🌻 Council on Aging 2-9-26 AI Recap

Below is a summarized version of the Council on Aging meeting, organized by timestamps and speakers, focusing on key points raised during the discussion in Reading, Massachusetts. This summary condenses the discussion into major themes, speaker contributions, and decisions, avoiding excessive detail while retaining the essence of the conversation. Timestamps correspond to the video linked at the bottom.

📄 Council on Aging – Meeting Summary

Date: February 9, 2026
🕔 Duration ~1hr35min
💻 Format: Hybrid
👩‍⚖️ Chair: Karen Janowski
👥 Attendees:
Voting Members: Karen Janowski, Jean Pratteau, Marilyn Shapleigh, Rosemary DeBenedetto, Joan Coco, John Parsons, John Saczynski, Karen Pinette
Staff: Jenna Wood (Community Services Director), Kerry Valle (Elder & Human Services Admin), Jayne Wellman (Assistant Town Manager), Katie Gabriello (Director of Operations)
Guests: Michelle Clapper (Zoom), other community attendees

📎 Summary:
This meeting centered on the future of the Pleasant Street Center, operational updates, trust fund reporting, volunteer support needs, nighttime programming, a brief PBC update, COA Working Group progress, and approval of several prior meeting minutes.

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🖋 Opening & Administrative Items

⏰ 1:22–5:24

• Meeting called to order; attendance taken.
• Announcement: COA Secretary vacancy after Nancy Ziemlak’s resignation.
• Interim solution: Ron Powell volunteered to take minutes for this meeting.
• Formal election of a new secretary deferred to March.
• Agenda reordered to accommodate time-limited presentation from Jane & Katie.

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🏛️ Future of the Pleasant Street Center – Town Presentation

⏰ 5:31–30:14
Presenters: Jayne Wellman & Katie Gabriello
Purpose: Gather COA input on potential reuse options for the Pleasant Street Center (PSC) once Recal opens.

🔹 Background

• Built 1883, ~4,300 sq. ft.
• Commercial appraisal (2025): ~$965,000.
• Potential annual rental income: ~$72,000.
• Historic building with preservation restrictions; on MA & National Registers.
• Lot size may limit some development options; could be workable for Housing Authority.

🔹 Potential Future Uses

1. Sell the property
2. Lease to nonprofits or businesses
3. Gift to the Reading Housing Authority for affordable housing
4. Retain for town use
   • Office space, storage, program space, meeting/event use
5. Split-use lease (1st floor tenant + separate use upstairs)

🔹 Community Examples Shared

• Inspire Café (Wakefield) – nonprofit, food-service, inclusive employment
• Breaking Grounds (Peabody) – similar concept
• NIC Center for the Arts (converted fire station)
• Newburyport Firehouse Center for the Arts

These examples illustrate possibilities ranging from nonprofit occupancy to arts/cultural hubs.

🔹 Procurement Requirements

• Leasing or selling must follow competitive solicitation laws.
• Town can prioritize nonprofits, but not exclusively a single group.
• Leasing land (parking lot) requires Town Meeting approval.
• Selling the building also requires Town Meeting approval.

🔹 COA Input & Discussion Highlights

• Strong themes:
  • Do not sell town property — multiple members emphasized this.
  • Concern over building condition (HVAC, flooding, wiring, aging systems).
  • Strong interest in arts/cultural center or community gathering space.
  • Several raised RCTV as a potential tenant.
  • Interest in Reading Housing Authority use for senior/affordable housing.
  • Suggestion to pursue Cummings Foundation philanthropic interest.
  • Need for small conference rooms for community groups.

🔹 Next Steps

• Town staff collecting input from all boards.
• Public survey coming soon.
• Further analysis could occur via feasibility study (pending funding).
• Select Board will determine direction; eventual vote may go to Town Meeting.

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📎 Elder & Human Services Report (January Activity)

⏰ 31:04–36:02
Presenter: Kerry Valle

🔹 Engagement & Program Metrics

• Snowstorms and holidays caused slight dips in some categories.
• Volunteer hours down due to Monday closures but overall still strong.
• Transportation saw a temporary decline.

