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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-02-2006 SCAC Approved MinutesCITY OFDUBLIN SENIOR CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF FEBR UARY 2, 2006 Call to Order Chairperson Payton called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. Roll Call. Committee Members (Cm.) Present: Greer Payton, Albert Edge, Beth Wood and Barbara Gifford. Parks and Community Services Commission Liaison: Burr Cain Staff. Paul McCreary, Parks & Community Services Manager Oral Communications 3.1 Public Comment Richard Guarienti asked the Committee to consider adding an item to a future agenda to review the current fee structure for activities offered at the Dublin Senior Center. Guarienti stated he has received a lot of positive comments from seniors from other communities about the great value of Dublin's programs. Dublin's fees are the lowest in the surrounding area. He believes it is time to consider raising Dublin's fees to bring them more in line with other providers in the area. Chairperson Payton asked Guarienti to clarify which fees he thinks the City should increase. Guarienti stated he was referring to fees charged to take a dance class, go on a trail walk, participate in Bingo, or participate in the many other activities offered through the Dublin Senior Center. Cm. Edge asked Guarienti how many people have recently been participating in the Trail Trekkers program. Guarienti advised that there is an average of 20 to 25 participants per trail walk. McCreary advised that as part of the yearly budget process, Staff conducts a thorough fee study for similar services provided in the area. McCreary stated that these results would be presented to the Committee in June 2006. Chairperson Payton wanted to make sure that fees are kept affordable for seniors. McCreary stated that every effort would be made to keep fees affordable for programs that provide for the health and welfare of seniors, which may be offset by higher fees for other programs or through creative revenue generation techniques. Approval of the Minutes — January S, 2006 Cm. Wood asked that her name be corrected to read "Wood", not "Woods". ON A MOTION BY CMM, EDGE AND SECONDED BY CM. WOOD, THE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS CORRECTED. Following the approval of the minutes Cm. Wood stated that she wanted to say a comment to clarify her discussion in the minutes regarding transportation needs for seniors in Dublin. She wanted to find out if Eden Housing at Wicklow Square could rent the Dublin Senior Center Van to help defray some of the costs of operating the van. This would allow Eden Housing to provide local transportation for the occupants to local grocery stores, banks, etc. McCreary indicated Staff will report back to the Committee on this subject at a future meeting once he has additional information. Written Communication- None Unfinished Business — None City of Dublin Senior Center Advisory _ommittee Minutes of February 2, 2006 Page 2 of 6 New Business 7.1 STEP OUT FOR SENIOR CENTERS EVENT McCreary advised the Committee that the Dublin Senior Center will sponsor the 51h Annual "Step Out for Senior Centers" event on Saturday, May 20, 2006. The event will be held from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. The proposed theme for the 2006 event is, "Connecting with our Inner Spirit". Last year's theme was entitled, "Connecting the Mind, Body and Spirit". McCreary indicated Staff is seeking input from the Advisory Committee on the theme. Staff proposes the event begin with the traditional walk. A new route was proposed that would begin and end at the Senior Center. The route would begin heading east on Amador Valley Boulevard, then south on Village Parkway, west on Dublin Boulevard, north on Regional Street, and then east on Amador Valley to the Senior Center. The new route would give participants an opportunity to get a close look at the Historic Crossroads Murals on the freeway underpasses. Breakfast would be served in the Ballroom following the walk. Staff suggested that the breakfast menu be changed to be healthier than the traditional breakfast of sausages and pancakes. Entertainment would be held in the Ballroom throughout the day. There is also an opportunity to partner with the Alameda County Library Aging Services Division on an "Aging and Spirituality Workshop" that has been popular at the Fremont branch. McCreary indicated Staff is seeking input from the Advisory Committee on the types of entertainment to offer. Various providers of services for area seniors would be invited to attend the event. Staff proposes spreading the vendors throughout the building and on the patio areas, rather than cramming them all into one room. An art exhibition would be setup in the art and craft room to feature the work of those participating in Senior Center programs. The room may be divided in two to provide additional event space for other activities. McCreary stated that requests were made in the past to add a sports function to the event. Staff proposes setting up a basketball hoop or ping pong table outside, on the patio, for the event. McCreary recommended appointing two Advisory Committee Members to serve on a subcommittee to assist Staff with planning and promoting the event. McCreary asked the Committee provide input on the proposed program theme and components and to advise of any other suggested activities for the event. Cm. Gifford stated that she liked the theme of the event. Cm. Edge stated he agrees with Cm. Gifford. Cm. Wood asked what the purpose of the event was. McCreary answered that the purpose of the event is to encourage new participation in the programs and services provided at the Senior Center and to increase exposure in the community of the programs offered. Chairperson Payton advised that she would not be able