President John Remias called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 3:00 pm on Tuesday January 2, 2024. 92 people were in attendance including  association members; Residents’ Council members minus six; Don Grove, Charlestown Executive Director; Leslie Johnson, Charlestown Associate Executive Director; Karen Leighton, Director of Resident Life; Jason Dennis, Assistant General Services Director; and Gladstone James, Finance Director.

The Council observed a moment of silence for those who have passed away.

Previously distributed minutes of the December 5 meeting of the Residents’ Council meeting were approved as presented.

Mission Moment
Erickson Values – FRIENDLINESS AND ENTHUSIASM, INTEGRITY, DIVERSITY, VISION, TEAMWORK, EXCELLENCE, REPONSIBILITY, RESPECT AND CARING. You have seen these words before because they are the foundation values for the Mission Moment Committee’s recognition of Charlestown residents’ actions.

Those are the Erickson Values that Human Resources uses in hiring and evaluating employees. They became the values upon which the employee Mission Moment program was based. Some years ago, residents decided to follow their example and set up the independent living Mission Moment Committee to provide recognition to residents. The overall effort is to encourage Harmonious Community Living at Charlestown.

Pat Kasuda, followed by Phyl Lansing, have served as chairs of the Mission Moment Committee. The Committee evaluates the resident recommendations for inclusion in the Sunburst based on those values. Some transition is coming in 2024. Some Committee members have new commitments. Others, and new volunteers, are ready to continue the Committee. But, bottom line, our dear Phyl is looking for someone to step up and take over the reins of this committee. If you have the time and the interest, please contact her.

And just to show that the Committee is in a continuing mode: Think of Bill’s Place, the Friday afternoon resident-run happy hour. When Bill Espy, the last of the “real“ Bills had to step down, Ralph Strong and Doug Hirth stepped in until Covid closed it down. Doug and Ralph worked with the Administration to have it reopened. But new “Bill” volunteers were needed to run the operation. So, Jane Janssen, Rudy Gallina, and Barbara Kasemeyer stepped up. They demonstrate friendliness, enthusiasm, responsibility, excellence, and teamwork. Harmonious Living in action!

In the meantime, still send your Mission Moment recommendations to Phyl.

Executive Team Reports
John Remias, President

In my article in the Sunburst, I suggested that we consider going back to our OLD days and make some resolutions. You might say “At this age, are you nuts?”

Well, maybe I am, but it could be worth some consideration if my one resolution, or maybe a few, will help me live a little longer,  BUT especially better.

As I say in the article, my biggest resolution is to get a personal trainer in our Fitness Center and help me prepare a fitness PLAN. I will do that tomorrow. Your resolution might be to look into getting some therapy of some kind.

Maybe another resolution is to just get out of your apartment more. Isolation is MY enemy. Socialization is MY friend. We might remember that socialization helps the two, or more, of us. It can be a great partnership among each other just as our Council theme is for this year.

All of these things are available right here all around us – a great fitness center, our highly competent therapy center, our neighbors, the 300 groups that we have here and so much more. As one of my gym friends says, “it’s another great day here in paradise.”

And as Lester Holt says on his nightly news broadcast – “Take Care of Yourself and Take Care of Each Other.”

Diana Dunaway, Treasurer

Balance – November 2023              $7984.66
Revenue                                 $            0
Expenses                                $  179.13

Balance – December 2023              $7805.53

December 2023 Expenses Details
Secretary                               $  26.49 —  Printer Supplies
Legislative/Political      $152.64 –  Meet and Greet Function
$179.13

Committee Reports

Benevolent Care, Carol Kefford
In 2024 we will “Continue the Caring.” Some of the upcoming events will be the installation of the Red Leaves on the Legacy Tree for those donors who gave in honor of the 40^th anniversary. There will be more “Get the Scoop” events to explain the benefits of planned giving, with an emphasis on the entrance deposits as a vehicle for giving.

The 2023 Treasure Sales and stores brought in a total of $236,581. Thank you to all of the volunteers who work year-round on clean-out, sorting, staffing, pricing, etc. as well as our partners in General Services. And thank you to everyone who donates and shops.

The next meeting: January 25, 2025, in room CTS116 at 2PM.

Communications, David Elder and Larry Taylor, Co-chairs
Communications Committee with the Support of the Website Committee will continue to assist Charlestown Residents with ongoing ComcastThe Charlestown Comcast bulk service contract provides basic HD television in the apartments. Address your concerns to General Services. See more information about apartment television and television connections. READ MORE issues.

Communications Committee with the Support of the Website Committee will continue to assist Charlestown Residents with Updating their MyErickson Resident Directory Entries to include a good Photo.

