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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-06-03 Regular Meeting GRAPEVINE SENIOR CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING AGENDA (60, Tuesday, June 3, 2008 — 3:30 PM Grapevine Senior Activities Center 421 Church Street Grapevine, TX 76051 817-410-8130 1. Call to Order 2. Welcome Guests 3. Consideration of minutes for April 1, 2008 meeting 4. Citizen Requests 5. New Business a. Change of Board members b. Housing Authority update — B.J. Martin c. GRACE update— Pat Frosch d. Senior Activities Center update Cy 6. To Do 7. Adjourn IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THIS PUBLIC MEETING AND YOU HAVE A DISABILITY THAT REQUIRES SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS AT THE MEETING, PLEASE CONTACT THE SENIOR ACTIVITIES CENTER AT 817-410-8130, AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS WILL BE MADE TO ASSIST YOUR NEEDS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, CHAPTER 551.001 et seq, ACTS OF THE 1993 TEXAS LEGISLATURE, THE BOARD MEETING AGENDA, WAS PREPARED AND POSTED ON THIS, THE 29th OF May 2008 AT 5:00 PM. Kaye Grayson, Director Grapevine Senior Activities Center GRAPEVINE SENIOR CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD (Ime Minutes of June 3, 2008 Meeting 1. The Grapevine Senior Citizens Advisory Board met at 3:33 PM on June 3, 2008 at the Grapevine Senior Activities Center. The following members were present: Tena Burrell — Co-Chairperson Paul Ernst Pam Price, Acting Secretary R. Bruce Walters Pat Frosch — Ex-officio, GRACE Dorothy Kritz— Ex-officio, Grapevine Senior Activities Center B.J. Martin — Ex-officio, Housing Authority Others present: Kaye Grayson, SAC Director Chris Smith — Recreation Superintendent— Parks & Recreation Ted Ware— City Council Member Liaison Those Not Present Dick Guckel — Chairperson 2. Welcome guests No guests were present. 3. Consideration of minutes for April 1, 2008 meeting The only amendment to the minutes was to correct the last name for B.J. Martin. Bruce Walters moved that the minutes be approved and was seconded by Paul Ernst. Minutes were then approved as corrected. 4. Citizen Requests No citizen requests. 5 New Business A. Change of Board members Co-chairperson Tena Burrell noted that Martie Chaplin, Board Secretary, sent in her resignation. Due to conflicting business commitments, she felt she was unable to serve on the Board any longer. Currently there are four open positions on the Board and six applicants will be interviewed on July 18. Paul Ernst, Dick Guckel, and Bruce Walters have reapplied so actually only one position will be filled. Ted Ware, City Council Member Liaison, said that after the election of the new City Council member, Mayor Tate will appoint a replacement for him on the Board. The new Board members will be sworn in at the August meeting. Page 1 of 5 B. Housing Authority update — B.J. Martin (1) B.J. Martin stated that open enrollment for Grapevine Housing for the entire year will be open from June 16-20. There are two ways to apply: a. To apply for one of the 92 apartments that available within the Housing Authority, b. To apply for a voucher to be used for selected apartments within the City of Grapevine. (2) The Housing Authority will have its spring picnic June 5 from 11:00 AM- 2:00PM. It will be held on Starr Street. (3) Others who requesting housing supplements other than seniors or those who are disabled are usually on a two-year waiting list for assistance. C. GRACE update— Pat Frosch (1) Pat Frosch told the Board that GRACE delivers groceries to 110 homes. She mentioned that Board member Bruce Walters helps with these deliveries. (2) Daphne Shipowitz Client Services Program Assistant, is in charge of transportation for those seeking medical assistance, etc. People call into GRACE to request rides. try (3) SUAP —The purpose of this program is give assistance to those who need help with paying their utility bills. GRACE will pay three bills through the summer months and three bills through the winter months. a. There has been a 45% increase in need for this service b. Pat noted that GRACE will see an increase in seniors needing this assistance due to the increase in local electric bills. (4) Another concern that will be addressed by GRACE will be the TV conversion process that will come up in February 2009. Seniors are already inquiring about this issue and do not know how to do it. Boxes will need to be bought, but GRACE recognizes that the hook ups cannot be done early as it will mess up the current TV service. (5) The Women's Division of the Chamber of Commerce will offer its Santa in July program again this summer. Last year gifts such as energy-efficient light bulbs and $25 Wal-Mart gift cards were part of the gift package each senior citizen received. a. Pat explained that senior citizens can apply to be part of this program — their income must be verified. They must be 60 years old or older or have proof of disability to qualify. b. If a person qualifies for one program at GRACE, then he also qualifies for other programs there. Page 2 of 5 c (6) Pat recognized the volunteers at GRACE for clocking in 47,000 volunteer hours last years for GRACE. Bruce attended their luncheon for volunteers which was underwritten by NorthStar Bank. (7) Case workers and those who take care of the pantry are at GRACE on Monday through Friday each week. (8) The Feed Our Kids Program has started this summer. Every week day in the summer, churches and other organizations help with this program at various participating apartment complexes in Grapevine. Their services have