to help with this event because she will be out of town during the event but would try to help out in some way before the event. Cm. Wood stated that a pancake breakfast does have a certain draw to it and, possibly, we could offer a healthy alternative, along with the pancake breakfast. Chairperson Payton suggested serving fruit salad instead of sausage to balance out the meal in a healthier way. City of Dublin Senior Center Advisory —ommittee Minutes of February 2, 2006 Page 3 of 6 Cm. Gifford stated that she feels strongly that the art exhibition should be open to all interested Dublin seniors instead of limiting it to only to students taking art classes at our facility. There are many other seniors who would like to participate if given the opportunity. Chairperson Payton agreed that the exhibition should be open to all Dublin seniors. Cm. Gifford also stated she thinks the entire Art and Craft Room will be needed for ample space for the exhibition. Cm. Gifford and Cm. Edge both felt that some type of sports activity fits into the theme of the event well. Basketball was recommended for this event. Cm. Wood said she was trying to get a better understanding of how many people might attend the event and what would be considered a success. She wondered what would happen if we were so successful that too many people would show up for the event and we would not be able to accommodate everyone. Chairperson Payton stated that the critical overflow point of this event is after the walk has been completed and everyone is returning for the breakfast. Chairperson Payton suggested possibly changing the timing of some of the events to offset overflow concerns. McCreary suggested starting the breakfast as soon as the walk starts instead of waiting until after the walkers return. Cm. Gifford was concerned that the breakfast is primarily for the walkers and she did not want to alienate them from this portion of the event. McCreary asked the Committee if they had any suggestions on entertainment. Chairperson Payton said that the seniors enjoy the dance school performances like the Irish and Hula dancers. Cm. Gifford suggesting holding Tai Chi and Yoga demonstrations, and having a band lead the walk. McCreary asked the Committee what they thought of having a comedian perform at the event since humor and laughter are tied closely with a healthy inner spirit. Cm. Edge thought that would be a great addition to the event. The Committee stated they would like to see a wide variety of entertainment, activities and demonstrations included in the event. Chairperson Payton thought that the workshops were a great addition but should be kept to 15-minutes in length each. McCreary asked if the art exhibition should include a demonstration. The Committee felt that a demonstration would be hard to carry out in large crowds. Cm. Wood asked how we measure the success of this event. McCreary asked the Committee what goals they would like to accomplish with this event. City of Dublin Senior Center Advisor, _ommittee Minutes of February 2, 2006 Page 4 of 6 Cm. Edge felt that it was important to get information to the public about the services offered at the Senior Center. McCreary suggested that a goal should be to increase volunteerism or have new people sign-up for programs. Cm. Wood would like to promote the fact that the senior center is not just for older people, but also for middle-aged and younger seniors who are still active. Based on the goals of the event, McCreary suggested that Staff could survey participants to determine if the desired outcomes are met. This could include measuring how many new programs or services attendees learned about, how many new supporters sign up at the event, how many new volunteers are garnered from the event, etc. Chairperson Payton suggested inviting the media to the event to improve awareness of the Senior Center in the community. She suggested developing a 15-minute video about the Senior Center to play on CTV, like the Mayor's State of the City Address. McCreary stated that funding would be needed for this type of production, which may be a good request to make of the Senior Foundation. Cm. Wood thought it might be good to have giveaways at the event such as a pencil or pen or something with the address and telephone number of the Senior Center on it to remind the person of their visit. Cm. Gifford suggesting having a banner made to celebrate the award of excellence received from the California Park and Recreation Society for the design of the Senior Center. Richard Guarienti suggesting having a "labyrinth" set up for people to participate in the walk in a unique way and give them a sense of participation. Guarienti also thought that having music before the walk or, having Jazzercise provide an energizing a warm up before the walk would be great. Cm. Gifford suggested that a poetry reading might also be included as part of the art exhibition of this event. McCreary asked if anyone had any further comments regarding the event. McCreary advised that Staff will now be developing a more specific event plan which will presented to the Committee for further review and comment. Chairperson Payton asked Cm. Edge and Cm. Wood to serve on the subcommittee to assist with the planning of the Step Out event. Cm. Edge and Cm. Wood both agreed to serve on the subcommittee for this event. 