At the request of John Remias, we will continue to explore the use of Resident Email Lists compiled by Administration and encourage their use for critical communications on Campus.

The next meeting: Monday January 22, 2024, at 2:00, preceded by the WEBSITE Committee Meeting at 1:00. Both meetings will be via Zoom.

Conservation, Mark Buehlman
While we didn’t meet in December, we have an aggressive agenda planned for this upcoming year.

The 2024 Maryland Legislative Session begins on the 10^th of this month and runs until April 8. In cooperation with the Legislative Committee, we will track Maryland proposed environmental legislation, commenting, and lobbying where appropriate.

In the Northeast and Middle-Atlantic, freshwater is usually plentiful. That’s not the case, however, for many parts of the country and the world. Our committee plans to start a Freshwater Working Group, to study water usage at Charlestown and to provide practical water conservation tips for both residents and Administration.

Charlestown has many sustainable practices in place. Those practices, however, often take place behind the scenes. We are in the process of developing a list of Charlestown’s sustainability accomplishments, that we will communicate to the broader community through articles and classes.

The three Sustainability Working Teams, Transportation, Dining and Grounds, will be issuing their reports and recommendations to the Administration in the first or second quarter of this year. Our members will then support the Administration and staff in implementing those recommendations.

Next meeting: Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at 2:00 pm in Brookside Classroom 1.

Dining , Peggy Carey and Stephanie Leddy, Co-Chairs
Comments from Ken Zahn:
This is a good time to look back on Dining and commend Ken Zahn and his team for the overall improvements and innovations in 2023:

1. The return to quality Holiday Buffets,
2. Special Menu Nights to enliven and enhance the dining experience,
3. Tapas/small plates at the Bar in the Chesapeake has been a delicious hit,
4. 40^th Anniversary Celebration meals – prime rib and crabcakes- yum,
5. QR Codes has increased residents’ involvement in their meals,
6. Even something as small as changes in fruit cups has drawn great praise,
7. Last, but not least, thanks for always listening.

In 2024, our members will continue to focus on the nutritional content of the meals; look at ways to keep QR codes active and used; and focus on sustainability through residents’ dining.

The next meeting: January 16, 2024, at 1:30 in Charlestown Square 116.

Finance, John Yoder
Highlights of the “Dashboards Report” Year-To-Date (YTD) as of Nov. 30 follow:

• Net YTD operating margins are more than $2 million above budget.
• YTD average billed occupancies:
  • Independent Living 5%
  • Assisted Living 2%
• Capital Expenses (CAPEX): some $600 thousand above budget
• YTD Settlements = 177 (7 above budget), releases of 154 are on budget.

Eleven residents were receiving Benevolent Care funds at the end of November.

The next meeting: January 30, 2024, 9:00 in Brookside #1

Grounds, Dick Voelkel
John Remias reported for Grounds committee chairman, Dick Voelkel. On the first bullet titled “Follow up on deer control planning”, he said that we are working with the Administration to use the bowhunting solution. It is currently going through the corporate offices to pass any legal hurdles. A decision is expected soon. Thanks to Don for his support. As a point of information, the bowhunting season ends on January 31^st and begins again on the Monday following Labor Day. We might be able to get it done in January, but frankly John stated that he doubted it due to the bowhunters availability and internal reviews and decision making.

The second bullet is titled “Preliminary report of the Holiday Decorations subcommittee”. This subcommittee was established at the last Grounds committee meeting at the instigation of Pat Kasuda. Its purpose is to develop a set of suggestions to the Administration to improve the level/quality of decorations for the 2024 holiday season. The subcommittee feels that this year’s decorations were less than the previous year. John has seen several messages filled with many good ideas. “So, Don, if you have about $330,000, we will have great decorations this year.” Just kidding, sort of. Maybe 6-10 residents are contributing the ideas. The subcommittee will be meeting later this month to finalize their ideas considering finances, storage space, and other factors. Their proposal will be submitted to the Grounds committee for review and approval and then passing them on to the Residents’ Council.

Next meeting: January 23, 2024, at 11am in Brookside classroom 1.

Health Services, Jean Tribulski and Connie Cooney, Co-Chairs
Wilton Overlook and Caton Woods had a very successful Open House in November for their residents, Independent Living residents, family and friends. They had music and food on all the floors. It was a great opportunity to experience these marvelous facilities we have here on campus.

The Medical Center reported that the RSV shot is still available at the onsite CVS with your doctor’s script.

