President Anne Erfle called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 7:00 pm on October 1, 2019. The September 3, 2019 minutes were approved as distributed. 38 association members attended. Visitors included residents Naomi McAfee, Charles Denton and Karline Tierney, members of the Board of Directors; Clara Parker, Executive Director; and Michael Fischer, Director of General Services. The Council observed a moment of silence for those who have passed away.

Anne called on the following officers and committee chairs for reports; the text of those reports appears following the formal minutes:

• Walt Howe, Vice President
• Hope Tillman, Secretary
• Bill Tilles, Treasurer
• Jean Eichenlaub, Chair of the Benevolent Care Committee
• Dick Crebs, Co-Chair of the Communications Committee
• Anna Marie Ciarrocchi, Chair of the Conservation Committee
• Bob Caulfield, Chair of the Dining Committee
• Pat Rudolph, Co-Chair of the Finance Committee
• Eugenia High, Chair of the Grounds Committee
• Lois Kimber, Chair of the Health Services Committee
• Jim Stadter, Chair of the Housekeeping Committee
• Seldra Funk, Chair of the Legislative/Political Committee
• Paul McKean, Committee Member, Maintenance & Engineering Committee
• Sam Cushman, Chair of the Resident Life Committee
• Janet Allan, Chair of the Safety & Security Committee

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None

NEW BUSINESS: None
Clara Parker then presented “Words from Management” which appear below for those residents interested in reading the full text of the message.

President Erfle adjourned the formal meeting at 7:57 p.m.

Hope Tillman, Residents’ Council Secretary
Ron DeAbreu, Residents’ Council Assistant Secretary

REPORTS—EXECUTIVE TEAM

ANNOUNCEMENTS/ PRESIDENT’S REPORT (Anne Erfle):
Anne said she was impressed with how well the Council committees work together and combine resources.  She also noted that such cooperation also saved staff time.

October Mission Moments:
Knowing what is popular in the local community, Mary Wright decided to bring an exciting new idea to Charlestown.  She was aware of the increased interest in the sport of Cornhole, and so she purchased the necessary equipment and then promoted interest in residents throughout the community.  Soon a group of residents met in the Charlestown Gallery to enjoy Cornhole competition.  Mary was interested in promoting interest beyond Charlestown, and with the assistance of Teresa Curran, she arranged an inter-community tournament with residents of Oak Crest.  Now she is organizing a tournament for the residents of Charlestown.  Mary’s involvement shows diversity, responsibility and teamwork.

Tom Hall and James (Skip) Johns have become “Garden Angels”.  They know that gardening is very therapeutic exercise.  They understand the importance of having a garden plot and know that sometimes gardeners are not able to attend to gardening needs because of illness or vacations.  These two “Angels” come to the rescue, weeding, pruning, and watering numerous garden plots.    Having plots of their own, they frequently distribute fresh flowers and garden vegetables to their neighbors.  They are the main reason so many residents can enjoy having a garden plot.  Their generosity of time and talent is a prime example of Erickson values.

President’s Announcements
In October the Residents’ Council has its regular Board of Directors, Wednesday, October 30th at 3:30 PM.   In addition, there is a lunch with the Board to discuss the budget on October 31st.  The invitation to the lunch has not yet been sent out.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT (Walt Howe):
Walt Howe has been very impressed with the resident participation at the Council Committee meetings he has attended this month. We are fortunate to have such engaged residents.

SECRETARY’S REPORT (Hope Tillman):
At the September Council Work Session Executive Director Clara Parker and Associate Executive Director Heather Sheridan led a discussion on the most effective use of staff liaisons on the Residents’ Council Committees.

The Bylaws and Policies & Procedures Committee was appointed to review the bylaws and policies & procedures.  Members of the committee are Janet Allan, Ronny Burrell, Steve Harders, Walt Howe, Bill Tilles, and Hope Tillman, Chair.

Ron DeAbreu was appointed Assistant Treasurer in addition to his role as Assistant Secretary.

