President, Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker, called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. 55 association members attended including Council members.  Pat Kasuda and Naomi McAfee, members of the Board of Directors, and Chandra Kumar, Executive Director, also attended.

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

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

Mission Moments

Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker read the following Mission Moment submitted by Phyl Lansing:

It is a sight to behold! One minute before the doors to the quarterly Treasure Sale open, your eyes are overwhelmed by the blue shirts that declare TREASURE SALE VOLUNTEER. Over 400 resident volunteers who gather to meet the oncoming buyers are but the tip of the Treasure Sale chain. It may start with a person sorting through a closet. That leads to the people who answer the Treasure Sale pickup line. Then someone appears, by appointment, to do the collection. Those items go to the sorters who price and pack items. Some things go to the Treasure Chest Store, Ladies Boutique or Unlimited Furniture (those are open for weekly shopping). Then there are “Treasure Trekkers” who pick up and deliver items. Let’s remember the residents who clean out apartments, and don’t forget the dedicated people who collect proceeds on a weekly basis as well as for the quarterly sales. Who have I forgotten? We all benefit from the Treasure Sales as donors or buyers. But the most important benefit is knowing that our fellow residents who, through no fault of their own, need/receive these funds to maintain their “home for life.” Beyond the fiscal consideration, we build community. Working together involves all of the Erickson values: respect and caring, diversity, friendliness and enthusiasm, integrity, responsibility, excellence, teamwork, and the vision of a harmonious community! Go, team! See you at the next Treasure Sale!

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

Old Business

EXECUTIVE TEAM REPORTS

Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker, President

The phrase “Thank you” bears repeating for giving me the opportunity to represent you as president of this very hard-working group, your Residents’ Council.   We have overcome many challenges in the past year and have many challenges ahead of us yet to conquer, such as inflation, supply change issues, employee shortages, and others.  What will the future bring?  None of us knows–but one thing I do know that for staying physically and mentally healthy, safe and happy in our home for life, we need action on our part.  All well and good, you say, but how do we achieve this?

We are still in the midst of COVID’s ever-changing grasp and flu season is upon us. But by continuing to use our common sense we can minimize their effects on our health. We fight back with vaccines, avoiding large crowds, masking, frequent handwashing, eating sensibly, staying hydrated, frequent exercising—you all know the drill by now.  We boost our memory by leaving our apartments and engaging socially with our friends and neighbors by participating in many of the 300+ clubs available and/or joining any of the 14 council committees. Council committees, the lifeblood our Resident Association, are the ones who help to get things done. They and their assigned administrative liaisons listen to concerns from residents and discuss and suggest possible solutions to problems. You have heard of the squeaky wheel, right?  The more of you that join the committees, the more gets done, not just to complain but to offer suggestions for the betterment of our community. An example of this are the safety hazards noticed at a couple of crosswalks by residents.  People at a couple of crosswalks were hard to see because of darkness. The issue was discussed at a committee meeting. Installing a new light over the crosswalk in one area and trimming of an overhanging tree branch over the other were suggested and completed.  Simple, right? But that’s just one way you can help us keep safe. It’s the little things that matter.

Our new Administration team headed by Executive Director Chandra Kumar have expressed their openness for frank discussions with the residents and have shown their willingness to spend the time to really listen. We may not always get what we want but your officers have established a respectful and cooperative working relationship with them. Our common goal is making Charlestown the best it can be. This year we will have the opportunity to complete the Resident Satisfaction Survey which was put on hold because of the pandemic.  That’s another avenue for you to express your opinion on what’s happening that’s good or that which needs improvement.

I encourage you to participate; get involved; make a difference. Our common goal is to be happy, healthy, and safe so we can continue to Celebrate Life, my theme for the year.

John Remias. Vice President

For those of you that I haven’t met, as Merci mentioned, I am John Remias, the newly installed Vice President of the Residents’ Council for the coming year.

