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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Leadership Committee For Senior Services - 02/10/2011 Leadership Committee for Senior Services RECEIVED Meeting Minutes MAR 0 4 Garden Senior Center 2011 Thursday, February 10,2011 ► A quorum of members were present and the meeting was called to order at 3:45 p. (TY_t. • ha, • OFFICE Chairperson. Kirk Allen, Garden Senior Center Site Council Member, introduced himself and lead the pledge o allegiance. ▪Roll Call Roll Call was conducted by Vicki Garza. Patricia Byrd, Lindsey Edwards and Clarissa Lopez were absent.Vicki Garza, Gloria Gooding, Ida Hobbs, Cecilia Huerta, Dotson Lewis, Hope Lopez,Adelfa Martinez, Henry Savoy and Billy Ray Sayles were all present. 'Attendance Issues: None ▪Approval of Minutes Cecilia Huerta stated in the January Minutes under the approval of the minutes section it should read, "a letter to the editor" instead of an"article to the editor". In the sentence"Mr. Rosenstien goes on to describe a very activities"which should say"variety of activities". The last sentence states"article"which should be changed to "letter". Ms. Garza made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Mrs. Huerta seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. ▪New Business: Corpus Christi Parks Master Plan Update: Michael Morris, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department and Kimberly Annis, Halff&Associates, Park Planner,facilitated a discussion to solicit LCSS members and staff input on the Corpus Christi master plan.The department will host seven (7) community meetings and dialogue with other Parks and Recreation Department advisory groups for feedback regarding current and future parks and recreation amenities, services and programs. Ms.Annis explained that there are two (2) phases in this process.The first phase involves an inventory of existing facilities to include public feedback and recommendations. Feedback will be collated and prioritized with recommendations. Phase two is a written document presenting the recommendations to the public and adopting the plan. The plan will also be presented to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for potential grant funding. Ms.Annis distributed a Corpus Christi Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan Discussion Topic sheet to all the members. She asked what one word describes the parks and recreation system. Mrs. Huerta stated that"senior centers" describes the parks and recreation system. Ms. Garza mentioned that she enjoys the parks. Ms. Hobbs said that she is fairly new to the city and one of the things that she noticed was that all the parks in Corpus Christi are hidden in neighborhoods. She mentioned that in other cities the parks are easily found and are accessible. Mr. Savoy stated that Parks and Recreation has so many little parks and suggested that they combine all the small parks to make a few big parks. Ms.Annis advised the committee that one option they are exploring is the possibility of combining all the little parks. Mr. Sayles stated that these little parks encourage crime and violence because many of the parks are secluded deep inside various neighborhoods. Mrs. Martinez mentioned that she remembers having so much fun at Cole Park as a young girl,she recalls,that there was a big sand hill and everyone would slide down the hill on cardboards. Ms. Gooding stated that her favorite parks are Lakeview Park, Cole Park and West Guth Park. Ms. Garza asked how many parks are in Corpus Christi. Ms. Annis mentioned that currently there are over 190 parks in Corpus Christi. Ms.Annis asked what they would like to see in the parks and what kind of amenities they would like to see. Ms. Hobbs stated that she would like more walking trails or bike trails. Ms. Gooding mentioned that she would like Art structures or colorful plants placed throughout the walking trails. Lisa Oliver stated she would like to see mile markers around the walking trails and more Frisbee Golf like they currently have at West Guth Park. Ms. Garza mentioned that Bluntzer Park was a nice area for bird watching. Mr. Savoy mentioned that having a Pet Park would be good and very popular. Ms.Annis stated that they have a Pet Park in Austin and it is, indeed, very popular. Evila Salinas mentioned that she has a child with a disability and the parks in Corpus Christi are not very accessible to persons with disabilities. Ms. Annis asked what they don't like about Parks and Recreation and what, in their opinion, are the three biggest needs. Mr. Morris asked what they would like to have at the senior centers. Monica Escamilla mentioned that SCANNED she would like to see more upgrades such as in exercise equipment; Heating and Air conditioning systems upgrades and senior center program software. Mr. Morris asked what types of programs they would like to do and can't because of facility restrictions. Ms. Escamilla stated more fitness programs. Mr. Lewis mentioned that we have a great number of senior centers per capita. The LOSS has explored the purchase of a"swipe in and out" program like at the YMCA, but it is very expensive. Mr. Lewis asked about the possibility of selling a few of the small parks and with that money upgrading the facilities that the city currently has in place. He also mentioned advertising the programs and services that are offered through a commercial. Mrs. Huerta mentioned that another concern is that there is no shade provided at the parks, especially when outside events are held. Mr. Savoy mentioned that a concern at Ethel Eyerly Senior Center is that they have out grown their