Jessica
Wistran
Staff Present: MaryAnn Holak, Samatha Kossow
Meeting called to order: 2:38 pm
Secretary's Report:
For the May 4th minutes, one correction was made to the attendance. Jessica moved to accept
minutes with corrections, Stephanie seconded, all in favor.
For the June 1st minutes, a correction was made to the listing of nominations for the slate of
officers, and a grammatical correction. Jessica moved to accept the minutes with corrections,
Blair seconded, all in favor.
Director's Report
Building Usage
• The HVAC system needs some work, the facilities department is working on getting an
invoice for the work that needs to be done before the end of the fiscal year.
• MaryAnn received a call from the City of Beverly Director of Sustainability, Erina
Keefe, who inquired about the use of the Senior Center as a cooling center. They had a
discussion about the restrictions of the building including the lack of a backup generator.
• The front sidewalks at the Senior Center are due to be added to the list of work for this
summer; there is money in the FY2022 budget to pay for the replacement.
• Capacity increases for programming are planned for July 1.
Administration and Finances
• The FY22 budget was passed by the City Council on June 23, 2021.
• During budget discussions, several of the City Councilors recognized and supported the
need for resources and building upgrades at the Senior Center.
• Tomorrow is the last day of FY21 and year-end spending is currently underway.
Programs and Events
• World Elder Abuse Day was June 15th, there was a rolling rally with SeniorCare,
Beverly Police Department, and the Beverly Council on Aging.
• The Walk in the Woods program ended with a lunch event at Lynch Park - the event was
successful and very well received.
• The Cook's Night Off program ended in June.
• The Community Garden program is doing well with a number of new volunteers this year
and the farm stand opening on a regular schedule beginning July 1.
• We worked with Beverly Main Streets to apply for an AARP grant to purchase 50 raised
garden beds. 50 families were matched with 50 seniors -the families visited the Senior's
homes and planted a garden together.
Meetings/Activities/Clients/Clients of Concern
There continue to be a number of housing concerns among the 60+population including
evictions, people unable to pay rent, and unhoused seniors.
Personnel Updates
• Activities Coordinator Tess Conley's last day was June 25th. She is moving to Oregon.
• There are three interviews scheduled for this week for the Activities Coordinator
position. We have received 12 resumes for the position.
Committee Reports
Grants Committee
No grants to review at this time - Sam will set up a virtual meeting with the Grants
Committee in July as needed.
Awards Committee
• There are three proposed changes to the Senior of the Year Award Policy and Procedures:
o Added criteria for selection
o Update to procedure 93
o Update to procedure 95
• Motion to amend made by Blair, second by Stephanie. No discussion. All in favor.
• There were 6 nominations for three candidates for Senior of the Year. The Board
anonymously voted and selected the Senior of the Year from the nominations submitted
by the public.
Unfinished Business
e MaryAnn presented a planning document for increasing programming at the Senior
Center while prioritizing health and safety to the board.
New Business
• Motion to table a vote on the slate of officers proposed at the June 1 meeting by Bob,
second by Blair, all in favor.
• Welcome Blair Smith back to the Board of Directors.
• Motion to revisit strategic plan in October by Blair, seconded by Jessica, all in favor.
Announcements
e There is no meeting scheduled for July 2021.
Meeting adjourned at 4:10 pm
Next Board Meeting
Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 2:30pm
Respectfully submitted,
Samatha Kossow, Assistant Director