Senior Services Commission

Approved Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Senior Services Commission Village of Northbrook November 3, 2016 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Village Hall, DPS Conference Room. Present were Chairman Rosenberg and Members Ganitopoulos, Hazaray, Lefkow, Moore and Whitmore. Members Caldwell and Stern were absent. Also present was Assistant Director of Finance Betsy Garibaldi, Realty and Mortgage (R&M) Representative Aggie Jaworski, Manager Dave Vaicaitis, and Recorder Anetsberger. Guests Jim Butler Review and Approval of Minutes A recommendation was made to make the following corrections: Page 2, last paragraph, sentence 1 should read: "...show of hand(s)..." Page 3, paragraph 2, sentence 1 should read: "Member Lefkow believed that under the ADA law..." A motion was made by Member Ganitopoulos and seconded by Member Hazaray to accept the September 3, 2016 Senior Services Commission minutes as amended with two corrections. The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. Chairman's Report Chairman Rosenberg asked Members if they had received their invitations to the Village Annual Family Dinner, November 10, 2016, 6-8 pm. at the Village Hall and encouraged all to attend an evening of fellowship. Chairman Rosenberg reported that Crestwood maintenance man, Mike Beverly is resigning, effective November 21, 2016 after serving 30+ years. The Commissioners extended their wishes for his future success. There is no information if the new maintenance man will live on the premises. David Vaicaitis' title has changed from Interim Manager to Manager for Crestwood Place Senior Apartments. Manager's Report A request was received to provide quotes for new door openers on 118 residential units and with an option to change out the doors in the stairwells. The quote from American Business Solutions was forwarded to Liaison Garibaldi. Village engineering visited Crestwood to measure the force needed to open and close the doors. The amount of force needed was over the recommended limits. It was determined that the atrium doors have a third level setting to increase or decrease the amount of force. A correction will be attempted. Member Ganitopoulos asked if stairwell doors are considered fire wall 1 doors and if so, are they held to a different standard. Manager Vaicaitis answered that Village engineering would have to consult with the fire department on the stairwell doors as they are considered firewall doors. Two tenants were lost but both apartments are in the process of being re-rented. There has been a reoccurrence in the bed bug infestation. A live specimen was found in A302. Rose Pest Solutions found twelve cast offs on October 18th and two dead bed bugs. The unit was treated on October 19th with climb up interceptors and dusted with a chemical agent. Adjacent units were inspected. A live bug was found in A202 on October 24th. A follow up treatment is planned for units A202 and A302 in the next two weeks. Discussion followed. Member Moore asked if Management is keeping an infestation log. Manager Vaicaitis stated that the infestation is centered around A202, A302, and A304. Member Lefkow asked if Management knew the source of the infestation. Management's answer is that they do not have concrete evidence. Membership asked the price of treatment. R&M Representative Jaworski answered that inspection cost is $150 and treatment is $350 per unit. Chairman Rosenberg asked if this occurrence is a resurgence of a previous problem or if this was a new infestation. Manager Vaicaitis stated he could not make that determination. Chairman Rosenberg asked if the tenant with the possible cause of a bed bug contaminated truck has incurred any more infestation. Manager Vaicaitis answered that one live bed bug was found in that apartment. Member Hazaray followed up by asking if R&M had talked to that particular resident the first time and if there was anything noted in the file. Representative Jaworski stated that she will check the file to see if anything was noted. Representative Jaworski stated that if the bed bug infestation can be traced to the tenant's job and his work van, the tenant may be asked to leave Crestwood. Member Whitmore asked if pest control comes on a regular basis. Liaison Garibaldi answered that this is the first occurrence in 30 years. Campbell Pest Control is under contract. Campbell does not do some procedures. Rose Pest Solutions was brought in to do heat treatments. Budget and Finance 1) Review of August 2016 Financial Report Member Whitmore inquired if a report of potholes in the blacktop at Crestwood had been checked. Liaison Garibaldi forwarded the matter to Public Works and management did not find any evidence of cracks or breaks. There were no other issues with the statement. Member Lefkow, seconded by Member Moore moved to approve the August 2016 Financial report. On voice vote, the motion passed. 2  2) Review of September 2016 Financial Report Member Lefkow questioned the accounting method used to determine the way accumulated vacation time was paid out to the previous manager of Crestwood. The Commission questioned if the vacation was accumulated from previous years. Representative Jaworski stated that vacation cannot be carried over. The Commission believes that the money paid out should have been on an accrued basis as a liability on the financial statement. R&M Representative Jaworski will forward a full breakdown to Liaison Garibaldi and Chairman Rosenberg. There were no other issues with the statement. Member Ganitopoulos, seconded by Member Whitmore moved to approve the September 2016 Financial Report. On voice vote, the motion passed. Old Business 1) Crestwood Liaison An insufficient number of candidates have expressed interest in the resident liaison position for Crestwood Place. Liaison Garibaldi and Chairman Rosenberg prepared a memo that was distributed on Monday, October 31, 2016 to residents that was placed under all doors of the apartments advising of the availability of the position with an attached application. 