New Senior Commissioners Sworn-in And Briefed

 NEW COMMISSIONERS TAKE THE OATH
The new (well, mostly new, since Gary Parkin and Lee Ramos were re-appointed after serving on the commission previously) Costa Mesa Senior Commission met this morning just after sunrise - that's how 9:00 a.m. felt to me, anyhow - at the Costa Mesa Senior Center for the first time for this group.

ASHENDORF AND NEFT TO LEAD THE GROUP
Costa Mesa City Clerk Brenda Green was on hand to swear-in the commissioners and to facilitate the selection of a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.  The human energizer bunny, Charlene Ashendorf, was chosen unanimously by her peers as Chairperson.  Darrell Neft was chosen as Vice Chairman, but not without a little drama.  Gary Parkin nominated Lee Ramos as Vice Chair, but he failed to receive a second from the remaining four members.  Neft was nominated, seconded and was elected unanimously.  The commission is one person short because appointee Olga Reynolds resigned before being sworn-in due to the drama surrounding the selection process.  Recruitment for that position has begun and a new commissioner will be chosen before the next meeting - two months from now.

ALL READY TO GO
So, Ashendorf and Neft will lead commissioners Alexa Merchant, Gary Parkin, Lee Ramos and Barbara Steck as they move forward to provide guidance and oversight for Senior activities in our city.  I wish them the best of luck.

INTRODUCTIONS
While awaiting additional staff information each of the commissioners introduced themselves to their peers and to the small group of attendees - there were nine of us today.

Gary Parkin presented himself as a retired General Motors engineer and volunteer on the previous commission and other committees.

Alexa Merchant is a first-time volunteer, a Registered Nurse who works in geriatrics and is enthusiastically looking forward to bringing her skills to the Senior Commission.

Darrell Neft, a resident since 1966, attended UCI and worked at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard until it closed as an engineer.

Lee Ramos described himself as a long time resident and retiree.  He also is a returnee to the commission and has participated in other city committees.

Barbara Steck has lived in Costa Mesa since 1960 and is looking forward to helping guide senior issues.

Charlene Ashendorf has been active in many city committees for many years and has worked in the private non-profit sector in senior leadership roles - and it showed.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments Lisa Knowles, a volunteer with the CMPD, inquired about the operations of the senior transportation process which operates out of the Senior Center.  She has been unable to use it to be transported from home to her volunteer work at the Police Headquarters due to unreliability of scheduling.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Senior Center Program Administrator Yvette Aguilar provided the commission an overview of the current One, Three and Five Year Goals and Objectives as cobbled together by the previous iteration of this commission over many months.  The following series of slides provides you with a thumbnail of her presentation.

ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT
Following that presentation Aguilar provided the commissioners with her Senior Center Program Administrator's Report, in which she outlined many of the statistics of Senior Center activities.  For example, there are now 1,387 members of the Senior Center.  She spoke about past and upcoming events - the 3rd Annual Knowledge & Health Fair Expo at the Senior Center tomorrow from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. A large turnout is expected for this event.  On Friday there will be a St. Patrick's Day luncheon.

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
During Commissioner Comments most of the commissioners acknowledged being overwhelmed by the staff presentations.

Ramos expressed an interest in exploring a Senior Day at City Hall and wondered if there is a staff report available regarding how to proceed in the event of a Massive Emergency at the Senior Center.  He also suggested to his peers that they attend the many social events at the Center and move from table to table to meet members and gather their ideas.

Neft wondered if some of the Senior Center programs overlap with those offered at the library and whether there is public WIFI available at the Center.  Yes, there is.  He also wondered if there is volunteer assistance to seniors having electronic problems.  He also wondered about reading old radio program scripts and/or listening to old radio program recordings.  He also suggested a "Senior Commissioner ID Badge", so folks could identify them as they moved around the Center.

Merchant wondered if there is value in delegating a specific topic or segment of activities to an individual commissioners, who would be the focus of questions and become a subject expert and report activities and questions to the other commissioners?  She also wondered about the workload for the part-time social worker who attends to the Senior Center needs.

Parkin thanked the staff for all their hard work.  As he put it, "There's a lot of work being done here."  He wondered if all members must now use their ID cards for entry or sign-in?  The answer was yes.  He also asked if he could arrange for a ride-along with the Meals on Wheels staff.

Steck wondered if the Senior Center communicates via email or just mail.

