HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCAC Minutes 2019-09-10 Regular
REGULAR MEETING
Senior Citizens Advisory Committee
September 10, 2019
Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee held on
September 10, 2019 at 9:00 am in the Activity Building in Meeting Room D, with seven
board members present, constituting a quorum of:
Committee Members:
Ms. Nancy Mastrofrancesco, Chair
Mr. Dennis Rundell, Vice Chair
Ms. Vickie Hefner, Regular Member
Mr. David O’Brien, Regular Member
Ms. Doris Ochoa, Regular Member
Ms. Mona Palmer, Regular Member
Ms. Charlene Mizener, Alternate
Staff/ Liaison/Guest:
Genie Balderaz, Senior Program Manager
Shadey Caraveo-Saldaña, Assistant Senior Program Manager
Michael Boyett, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation
Mr. Robert J. Griffon, City Council Liaison
The following items were discussed:
1. Ms. Nancy Mastrofrancesco called the meeting to order at 9:15 am.
2. The invocation was given by Ms. Mona Palmer.
3. Minutes from August 13, 2019 were approved with the following modifications.
a. (5.a.) Change the word donations to sponsorships
b. (6.b.) Add Committee members unanimously approved purchase.
4. Discussion and possible actions regarding the upcoming trips and events:
a. Trips: Wednesday, October 2, 2019, Amazon Distribution Center Tour and
Buc-ee’s, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm, $3 per person; Thursday, October 3, 2019, Out
to Lunch & Shopping: Baybrook Mall and Food Court, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm,
Free; Friday, October 11, 2019, Pasadena Opry, 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm, $12 per
person; Tuesday, October 15, 2019, Hotel Blessing Coffee Shop & City by the
Sea Museum, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm, $8 per person, Lunch on own; Wednesday,
October 23, 2019, Downtown Aquarium, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, $8 per person,
Lunch on own at Luby’s; Friday, October 25, 2019, Purple Box: Death Trap,
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm, $12 per person
b. Events: Monday, October 7, 2019, Walmart, 9:30 am – 11:30 am, Free;
Monday, October 7, 2019, Breakfast Donuts, 9:00 am – 9:30 am, Sponsored by
South Region Driving School; Tuesday, October 8, 2019, Crafting with
Brandy, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, Free; Thursday, October 10, 2019, Fall Picnic,
11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Free; Thursday, October 17, 2019, National Pasta Day:
Green, White & Red Pasta, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Free; Friday, October 18,
2019, Guest Speaker: David Montz, DDS, Topic: A Goodnight’s Sleep – Sleep
Apnea and How a Dentist Can Help, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Free; Monday,
October 21, 2019, Breakfast Tacos, 9:00 am – 9:30 am, Free; Monday,
October 21, 2019, Bingo with Linda Richard, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Free;
Tuesday, October 22, 2019, Health Fair, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Free; Thursday,
October 24, 2019, National Food Day: Cooking Demonstration (Dessert),
10:00 am – 11:00 am, Free; Monday, October 28, 2019, Movie Matinee: All is
Lost, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Free; Monday, October 28, 2019, Hand & Foot
Tournament, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Free; Tuesday, October 29, 2019, Pie Social,
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm; Wednesday, October 30, 2019, Bingo, 1:00 pm – 3:00
pm, Sponsored by: Apostle Home Health.
c. Ms. Mona Palmer asked how the budget for trips and events was decided. She
felt that some of the costs for trips didn’t really add up considering the
distance of some locations. Michael Boyett explained that staff was trying to
recover some of the cost for each trip (gas mileage, driver’s lunch, ticket
pricing etc.), and not looking to make a profit. However, he responded that
staff would take a closer look at some of the budgeting and establish a clearer
guideline to follow when determining cost for activities.
d. Multiple committee members requested more information on who Brandy with
Crafting with Brandy was and what kind of craft she would offer. Genie
Balderaz explained that Brandy participates at the Christmas in September
event and offered to make bracelets diffused with essential oils. Brandy
proposed for the first class to be free with the intention of gathering
participants who would hopefully be interested in a crafting class to continue.
5. Discussion and possible actions regarding the Budget and Purchasing:
a.
Revenue Received (as of August 29, 2019) $ 18,325.00
Less Expenditures (as of September 9, 2019) $ 13,457.52
Total Senior Funds Available as of September 9, 2019 $ 4,867.48
b. The deadline to use remaining funds is Friday, September 13, 2019. The new
fiscal year will begin on Tuesday, October 1, 2019. Michael Boyett asked the
Senior Advisory Board to brainstorm for items that could be purchased before
the deadline. He requested that any items suggested not be anything that would
be permanently fixed to the current facility, to avoid spending money on items
that would need to be repurchased in the event a new facility is approved.
i. In previous meetings the board members have expressed the need for
sturdier chairs. Michael Boyett addressed this concern by suggesting
that the chairs need to be rotated more often. The same chairs are
constantly being used which have caused some chairs to sag or break
due to overuse. If chairs keep breaking even with better care, then new
chairs would be purchased using the department’s budget.
ii. The following are options suggested by committee members and staff:
1. A portable stage – Useful at events such as the Veterans Day
Celebration, being foldable would make it easy to store.
2. iPads and Kiosks – Would allow for a more professional way of
checking in members and keeping better records of participants.
