President, Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker, called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 7:02 pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. 60 association members attended including Council members, Pat Kasuda and Naomi McAfee, members of the Board of Directors. Chandra Kumar, Executive Director and Don Groves, Associate Executive Director, also attended.

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

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

Mission Moments

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

Mission Moment: Keeping Us Up to Date

Dick Crebs recommends Charlie Eichenlaub for Mission Moment recognition for his six years of tracking Evergreen Topics. You may wonder what an Evergreen Topic is. It involves your memory and current information.

Even if you tune in to the 972 Administration Updates you may forget. That is why you need Evergreen Topics. They are reoccurring topics Charlie Eichenlaub has taken the responsibility to maintain and update periodically. Charlie checks content with Staff Managers for accuracy before submitting them to the Sunburst or the cci.charlestown.org website.

Just go to the website, click on Search, and type in Evergreen. There you see Charlie’s work. The topics include How to get something fixed, Resident Directory, Community Resources, etc. He dates his work, so you know what is current. He is like an investigative reporter, and he has been doing it for six years. He does it for all of us.

So, when you see Charlie around, tell him “Thank you” from the whole community.

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

Old Business

None

EXECUTIVE TEAM REPORTS

 

Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker, President

The Residents’ Council is here to serve you! But to serve you better we need you to tell us what you like or do not like, what you want changed or be kept. The information you provide is of utmost importance for the success of our council. This is done most effectively through your participation in any one of our 14 committees, either as a member or as an occasional attendee.

Think of our Residents’ Association as a bee colony. A bee colony is known as a super-organism as no single bee can survive on its own. There is division of labor, and every bee must carry out their own duties and co-operate with one another for survival. The Council as a whole is the queen bee, whose responsibility is to keep the beehive growing.

The residents are the particularly important worker bees that collect the pollen, that is, the information, which is taken to the hive. The hive has many compartments, that is, the committees. The committees maintain the internal operation of the hive ensuring things are running smoothly by transforming the information into action, the “honey.”

In order for the Residents’ Council to serve you as effectively as possible, I challenge you to do your part in helping us achieve that. Share your talents, your knowledge, and your energy by participating in our committees. You can make our Charlestown community one that is as strong and cohesive as a bee colony. And do not forget “Bee” kind!

John Remias. Vice President

No Report

Diana Dunaway, Secretary

No report

Mimi O’Donnell, Treasurer

This report is saying we come as close to no report as possible. Due to the former treasurer’s and the current treasurer’s absent for the last month there have been no expenditures or income. Therefore, our balance in the account is $5,492.48 which is no change from the previous month. There will be activity at the next meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Benevolent Care, Carol Kefford

The Benevolent Care Committee met on September 28, 2022

Patti announced that Lisa Zehring has accepted a new position at Maryland Therapeutic Riding Center. The committee expressed their appreciation for all of her work and wished her success in the future. Patti presented the following updates:

• BCF Campaign – $62,000 came in September (Benevolent Care month) in cash, checks, credit card donations. (This does not include the monthly donors).
• 2022 Telethon – The Telethon was a great success thanks to the participation of so many staff, residents, vendors and 100% of the Charlestown Board of Directors. It is a mammoth undertaking and a great way for all residents to enjoy and participate. As of the meeting the Telethon had raised $114,000. This could increase as there are a few vendors still

•       Other activities:

• Sustaining Donor Reception on August 31
• ELLIC presentation on September 20,
• Pop-Up Sale – well attended and made over $2,000. A coat sale made about $400
• BCF Tables were staffed by committee members throughout the month

•       Upcoming Activities:

• Year-end giving to BCF (including planned gifts).
• Treasure Sale will be October 27-29^th.
• Winter Putter land is coming back in February
• Estate Planning seminar on October 5 presented by

All of these activities provide financial support for residents needing assistance Total needed this year will be close to 1.4 million.

Next meeting is October 26^th, at 2:00pm in Charlestown Square classroom, 116.

Communications, Larry Taylor, Co-Chair

Wi-FiWi-Fi is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for wireless networking and allow nearby devices to exchange data by radio waves. Wireless local area networks (WLAN) are widely used in the world to link laptop computers, tablet co... READ MORE Issues (currently Printers are the biggest concerns), Web connectivity and stability. Outage on September 15th was caused by a Generator failure. Electrical wiring behind the Generator caused the problem. Myrone Foster (Erickson’s Site Support Manager). Note it takes additional time to get an Electrician on Site. The electrical wiring was repaired, and Wi-Fi service was re-established.