facility.Their dances are such a big event that they literally have to turn away people because of capacity issues. Some center members would like to have the building expanded and will be advocating this as the next bond issue. Ms.Annis asked how events are currently being advertised. Mr. Lewis stated it is mainly word of mouth. Ms. Garza stated that word of mouth could be a double edged sword. Mr. Lewis commented that the building might be full for the monthly dance, however, the rest of the time the building might be empty after 2:00 p.m. during the rest of the month. Ms.Annis asked what the most popular events at the senior centers are. Mr. Savoy stated chair volleyball and dances are the main events at the senior centers. Mr. Lewis mentioned that each site conducts individual dances and programming. Ms.Annis mentioned doing an email blast about local events that are going on within Parks and Recreation Department and is it something that they would be interested in. Mr. Lewis mentioned he currently sends an e-mail blast to approximately 400 people regarding events at the Ethel Eyerly Senior Center. Tanya Lara mentioned that the Public Service Channel advertises programming information, however,the message is not current and details are incorrect. Mr. Lewis stated that the information on that channel is so incorrect that many people don't even watch it anymore because of its inaccuracy. Deborah Henry stated that we should have a commercial that runs on the local television stations advertising Parks and Recreation and Senior Community Services. Ms.Annis asked how everyone finds out about local events happening in the area. Ms. Garza stated she learns of events through e-mail. Ms. Martinez mentioned word of mouth. Mr. Lewis reported that there is a segment that runs on the television in a small Texas community called"Senior Moment". This segment airs weekly and is sort of like"Ask the Doctor", that airs on Channel 3 here in Corpus Christi. Mr. Lewis stated that this would be great if we could do something like that here in Corpus Christi to help advertise senior centers in the community. Ms.Annis asked what everyone would like to do in Corpus Christi. Many responded that they enjoyed the movie theaters and parks. Ms.Annis asked, in their opinion, if the spending of Parks and Recreation was too high or too low. Many responded that it is too low. Leticia Ochoa mentioned that she has a sister from out of town who has repeatedly expressed her disappointment of the condition of Cole Park, specifically the lack of restroom facilities for large venues such as Beach to Bay. Enoch Maldonado mentioned that he had heard there was suppose to be a mountain biking trail built here in Corpus Christi and expressed what a great idea that would be if it were to happen. Ms. Annis reported that it is one of the ideas that are being explored. Mr. Morris mentioned that the city is projecting an $11 million deficit, so there is no money at the current time. However, all these meetings are being conducted as a planning tool for when we do have money. Ms. Garza advised Mr. Morris to remind those in power that the city they run city is determined by the senior community. Ms.Annis shared that they will also conduct a telephone and online survey which will be available to all members of the community. The data will be collated and the feedback will be prioritized. Mr. Morris stated that he is very proud of the senior programs in this city. He advised that in many other cities they do not have as many senior centers and he is very proud to be a part of it all. ▪Subcommittee Reports: Mr. Lewis requested that each subcommittee email their reports to Rosario Medina, Administrative Assistant as soon as possible. ▪SCS Division Program Report: Ms. Munoz advised that the February 2011 SCS Division Program Report would be e-mailed to all committee members. 'Items to be placed on the next agenda: • Site Council Election Update ►OId Business: Mr. Lewis introduced Mr. Savoy as the newly appointed Leadership Committee for Senior Services member. Mr. Savoy mentioned that he was impressed with the Program Evaluations Subcommittee. He was under the impression that staff would just throw away the comment cards, but now he is aware that those comment cards 2 • are turned in and collated into a report, reviewed and followed up on. Mr. Lewis mentioned that staff will finalize the 2011 Site Council Election schedule and will provide an update at the next committee meeting. Mr. Lewis nominated Ms. Garza to serve as the LOSS representative to the Art Committee which will select the artwork for the Broadmoor Senior Center expansion. Mr. Sayles made a motion to elect Ms. Garza to the Art Committee. Mrs. Lopez seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. Ms. Ochoa distributed a draft of the Congregate Meal Program Cancellation Policy. Ms. Munoz asked that all committee members review the policy and email Ms. Ochoa regarding questions, recommendations or edits. The policy will be presented to the LOSS committee for endorsement at next month's meeting. Mr. Lewis commended the staff for the extra meal that was served on Friday, February 11, 2011 since the centers were closed due to the cold weather conditions. "Public Comment: None 'Announcements: Connie Reschman announced that Oveal Williams Senior Center will be hosting a Soul Food Dinner on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 and tickets are available for sale. Sonia Garza announced that the Lindale Senior Center Site Council is planning a trip on March 8, 2011 to San Antonio for$25 per person. "Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:48 p.m. 3