TREASURER’S REPORT (Bill Tilles):
The closing balance at the end of August 2019, was $5034.39. Dues in the amount of $2.00 were deposited in the month of September, and payments in the amount of $244.50 were made. The balance at the end of September was $4791.89.

REPORTS—COMMITTEES

BENEVOLENT CARE (Jean Eichenlaub, Chair): 
The meeting was held on Wednesday, September 25^th. Patti Santoni and Emily Fowler of Philanthropy and Pam Stiner of Finance led the discussions. Nathan Blumberg, AED was also in attendance.

An update on the September campaign: Total of $40.7K to date (15% of households – this does not include monthly donors)

The Gala has over 200 people attending . The goal is $80K net.

Online donations:  Corporate IT is finalizing the process where donors can use MyErickson to make online donations.

Smile.amazon:  Select Charlestown Community, Inc. and a small percentage of each purchase will go to BCF. We will be promoting this heavily as the holidays approach.  Encourage friends and family outside Charlestown to choose us as their Amazon Smile charity.

On October 3^rd at 11am in the Auditorium a repeat presentation on Financial Assurance will be offered.

Overall – BCF at Charlestown expenses are over $1million annually. Four other Erickson communities also spend $1 million.  The goal will be on Major & Planned Gifts.  We are truly grateful Jim Davis continues to contribute $100,000 yearly to Charlestown (these dollars are separate from his donation to Wellness initiatives).

Also, discussed were ideas on persuading new residents to donate.

Patti reminded us that employees also give to BCF.

Next Meeting of Benevolent Care Committee is October 23, 2019 CTS 116 2:00pm

COMMUNICATIONS (Ronny Burrell and Dick Crebs, Co-Chair):
The 22 July meeting was attended by 17 residents and one staff member.  Ronny and I appreciate the level of interest/support.

We encourage residents to include their photo in the MyErickson directory.

We will continue to track wi-fi improvement.  Let us know if you are experiencing problems.

We urge residents to visit ccicharlestown.org and note the photos of the Atrium’s “Act like a pirate” on the blog page. (28 photos). Not to be missed is Chef Kevin with beads in his beard.

We are exploring ways to coordinate transportation for groups of residents who wish to attend off-campus activities, e.g. the BSO or Sporting events.

The next meeting will be Monday, October 28^th at 2pm in CTS Classroom 116.

CONSERVATION (Anna Marie Ciarrocchi, Chair):
The committee met on Tuesday September 17 at 2:00 in HR 142.
Attendance: Committee members, and Michelle Fenn (Housekeeping Supervisor, Erickson).

The recycling and trash monthly statistics were not able to be reviewed.  Michelle Fenn who gets the information volunteered to fill in the statistics and forward them to the committee.

New tri-fold bulletin boards showing what can be recycled and what cannot are in production. These will help clarify questions residents have.  The recycling handout will not be produced until there is standardization of containers across Erickson Living. However, if a plastic container has a 1-7 on it, it can be recycled.

The plastic bag collection project continues to go well. Residents use the plastic bag drop-off containers in the laundry rooms and volunteers take them to the Giant or other stores where plastic bags are collected for recycling.

The committee feels that residents are doing a good job of recycling what they can.

The next meeting of the Conservation Committee will be at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 in HR 142.

DINING SERVICES (Bob Caulfield, Chair):
Dining Services met on Monday, September 16 with Dining Services Director Aida Blanco.

Six subcommittees reported issues in commonality, including the continuing hiring and training of staff with managers now conducting interviews for better placement depending on skill set. Patience from residents is requested as is engaging/acknowledging the servers. The Employee of the month program is in force, so residents need to fill out comment cards regularly and to contact the manager with complaints at the moment they occur for resolution.

Residents are requested to allow valeting of disability devices at restaurants for their safety and that of others.

