President, Pat Rudolph, called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2022. 63 association members attended including Council members.  Pat Kasuda and Naomi McAfee, members of the Board of Directors, and Jason Spivey, Director of General Services, also attended.

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

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

Mission Moments
Pat Rudolph read the following Mission Moment:

“John Szostak lives in Fountain Hill but often dines at the Terrace Cafe.  While participating weekly in an after-dinner discussion group, John noticed that a certain dining table was wobbly every day. After an evening of frustration, he had had enough!  Turning the table upside down to find the source of the problem, he discovered that an adjustment to the knob on the table leg could easily be the solution.  Once others in the group complained about their own tables, John handily adjusted them all.  Rather than constantly complaining over a situation, he used diligence to satisfy the obvious needs of everyone.”

Pat reminded all to send information about Mission Moments Phyl Lansing at CR403 or phyllansing@yahoo.com.

Old Business

Election of Officers was the next order of business.  Pat stated that the Bylaws state that, in addition to the slate presented in July, nominations could be made from the floor. She clarified that this was for nominations from members of the Residents’ Council. The slate presented was: President, Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker; Vice President, John Remias; Secretary, Diana Dunaway, and Treasurer, Mimi O’Donnell.  With no nominations from the floor, the members of the Council approved by acclamation.

Pat reminded all of the election for new members of the Residents’ Council is being held on Wednesday, August 3^rd.  She announced the candidates and asked them to stand and be recognized.  The candidates are: Joe Carrick, Peg Buehlman, Jim Fitzsimmons, Paulette Hammond, Kathie Hendry, Bonnie Lomonaco, Loree Lough, Nancy Meier, and Jean Tribulski.  She also reminded all about the voting times and places. Information about the candidates is available on ccicharlestown.org where pictures and biographies are provided.

EXECUTIVE TEAM REPORTS
Pat Rudolph, President

Pat expressed her gratitude to all residents who have been supportive during the past year. She gave a big thank you to members of the Residents’ Council and said that they actually do the work of the Council.  In addition, she thanked all of the residents who participate on the Council’s committees. She encouraged residents to think about running for Council positions in 2023. The Council’s motto is “We are here for you”, and she commented that the Council functions best when people stand up and volunteer to serve.

Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker, Vice President

Merci thanked Pat Rudolph for her leadership this year and commented that Pat guided the council with wisdom and grace in trying times. Merci stated her gratefulness for the opportunity to work as Pat’s vice president and complimented Pat for being an excellent president.

Continuing with her monthly report, Merci encouraged all use the Council’s communications form posted on ccicharlestown.org to report a problem ask a question or request Council reports. A printed copy of the blank form is available from any lobby

She stated that all residents are members of the Residents’ association and announced the Annual Meeting of the Residents’ Association will be held on Monday, August 8, at 7:00 pm in the Conference Center.

Mimi O’Donnell, Secretary
No report

Ron DeAbreu, Treasurer (Read by Mimi O’Donnell)
The Council’s account balance at the end of June was $5,537.49. The Council spent no money in June and received $6.00 in Residents’ Association dues.  Thus, the Council’s account balance at the end of July stood at $5,543.49.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Benevolent Care, Eugenia High

The Benevolent Care Fund Committee did not meet in July. Gladstone James has agreed to attend our next meeting to clarify financial matters in regard to the distribution of benevolent care funds and financial forecasting. A Benevolent Care Fund committee activity report for August 2021 to July 2022 listing various committee activities was composed by the current committee care person for distribution to committee members and the incoming committee chair.

The next Benevolent Care committee meeting will be held on August 24, 2002 at 2:00 pm in Charlestown Square Room 116.

Communications, David Elder, Co-Chair

Mary Evans and Greg Johnston attended for management. Items discussed were network printing issues and updated evergreen topics which are available on CCI Charlestown website.  We also discussed plans to move forward with the computer literacy project, technology users’ group, and Apple computer users and sunsetting of the 3g Wireless effects on Charlestown residents.

A pitch for printed photo directory to celebrate Charles town’s 40th anniversary. The photography club will be asked to assist residents in obtaining digital photographs which can be used in the MyErickson directory.

Amazon delivery issues have been addressed with Amazon by Gregory Thompson. Residents are to report delivery issues to the front desk.

The campus communication strategy questionnaire has been prepared and will be distributed after the Holleran Survey.

The next meeting will be held on August 22, at 2:00 pm via Zoom.

Conservation, Anna Marie Ciarrocchi, Chair (Read by Mimi O’Donnell)

There was no Conservation Committee meeting in July. However, the committee and its retiring chair would like to thank the community for its support of conservation initiatives.  The committee works hard to keep all abreast of changes regarding recyclable materials via poster boards and flyers. There are many in the community who work quietly behind the scenes to accomplish all that is done in Charlestown and will continue to do so in the future. The committee reminds all that, in Baltimore County, most accepted recyclables fall into one of four categories: paper and cardboard; plastic bottles, jugs and tubs; glass bottles and jars; and metal cans.

The next committee meeting will be on Tuesday, August 16, at 2:00 pm in Brookside 1.