Some committee members felt this wouldn’t be good use of
money, since most participants may not like the idea of using this
technology to sign in.
3. Digital Score Board
4. Arts and Crafts Supplies – The only class that would use this is
painting, and the instructor charges a fee to cover those costs.
5. Sound Barrier – This is something that would be fixed to the
building
6. Benches (out in front of entrance) – Most members felt there is
enough seating in front of the building.
7. Ping Pong Table – There hasn’t been much interest but when
available it wasn’t used.
8. Badminton Equipment
9. New pots, pans and silverware
10. Electric Leaf Blower
11. Microphones – Michael Boyett will find out with a sound
specialist if the facility sound issues are due to old microphones
or if the current sound system is outdated. This will offer insight
on which items would really need to be purchased.
12. Thick Cushions for the Bus – This idea was suggested after Mr.
David O’Brien asked if there were any repairs or replacements
that could be done on the bus to ensure a smoother ride.
iii. The committee members ranked the items they felt were necessary in
order from most needed to least. Below is their final request:
1. 1st – Portable Stage;
2. 2nd – Cushions for Bus (24);
3. 3rd – Microphones (after assessment of current sound system);
4. 4th – Pots, Pans and Silverware;
5. 5th – Leaf Blower
c. Mr. Robert Griffon wondered why the board was in a hurry to spend surplus
funds. He had spoken with some people in the finance department and was
assured the surplus funds would be available to the Senior Citizens Program at
any time. Michael Boyett explained that the understanding between the
departments is that surplus money is rolled over and available to the program,
even after the fiscal year ends. However, in an attempt to help the finance
department make a smoother transition between fiscal years, it is best to make
final purchases by their set timeline.
d. Ms. Doris Ochoa mentioned that donations made by 987 Aesthetics &
Wellness were not listed on the line item budget report for the Casino
Extravaganza. After further review it was also discovered that the donation
made by Hometown Bank had not been added to the report either. These
corrections would need to be made immediately.
6. Discussion and possible actions regarding the Fall Picnic at Stevenson Park
[Thursday, October 10, 2019, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm]:
a. The Jeters Memorial Funeral Home will be sponsoring the food as they have
done in previous years.
b. Sonic will be providing condiments and hamburger buns.
7. Discussion and possible actions regarding the Health Fair [Tuesday, October 22,
2019, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm]:
a. As of September 10, 2019 there are two confirmed vendors attending. Staff is
still working on getting more. The booth fee for this event is $50.
b. Staff will provide sandwiches, fruit, and veggie trays to the vendors.
8. Report from Casino Extravaganza:
a. There were a total of 124 participants signed in for the event and $24 in
donations at the door. Many participants expressed how much they enjoyed the
gifts that were raffled this year.
b. Committee members felt that some of the changes that were made for this
year’s event worked great and should be implemented in future events. Some
of these changes are:
1. Only being able to win once, but having the ability to upgrade
prizes if you have multiple winning tickets.
2. Having the dealers at each table rotate participants every 45
minutes. Not only did this allow for people to try different
games, but it also allowed more people a chance to play.
3. Since participants were given the choice to pick which prize they
wanted to win, the chances of winning for a Friendswood Senior
Citizen Program participant increased.
c. Genie Balderaz felt that having committee members help finding prize
sponsors was a success, because a larger variety of gifts were available to
raffle.
d. Since Bingo was not available at this year’s event, there were a few people that
came with the Nessler Center that were unhappy.
e. There were multiple people complaining that the DJs music was too loud.
Since there weren’t very many people dancing this year, Genie Balderaz
suggested not hiring a DJ and using that money to purchase something else
needed for the event. Committee members felt this was a good idea.
9. Report from the Assistant Director:
a. The Dog Park’s Grand Opening was a success. The park opens at 7:00 am and
gates automatically lock at 8:00 pm. There have been several requests for the
department to add lights at the park, but there are no plans to do so at this time.
b. Staff are diligently working on opening the restrooms at Old City Park. They
are also working on adding a main entrance gate with a timer.
10. Comments made by the Public:
a. Mr. Robert Griffon reported that City Council is working hard on the budget.
The City recommends leaving a flat tax rate, but that will be decided by
October 7, 2019.
b. Mr. Griffon also responded to Mr. David O’Brien asking how much longer the
dump trucks would be driving around the City. He said that there are about 62
trucks working on making Clear Creek wider to hopefully prevent the
overflow of the creek and flooding of the City. He also mentioned that if the
Drainage bond proposal passes, many more dump trucks will be seen for a
longer period of time.
11. Comments made by the Committee Members:
a. Ms. Mona Palmer asked if the Parks and Rec Department had considered
promoting all programs and activities at the Friendswood Chamber of
Commerce Business Expo. The next Expo is scheduled for September 19,
2019. Though the current department schedule would not permit participation
so soon, it would be a great event to attend in the year 2020.
b. Ms. Nancy Mastrofrancesco reported that the Vote Friendswood PAC was
formed in order to educate the public on the different Bond Proposals. The
group will have informational flyers and presentations that can be shared at
different organizations such as HOAs. She also reminded everyone that the
bond election is in November and asked that committee members remind
Friendswood senior citizens to register to vote and to update their address if
they have recently moved.
12. Adjournment at 10:30 am. (David moved to adjourn; Dennis seconded.)
_________________________________________ ________________________
Genie Balderaz, Senior Program Manager Date Approved