Sources where residents can check on ingredients need to be continuously refined and updated. Efforts are being made to do so. Request of nutrition information to be indicated on menus is feasible, but what is enough and appropriate is the challenge. Chefs are not nutritionists, residents with dietary problems need to self-advocate for their concerns. Correct labeling of products needs to be checked. Residents like the new policy of monthly menu changes by replacing less popular menu items with new ones. Icons indicate the new items. Also popular is the new carry-out policy of issuing containers for left-over meals and desserts, except at the Refectory.

Feedback on the renovated Chesapeake describes a new dining option with good reports on food quality and service but more residents seek seating in the full-serve dining area vs the bar, resulting in long wait times to be seated.

Our next meeting will be held on Monday, 21 October 2019 at 2:00 pm in BR-1.

FINANCE (Joan Green and Pat Rudolph, Co-Chairs):
The Finance Committee met on September 24 with Pam Stiner, Finance Director, and Eric Schwab, Assistant Finance Director.

Eric presented the Occupancy and Financial reports for August. Occupancy rates were over 98 percent for independent living, assisted living, and memory care.  Skilled nursing had occupancy of 97%.  August was a very strong month for occupancy.

The August total operating revenue exceeded budget projections by $194,000 but operating expenses exceeded budget projections by $322,000 leading to a lower than projected operating income of $515,000.   While August’s operating income was lower than expected, year-to-date operating income is more than $2 million above budget.  Investment income, a non-operating income item, was $983,000 less than budget due to variations in the market; however, year-to-date investment income is $1.5 million above projected.

With regard to restricted funds, in August, 18 residents received benevolent care assistance, and these expenditures totaled about $116,000.

The Committee also discussed future projections of occupancy and the needed labor force.

Our next meeting will be on October 29th at 9 am in Brookside 2 Classroom.

GROUNDS (Eugenia High, Chair):

The Grounds Committee met on Tuesday, September 24^th with members and staff Kevin Crawford and Ryan Truitt attending.

The work at the entrance to the medical center has been completed except for the landscaping.  The Memorial Garden bricks are being disturbed due to the invasion of tree roots.  Some will need to be removed.

Kevin stated that formal pruning of trees is not part of the budget.

Lake Charles bids are due back on Friday.  This is for a 150 amp transformer, replacement of fountains and aerator system, upgrading of circuits and more conduit to fountains.  John Ogaitis researched treatment for algae.  Kevin will talk with Solitude Lake Management, the company which is responsible for the health of the pond.

The next meeting will be on October 22^nd at 10 a.m. in the General Services Conference Room.

HEALTH SERVICES (Lois Kimber, Chair):
The Health Services Committee met September 10, 2019 with 8 members and 2 guests.

As of September 30, 1,141 residents had received their flu shot.  It was noted in the CDC that the flu measurement has begun to show a slight uptick.

David Gearing, administrator of WO/RG/CW, shared that the move to WO was completed August 3 and went smoothly. First and second floor is long term care. Third floor is secure memory care. Fourth floor is memory care/assisted living.

The safety/security committee and Health Services Committee will be working together to address FALLS here at Charlestown.

There was a discussion on healthy eating which lead to a suggestion to invite Dr. Steven Schimpff to our next meeting.

Outdated medicine collection will be held October 28.

Be on the lookout. The Staff Appreciation Fund campaign will be coming – October to November.   This campaign is a wonderful way for residents to reward hourly, non-exempt employees for a job well done.

The next meeting will be Tuesday October 8, 2019 in Brookside 2.

I was asked to investigate a resident’s concern.  She stated she had a Baltimore City ambulance take her to Bon Secours Hospital and that she was told the Charlestown shuttle does not operate after 12 midnight to bring her home at 2am, when she was discharged.  She wants Charlestown to reinstate its own ambulance service.
I spoke with Security to see if it was a Baltimore City ambulance that transported her.  They said it was a Baltimore County ambulance, and she was brought to Bon Secours hospital because St. Agnes was on code yellow which meant their ER was full and could not accept any new patients.  The closest hospital is Bon Secours.  According to the resident, she called Security to have them call an ambulance to bring her home.  At that time, Security told her the shuttle did not operate after 12 midnight and recommended calling a family member to bring the resident home.  The resident did not want to call her daughter at 2am due to the area where Bon Secours is located.
I spoke with the resident to clarify that she did get a Baltimore County ambulance and why she was brought to Bon Secours.  She appreciated the clarification.