On a personal note, I have lived here for just under two years, having moved here from the Annapolis area.

I look forward to working with our energetic President, Merci, and the Council, but especially all of the residents of this great place to live.

As residents of a large retirement complex, we will always have problems and solving those problems are part of our combined responsibilities. We also have many good things here to be grateful for and we should be sure to cherish and share those. Working together, residents and staff, we can make our home, Charlestown, a positive experience for all of us. I look forward to helping make that a reality.

As some people may say, my door (Brookside 331), my phone, and my email are always open to listen to your concerns and your suggestions, and then to work with the right administration staff to address or to implement them.

Diana Dunaway, Secretary

No report

Mimi O’Donnell, Treasurer

The Council’s account balance at the end of July was $5,543.49. The Council spent $89.01 in July and received $38.00 in Residents’ Association dues. Thus, the Council’s account balance on August 31, the end of the 2021-2022 fiscal year stood at $5,492.48. The Council received a total of $4,995.00 in Residents’ Association dues in the fiscal year. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Benevolent Care, Carol Kefford

The Benevolent Care Fund Committee chaired by Eugenia High met with Philanthropy staff and Gladstone James on August 24, 2022.

Gladstone presented a detailed explanation of and reason why the Benevolent Care Committee needs to raise more funds. The monthly withdrawal from the fund for care is $120,000 to$140,000. Currently 21 residents receive benefits. Once the funds are depleted, operations could be affected, resulting in increased resident fees to cover the expense.

Patti reviewed the funds received this year including generous realized planned gifts. The recent Treasure Sale netted $34,000+. The total from Treasure stores sales is $105,000. The most recent Pop-Up Sale brought in $2,000 for BCF. Today’s yearly total is $504,000 compared to last year’s $184,000 at this time.

September’s Benevolent Care Month’s Telethon on September 22nd will feature “The Great American Road Trip”. Contributions will be accepted in the form of cash, check, or credit card. Steve Harders volunteered to introduce the movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation” on September 17th in the auditorium as a promotion to encourage residents to watch the telethon and support it with a donation to Benevolent Care.

Patti will conduct an ELLIC class about “BCF Facts/Myths” on September 21st . Emily requested volunteers for our table at the “Fruits of Our Labor” event and the BCF prize wheel information tables.

Stephanie DeAbreu located Janda Florist in Timonium which is interested in donating 5% for every delivery they bring to Charlestown. An article detailing the accomplishments of the 20212022 BCF Committee is in the September Sunburst and on CCI Charlestown.

The new chairperson, Carol Kefford will host the September 28th meeting at 2:00pm in CTS room 116.

Communications, Larry Taylor and David Elder, Co-Chairs

The Communications Committee met by ZOOM via August 22, 2022, with Mary Evans and Greg Johnson representing the Administrative Staff. The following topics were discussed:

• Resident Printer Issues when connected to the Charlestown Enterprise NetworkA network consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share resources (such as printers and CDs), exchange files, or allow electronic communications. The computers on a network may be linked through cables, telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, or infrared light beams. See also... READ MORE continue. This can be attributed to the frequent renewal of the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol [DHCP] Certificate.
• Ongoing Network Certificate update problems continue with other devices.
• Don Grove announced the newly hired network support staff as

Site Support Manager Myrone Foster & Network Technician Dennis Scurry.

• Updated Evergreen Topics are available on the CCICharlestown website ccicharlestown.org.
• The Computer Literacy Project is now the Charlestown Communications Chat Zoom Session, and the Technology Users Group and Apple Computer Users Groups are now both under the umbrella of Charlestown User Group (CHUG) with outreach efforts resuming in September.
• Mary Evans explained how to add activities to the Calendar 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
• The Community Resources Guidebook is available at all lobby desks and online at the CCICharlestown website.
• Next year is the 40th anniversary of Charlestown. Phyl Lansing noted that Erickson will not allow the My Erickson pictures to be used in the photo directory. A Project Workflow is needed.
• Our upcoming Communications Survey will be conducted after the Charlestown Resident Satisfaction Survey scheduled for September.
• Sunburst – Distribution problems continue with erratic availability of the publication at the Clubhouse front desks. Staff is working to improve this.
• Next meeting will be 2 PM September 26th by ZOOM.