Ashendorf suggested the commissioners visit the art gallery and enjoy the exhibits.  She also suggested they try to attend meetings of the Senior Advisory Committee to become informed about their activities.  She reminded all of the April 8th Members Social coming up.  She also proudly directed them to the "wrapped" utility boxes around the city, including one near the Center.  She also suggested strengthening the content of The Chronicle to include recent information about Veterans, Elder Abuse and other senior issues.  She also suggested participating in the upcoming Costa Mesa Community Run on April 22nd.  Recreation Manager Justin Martin remarked that last year was the first time members of the Senior Center participated and that the Senior Center will pay the admission for any Seniors wishing to participate this year, either running, walking or whatever...

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES BEING MONITORED
In response to the question about the transportation issues, Aguilar advised that they have a new staffer on board with that responsibility and they are monitoring the program to improve it.  Their first responsibility is to get seniors to and from the center.

NEXT MEETING IN MAY
The meeting wrapped up just after 10:00 a.m.  The next meeting will be Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

Senior Commission Tackles Goals In Special Meeting

ONLY FIVE COMMISSIONERS AVAILABLE
A short-handed Costa Mesa Senior Commission (no replacement has been named for departed Stella Adkins and Sue Healey was absent) met before a very small crowd - 8 people eventually showed up to observe and/or speak -  in a special meeting this morning with a single item on the agenda - the establishment of goals and objectives, something Commissioner John McGlinn has been pushing for since the very first meeting of this group a year ago.

OVERLY-OPTIMISTIC AGENDA
Interim Recreation Manager Justin Martin and Senior Center Program Administrator Yvette Aguilar guided the discussion by providing some history and some statistics, but it was clear early-on that some of the commissioners felt the proposal to craft and adopt the goals and objectives at this meeting was overly-optimistic. 

(CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

GOOD FLOW OF INFORMATION
Each commissioner had been asked to come prepared to offer suggestions for goals and objectives for their peers to consider, and each of them did.  The discussion was more free-form than past meetings - more like a study session - so the conversations many times overlapped, but in a good, constructive way.  Sometimes it was difficult to tell whether a commissioner was describing a goal or just providing background.  In my opinion, this was - by far - the most productive meeting of this group so far.

KROCHMAN GOT TO THE CORE... WHO DO THEY SERVE?
While each of the commissioners offered good suggestions, the core of the issue this morning revolved around Commissioner Janet Krochman's suggestion that they didn't have enough data to actually accomplish this task - yet.  For example, she suggested that they didn't really know who the Senior Center was supposed to be serving.  She cited the fact that, based on the numbers currently available, they are trying to design programs and services for a very broad age demographic - ages 50 through 100.  The membership at the Senior Center has dropped by 50% since the initial push last year for free membership.  Of those 832 remaining, we don't even know the ages of of 53 (6%) of them.   In fact, the Senior Center is currently providing services and programming for only 2.8% of the Costa Mesa seniors - if you begin to count those ages 50 and older.

COSTLY ACTIVITY
McGlinn at one point observed that it was costing somewhere in the area of $900 per member to provide services - a questionable return on the investment.

WHAT ABOUT THE 50-59 GROUP?
It was generally agreed that it was important to attract more seniors to the center, but some wondered whether there would ever be programming and scheduled hours to attract the largest segment - the 50-59 age group, most of whom are still working and raising families.  At one point it was suggested that the definition of "senior" may need to be amended to exclude that particular group.  This suggestion was serious, since grant funding depends on providing services to a specific percentage of the group to be served.

MCGLINN'S THOUGHTS
McGlinn led off with a series of questions/observations, some of which appeared to morph into "goals".  He suggested, for example, that many times seniors go through a traumatic loss of identity, so some kind of "job training" could be valuable.  He further suggested the following:
1 - Increase the participation of the 55-65 age group.
2 - Expand the hours of operation to accommodate a broader age group.
3 - Explore a different method of access control and use the data collected to further define those being served, and how.
There were other suggestions buried in the discussions.

KIRK'S LIST
Commissioner Kirk Bauermeister provided a clear, concise list of goals:
1 - Increase 2-way communication with Seniors
2 - Increase Senior Center membership by 10%
3 - Expand health and wellness programming by 10%
4 - Increase volunteer opportunities by 10%
5 - Each Costa Mesa high school sponsor an event at the Senior Center next year.

ANN PERRY'S IDEAS
Vice Chair Ann Perry opined that "we're here to serve the seniors, but if some don't need us, that's OK."  She observed that those in their 50's don't see themselves as "seniors".  She suggested that membership sign up sheets should be included inside every issue of The Chronicle.  She suggested greater outreach at venues like the Fish Fry, Concerts in the Park and the Car Show.  She thought there could be transportation to City Council meetings and that City Staffers could make presentations to the seniors on operations within City government.  She also suggested high school groups could do dress rehearsals or abbreviated versions of upcoming productions at the Senior Center. She also suggested more weekend and evening programming be created to serve the younger demographic.