HOUSEKEEPING (Jim Stadter, Chair):
The Housekeeping Committee met on Friday, September 20. Earl Shaw, the Manager of the Charlestown Housekeeping Department, attended the meeting.

Since there were several new committee members, we had a general discussion of the duties and procedures of the committee members.

It was noted that the Charlestown Housekeeping Department is on call 24/7 and when the Housekeeping Department is closed, Security will pass on any necessary information.

Committee members gave reports on problems in various buildings on campus. It was suggested that corner guards be installed on elevators to help prevent damage due to walkers, EMVs, contractors, or movers.

In response to an inquiry, it was noted that guest room keys can be picked up at Herbert’s Run Terrace Level from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Monday through Friday. After 4:00 pm and on weekends keys must be picked up at the front desk in Building 1 (Fountain Hill).

Finally, it was noted that the Housekeeping article published in the Sunburst paper, on Charlestown TV, and in My EricksonMy Erickson is a resident portal. It is provided by Erickson Corporate and is managed by Charlestown staff, mainly Community Resources. See Portal. READ MORE was very successful. We had inquiries from several people about volunteering for the Housekeeping Committee.

The next committee meeting is on October 18 at 2:00 pm in room HR-142.

LEGISLATIVE/POLITICAL (Seldra Funk, Chair):
The committee met on September 11 to hear a talk by Tom Quirk, our District 1 Baltimore County Councilman. Tom Quirk is also Chair of the Baltimore County Council and Chair of the County Spending Affordability Committee.

Councilman Quirk explained the role of the council and the extent of Baltimore County’s responsibilities. With over $3 billion in the annual budget, the county provides us with basic services such as fire, police, libraries, schools, sidewalks, storm management, and zoning. Approximately $1.6 billion of the budget is spent each year for Baltimore County schools. Various issues of interest to the committee were then discussed with Councilman Quirk.

Our next meeting will be held at Brookside-1 on Wednesday, October 9 at 10:00 a.m.

MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING (Jackie Graham, Chair):
In the absence of the committee chair, committee member Paul McKean reported.

The committee met on Tuesday, September 24^th at 2pm with General Services’ Kevin Crawford, Chris Caldwell and Don Hoffman. There were 11 members present.

General Services Updates

These projects should be completed within the next two weeks.
Brookside Elevators
Cross-Creek re-roofing
Installation of hooks on restroom stall doors
Striping and re-striping of area throughout campus

Completed Projects: Waterproofing at the front exterior entrance to Bldg. 1

Items to be addressed
Landscaping of Bldg.1 front entrance and replacement of interior entrance carpeting
Class Rm 116 broken door stop
Damaged railing at entrance to Bldg. 9
Automatic door for The St Charles
Broken ground light outside Terrace Cafe

Next meeting Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 2pm GS Conference Room.

RESIDENT LIFE (Sam Cushman, Chair):
The committee met on September18th with two representatives from management.

Pet Lovers:  Bob Pelott is the new chair of the Pet Owners (previously the Pet Lovers).

Resident Values and Community Living:  Pat Kasuda reported that the Mission Moments program is going well, and she encouraged us to be on the lookout for residents going above and beyond, and to write up a Mission Moments referral.  We need to be aware that despite our focus on harmonious living, disruptive events can occur. For example, one resident is reported to have attacked another at the last Treasure Sale.  The matter is being investigated.

Diversity and Inclusion:  The Diversity & Inclusion Council presented a wonderful presentation on Depression and Suicide Prevention. Sam reported an effort to have residents work together with the Diversity & Inclusion Council to expand resident representation in planning for its programs.

Birthday Angels:  Eugenia High reported that there are now three coordinators and 35 angels.  Fruits of our Labor yielded one volunteer colorist.