Site Support Manager Myrone Foster & 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 Technician Dennis Scurry attended the Committee Meeting. Per Myrone he is adding a second Technician – Alex. Myrone also noted that he is working to improve the time it takes on Resident Service calls to the 800 number.

Evergreen Topics is available on the ccicharlestown.org website.

Survey Committee reported on the Survey Scheduling. The proposed schedule is – Charlestown Holleran Survey, then Photo Directory Survey, followed by the Communication Survey. Residents are Encourage to take part and use the MyErickson Resident Directory. There is a need for Residents to add or update their picture to their profile.

Ongoing Discussion of the “NEW” Sunburst availability. Greg Johnson spoke and was adding fifty copies

to each Service desk. Also, the Sunburst can be requested to be emailed by our Residents and is posted to both MyErickson and ccicharlestown.org

Charlestown Admin has stated that the – TV Studio is in the process of moving toward higher resolution for its channels. There is no quick fix to do this. Everyone is aware of the issue and money has been budgeted to make it happen. This process will also allow for TV distribution to accommodate Digital Closed Captioning.

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). Communications Committee input on website content and utilization included: updates to include a gallery of pictures from the Caribbean Social, from Fruits of Our Labor and, pictures were added to the Club pages. The question was asked, “what else can we put in the ccicharlestown.org help files?”

The committee also request a CCI-Communications Google Group and discussed how best to use this to facilitate resident participation.

A question from our Council President asked if zoom is the only way to attend the Communication Committee meetings. It was noted that residents could visit with others in their apartment who are zooming the meeting. Also, the success of the Zoom meeting has been exceptionally good. Our Zoom meetings also allow our Admin Staff to attend easier.

Our next meeting will be 2 PM October 24th by ZOOM.

Conservation, Mark Buehlman Chair

At our September meeting we covered different topics, but we are focusing on a couple of key areas, recycling/reuse, and the Charlestown Strategic plan.

Charlestown is fortunate to have dedicated volunteers working on recycling and reuse. We are discussing making the group a standing sub-committee. We feel this will allow us to support them more effectively and provide them better access to administration and staff.

We are also working to ensure that clear, quantifiable sustainability goals are included in the Charlestown Strategic Planning process.

Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 18^th, in BR1. Everyone is welcome.

Dining Services, Mary Lee Seaman, Chair

The Dining Services Committee met on Monday, September 19^th at 1:30 in CTS 116. There were twenty-one in attendance including Doug Brown, Staffing, Training and Development Manager.

Bean Robotics will be at the Fireside on Thursday and Friday, September 22^nd & 23^rd to begin the eight- week pilot program for Robot assisted service.

The breakfast café is open and running. It will be open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In addition to breakfast items, coffee, and tea the café will offer fresh fruits and vegetables. Voting for the naming of the café will end on September 23^rd. Hope Tilman requested a copy of the café menu so she can include it on CCICharlestown.org. Question was raised if we would be able to use our meal of the day at the café. Doug responded that is being discussed.

The taste test for the “in-house” seasoning blend is complete and will be coming to tables in the next few weeks.

Staffing is at a satisfactory level, no shortage in servers, in need of three cooks. Dining Services continues to hold monthly interviews.

New servers receive and in-depth orientation plus ten days training in the restaurant. They must meet certain benchmarks to be certified by Doug.

Finance Committee, John Yoder, Chair (Report read by Diana Dunaway)

The Finance Committee met on September 27, 2022, with committee members, Finance Director Gladstone James, and Analyst Jill Clippenger.

Since this was the first time, we received the monthly report in the new, dashboard format, extra time was allocated to explanation of each of the dashboard graphs. The more traditional, detailed report will be presented quarterly. Highlights include:

• An unanticipated $2.7 million were received from the CARES Act in August thus providing a significant boost to the YTD positive net income.
• Percentage of billed occupancy in Independent Living is slightly above budgeted projections (92.2% actual vs 92.1% budgeted). Continuing Care billed occupancy is 8% above budget.
• Sales in Independent Living, YTD, is 10 units higher than budget while releases are 6 units above
• There are 93 open positions as of 8//3, community This is roughly on par with open positions pre-pandemic.
• Twenty-one residents were on Benevolent Care as of the end of

As announced, the PNC financial workshop will be on October 5. Members are urged to spread the word.

