CITY OF ROCKVILLE
SENIOR CITIZENS COMMISSION

ROCKVILLE SENIOR CENTER
1150 CARNATION DRIVE

February 27, 2003
10:00 A.M.

Members Present: Stuart Crump, Art Farina, Ciriaco Gonzales, Winston Lark, Bill Morgan, Marty Roney, Murray Stein, Jonathan Triandafilou

Absent: Audrey Beck

Staff: Lorraine Schack, Jill Hall

Re: Opening and Welcome

Commission Chair Art Farina called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. Chair Farina asked the commissioners to observe a moment of silence.

Re: Approval of Minutes

Chair Farina asked if there were any additions, deletions or corrections to January’s minutes. There being none, the minutes will stand approved as read.

Re: Club Reports

Murray Stein, reporting for the Ring House Senior Club advised that their last meeting had been held on February 12th with 49 in attendance. There had been a brief business meeting followed by Bingo.

Stuart Crump, reporting for the Town Center Club, advised that 21 residents were in attendance and that there were 3 visitors. Stuart added that there had been a discussion on possible trips and a presentation with poetry readings by Annie Rhodes for Black History Month.

Bill Morgan, reported the Senior Associates elected new officers in preparation for the March Installation Luncheon. The Ham & Turkey Trip was cancelled due to snow.

Winston Lark, reporting for the Friendly Club, said 8 members had attended the February 25th Friendly Club meeting. During the meeting, the members discussed a trip to the Postal Museum in Washington D.C. Following the meeting, Magruda Randolph treated all the members to lunch.

Ciriaco Gonzales, reporting for the Triple F Club, said their meeting had been held on the 10th with 31 in attendance. Discussions were held on Montgomery County Real Estate taxes and a speaker for Long Term Care Insurance has been arranged for the March meeting. A concert is planned for March 12th, there will be an antiques appraisal event on March 1st. A good lunch and entertainment followed the meeting.

Marty Roney, reporting for the Willing 3 C’s and Senior Associates Clubs advised there were no meetings due to the weather.

Reporting for R.S.I., Marty said they have a balance of $80,778.38 in their account and the following expenditures have been approved: $2,199 for an overhead projector for the Computer Lab and $600 in support of the softball team to include t-shirts and caps. R.S.I. also discussed the purchase of two new sewing machines for the Center and a new roll-out rubber mat to cover the floor in the exercise room (approx. $5,000). The Spring Bazaar Yard Sale has been scheduled for May 17th and donations are needed for the raffle baskets. It was suggested and agreed upon that they would purchase an ad in the Gazette for the Spring sale. A nominating committee was appointed for the May elections and the building renovation bids were discussed. In closing, Marty said she wanted to let the Commission members know about a great idea – “English Only” Mondays in the International Outreach office with those who forget being asked to make a small donation to the Senior Assistance Fund.

J. T. Triandafilou, reporting for Bethany House, said their meeting had been held on the 3rd with 45 in attendance. During the meeting, J.T. said he passed on the prescription drug information and left printed materials for the members to take. He added that the Dover slots trip had been cancelled due to the weather and “All Mixed Up” provided the entertainment.

Re: Chair Report

Art Farina said his he had been reviewing the Commission list and the appointment / expiration dates for each member, noting Murray’s expiration date had been February 1st. He added that Murray’s reinstatement letter has been submitted. Art also advised that his Commission appointment is up 6/1 and he will not be requesting an extension noting his Chair position would also become available.

Re: Old Business

Chair Farina asked if there was any old business. Murray said he had information regarding the United Seniors of Maryland and current conditions in Annapolis. Murray said Governor Ehrlich had dismissed (fired) Sue Ward from the Department on Aging and it appears the budget is being rewritten with numerous senior programs being downsized and / or cancelled. He also mentioned that there had been a meeting yesterday regarding a Medicare waiver that would allow seniors to have friends or family provide care in the home and be paid for their time and expertise. This program would significantly reduce the cost of care for Medicare.

Murray also mentioned that tomorrow Mr. Larson, the State Insurance Commissioner, will make his decision about “Care First”, the California based company that wants to change from a not-for-profit provider to a for-profit provider (formerly Blue Cross / Blue Shield).

In closing, Murray said there will be an emergency meeting with USM on Monday, March 3, that he cannot attend. Marty Roney volunteered to attend in his place.

Chair Farina noted that it might be wise to have each Commissioner report on his / her respective issue at the next meeting. They are as follows:

Re: New Business

Stuart mentioned that there would be a hearing on the Metro fare increases at the Montgomery County Office Building on March 5th at 6:30 p.m. Lorraine noted that this will also affect Metro Access, a program many seniors rely on for transportation.

Re: Staff Report

Jill Hall noted that R.S.I. elections would be coming up in May, asking the Commissioners to pass the information along to anyone they thought might like to serve on the Board. She also noted that the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Party would be held May 20th and the Commissioners needed to make sure they were logged in the volunteer book so they would be sure and get their invitations. Jill went on to say that the building renovation plans have been scaled back due to the budget constraints so she is now waiting for the adjusted designs to come back.

Lorraine Schack said she had passed out copies of a brochure for the 12th Annual Affordable Housing Conference to be held March 10 at the J.C.C. on Montrose Road in Rockville. J. T. indicated he had already registered to attend and Lorraine encouraged the other Commissioners to attend too, noting that she would be going.

Lorraine also mentioned that at the last meeting the Commissioners had expressed their concerns regarding the demolition and rebuilding of the One Stop Shopping Center on N. Washington Street. After talking with the City Clerk, Lorraine said she thought it might be wise to have the Commission host an informal gathering at the Center to allow the City officials and Rockville residents to open a dialogue on the proposed changes to the downtown area and the concerns of the seniors in particular regarding the loss of the stores that are currently within walking distance to their homes. During the discussion, it was decided that the meeting would be scheduled for Thursday, April 10th, 1:00 p.m.

Lorraine also mentioned that she, along with Karen Lumpkin, has been working on a grant application for an “Older Driver Safe Mobility” program. $8,000 will be awarded to three jurisdictions to help them achieve objectives that will promote conversations about and explore ways in which communities can make it easier for older adults to get around and make appropriate driving choices for the safety of themselves and their community. Several of the Commissioners offered good suggestions as to how the program could be used in Rockville should they be awarded one of the grants.

Chair Farina mentioned that the next meeting would be held on March 27th adding that he will be out of town. With no further business, he adjourned the meeting at 11:35 a.m.