Transportation:  Mary Jo Warthen reported again that the Transportation Committee is no longer meeting and that no EMV meetings have been held in a long time.

Sam reported that the issues of EMVs, sharps, firearms, and drugs were being handled jointly by the Resident Life, Safety and Security, and Health Services Committees under the umbrella of “Mental Health”.

Community Services:  Stephanie Knowles from Community Resources asked that we police the various signs being put up asking people to attend events, since posting such signs is not appropriate.

Craft Fair:  Everyone wanted it to be held on both Friday and Saturday.  However, no staff was available for Saturday and would require residents to volunteer as supervisors to be responsible for the event.

The next Resident Life meeting will be held on October 16 at 2:00 PM in HR142.

SAFETY & SECURITY (Janet Allan, Chair):
The Safety & Security Committee met on September 10 with 13 members and guests.

The Chair reviewed the purpose of the Committee and the major activities that occurred in 2018-19. These activities included sponsoring a Forum on Gun Safety, helping to develop a Give Back Your Gun Program, celebrating safety month with information tables focusing on falls and fire prevention, distracted driving, and scams.

The Security Staff report was given by the Chair:

• Distributed over 650 family/frequent visitors passes and over 700 residents and 50 contractors registered their vehicles and received the new decals.
• Residents who have not registered their cars are urged to do so. All reception desks have the one page form, and completed forms can be returned to those desk or Security.
• On September 25^th, the MD DMV offered a Town Hall meeting from 10-12 in the auditorium. The meeting covered Real ID, vehicle emissions, license renewal, distracted driving, and driving safety for older adults.

Discussion of Committee Focus for 2019-20:

The remainder of the committee involved a discussion of our focus for the year. Three main areas were discussed.

• Falls are the greatest threat to living independently. In 2018 over 11, 500 falls were reported to security here in Charlestown and over 20% involved an injury. The number of unreported falls probably equals the number reported. The Committee believes that our community needs an enlarged falls prevention program. We have offered a proposal to management.
• The Committee wants to continue to address firearms safety. Ideas presented included sponsoring another Gun Safety Forum and continuing to advertise the “Give Back Your Gun” program. The Firearms Work Group appointed by the Council comprised of the chairs of the S&S and Resident Life Committees will deliver a report to the Resident Council and Management about our activities in the previous year including the results of several focus groups on the current firearms policy and activities for this coming year.
• The Committee agreed to proceed on a trial basis to conduct routine safety inspections of our residences and immediate environs. The inspections will be done by residents in their own and sometimes adjacent buildings. They will use a checklist adapted from the Security staff checklist and submit the forms monthly to the Committee Chair who will prepare a report for security. Serious safety issues will be reported directly to security.

Response from Michael Fischer about Handicapped parking:

• Per the US Department of Justice ADA requirements, for 1001 or more parking spaces, there must be 20 H/C spaces plus 1 H/C space for each 100 cars over 1,000.
  Charlestown currently has 1,338 parking spaces, which requires us to have 23 H/C designated spots. As of this date, there are 31 H/C spaces on Campus. This information will be shared with the resident who asked about H/C parking at the September meeting.

The next meeting of the Safety & Security Committee will be on October 8, 2019 in Brookside Classroom 1 at 1pm.

WORDS FROM MANAGEMENT (Clara Parker):
Thanks to residents who supported the Gala on September 27. There was lots of dancing and fun.

Thanks to residents who have completed the Satisfaction Survey (36%), but this number falls short of the 45% of residents who had completed the last survey by this time.

Thanks to Mike Fischer, who will be leaving in a few months to become Director of Safety & Security for all of Erickson Living.  In 4 years Mike made his department the most effective in the enterprise and taught us how to stay calm in any emergency.  3 replacements for Mike are currently being vetted.

Mike then thanked residents for their support and emphasized that he always felt he was working in our home and tried his very best to make Charlestown as comfortable and appealing for us as possible.  He said he was blessed with a great team and his leaving gives someone else the opportunity to make further improvements to Charlestown.