HomeMy WebLinkAboutAging Board minutes 111407ORANGE COUNTY
ADVISORY BOARD ON AGING
Minutes
November 14, 2007
PRESENT: Jack Chestnut, Diane Henderson, Alice Gordon, Jerry Kruter, Mariah McPherson,
Ellen Ozier-Hayes, Mary Ann Peter, Fred Schroeder, Jan Wassel
EXCUSED: Peggy Cohn
STAFF: Bob Jones, Kathie Kearns, Jerry Passmore
The meeting was called to order at the Central Orange Senior Center by Chairman Jack Chestnut.
He welcomed newly-appointed members Mariah McPherson and Ellen Ozier-Hayes. Jerry
Passmore stated that Katina Nichols and Kevin Leibel have also been appointed by the County
Commissioners but were unable to attend today’s meeting.
Jerry Passmore reported that the RSVP volunteer recognition luncheon held the previous
Thursday was a great success with guest speaker Lee Smith drawing a capacity crowd.
Mr. Passmore also reported that the memorial service held on November 11 at the Seymour
Center for Florence Soltys was well-attended. Both events will appear on In Praise Of Age
programs in the future. Mariah McPherson commented that she is not able to view that show at
her home in Hillsborough although she is a Time Warner subscriber. Mr. Passmore offered to
contact Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey to investigate the possibility of broadcasting
public channels to all cable subscribers at no charge. Alice Gordon asked who would be hosting
In Praise Of Age in the future. Mr. Passmore responded that several persons will continue to
rotate the host responsibilities. Edith Wiggins has decided against serving as a host as reported
previously. Mary Ann Peter suggested placing a copy of Florence Soltys’ book on remembrance
at both senior centers.
A motion to approve the minutes of the October 10 meeting was made by Mary Ann Peter and
seconded by Jerry Kruter. The recommendation was made to edit the minutes to read that “Jack
Chestnut reported that he had approached…Edith Wiggins about hosting In Praise Of Age and
she had agreed”. With that correction the minutes were approved.
Chairman Chestnut distributed a hand-out he obtained at the IFC annual meeting that outlined its
action plan for securing a new location for the men’s shelter and community kitchen.
Commissioner Gordon summarized her involvement in a planning committee that had met until
December, 2006. In the discussion she also stated that the Board of County Commissioners has
established a standard of utilizing owned and consolidated space for conducting County business.
The Chair added that he had been contacted by several local developers soliciting support for
proposed housing developments in the Hillsborough area. It was suggested that this issue be a
topic of discussion for a future Board meeting.
Jack Chestnut reported for the Friends of the Seymour Center that attendance is increasing and
parking is sometimes a challenge. This participation has not had any negative impact on the
attendance at the Central Orange Senior Center. Jerry Passmore added that an average of 80
people are taking part in the daily lunch program, split evenly between the hot meal and the
soup/salad bar option that was recently started with the support of the Friends. Discussion
followed on the public transportation options for the Seymour Center participants and OPT’s
proposal to operate a cross-town shuttle between senior points of interest (University Mall, Glen
Lennox, etc.). Mr. Passmore also expressed the need for designating smaller reserved parking
spaces at the entrance to the building for individuals who have difficulty getting around but do
not use wheelchairs. He added that OPT has not been funded for a sufficient number of
replacement vehicles to maintain its current fleet size.
In Peggy Cohn’s absence Jerry Passmore reported that the Wellness Program is working with
UNC School of Medicine to have a geriatrician on site one day per week to conduct assessments.
He added that the Fitness Studio is collecting membership fees effective January 1 that will make
the program self-supporting. Finally, the Occupational Therapy Department at UNC is
developing a grant application for testing older drivers at the Seymour Center.
Jack Chestnut announced that the adult day health center continues to operate near capacity.
UNC Hospital has invited Senior Care to submit an application for equipment for the new
program space at the Sportsplex. Jerry Passmore added that the day health center is considering
expanding its service hours to some Friday nights and Saturdays.
Mr. Passmore announced that the community center survey introduction letters are being mailed.
Voter precincts will be randomly sampled by volunteer callers. Some minor changes to the letter
were suggested. He also offered for consideration the establishment of a Florence G. Soltys
Pioneers in Aging lecture series in cooperation with the UNC Program on Aging. Jan Wassel
stressed the importance of assuring that this would be a program for the entire aging community.
She offered a motion to establish an endowment to support the lecture series to be overseen by
the Advisory Board on Aging and held in a community location that all could attend. Mariah
McPherson provided the second. Motion carried.
Jerry Passmore distributed the MAP implementation chart that had been revised based upon the
Board’s previous comments. He asked that the Board review the organizations identified to assist
with the implementation of each MAP goal and be prepared to discuss and finalize it at the
December meeting. Discussion followed on the process to be followed. Jan Wassel asked
members to consider private businesses that should be involved in this implementation process.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Jerry M. Passmore, Secretary