2) Update on Door Modifications and Estimate The Commission has followed up on Mr. Koller's concerns regarding door modifications at Crestwood Place. Public Works used a device to test the force needed to open a door. Most doors were found to be out of ADA recommended guidelines. Liaison Garibaldi stated that Manager Vaicaitis forwarded her a cost estimate for 118 apartment units in the amount of $26,000 for door modifications and $25,000 for locksets from American Building Solutions. Manager Vaicaitis stated that he received the most complaints from residents needing the aid of a walker regarding the metal doors. Discussion followed. Chairman Rosenberg stated that it seemed to be the consensus of the Commission to move forward with the door closers and to table the door handles at this time. Member Ganitopoulos suggested that when the new door modifications are in place, the door handles may not be a problem. If door handles are desired in the future, Member Ganitopoulos suggested that they be ordered for the inside of the interior doors of the apartment units only. The Commission was in favor of putting money for door closures into next year's budget and put out to bid for three quotes. A motion was made by Member Lefkow that the Commission proceed to put money for door closers in the 2017-18 budget. Member Hazaray seconded the motion, the motion passed. 3) Update on Shower Conversion Project at Crestwood Place Liaison Garibaldi provided an update stating that the Village Board approved the RFP from the company that did the work last summer with regard to shower installation at Crestwood Place. Fifteen showers were approved for this year's budget and work should begin after Thanksgiving with completion by the end of this year. Next year's budget allows for nineteen showers that will complete the shower installation project. 3 4) Presentation from Subcommittee in charge of identifying Senior Services & Activities - Sunil Hazaray & Jolene Moore Members Hazaray and Moore offered a presentation that compared the services/activities offered to Northbrook seniors vs. surrounding communities. Purpose, results of internet research, conclusions and next steps were outlined. Members Hazaray and Moore concluded that Northbrook and most of the communities were fairly comparable in the services offered to seniors. If the town/village did not provide the senior service, the town/village provided the link to the local resource. Members Hazaray and Moore felt the Village of Northbrook offers competitive senior services but better links are needed for residents to find our resources. The webpage exists but the Commission recommends working to expand on it by building on to the senior resources and adding the appropriate links. Commission recommendations for senior services included offering seniors better health screening and clinic opportunities, mail watch, volunteerism, and household maintenance assistance information. Liaison Garibaldi volunteered to follow up on information related to mail watch. Member Hazaray questioned if the Village had a senior database in order to get a better understanding of what services are needed and desired. Member Whitmore shared that she may have access to professional senior health survey data. Chairman Rosenberg shared that there should also be some information available from the 2010 Census on demographics. The Commission estimates that the Village of Northbrook has a 16% senior population but offers no break down. Member Lefkow suggested that Liaison Garibaldi have someone track the hits on the senior page of the Village website to monitor activity usage. A market campaign to highlight Village Senior Services could be mounted in the Village Newsletter and within the faith community. A motion by Member Ganitopoulos and seconded by Member Whitmore was made for the Senior Services Commission to investigate the inclusion of other links of senior resources and services available within a ten mile radius that the Commission could provide to the Village of Northbrook to add to their website. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote. Member Ganitopoulos suggested that the Commission study the report and come back with what is not listed on the Village's website but should be added to the website. She reminded those present that the information provided on the website is not an endorsement but should include services within the confines of Northbrook. Chairman Rosenberg thanked Members Hazaray and Moore for the great job they did in assimilating all of the information. New Business On Wednesday, November 23, 2017 at 7 p.m., all are invited to celebrate their gratitude by attending the Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service at Islamic Cultural Center, 1810 Pfingsten Road. The service is sponsored by Northbrook Clergy Association. Hear from the Audience None. Adjourn 4 A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2017, at 7 p.m. at the Northbrook Village Hall Terrace Room. /s/S. Anetsberger Recorder 5