The Falls committee reported that holding mini clinics for assistive devices could not occur due to a liability to Charlestown. The need of a device must be assessed by a physician and a particular device recommended. Home Health aides are trained on the proper use of assistive devices of their charges.  The Falls committee is a subcommittee of the Health Services committee and part of a larger committee labeled The Committee for Preserving Independence. They will have a kickoff event in the auditorium Monday, January 22, 2024, at 10:00 am.

Pat Kasuda spoke on the Maryland Standards for Assisted living. Changes have been proposed to the 2016 standards but never promulgated by the Maryland General Assembly. We will be keeping an eye out for legislation during this upcoming legislative session.

Pat also spoke about the ombudsman program for assisted living and how it applies to Charlestown residents. We plan to have someone come and speak to our committee in the near future on this program.

Next meeting is January 9, 2024, at 11:00 am classroom BR 1

Housekeeping, Sebastian Petix
We continue to encourage resident to report issues via cciworkorders@erickson.com.

Our goals for 2024 are to expand committee membership and to continue to work closely with Charlestown management.

Next meeting scheduled for January 22, 2024, at 10:00 in Brookside 1.

Legislative/Political, Paulette Hammond and Art Johnson, Co-Chairs
The agenda of the January meeting will be dedicated primarily to:

1. Discussion of the Maryland General Assembly’s 2024 legislative session and how we will track proposed legislation of interest to the Charlestown residents.
2. Review of the MaCCRA legislative agenda and more significant issues of interest to senior citizens and communities like Charlestown.

All are encouraged to attend to ensure that we include your issues of interest in our discussion and tracking and that all perspectives and bills of interest are included in our monitoring.

The next meeting:  January 10, 2024 at 10 in Brookside Classroom #1

Maintenance and Engineering, Jerry Donaldson
In 2024 we will focus on the following key items and issues:

Continued monitoring, and participation in, and evaluation of the AJ Adams Engineering report addressing the Charlestown Water Intrusion issue. The recommendations adopted from the AJ Adams report will then be available to incorporate in the appropriate buildings to help prevent future apartment flooding.

Continued monitoring the unannounced drills conducted by General Services to improve the Water Intrusion response time. It is recognized that it would be very difficult to eliminate accidents completely, and thus reducing the response time remains a critical factor in preventing apartment flooding as the result of accidents.

Continue monitoring the development of a plan to address the clogged gutters in the Charlestown complex. The plan will be developed by General Services and will in place for the Fall 2024 leaf season.

And finally, the M&E Committee will establish a standing Signage Sub-Committee to be chaired by General Services. This Sub-Committee will have the responsibility of reviewing all of the Signage in the Charlestown complex and make suggestions for improving their correctness and clarity.

The next meeting: January 23, 2024, in the General Services Conference Room at 2:00 PM

Resident Life, Nancy Fayer and Margaret Vincent, Co-Chairs
Although no meeting was held in December, the Committee Chairs were busy behind the scenes. With Cindy Jones and others, the team is investigating a possible new edition of our Charlestonian, a photo book of current residents. With Hope Tillman and others are planning a campaign to help residents add their photos and other information to their profile on MyErickson.

Two meetings will be held in January. At the regular meeting of the RL Committee, members will brainstorm new ways for old residents to welcome newbies. At the DIB meeting, members will begin planning for new activities.

Next RL meeting: January 17 at 2:00 in BR 2

Next DIB meeting: January 19 at 2:00 in BR 1

Safety and Security, Ed Appel
Our December 14th meeting was devoted to a briefing by Craig Nelson, Security Manager and Shawn White, Assistant Security Manager, on Charlestown Security. The briefing included organization, operations, equipment, training and communications with a demonstration of life-saving gear carried by all Emergency Medical Responders. Once again, we were impressed with the organization and operations of Charlestown Security.

Reminder: We can all help Security by reporting incidents and observations of concern.  If you see something, say something.

Next meeting: Thursday, January 11, 2024, in CS Classroom 116, 12:30 PM-2 PM

Comments and questions from Residents and Guests

A resident asked about holiday decorations. The bar tender at the Black Swan makes decorations using wine corks, which she did for the holidays. Evidently, they were removed and replaced with poinsettias. She didn’t know whether this occurred at other restaurants and was under the impression that the corporate directed the change.

