Senior Services Commission

APPROVED Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Senior Services Commission Village of Northbrook May 9, 2013 The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. in the Community Room at Crestwood Place, 1000 Waukegan Road. Present were Chairman Wax and Members Ganitopoulos, Rosenberg, Louis, Bachrach, and Abrams. Members Forde, Stern, and Moore were absent. Also present were Liaison Kiraly, Realty and Mortgage (R&M) representatives Crane and Rider, and Recorder Martin. Frank Lamberti, Northbrook Park District, attended as part of the audience. Review and Approval of Minutes Member Rosenberg, seconded by Member Ganitopoulos, moved to approve the minutes of the March 14, 2013, meeting. On voice vote, the minutes were approved. Chairman’s Report 1) Introduction of new Commissioners Dave Bachrach and Jolene Moore, and brief introduction of all other Commissioners a. Member Bachrach introduced himself. He is retired, currently works part-time. He has lived at Crestwood for one year. b. Member Rosenberg introduced himself. He is a retired court reporter, and an eleven-year Northbrook resident c. Member Abrams introduced himself. A Northbrook resident for 15 years, he has two sons at Glenbrook North. He owns a home health care agency. d. Member Ganitopoulos introduced herself. She has been a Northbrook resident for 26 years. Her father ran a business here. e. Member Louis introduced herself. She worked for the village, serving as village clerk for 20 years. f. Chairman Wax introduced himself. He has been a Northbrook resident since 1971. 2) Upcoming Commission Initiatives a. Chairman Wax said that the village board approved the budget for the senior housing fund as recommended by the commission. The commission’s accomplishments for the past year include: i. Converting 20 bathtubs in Crestwood units to walk-in showers that easily accommodate those with disabilities. ii. Unit C-107 was converted into habitable space and was rented. iii. A subcommittee of the community relations commission and the senior services commission surveyed the community. Survey results showed that existing resources are not well-publicized. To better publicize existing resources, the village website was revised to include lists of senior services available at the village, the senior center, and the park district. b. Goals for the fiscal year that began May 1 include: i. Keeping Crestwood Place 100 percent occupied ii. Converting ten more bathtubs into handicapped accessible walk-in showers iii. Finishing any work remaining on Unit C-107 iv. Revamping the Crestwood Place capital improvement plan v. Evaluating R & M (Realty and Mortgage Company) as a financial steward Page 1 of 4  vi. Preparing for a possible rebid of management services for Crestwood Place. Chairman Wax said that the Commission will decide at its July meeting whether to recommend that the village board retain Realty and Mortgage or go out to bid for another provider of management services. Those attending should start to think about what questions they may wish to address in the process of deciding what to recommend to the village board. Questions or comments should be submitted to village staff. Commission members have a copy of the current management contract, which expires April 30, 2014. Commission members may wish to use this contract as a starting point for considering any changes. c. Chairman Wax said that Open Communities, a not-for-profit based in Winnetka, wrote to the village on May 9 to thank it for renting Unit C-107 to an eligible tenant. Chairman Wax read the letter. Manager’s Report Elevator work has been completed. Crestwood Place now complies with new state regulations regarding elevators. Crestwood Place is 100 percent occupied. Replacement tenants were found when vacancies arose. Three contractors recently submitted quotes for the conversion of bathtubs to walk-in showers. The work will cost approximately $43,092. ACPM Construction was the lowest bidder. There is $43,000 in the budget for this purpose. A motion was made by Member Abrams and seconded by Member Louis to proceed with the work. On voice vote, the motion passed. Park District Programs Update Frank Lamberti of the Northbrook Park District briefly reviewed programs and services for seniors available at the park district. They include trips for those age 55 and older, fitness classes, classes in arts and crafts, and holiday parties. He offered to answer any questions after the meeting. Budget and Finance 1) Review of February 2013 Financial Report Chairman Wax said the report shows a reserve fund of approximately $570,000. This does not include some expenditures recently approved. Member Ganitopoulos, seconded by Member Louis, moved to approve the February 2013 financial report. By a voice vote, the motion passed. 2) Review of March 2013 Financial Report Chairman Wax said that this report shows a reserve fund of $609,000, which is an increase over the previous month. Large expenditures will be booked against it in the future. The fund will more than cover the cost of needed work at Crestwood Place. Member Rosenberg, seconded by Member Abrams, moved to approve the March 2013 financial report. On voice vote, the motion passed. Old Business: 1) Report on Unit C-107 Manager Crane of R & M said that recent renovations to Unit C-107 were not as costly as projected because neither the carpet nor the floor had to be replaced. Liaison Kiraly said Page 2 of 4  that the work, approved retroactively by the village board on April 23, had cost $11,300, instead of the expected $15,000. The village board approved the work retroactively because the work was done before the tenant moved into the unit on April 1, 2013. The $11,300 was spent to upgrade the kitchen (including new appliances), paint the unit throughout, fix a bathroom door, and replace a bathroom fan. A separate repair to the building’s water system and its reverse pressure zone (RPZ) was made at a cost of approximately $8,000. This repair benefited the entire building and was not specifically related to Unit C-107. The two repairs together cost $19,062, which was transferred out of the senior housing reserve fund. 2) Report on Tour of North Suburban YMCA Member Abrams said that the commission toured the North Suburban YMCA last month to see what it offers to seniors. Liaison Kiraly said that the village website has a link to the North Suburban YMCA. He said that the subcommittee of the community relations commission and the senior services commission determined that there was no central source of information regarding local services for seniors. To learn about what is available, the commission toured the North Shore Senior Center in February and the YMCA after that. The third and final tour will be of the Northbrook Senior Center run by the park district. 3) Report on Status of Brochure Development Chairman Wax said that the village is developing a brochure regarding senior services. Liaison Kiraly said that information about senior services has been added to the village website, but that a brochure is also being developed for those who prefer hard copy. The commission will have an opportunity to review the draft brochure before it goes to the printer, probably in the late summer. Information on senior services also will be featured in the village newsletter. Member Bachrach said that Crestwood Place has only one computer available in the common area. Could Crestwood get another one, perhaps one no longer used by the village, but still linked to it? Member Abrams said that a local charity provides refurbished computers, and that it may be able to give one to Crestwood. New Business Chairman Wax said that the July meeting would have to be rescheduled. Those commissioners present decided to meet on June 27 instead of in July. Hear from the Audience William Naft praised Manager Crane and all those associated with the management of Crestwood. John Kollar, a former member of the commission, questioned the strength of the building’s generator. He said that it blows a fuse too frequently. He questioned whether it would really cost $80,000 to replace it, as he had heard. He suggested that the generator could be replaced for less and the remaining money used to fund a gazebo for Crestwood Place. He also said that security in the building is poor. He said keys are not collected from caregivers and others who have them. Swipe cards that can be de-activated without retrieving a physical key may offer more security. Also, caregivers and other visitors sometimes prop open the security doors. Finally, Crestwood has no closed circuit television cameras. Liaison Kiraly said that replacing the generator is expected to cost approximately $60,000, not $80,000. The generator is 28 years old and is scheduled for replacement in two years. In the Page 3 of 4 interim, repairs will be made as needed. A memo to the commission explained this in January. That memo can be made available to interested parties. Mr. Kollar also suggested that Crestwood Place get up to three computers for the common area, plus one or more printers. Next Regular Meeting Date: June 27, 2013 Adjourn Member Louis moved, seconded by Member Bachrach, to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 p.m. The motion passed by voice vote. /s/ C. Martin Recorder Page 4 of 4