 

Dining Services, Ron MacNab, Co-Chair

Services Committee met on July 18^th.  The director of dining services was in attendance. Ken Zahn reported that the robot pilot project will begin in September. This project is a feasibility study for possible adoption by Erickson robotic carts will carry meals to the table and carry dirty dishes back to the kitchen. Beginning in September, some desserts offerings will be made in house. We continue to wait for permits for the coffee Cafe but still hope to open in August. Residents are asked to select the name for the cafe. Dining Services is working on their bar program by enhancing the menus. The small plates offerings at the Chesapeake are coming back soon and plans are in place to have the bar at the Terrace reopen. New tables for the Fireside restaurant are to be delivered September 1^st; the Fireside will be closed for lunch that day. Ken reported that, after two plus years of struggling through the pandemic, Dining Services is coming back strong and rebuilding the dining program.

The next meeting of the dining committee will be on September 19th at 1:30pm in Charlestown Square room 116.

Finance Committee, John Yoder, Chair

The Finance Committee met on July 26 2022. With committee members, Finance Director Gladstone James and Analyst Jill Klippinger. Thanks to Pat Rudolph for chairing the meeting.

The financial package was briefly reviewed highlights include occupancy improved in all areas, but it was noted that there sometimes seems to be a discrepancy between the percentages of occupancy and the headcount of current residents. One reason for this is fluctuation in the number of available units, based on combining of two or more units into one. A suggestion has been made to consider reporting both the percentage of occupancy and the number of residents as two separate indices.

Year to date, operating income is $775,000 above budget.

 

The unavailability of one of the providers hurt the medical center operating income, but a new supervisor to home health and home support will be working to improve performance in this area.

20 residents were on benevolent period during this reporting period, and it is expected that we will continue to see 18 to 20 residents on benevolent care for the foreseeable future.

 

During the course of this year, the finance committee, along with the finance director, has been asking how to become more transparent and more relevant to the day-to-day experience at Charlestown.  A couple of ideas are being discussed including one is a new set of financial dashboards that will present our financial performance visually making the numbers easier to understand and digest. Another is working with Riderwood to borrow some of their ideas for a series of financial literacy classes for residents. These classes would address taxation, legal issues, financial issues, and other topics relevant to residents.

The next meeting of the Finance Committee will be on August 30 at 9:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1.

Grounds Committee, Mike Rose, Chair

The grounds committee did not meet in July. The next meeting will be on August 23^rd, at 11:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1.

Health and Wellness, Carol Kefford, Chair

The Health and Wellness committee met on Jully 11^th. We reviewed our accomplishments in the year including conducting three medicine take backs in conjunction with Safety and Security and the Baltimore County Police Department.  Medicines collected are then incinerated. We regularly meet with the advisory committees for Caton Woods and Wilton Overlook. At out next meeting we will be brainstorming ideas for future initiatives and topics for residents’ information.

The next committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 8^th at 11:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1.

Housekeeping, Sebastian Petix, Chair (Read by Mimi O’Donnell)

No meeting was held in June.  However, the committee continues to collect reports and follow-up to respond to identified issues. A continuing problem is construction debris outside apartments and hallways/elevator lobbies under renovation. We want to thank Betty Elder’s initiative to inventory vacant storage bins throughout the community and work with management to clean out and return them to use. We have also done a survey of bicycles to register the ones in use and we have begun efforts to remove bikes that have been abandoned.

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 18^th at 10:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1.

Pat Payne, Chair of the Legislative/Political Committee

The purpose of the committee is to keep residents informed about legislative and political events of importance. Four major events have taken place this year.  The legislative, congressional and county council districts have changed as a result of the 10-year redistricting process based on the census. The boundaries have changed for our Congress person, county council representative and legislative delegation. As a result of challenges, handled in court cases, the primary election was delayed for Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Congressional Representative, legislative delegation, and County Council Representative

The committee tracked 28 bills of interest.  We held Zoom sessions with the General Assembly delegation before and after the session. This year, we had a delegation of four members before the session; redistricting had meant that we were down to two representatives, a state senator and one delegate during.

We held a candidate forum for our new Baltimore County Council District One candidates and so you had the primary will have the general election and a key focus of the committee will be planning candidate forums for the 2022 general election. For the offices of Governor Senator legislature and county council representative. During the month of August, we will be meeting and subcommittees to plan our candidate forums and the format that we’ll be using for them. The September the full meeting will take place at the committee on September the 14th at 10am and Brookside classroom one everybody’s welcome to join us.

Gordon Piché, Chair of the Maintenance & Engineering Committee

Committee met on Tuesday July 26 at 2pm in the General Services conference room with General Services, Kevin Crawford and Don Hoffman. Projects scheduled for 2022 Brookside renovations are now underway, with expected completion in October. However, there are water piping issues that also need to be addressed in Brookside.  Action continues on the interior signage updating project. Terrace level awning replacements will be completed the summer and alternative interim usage of the refractory space is still happening. The return of the refectory to a dining facility is expected to be years away. The Herbert’s Run/St. Charles Bridge Support Foundation needs some repair. Caton Ridge building support renovations are underway and expected to be completed this fall. Overhead water problem at the entry to the chapel have been patched but there is need for more repairs; permanent repair has been delayed.