Conservation, Bonnie Walsh Lomonco, Chair (Report by Mark Buehlman}

There was no Conservation Committee Meeting in August.

The Committee members and incoming Chair thank the outgoing Chair, Anna Marie Ciarrocchi, for her dedication and untiring effort in guiding the Committee to resolve many difficult conservation issues as well as uniting the committee in a common cause-Save the Planet.

NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday, September 20 at 2:00 pm, Brookside Classroom 1. All are welcome and encouraged to attend, as we continue our current recycling and reuse efforts, and look for other green projects that will have a positive impact.

Dining Services, Mary Lee Seaman

The Dining Services committee did not meet in August. The next meeting of the committee will be on September 19th at 1:30 pm in Charlestown Square room 116.

Finance Committee, John Yoder, Chair (Report read by Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker)

The Finance Committee met on August 30, 2022, with committee members, Finance Director Gladstone James, and Analyst Jill Clippinger. The Financial Package was briefly reviewed. Highlights include:

• Occupancy remains stable; continuing to trend upward; sales activity remains strong. Some month-to-month fluctuations in percentage of occupancy can be expected as units move in and out of the pool due to rehabbing.

   

• Year to date operating income is $1.2 million above budget. Non-operating income fluctuations reflect the volatility of the markets.
• Contract labor costs have decreased but are partly offset by an increase in wages.
• Cash reserves are down but expected to recover next month.
• Twenty residents were on Benevolent Care during this report period; it is anticipated that there will be 18 – 20 for the foreseeable future.

Following discussion, it was agreed to receive the previously presented dashboard reporting format each month, while receiving the more fine-grained report currently in use, each quarter. The process will be re-assessed at the end of the next quarter.

Development of the capital expense budget (CAPEX) is ongoing; many of the priority items identified by residents will be funded.

Members of the Finance Committee will be working with the Riderwood Community to bring a version of their multi-session course on managing financial affairs and legal matters to our campus. The Committee is also co-sponsoring a financial management series in cooperation with the Gladstone James and PNC Bank.

The next meeting of the Finance Committee will be on September 27, 2022, at 9:00 am in Brookside 1.

Grounds Committee, Mike Rose, Chair

Due to scheduling problems, the grounds committee did not need in August. The next meeting will be on September 27^th, at 11:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1.   

Health and Wellness, Jean Tribulski, Co-Chair

The Health and Wellness Committee meeting scheduled for August 8, 2022, was canceled.

A Medication Disposal event will be held on Monday, September 26, 2022, from 1 – 3 pm in both the Fireside Lobby and the Cross Creek area. Outdated or unused prescription medications should be placed in plastic bags to bring to the disposal areas.  Pharmacy containers can be recycled in your regular recycling containers. It is advisable to remove container labels or black them out before recycling. For the first time we are able to dispose of liquid medications.  They may be brought in their containers to the site, and we will pour them into cat litter for incineration and return your container for you to recycle. No sharps or needles will be accepted. Please notify Housekeeping for sharps containers.

The next committee meeting is Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 11:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1.

Housekeeping, Sebastian Petix, Chair (Read by Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker)

No in-person meeting was held in August. Committee members submitted their reports via email and forwarded them to management for action.

Next meeting will be held in person on 9/26 at 10 am CTS 116.

Legislative/Political, Pat Payne, Chair

The Legislative/Political Committee met on Wednesday, August 10, 2022. The purpose of the meeting was to develop a plan for providing the residents of Charlestown with as much information as possible about the candidates who are running for office in the 2022 General Election. It was agreed that the most effective way to do this would be to have candidate forums for key positions on a bipartisan basis. The Committee decided to conduct 30-minute filmed interviews with these candidates to be shown on TV 972 throughout the campaign season.

