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Home My WebLink About07-03-2008 SCAC MinutesPage 1 of 4 CITY OF DUBLIN SENIOR CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF JULY 3, 2008 Call to Order Chairperson Wood called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Roll Call: Committee Members (CM) Present: Beth Wood, Martin Baron, Delilah Vanderpool and Diane Bonetti Absent: Al Edge Parks and Community Services Commission Liaison: Absent Staff Present: Paul McCreary, Assistant Director; Diane Guenther, Office Assistant Oral Communications – None Approval of the Minutes – CM Baron made the motion to approve the June 5, 2008 meeting minutes, CM Bonetti seconded the motion and the Committee unanimously approved the minutes. Written Communication – None Unfinished Business – None New Business 2008 SPRING QUARTERLY REPORT Staff provided an overview of the Spring Quarterly Report. A correction was noted for average daily attendance; the report indicated 170 and the correct number is 178. Highlights of the report included day van trips which included: Sacramento, Food Lover’s Tour, Naval Reserve Fleet, the Presidio, Benicia, and the play - Hank Williams: Lost Highway. The Foundation sponsored three casino trips. In April in honor of National Volunteer Week, a luncheon was held to honor 150 people who provided over 10,000 hours of service at the Senior Center in 2007. The Come to Life event was held in May and the theme this year was Play-Explore-Connect. The keynote speaker was Doug McConnell and approximately 175 people attended. CM Wood requested in the future the report reflect which programs are sponsored by the City versus Adult School and Las Positas College. 580/680 SENIOR GAMES McCreary indicated the City of Dublin is working with the City of Pleasanton, City of San Ramon, Town of Danville, Livermore Area Recreation and Park District and the Tri-Valley Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to sponsor this event. Dublin is hosting the bowling event in cooperation Dublin Bowl. The Games are scheduled for September 19-21, 2008. The Games will offer ballroom dancing, men’s softball, tennis, swimming and bowling. The Games will be open to anyone 50 years and older. CM Baron suggested that marketing needs to be kicked up, focusing on the Tri-Valley area. Staff indicated that Dublin placed three large advertisements in the newspaper, and promoted it on the City website and Activity Guide. The other agencies are doing similar methods of promotion. CITY OF DUBLIN SENIOR CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF JULY 3, 2008 PAGE 2 OF 4 CM Wood asked if the Games have been modeled after an existing program. McCreary indicated the Games have been modeled after the California Senior Games. CM Wood commented that the competition level of the Games may not appeal to the average person and suggested a softer approach; an accommodation for the average person. CM Baron commented that the high cost of the registration fees might exclude many. He also commented that the competitive level seems intense. CM Wood suggested the level of competition should be clearly stated in the promotional materials. CM Wood suggested getting the information out to other groups/organizations via their newsletters. CM Baron pointed out that he could not find a website on the flyer. Staff noted the website is listed on the application but it was not on the handouts. OVERVIEW OF 2008-2009 SENIOR CENTER BUDGET McCreary presented an overview of the FY 2008-2009 Parks and Community Services budget. The Department budget is $3.9 million. The Council approved several higher service levels for the Department including: 1. Youth fee assistance program 2. Provide financial assistance to the Dublin Unified School District 3. Summer nature program/camp for summer 2009 4. Increase pre-school director from ¾ time to full time 5. Implement a volunteer carpool program for the Senior Center, cost involves staffing to develop and coordinate the program 6. Expand use of the City website to include the Senior Center CM Wood asked about the status of the needs assessment. McCreary indicated there will be a public input workshop in July and the final results will be presented to Council on August 19th. Following that Staff will begin development of a Department strategic plan which will be presented to the Advisory Committee at a future meeting. CM Wood asked if any trends were noticed from the assessment. McCreary indicated that overall residents are pleased with the Department’s parks, facilities and programs. He indicated that baby boomers and families believe some of the City’s program fees are too pricey compared to other service providers. CM Wood wanted an estimate of what is the total budgeted amount for senior program costs if the building cost were removed. Although Staff did not have those numbers, McCreary felt that due to the nominal amounts charged to participate in senior programs the cost would still be high. CM Wood commented she would like to take out the building costs to get a real look at program costs. She also noted we should be planning for the wave of boomers so a true picture of program costs is needed. CM Baron suggests the Committee focus more on how the Senior Center provides value to the community. He commented that the notion of community is a prized value and the Center provides the connection of community. CITY OF DUBLIN SENIOR CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF JULY 3, 2008 PAGE 3 OF 4 CM Bonetti has heard that people who are using the lunch program are concerned about the cost of getting to the Center; and the cost of public transportation is now $6 round trip. She suggested looking for options to lower the cost for people to get to the Center. CM Wood commented transportation costs are too high for some people to come and utilize the facility. CM Baron stated this is trend needs to be reversed quickly. McCreary noted the new volunteer carpool program may be able to solve this problem, and that those who are attending the lunch program could be targeted first when the program starts. CM Baron asked when the new carpool coordinator is coming on board. Staff stated that they are in the process of hiring a part-time recreation leader now. CM Wood indicated Senior Support received the grant for transportation and they will be using volunteers starting in October and this may help with the need for those who cannot drive. McCreary then reviewed the proposed ranking for implementing the higher service levels and new programs for the Senior Center, which were: 1. Implement greeter program 2. Expand use of the City website to promote the Senior Center 3. Increase use of electronic promotional techniques 4. Implement carpool program 5. Lunch program analysis and recommendations CM Wood asked if a sub-committee was needed to help with the implementation. McCreary indicated he would need to think about the need. CM Baron commented that the carpool program might be an item that should be addressed immediately and maybe it should be moved up on the priority list. Other Business CM Baron attended the First Annual Golf Tournament, and indicated it was a great event, well administered, well staffed, with great food. He congratulated Staff on a great job. CM Vanderpool indicated at the last meeting she and Diane Bonetti were appointed to a subcommittee to discuss ideas for the last special event for the year. She provided the Committee with several suggestions including an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social, Country Hoedown, Pirates of the Caribbean, Casa Blanca Dinner Dance, Starwars theme, Big Band Dinner Dance. The subcommittee recommends the Ice Cream Social or Hoedown, and to keep the event simple and low cost. CM Wood suggested including caregiver groups and potentially having a holiday event, possibly Halloween. CM Baron asked about the status of the coffee sponsors. McCreary indicated he was unsure of the status of the donations and would ask Recreation Coordinator Hudson to discuss at a future meeting. CM Baron asked that Staff prepare a report on the Hometown Hero’s event. CITY OF DUBLIN SENIOR CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF JULY 3, 2008 PAGE 4 OF 4 CM Wood discussed the need to look at a network program of how we deliver senior programs, using facilities throughout the community. Staff proposed the August Committee Meeting be a city parks tour and the Committee concurred. Adjournment Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:17 a.m. Respectfully submitted, __________________________________ Diane Guenther Office Assistant APPROVED: ___________________________________ Beth Wood Chairperson