FEENEY - ANOTHER BUS, AND MORE
Chair Ernie Feeney suggested that it would do little good to attract more seniors to the center if we were unable to provide transportation, so she suggested a goal of adding another bus and driver to facilitate better transport.  She further suggested expanding special programming from Friday nights to other evenings of the week.  She suggested mailing The Chronicle to the mailing list of the city Recreation Guide twice a year, to expand the readership and potential membership.  She also mentioned a "volunteer greeter", but it was unclear if that was to be considered a goal or not.  She also suggested an annual survey of all attendees to the Senior Center, using simple "yes or no" questions.

PROGRAM OVERLAP?
Krochman wondered if the programming outlined in the Recreation Guide may overlap some of the Senior programming.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments two people rose to address this issue.

ASHENDORF
Long time activist and volunteer Charlene Ashendorf suggested, using her own, personal experience, that we shouldn't leave the 50-59 group behind - that they can be valuable assets to the center and learn from the more senior members.  She opined that we need to remain relevant in this digital age and the Senior Center should be a one-stop destination for many services.  She suggested that we need to "cultivate the Senior Center" and adhere to the core values.  She also indicated that The Friends Of The Center could be a valuable resource.

HUMPHREY
Former councilman and current candidate Jay Humphrey thanked the commissioners for serving, then observed that the two minutes alloted per person for speaking with such a small group was "preposterous".  He observed that the commission didn't seem to have enough information to make proper decisions yet.  He also suggested folks who declined to return be polled to find out why.  He also suggested a series of "invite a friend" events, where members would be asked to bring a non-member as a method to expand membership.

STAFF WILL COMPILE DATA
The information discussed will be compiled by the staff and presented to the commission, along with answers to their many questions, at their July 12 meeting where this process will continue and - with luck - goals and objectives will be established.

Senior Commission To Create Goals And Objectives

SPECIAL MEETING
The short-handed Costa Mesa Senior Commission will meet in a special session tomorrow, Thursday, June 2, 2016 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Costa Mesa Senior Center.  The agenda is HERE.

CREATING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this meeting is to begin the process of crafting goals and objectives for one-year, 3-year and 5-year periods to help guide the operations of the Senior Center and the services it provides to us Costa Mesa seniors.

READ ABOUT IT...
You can read the agenda report prepared by Yvette Aguilar, Senior Center Program Administrator, HERE.  This report provided a starting point for the commissioners.  Public comments will be invited in this process, as well.

RECRUITMENT FOR A VACANCY UNDERWAY
I mentioned that the commission is short-handed - original member Stella Adkins has resigned from the commission for personal reasons.  The City is recruiting for individuals to fill her slot and it is anticipated that the decision will be made at a City Council meeting later this month.

Meaty Senior Commission Agenda On Tap Tomorrow

FIRST SENIOR COMMISSION MEETING OF THE YEAR
The Costa Mesa Senior Commission meets again tomorrow morning, Tuesday, January 12, 2016, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th Street and has an agenda full of interesting stuff, HERE.  Since I'm still fighting this darn cold it's unlikely that I'll make the meeting - don't want to infest my fellow Senior Center members - but I'll give you an overview of what's up tomorrow.  These meetings are usually well-attended - us geezers do tend to pay attention, and vote. 

BUS RESERVATION SYSTEM REPORT
There has been much discussions during recent meetings about the operation of the Bus Reservation system.  The commission requested a study be done and the report of that study is complete, HERE.
It looks pretty self-explanatory - the system seems to be working quite well with VERY FEW exceptions.  Tomorrow's discussion will likely include some personal anecdotes about shortcomings, but the numbers reflect an effective system.

BUDGET INFORMATION
Next on the agenda is the report to the commission on the Senior Center Budget and Financial Analysis, HERE.  This brief report shows a budget for the Fiscal Year 15/16 of $902,785, and lists a few detailed items specifically because of commissioner inquiries.

MEMBERSHIP TRACKING SOFTWARE
The final agenda item is a report on the cost analysis of Membership Tracking Software - an issue that generated significant conversation among commissioners.  That staff report is HERE.  The report is thorough, but ends with a thud.  It tells us that there are no funds available during this fiscal year - we're half-way through it - even though the cost is piddling - $2,125.00.  I suspect that, if the staff and the commission thought this was important, there's plenty of cash left in CEO Tom Hatch's contingency fund to cover this very modest implementation cost.  Seems worth a conversation.