Candidates to be interviewed include the Republican and Democratic candidates for County Executive, County Council District 1, and House of Delegates District 44A. I am pleased to report that we have scheduled the interviews for both the Democratic and Republican candidates for each these offices. We have made efforts to reach out to candidates for Governor but have not been successful in getting a response.

If you have questions that you would like to have asked, feel free to share them with member of the Committee. The September meeting of the Committee will be devoted to preparing interview questions. Candidates for each office will be asked the identical questions related to their office. They will not see the questions in advance.

At the next meeting, the Committee will discuss possible legislation establishing a system of rank choice voting for key elected positions in the State of Maryland. There is renewed interest in this issue because of the primary election results. The Democratic candidate won the primary with 35% of the total vote.

The next meeting of the Legislative/Political Committee will be held on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, in Brookside Classroom 1.

Maintenance/Engineering, Gordon Piche’

Our committee met on Tuesday, August 23rd at 2pm, in the General Services’ Conference Room.  Also in attendance was the Council President.

Projects Scheduled For 2022: Brookside Renovations are going well with expected completion in October.  Action continues on the interior signage updating project.  Terrace level awning replacements are nearly completed.  Alternative interim usage of the Refectory space is still being considered; the return of the Refectory to be a dining facility is expected to be 2 or 3 years away.  The Herbert’s Run/ST Charles bridge support washout needs repair.  The A/C bridge units are still not working correctly and continue to be worked on by GS.  Caton Ridge building support renovations are currently underway and will be completed this fall.  Overhead water problem at the side entryway to the Chapel continues, permanent repair is delayed. 

Projects Scheduled For 2023:

• The replacement elevator for Charlestown Square is delayed until 2023.
• Renovations are planned for Herbert’s Run and the Auditorium Stage. Roof replacements for Buildings 8, and 9 (Arborside and Green Tree Court) are scheduled for 2023.

Items of Concern that need attention and new issues: Some of the roadway wood guard rails are in bad condition – an incremental approach for replacement is still being considered.

Additional lighting for the crosswalk at the East end of Brookside are being reviewed.  Recommendation to build a covered walkway from Bldg1 Medical Center entrance to the parking lot is still under consideration.  The gutter downspout problems at BR-T17, ST. Charles the Fireside Dining Area remain.  The original Charlestown buildings are experiencing window and exterior door operational issues and need repair; replacement is available on a case by case as needed basis.  Maple Terrace hallways heating and A/C is not functioning properly.  Trees overhanging the bridges are a concern and need to be trimmed or removed. There is a Black Mold problem in Courtyard Crossing.

Next scheduled meeting September 27, 2022, at the General Services Conference Room

Resident Life, Joe Carrick, Committee Co-Chair

There was no meeting in August. The month was used by the Co-Chairs as a learning and planning month. Joe also introduced Peg Buehlman, the other Co-Chair of this Committee. The next meeting will be Wednesday, September 21, at 2 PM in Brookside Classroom 2.

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

The Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (also known as the DIB) subcommittee did not meet in

August. However, our project team, which is working on developing a partnership with many of Charlestown’s’ Clubs/Groups, did meet to discuss the really good returns that we have received from a large majority of the 42 clubs/groups that we have contacted. We do thank them for their inputs.

The next step will be for us to work together with many of them in terms of publicizing their DIB-related activities and to ask them to partner with us in our future DIB events and activities.

A second project team also met to work on the planning of our own DIB event that we are titling Roots and Stories, which we plan to present in late October/early November. The idea here is to give residents a chance to share the Stories of their Roots.

The next meeting of our subcommittee will be on Friday, September 16^th at 1:00 in Brookside Classroom 1.