The Charlestown Square elevator, renovations are planned for Herbert’s run, the auditorium stage and roof replacements for Arborside and Greentree Court are scheduled for 2023.

Items of concern that need attention and new issues:  some roadway would guide rails; crosswalk at east end of Brookside; covering the walkway from Medical Center to the parking lot; Maple Terrace hallway HVAC; trees overhanding the bridges; and continuing issues with windows.

The next scheduled meeting is August 23^rd 2:00 pm in the General Services conference room.

Rosemary Eck, Co-Chair of the Resident Life Committee

The co-chair presented a list of committee accomplishments during the year including: Guest speakers at most of the meetings; continuation of Friendly Visitors, Birthday Angels, and condolence cards.

When the Sunburst changed format, the lists of new residents and recent deaths were deleted. The committee took steps to survey other ESL properties and, upon learning their practices, caused the lists to be included in future issues of the Sunburst.

Other initiatives included: naming the Archives in honor of Janel Douglass; providing additional information about the guest rooms; expanding resident understanding of the MyErickson Resident Directory including adding photographs; and writing a Sunburst article about emerging socially after the Pandemic.

The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for Wednesday, September 21st at 2:00 pm in Brookside 2.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Subcommittee, John Remias, Chair 

The Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging subcommittee, or DIB, was formed in October 2021. In February, we approved our Mission Statement, which reads “Our mission is to enhance the Charlestown goal of harmonious living by strengthening the bonds of diversity, inclusion and belonging in our community”.

In June, we sent letters to 42 Charlestown groups and clubs inviting them to jointly participate with us in supporting diversity in our community and we will be publicizing their DIB related events through our communication channels. So far, we have received many responses pledging to be our partners in our combined efforts.

At our July meeting we initiated a project that we are titling Roots and Stories to be conducted in the late October/early November time frame. The plan is to have several residents sharing the stories of their roots with us. A team is being established to carry out this project. Our plans, now, are to conduct at least quarterly major DIB events in the coming year.

We have also organized a caucus group of the DIB chairpersons at fifteen Erickson communities around the country. This group is having monthly Zoom meetings at which we are sharing very productive event ideas and other approaches, such as a library of DIB reading materials.

Our next meeting will be on Friday, September 16^th in Brookside Classroom 1.

Safety and Security (Read by Pat Rudolph)

The Safety and Security Committee has advocated for the for pedestrian safety and the removal of indoor and outdoor tripping hazards. With the grounds committee, safety and security pushed to get the line down the middle of the road in front of Wilton Overlook and to restripe the crosswalks.  They have also educated about safety hazards, especially technology issues such as scams.  They committee co-sponsored medicine takeback days and organized a gun takeback initiative. In the future, if anyone wants to turn in a weapon, they may contact Security Director, Craig Nelson, who will accompany for a plainclothes Baltimore County police officer to go to the resident’s apartment to take the weapon off campus for disposition.

The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for Tuesday, August 9^th at 1:00 pm in Brookside Classroom 1.

WORDS FROM MANAGEMENT

Jason Spivey, Director of General Services, represented Administration.  He began by talking about the foundation work at Caton Ridge. So far, privacy sheeting has been erected and affected residents notified of the noise anticipated with the work. Residents are encouraged to keep their windows closed and covered as workmen may be using lifts around the building.

He presented a sales update.  To date there have been 118 settlements which is 10 over the business plan. There have been 14 reservations, 18 settlements, 22 priority list adds and 129 appointments.

Regarding COVID, there has been a slight upswing in resident cases with 19 cases in Assisted Living, seven in Memory Care, two in Skilled Nursing, and two in Independent Living 12 positive cases in Independent Living. Regarding employee positive cases, there are eight in Assisted Living, one in Memory Care, four in Skilled Nursing, and five in Independent Living

The proceeds from the Treasurer Sale were $34,125. That is only $2,240 less than your all time third quarter high.

The new coffee ice cream breakfast shop area is The ABBEY.

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS AND GUESTS:    

Jeff McArthur stated that the president of any organization has many challenges and many responsibilities. Jeff commented that outgoing president, Pat Rudolph, spent many, many hours working to make sure that the resident Council continued successfully. On behalf of all residents, Jeff thanked Pat for all of the work she has done during the year.

A resident asked Jason Spivey if Ryan Truitt was leaving. Jason said yes and that he wishes him well and will begin looking for a new grounds’ supervisor immediately.

A resident noticed that the air conditioners in the Chesapeake were not working and there were not dishes.  Jason responded that the ‘brand new’ dish machine was down and the repair order has been placed.  He will check with maintenance about the air conditioner tomorrow.

Pat commented that there were continuing problems with the chapel roof. She noted that Charlestown does not ‘own’ the chapel and the Sulpician’s are making plans to make the appropriate repairs.

Pat handed the President’s gavel to incoming President Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker.

President Rudolph adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Mimi O’Donnell

Residents’ Council Secretary