expanded from three complexes last summer to five this summer. They serve between 425-450 children of all ages. The children are fed at their apartment complexes sometimes in the grass area under the shade trees. The trailer park across from Grace on Scribner Street is also served. White's Chapel Methodist Church takes care of the Ticknor Apartments. Lunch is served and then the children participate in some planned activities. Fliers about the Feed Our Kids Program have been circulated. (9) Another program offered is the "Library Ladies" —teachers make up many of these volunteers who go to various locations on Tuesdays and read books to the children as well as leave books at these locations for the children to read independently. (iir (10) Client Services managers receive calls from people who have lost their jobs or have had their work hours cut. People are in need of groceries and gasoline. GRACE checks their income limits and those requesting assistance must live in Grapevine, Southlake, or Colleyville. D. Senior Activities Center (GSAC) update — Kaye Grayson (1) At the February meeting the GSCAB discussed creating a written policy for the GSAC defining eligibilities and responsibilities. The purpose of this written policy is to keep the GSAC to avoid having legal issues. Kaye Grayson and Chris Smith met to compile a written policy. Tena Burrell made a motion to approve the written policy; it was seconded by Paul Ernst and approved by a show of hands. The next step is to take the written policy to Doug Evans of the GVPARD for final approval. (2) Activities going on at the GSAC include the monthly dances and MindFit. Both of these require fees. (MindFit's fee is refundable.) (a) The charge for the dances was increased to $5.00 in May after a review of various nearby locations with such activities. The next dance will be held from 7:00-9:30 PM at the GSAC on Saturday Jun 7th. The dances are held once a month unless there is a holiday (such as the weekend of 4th of July). Approximately 45-50 people attend the dances. (, (b) MindFit requires a $50.00 refundable deposit since each slot that is filled Page 3 of 5 cannot be given to another individual if someone drops out of the program. These are both popular programs currently going on at the GSAC. At an area conference on aging, a doctor mentioned the popularity of mind-challenging programs. (3) There is a Caregivers Support Group held at White's Chapel Methodist Church. (4) Camp Wrinkle Ranch has begun at the GSAC. Those who sign up for it will have field trips (with bus capacity of 20 people) including a Waxahachie Historical Tour, a day at the Dallas Zoo where they ate lunch and rode the monorail, and a day at Grapevine's Nash Farm and Botanical Gardens. These road trips require more walking than in the past. (5) New buses for the GSAC (a) By the end of June the new 27-seat bus will be at the GSAC. It is handicap accessible with a wheelchair lift and room for two wheel chairs to ride safely on the bus. (b) A new 6-passenger mini-van will replace the Astro mini-van. It will have doors on both sides, allowing extra steps for handicap access. (6) Water Aerobics is in full swing at Dove Pool. The instructor, Millie Parks, volunteers her time; there are at least 42 people participating in the Tuesday/Thursday 8:00-8:45AM program. Something new this year is the ramp/steps to get into the water. Positive feedback has been given by the participants about the ramp. (7) Along the line of future improvements made by the GVPARD, the Grapevine Community Activity Center (GCAC) will be enlarged. There are plans for an indoor pool, indoor aquatics program, expansion of the fitness room, addition of multi-purpose rooms. Some of those involved with the planning of the expansion program will visit the Facilities Design School in Colorado. Improvements and initial planning will begin on the GCAC after the work is done on the baseball and softball complex. The %-cent sales tax revenue will be used to pay for these improvements. In the future, there will most likely be an increase in fee charges made. Most neighboring areas have higher fees. Our memberships are for Grapevine residents only, no non-residents. A quote mentioned by one of those present relates to the philosophy of Grapevine: "A community who takes care of its past takes care of its future."This was said in reference to the way Grapevine has maintained its historical district and local history. (8) Paul Ernst commented that they have extended the AARP Tax Aide Service at the GSAC due to the number of persons who were unprepared to file their 2007 Income Tax so that they could participate in the Economic Stimulus tor program. People can file their taxes through November 2008. Page 4 of 5 • , - (b,, (9) Dorothy Kritz asked if the Board is legally responsible for an individual who leave the GSAC campus on his/her own and gets lost or hurt. Kaye responded by reminding the Board that this sort of situation is why the written policy was created by her and Chris Smith. 6. To Do A. Tena Burrell — Co-Chairperson, reminded the Board that new board members will be sworn in at the August meeting of the GSCAB. Comments were made regarding all the pluses seen going on throughout Grapevine for our residents. B. On behalf of the Board, Tena thanked Ted Ware, City Council Member Liaison for his service on the Board. 7. Adjourn Bruce moved to adjourn; it was seconded by Paul Ernst and approved. The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 PM. Respectfully submitted, Cw L)90-A01) rA--e— t-e__. Pam Price, Acting Secretary Minutes approved by the Board on '/day of a__ 2008 tr Page 5 of 5