🔹 Program Highlights

• New “community lunch” on Tuesdays launched successfully
  • 22 attendees first week; 40 expected next week
  • More intimate, social atmosphere
• Monthly communications change:
  • One colorful monthly email blast
  • One mid-month reminder email
• 17 sand buckets delivered to homebound/residents at fall risk
• Successful events:
  • New Year’s lunch
  • Soup & grilled cheese from Pearl Street
  • Nutrition program (Public Health Nurse)
• Casework spike due to local homelessness cases
• Fuel assistance appointments handled on-site (program underfunded statewide)

🔹 Evening Programs & Intergenerational Work

• “Puzzles With Seniors” launching
• Ongoing collaboration with high school “Bridging Generations” club

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💰 Trust Funds Report

⏰ 38:16–51:06
Presenter: Jenna Wood

🔹 Key Update

• Full interest report now compiled for all trust funds—long-requested by COA.
• Burbank Fund currently shows ~$80,000 in expendable interest.
• Clarified: COA may vote to change Burbank rules to spend principal if desired.
• Some discrepancies noted (e.g., expenses labeled incorrectly under Patrons Fund); Jenna will follow up.

🔹 Lock Box Program

• Cost had likely been misallocated → investigation pending.
• Program managed in collaboration with Fire Dept.
• Criteria: 60+, frail, fall risk, lives alone, frequent EMS calls.

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🎲 Evening Activities Update

⏰ 56:52–59:00
Presenter: Kerry Valle

A list of planned or potential 2026 evening programs:

Planned

• Intergenerational competitive puzzling – Feb 11
• Bridging Generations return – March
• Chair Volleyball – 12-week session, March–May
• Evening beginner line dancing – starting May (paid instructor needed)
• Wednesday night cornhole – April–May

Purpose

To begin building a foundation for evening senior programming ahead of the Recal Center opening.

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🤝 Opportunities for COA Member Involvement

⏰ 59:15–1:10:06

Kerry shared 12 volunteer/support opportunities, seeking COA engagement beyond Recal planning:

Needs

1. Pick up monthly Market Basket birthday cake
2. Pick up catered lunches (frozen & delivered before event)
3. Volunteer writer/editor for Life Stories Project
4. Daytime cornhole coordinators
5. Garden/grounds maintenance volunteers
6. Volunteer exercise instructors (if paid instructors unavailable)
7. Reception desk backups
8. Closet purge & organization team
9. Musicians to perform at PSC
10. Starter for men’s/women’s woodworking activity
11. Monday bagged-lunch distribution helpers
12. Backup van drivers

COA Response

• Strong interest in helping—particularly with closet cleanup and gardening.
• COA to consider creating a volunteer coordination subeffort.

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🏗️ Permanent Building Committee (PBC) Update

⏰ 1:20:57–1:21:35
Presenter: Ron Powell

• General contractor bids closed Feb 6; review and vote scheduled for Feb 12.
• All bids appear within budget (to be confirmed publicly at PBC meeting).
• Groundbreaking still targeted for March 2026.

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🧾 COA Working Group Update

⏰ 1:22:04–1:24:03
Presenter: Marilyn Shapleigh

• Continued progress on policy review with the Town’s Operations Group.
• New feedback memo received from staff earlier in the day; will be discussed at next work group meeting.
• Next major deliverable: Updated consolidated feedback document.

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📝 Approval of Minutes

⏰ 1:26:01–1:33:38

All three sets of minutes approved with minor edits:

1. Dec 17, 2025 – Approved
2. Jan 12, 2026 – Approved (clarified Select Board update)
3. Jan 21, 2026 – Approved (removed reference to missing handouts)

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📅 Future Agenda Items & Next Meeting

• Next meeting: March 9, 2026
• This will be a joint meeting with Recreation Committee for the next Operations Update on the Recal Center.
• Members encouraged to send agenda suggestions to the Chair.

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✅ Key Takeaways

1. Town gathering input on Pleasant Street Center reuse—strong COA preference for no sale, culturally oriented use, or Housing Authority partnership.
2. EHS programs remain strong despite weather interruptions; new community lunch is a success.
3. Trust fund interest levels provide significant flexibility; COA may revisit spending rules.
4. Evening senior programming is expanding, aligned with Recal readiness.
5. COA invited to deepen volunteer involvement in day-to-day Pleasant Street Center operations.
6. Recal construction moving forward; GC to be selected soon.
7. COA Working Group making progress; updated feedback in development.

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