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT
Yvette Aguilar's Senior Center Program Administrator's Report is always full of interesting information.  Here are some excerpts:

• The Senior Center will be closed January 18th and February 15th for holidays.  It will also be closed for maintenance February 3-5.
• Membership Renewal Forms were included in the January issue of The Chronicle.  Staff will follow up with those who do not respond and will remove non-respondents by February 26th.
• Upcoming special events include:
•      An Evening of Magic & Dinner - Friday, January 22, 4-6 p.m. $10
•      Sweetheart Dance - Friday, February 12, 4-6 p.m. $10
•      Knowledge & Health Fair Expo - Thursday, March 10, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Nine separate presentations/seminars are scheduled for January/February from Income Tax Assistance to Exercise.  Contact the Senior Center for the schecule.
• Membership as of January 4 was 1711 registered members of which 1133 are Costa Mesa residents.
• A total of 687 volunteer service hours were recorded for November and December.
• 723.25 hours were programmed for November.  691.25 hours for December
• There were 5,523 visitors to the Center in November, 4,867 in December.

YOU HAVE TO ATTEND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE
Since these meetings are not recorded for later broadcast on CMTV - a mistake - you'll just have to drag your body to the Senior Center tomorrow morning to observe this group in action.

Costa Mesa Senior Commission Meets Tomorrow

LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. the Costa Mesa Senior Commission meets again at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 West 19th Street for the last meeting of the year.  You can read the agenda report HERE.  These meetings are usually well-attended, although sometimes some of the attendees will nod off.  Such is life among us seniors.

MISSION - VISION - GOALS
Tomorrow they will discuss the Mission/Vision Statements for the Costa Mesa Senior Center, HERE, and the Fiscal Year 2014/2015 Accomplishments and the Fiscal Year 2015/2016 Goals, HERE.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP
On a personal note, I've had the opportunity to visit the Senior Center several times since the City took over operations a year ago and things seem to be going well.  From anecdotal comments by many of the members over the past few months, there seems to be more positive energy in the building - much of it apparently generated by the City Staff under the direction of Recreation Manager, Travis Karlen and Senior Center Program Administrator Yvette Aguilar.  This is good news for all Costa Mesa Seniors, yours truly included.

STOP IN AND SEE FOR YOURSELF
If you find yourself with a couple hours available in the morning, stop in and observe the commission and staff in action.

Standing Room Only At Senior Commission Meeting

A PACKED HOUSE 
Today the Costa Mesa Senior Commission held its meeting at the Senior Center before a packed house.  It was a standing room only crowd - all 30 seats were filled, plus a few walkers and wheelchairs were jockeyed around like a Rubik's Cube, and a few younger folks were standing in the back.  At the peak, my count had three dozen audience members in attendance - plus staff and commissioners.

BAUERMEISTER ABSENT
All commissioners were present except Kirk Bauermeister, who began the new school year in a new job with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.  Chairwoman Ernie Feeney called the meeting to order promptly at 9:00 a.m. and generally stuck to the agenda.

 WEB SITE
When the commission considered the minutes from the last meeting Feeney asked staff about the web site - the internet presence that apparently was hijacked by a member of the former staff who refuses to turn it over to the new, city-run administration.  She was told by Recreation Manager Travis Karlen that the legal department has determined that there is nothing to be done at this time, so the staff is acquiring other domain names and is building a new internet presence for the Senior Center.  This residual pettiness gives those of us who didn't pay much attention to how things ran before a little peek into the previous operations.

SHORTER TRIPS? - THE "GYPSY GROUP"

Three people spoke during Public Comments.  Margie White addressed the question from a prior meeting about the possibility of scheduling shorter trips, but she and her cadre of members who operate the Travel function determined that it is not cost effective.  She deferred to Sharon Margulies, who coordinates the "Gypsy Group", an ad hoc group who coordinates short trips to nearby venues using carpooling and ride-sharing and suggested it might fill in the perceived hole in the activity schedule.  Pauline Eline stepped up to address the departure of the Security Guard and the new one, an older man who, according to Eline, doesn't appear to have the stamina to deal with the homeless folks who wander in.


THE CHRONICLE NAME REMAINS
Old Business #1 was the results of the contest to possibly re-name The Chronicle - the monthly newsletter distributed to members.  The short version of the report was, the staff recommended that the name remain the same based on the results of the survey.  The commission voted to do just that on a unanimous vote.  High praise was given to the staff for the new look of The Chronicle, and for the information provided.

COMPUTER FEES
Old Business #2, the discussion of the fees for Computer Classes.  Senior Center Program Administrator Yvette Aguilar told the commission that the fees matched those of Huntington Beach for the same classes.  No word yet on scholarships for those who cannot afford the classes.  Karlen indicated a more in-depth fee study would be included in the overall Recreation Department Fee Structure that will be presented to City Council.