Social Security will publish its Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) in mid-October. It is expected to be in excess of 8%. Though not yet determined, it is likely that the increase in Charlestown’s fee increase will be comparable if not a bit higher. John Yoder and Gladstone James will prepare an analysis to be published in the November issue of the Sunburst.

The next meeting of the Finance Committee will be on October 25, 2022, at 9:00 A.M. in Brookside 1

Grounds Committee, Mike Rose, Chair

• BR107, outside grounds still needs landscaping – somehow this was not on the schedule for
• Uneven terrain at the Garden Plots needs There are long range plans for this whole area (bocce court, golf green, etc.) to address safety, etc.
• Arborside paving and railing is due for an
• Several areas at Charles need attention.
• The ongoing algae problem at the lake is being addressed but with
• The Edgewood Garden area is weeded monthly but remains a
• Two lampposts remain scheduled for repair/painting.
• The Grounds contractor (Ruppert) will be tasked to water the grass surrounding the Charles generator.
• It was the opinion of the Grounds Staff (and I agree) that the Administration is not in favor of installing an access point in the surrounding fence to reach the Shortline Trail.
• There was a discussion on how to encourage residents to not allow their dogs to use the areas close to the buildings. One of the suggestions was for a surcharge on dog owners to help pay for repair/replacement of damaged areas

Health and Wellness, Jean Tribulski, Co-Chair

The Health and Wellness Committee met Tuesday, September 13, 2022.

Dean Crawford answered questions from the members and emails received. In response to a concern about how residents were or were not following COVID quarantine instructions he said that when a resident tested positive, they were given written instructions that were verbally reinforced. Signs were put on their doors, and some chose not to follow because of their memory problems or personal beliefs. Residents that are concerned should notify the social worker for the building in which the non- compliant resident lives. Another question was about the loss of the orthopedic coverage. St. Agnes is undergoing restructuring and Charlestown is meeting with them and is in negotiations about new specialists. An announcement is near on the new orthopedist. The medical center is developing guidelines for depression and alcoholism screening.

Old Business dealt with the issue of pre-admission screening and concerns that people were being admitted to independent living with problems that were more suited to assisted living. Carolyn Fair reported that Charlestown must comply with the American Disability ACT (ADA) and the Fair Housing laws. Concerns should be addressed to Resident Services Manager Lisa Roeder.

The committee goals for 2022-2023 are 1. Provide four medication disposal events. The first medicine disposal event with liquids include was held on January 26 with over 120 residents participating. The only problem with the liquids was the disposal of eye drops since they only come out of the container one drop at a time. We did have a pair of heavy shears that we could cut off the drop tip. Continuing with our goals 2. Assign liaisons to the Safety and Security Committee, 3. Continue liaisons with Wilton Overlook and Caton Woods.

The next meeting is Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 11:00 am in classroom BR 1.

Housekeeping, Sebastian Petix, Chair

Our committee met on 9/23/2022.

It was reported that storage room cleanouts and bicycle inventory is complete. Waiting to hear from Greg Johnson to confirm.

Concerns were expressed about:

• contractor debris outside apartments being renovated and on Facilities coordinator will be contacted to follow up.
• Shopping carts not being returned in a timely fashion is a Residents are urged to do so and also place notes on carts to remind neighbors to do likewise if carts are blocking hallways or left behind.
• All residents are urged to participate in our housekeeping committee’s goal to survey the cleanliness and aesthetic aspects of our indoor spaces by maintaining contact with management through CCIworkorders@Erickson.com.

Legislative/Political, Pat Payne, Chair

The Legislative/Political Committee met on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at 10:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1. The minutes of the August 10, 2022, meeting were approved. The major focus of the meeting was candidate forums for the General Election to be held on November 8, 2022.

STATEWIDE – Despite repeated attempts, there was no response from the Wes Moore (D) campaign. We have not contacted the Dan Cox (R) campaign because we do not hold forums for only one candidate as we are nonpartisan.