John Remias introduced Don Grove, Charlestown Executive Director, who gave an administration update.
I received this note this morning that reminds me why I’m here and why I love what I do. The note from a resident says “Good morning, we just wanted to thank you so much for a wonderful selection of food and service during the holidays. We had friends and family during the holidays, and they were delighted to eat in the restaurants. We selected the Chesapeake, Fireside, and Terrace and our only regret was that we were not able to get to the Atrium, which we always enjoy. We just ran out of time. We particularly wanted to thank the staff at the Chesapeake for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day when Travis and Isaiah were so accommodating. On New Year’s Day, Isaiah, Tracy, and Maya along with the other people serving the buffet helped to celebrate in style. They decorated our table and wine glasses were provided for sparkling cider. The food was excellent. We so appreciated your staff and students who helped to provide a very pleasant dining experience and compliments to the chefs. We will make our way to the Atrium soon. We don’t want to neglect them. Happy New Year. This is not the only compliment I got this morning about some experiences over the holidays. So, I’m so glad to hear those things going on. Again, this reminds me of why I love what I do. And love being part of this community.

Don addressed the resident’s concern about holiday decorations, clarifying that the decision came from Charlestown and not corporate. There were questions about decorations and perceptions that Corporate directed the decorations in common areas rather than allow residents provide decorations. We were trying our best over the past year to decorate the lobbies and to support those teams with that. Mary Evans and her team in Resident Life went out and actually partnered with the decorating teams and purchased items to focus on the indoors, and how our lobbies looked to get some, I would say, consistency because we want it all to feel like your neighborhood. But we’re trying to avoid that issue of someone who chooses to put something out that maybe isn’t as desirable to others. And it’s tough because some people do a good job of it. So that’s what has driven some of the decor. We want to check back with everybody on their situations because we’re not ever trying to insult the employees or someone who were a resident who might click things out so none of it is corporate driven.

We know there’s upticks in a COVID and RSV, around us in the world. Due to increased hospitalization rates in Maryland for respiratory illnesses, the Department of Health recommended universal uses of masks in continuing care. For staff and for visitors we have gone with that for the higher levels in Wilton Overlook and Caton Woods. You will see they will have masks back in place there. COVID increased in Independent Living in the last week. As a reminder if you’re not feeling well, please stay home. And if you’re going out and you know you’re compromised, please make sure you’re wearing a mask. Flu shots, COVID shots, and RSV still available, working with the medical center and CVS. We have not had any COVID or flu positive in continuing care.

I look at this first quarter of the year and want to get some projects done, some things from 2023 that have lingered. We’re trying to work through and a lot of that is partnering with the council. We are looking at their recommendation with regard to the deer. It’s being reviewed by our legal office where options are there to address the deer populations. I want to thank the residents who made an effort to raise my awareness and the team’s awareness, overall concerns and again, we’re looking at that and we’ll have some feedback, hoping for something sooner.

AJ Adams is the company the engineering company that is reviewing Brookside to address our flood issues we’ve been dealing with. So, we hope to have their recommendations in January, and we’ll be sharing those results. In the meantime, I am pleased with what the team has been doing as far as testing and making sure the teams are ready for drills. Incidents are going to happen but how do we minimize what happens and address it as fast as possible when it does happen? That’s the theme we continue to echo with the team.

Caton Ridge project: We’re waiting on final dates and we’re likely going to go through January/February, and it looks like we’ll still be doing some work in the into the spring. We’re trying to get a closing date on that for those residents. For the project they are getting physical therapy and the first floor Caton Ridge back in working order.

We talked with John Remias and Joe Carrick on the Council. One of the things we’ve run into a few times is issues related to design, as we read through hallways, furniture and different things across campus. We will work with the Council to forming a small resident design team that will work to make sure that folks have some input from residents, and that it’s part of our process every time. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to take it to the larger resident group. But sometimes there are decisions and reviews that we need to do quickly with smaller teams. The resident design team will help us, for example, with the St. Charles project coming up as well as historic and some other projects as we still were finishing the work and curvature on the Brookside. Upcoming will be more timelines and renderings with regard to historic area. As we say in the office, we’re hoping to see some walls knocked down some action as it progresses. In the coming weeks, we hope to have some renderings and timeline discussions, so folks are aware of what’s going on regarding the Historic Area renovations.

Questions and Answers from Don

Question: Why are the restaurant servers still not using the tablets as intended? Answer: Charlestown, along with other Erickson communities are reviewing the use of the tablets.

Question: What is the status on the dining room robots. Answer: Servie will be leaving Charlestown at an unspecified date as the robots are not a top priority.

Question: Is the three times a week trash pickup accomplishing the intended purpose, and should we have more frequent recycling instead? Answer:  We had a problem with outside trash cans overflowing, but it has been less of a problem.  We will talk about the recycling request.

Question: A Resident who is deaf asked about what happens if she were stuck in an elevator when the doors don’t open. There was a good deal of discussion. Don suggested that Individuals should wear their emergency response pendants which could then be used in this situation. That would alert security that the individual does have a hearing problem. He will have security follow-up on this issue.

Respectively submitted,
Nancy Meier, Residents’ Council Secretary