7.2 2005 Quarterly Report McCreary indicated that Staff prepares a quarterly report on the programs and services offered by the Parks and Community Services Department. The Senior Center quarterly reports are presented to both the Advisory Committee and the Parks and Community Services Commission. McCreary stated that there was a 38% increase in attendance during the fall quarter as compared with the prior year. Volunteer hours increased by 36% during this same time period. A detailed attendance report is attached to the Staff report. McCreary advised that community classes held during the evenings are not included in the attendance figures. City of Dublin Senior Center Advisor? -ommittee Minutes of February 2, 2006 Page 5 of 6 One of the driving factors for the increase is that daily drop -in attendance has significantly increased since opening the new facility. For drop -in attendance, Staff estimated a conservative average of four people an hour, or an average of 30 people a day who "drop -in". These are either new patrons or visitors coming to register for various trips, workshops and activities. Another reason for the increase in drop -in attendance is the opening of the new Wicklow Square Apartments adjacent to the Senior Center. These residents enjoy visiting in the lounge, watching the television, using the computers and reading free issues of the local newspapers. The lunch program continues to be a popular program. Food distribution is another popular program. Bridge and card games and art classes are also well attended. McCreary asked if the Committee had any questions or comments about the fall quarterly report. Chairperson Payton said that she has heard that the Food Distribution program has had some recent issues where people are being pushy and taking more food than allowed. McCreary advised that Staff has been taking steps to address these issues. McCreary advised that the program has a tremendous impact on the operations of the facility and that Staff may need to scale back the program to serve Dublin residents only. Staff will research how food distribution is handled by other communities in the area and make recommendations for modifications that will ensure the program continues to be responsive to those residents who are in need of the food. Cm. Wood asked for clarification on the breakdown of volunteer hours provided by each participant. McCreary advised that the Center has over 100 volunteers and approximately 60 of them provided over 100 hours 'of service during the past year. McCreary did not have details available regarding volunteer hours provided in the kitchen versus hours provided working in the office. Cm. Gifford stated that she has been advised that the food provided at the Senior Center is not always tasty and the portion sizes are too small. She suggested providing the volunteers with more training on how to plate the food. Cm. Edge thought that the food at the old facility was better. It tasted better and the serving sizes were larger. Cm. Edge stated the Thanksgiving dinner was pathetic. There was no gravy provided. The meat was cut too thin and the serving sizes were very small. Cm. Edge also advised that he was served soup last week that was all water. McCreary stated that the goal is to provide fresh, tasty food that is also nutritious and heart -healthy. Cm. Gifford suggested that Staff come up with a way to provide face to face feedback with the Cook on a regular basis to assist with how to make meals tastier and more enjoyable for everyone. McCreary thought that not everyone would be comfortable addressing the Cook directly, and that another method for measuring customer satisfaction could be implemented. Cm. Gifford asked if the Cook was credentialed. McCreary advised that he has a Food Handling Certificate from the Health Department and has over ten years of experience in the restaurant industry. Cm. Wood said that the Senior Center has great programs and she is excited about the future. City of Dublin Senior Center Advisor, _ommittee Minutes of February 2, 2006 Page 6 of 6 Cm. Gifford said she has been told that people feel that the Senior Center is not as friendly as in the past. Cm. Gifford advised that Staff is still very kind. She would like suggestions on how to overcome this perception. Cm. Edge advised that he would like to see sponsorship for those seniors who cannot afford to pay for activities and meals at the Senior Center. McCreary stated that any sponsorship for those in need would have to be subsidized by private donations, or by the Senior Foundation. Cm. Gifford stated that the cooking instructor is a jewel. She is very personable and knowledgeable and does a great job. Cm. Wood advised that the workshop conducted by Senior Support on available senior services was excellent. She suggested providing more details about what the workshop offers when advertising. Other Business McCreary advised that Anna Hudson would be returning from Jury Duty this week. McCreary advised that the Senior Talent Show has been cancelled due to lack of interest McCreary advised that the Mayor has appointed James McCuen to the Advisory Committee. His appointment should be approved by City Council shortly. Once this is complete, Staff will forward more information to the Committee on this appointment. As requested at a prior meeting, McCreary provided the Committee with a detailed handout on the budget for the Senior Center and census data illustrating the estimated number of seniors in the community. McCreary briefly reviewed these handouts with the Committee. Burr Cain, the Parks and Community Services Commission Liaison, advised that the revised Dublin Historic Park Master Plan will be going to City Council for approval. February 4 is the annual goals and objectives meeting for the Parks and Community Services Commission and City Council and anyone can attend. Cm Edge asked about the cemetery expansion. McCreary stated that there is a small piece of land owned by the Dublin Historical Preservation Association that is on the south side of the creek, across from the existing Pioneer Cemetery. The feasibility of expanding the cemetery on this piece of land is being studied as part of the Master Plan process for the site. Adjournment Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m. Re lly submitted, Paul McCreary Parks & Community Se ices Manager APPROVED: Greer Payton Chairperson