Safety and Security, Justine Parezo, Chair

Craig Nelson represented the Security Department. Jean Tribulski and Jim Fitzsimmons, Cochairs of the Health Department, attended as guests.
We met in small groups to assess the effectiveness of our efforts and to identify areas that needed continued or additional attention.
Themes needing attention included, increased communication, using all venues available to us, reactivation of the Fall Prevention Workgroup, and increased membership. In addition, common ground was found among groups to develop some way of measuring outcomes. Without that, we have no way of knowing whether out efforts are effective.
Our September meeting will be next Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. In Brookside, Classroom 1.

WORDS FROM MANAGEMENT

Chandra Kumar, Executive Director Charlestown Community, Inc.
Chandra discussed the E coli challenge in parts of Baltimore that the Department of Public Works is addressing. She confirmed that Charlestown is outside of that perimeter and has no problem with the water supply. However, initially Erickson could not get exact information from the Department of Public Works. Out of an abundance of caution, the decision was made to notify residents and some modifications were made for the meals of the day. Now things have returned to normal. She suggested that residents could get additional information from the Department of Public Works website, if desired.

Chandra  talked about The Fruits of Our Labor Fare scheduled for Friday, September 9^th and the

Fall Festival scheduled for the 21^st.  She encouraged residents to invite friends and family to the Fall Festival. There will be a petting zoo, pony rides for kids, a band, food trucks, a chili cook-off and a farmers market among other things.

The next topic discussed was the algae in the pond that clogs the fountain. A contract has been signed to clean out the algae with the same contractor used in prior years. The process is slow because there is wildlife in the lake that must be preserved, and the weather has not cooperated. However, the algae should dissipate within the next two to three weeks based on the treatments that are being applied.

Trimming the trees adjacent to the two large bridges that go over the nature trail is in process and, with the exception of a couple of awnings at St Charles,  the majority of the awnings on campus have been replaced.

Chandra thanked residents for their patience with the closure of Main Street while repairs were made to the pipes that were causing backups in apartments. The work at Caton Ridge is still on tap to finish the first quarter of 2023. Management has taken measures to mitigate noise, such as providing noise canceling devices and earplugs for those that wished to have them as well as quiet space if the apartment gets too loud. Resident report that the noise level is less than expected. However, there will be more noise when the exterior work is done

For grounds. We are still interviewing to fill a vacant position for a  supervisor and training manager. Once that position gets filled, we have a lot of grounds work that needs to be addressed.

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS AND GUESTS:

Veronica Coleman, ST-T25, asked about the idea of adding pictures to a Resident Directory for the 40^th anniversary of Charlestown. Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker  said that there is a committee working on that. John Remias said that a subcommittee of Resident Life was looking into the possibility of using pictures of residents from My Erickson to help make the directory but there were issues about whether or not the pictures could be used and the fact that only about 5% of the listings in My Erickson have pictures. A member of the Resident Life Committee said they were looking to get more people on my Erickson and to get more pictures on my Erickson because compared to a lot of the other Erickson properties, we have a much lower response rate in the use of my Erickson. The computer users’ group meeting in September is about helping people add their information and pictures to My Erickson. She said if residents did not have a My Erickson account, they should check with Community Resources to get registered.

Chandra Kumar said she wanted to give another update. Starting tomorrow, resident and employee focus groups will meet with the architects working on the renovation plans for the historic district of Charlestown. Due to space limitations, the original groups include about 100 people. She thanked the Residents’ Council for their help in identifying  the original group but  said more focus groups will be invited in the future. There will be other opportunities to give feedback.

A Brookside resident asked if there would be a clinic for the new COVID Booster. Chandra said that there would be, but that she has not details at this time because the current focus is on flu shots. She said the process for the booster shots will be similar to the previous clinic.

President Izquierdo-Whitaker adjourned the meeting at 8:07 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Diana Dunaway
Residents’ Council Secretary