BUS SCHEDULING
Next up was New Business #1, the issue of Bus Reservations - and the reason most of the people were in the room for this meeting.  Aguilar began a discussion of the staff report and their proposal, which included significant schedule changes.  A "Hot Line" was discussed to provide a dedicated telephone line for folks to address bus issues.  Eleven (11) people made their way to the podium, or found a more convenient microphone, to address this issue.  All of them were very concerned about the modification of the process and what appeared to be the abandonment of the current procedures.  Among the issues were the need for a later bus departure - 3:00 - than was proposed.  Two younger individuals rose to speak about their specific situations - elderly relatives who depend on them to help with their daily activities.  Both described the important part the Senior Center meals/companionship means to them.  Both received applause after speaking.

A CAPACITY ISSUE
Commissioner Janet Krochman addressed the issue by stating that it seems to be a capacity issue.  The senior center now has 1,600 members - four times the number under the previous administration - and the bus capacity remains the same.  Apparently we have two buses - one a 16-person bus with lots of miles on it and the other a 12-person bus with fewer, but still many, miles on it.

DRIVER SCHEDULING
Staff explained one of the problems is the work hours for the bus driver, who must be back at her home base by 4:30 p.m.  A question was asked about two part-time drivers, which could address the late schedule.  The answer was there is no budget for that right now, but the council would have to consider it.

ANCILLARY TRIPS
Concern was expressed by members about losing the capability to be taken to the market or hair dresser.  Aguilar and Commissioner John McGlinn reminded the audience that it is the primary mission of the bus to get members to and from the Senior Center - with side-trips being accommodated only when it doesn't interfere with the primary mission.  Later he told the audience that "You have to take responsibility for yourselves.  The Senior Center is not an ambulatory care center."

NO CHANGE FOR 90 DAYS - STUDY TO COMMENCE
At the end of the discussion McGlinn made a motion, seconded by Krochman, that the current program remain in place as-is for three months, during which the staff will gather data and present a report on the results in January.  Assistant CEO Tammy Letourneau reminded all present that it will be important to funnel ALL concerns/complaints/scheduling issues to the staff - through the "hot line" or directly to Aguilar in the interim - so they have good data on which to base a future recommendation.  The vote was unanimous.  As a note, it was clear that not all complaints were being funneled to the staff.  This will hamper a real analysis of the issue if it continues.

SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAC) LEADERSHIP
In her report to the commission Aguilar introduced the new leadership of the Senior Advisory Committee (SAC).  She also spoke of recent successful events and of upcoming events.

NURSE AVAILABILITY ISSUES
She addressed the need for a nurse by indicating that the staff has been in touch with both Hoag and Orange County and were advised that there is a shortage of nurses, but that they continue to work on it.

ALBERT DIXON FOUNDATION DONATIONS
She mentioned that the Albert Dixon Memorial Foundation Board has donated $2,000 to pay for the MELT class that had been unfunded by The City and agreed to donate $15,000 to the Senior Center for the purchase/training on electronic devices - laptops or tablets.  The details are being worked out.  She also mentioned that the Foundation donated $25,000 to Senior Serv to subsidize meal costs for The Senior Center.

MEMBERSHIP QUADRUPLED
Aguilar confirmed that the membership now stands at 1,621, of which 1.098 are Costa Mesa residents.

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
During Commissioner Comments McGlinn congratulated the staff on the first anniversary of the new administration - a celebration was to be held this afternoon to mark that milestone.  He observed that things are moving rapidly and seem to be on the right track.

Janet Krochman echoed McGlinn's comment and observed that things don't always move as fast as we wish, but the staff is doing a good job.

Sue Healy thanked the staff.

Stella Adkins observed the anniversary and said it has been a lot of hard work.  The thanked the staff for the recent volunteer dinner and hoped the commissioners would make an effort to attend more of those kind of events.

Anne Perry said she was impressed with the changes in The Chronicle and admired the quality of the product.  She said she's been impressed by the staff and appreciated all their hard work.

Ernie Feeney said the staff work has been outstanding.  She added that she, also, hoped more commissioners would attend events at the Center.  She said everything is going really well and adjourned to the next meeting on November 9, 2015.

EVERYONE IS ADJUSTING
It appears to me that the members of this brand new commission are getting their sea legs and are adapting to the pace of city administration.  It will be interesting to see what kind of a turnout there is for the next meeting.  The January meeting - the one at which the bus issue will again be addressed - will likely have another full house.