 

OFFICE CANDIDATE TAPING DATE/TIME County Executive John Olszewski, Jr. (D) 10.4.22 @ 4:30 pm Pat McDonough (R) 10.4.22 @ 3:00 pm House of Delegates 44A Eric Ebersole (D) 10.3.22 @ 3:00 pm Joseph Hooe (R) 10.5.22 @ 3:00 pm County Council District 1 Pat Young (D) 10.6.22 @ 3:00 pm Albert Nalley (R) 10.7.22 @ 1:00 pm

COUNTY OFFICES – All the invited candidates for key County offices agreed to be interviewed. Thirty- minute interviews are scheduled for the following candidates as shown below:

These interviews will be shown on 972 and will be available on 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. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

• COUNTY EXECUTIVE: What does the candidate think is the most important issue to solve? What are the three most important challenges the county faces? Does the candidate believe the County Council should be expanded beyond the current number of one Councilperson per district?
• COUNTY COUNCIL: Use the same questions for the executive that we use for the council. Ask the candidates to share their perspective on the role of the Does the candidate support expanding the number of council members per district? What is the role of the Council in ensuring the water supply stays safe?
• GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Does the candidate support Rank Choice Voting. What does the Legislature need to do about the impact climate change. The budgeting process has been changed to give the legislature more influence in budgeting. In the past, the legislature could only subtract from the budget the Governor What will change now that the legislature can add appropriations?

SAGA OF MAIDEN CHOICE LANE: Bill Miller, Committee member, described the problems the County has experienced with the contractor adding a water line on Maiden Choice Lane. The project is a year behind schedule. There was a bankruptcy of the first contractor, a theft of equipment ($80,000 of equipment stolen), and the fire hydrants that were installed had to be dug up and replaced because a value was defective. Supply problems have delayed replacement.

Maintenance/Engineering, Gordon Piché

Our committee met on Tuesday, September 27th at 2pm, in the General Services’ Conference Room with General Services’ Kevin Crawford, Chris Caldwell and Don Hoffman. Also in attendance were the Council President and Vice President.

PROJECTS SCHEDULED FOR 2022 – Brookside Renovations are going well with expected completion by the end of the year. Action continues on the interior signage updating project. Terrace level awning replacements are completed. Alternative interim usage of the Refectory space continues; the return of the Refectory to be a dining facility will be at least 2 or 3 years away. The Herbert’s Run/ST Charles bridge support washout needs repair, engineering engaged. 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 early 2023.

PROJECTS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT YEAR 2023 – The replacement elevators for Charlestown Square and Chapel Court are delayed. Renovations are planned for Herbert’s Run and the Auditorium Stage. Roof replacements for Buildings 8 (Arborside) and 9 (Green Tree Court) are scheduled.

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 being considered. Additional lighting for the crosswalk at the East end of Brookside is 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 the Fireside Dining Area have been fixed but remain at ST. Charles. 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; residents should contact GS. Trees have been trimmed away from the Brookside/Edgewood & ST Charles/Herbert’s Run bridges. The door at the Northwest corner of Harborview leading to the swimming pool patio needs power operation as residents have trouble opening the door – GS has a quote to fix the situation. A flow meter test is in process for the proposed HVAC auto shutdown of the water system when breaks in the system occur.

Resident Life Committee – Peg Buehlman and Joe Carrick, Co-Chairs

The Resident Life Committee met with Mary Evans from the Community Resource staff in Brookside room 2 on September 21, 2022.

Mary highlighted Fruits of Our Labor, the Telethon for the Benevolent Fund, and the Pop-Up Sale. She also shared with the committee that Community Resources is discussing logistics and operations preparing for the 2023 Charlestown 40^th Anniversary. Also coming up mark your calendars for The Fall Fun Festival on Friday, October 21^st.

John Remias provided an update on the Shortline Trail and the Resident Life subcommittee DIB.

Phyl Lansing and Connie Andrews updated the committee regarding the potential for having a Resident Run/Resident Directed/Printed in House Photo Book produced during the 40^th Anniversary Year.

Pat Rudolph shared that she is reviewing “Overview of Navigating as We Age Course” that Charlestown may provide for residents in the future.

Future Resident Life meetings will include updates from The Pet Sub-Committee, Birthday Angels, Hope Tillman on using the cci website and Bill Miller sharing information from The Fall Prevention Work Group.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 19^th 2pm in Brookside Classroom 2.

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

Our last meeting of the DIB subcommittee was on September 16^th. We are planning to hold a Roots and Stories event during which we will be invited to talk about the Charlestown “Tapestry: Sharing Stories that Shaped Us,” with facilitators starting the conversations by asking seed questions about our upbringing and what factors have influenced our lives. These conversations will be held in the Conference Center on December 6^th at 10:00 a.m. and December 7^{th at} 2:00 in the afternoon.

We had a report that 32 of our clubs and groups responded to our letter asking them to partner with us in promoting our diversity events in the future. In return, we will promote any diversity-related events that they may hold. We really look forward to this partnership as we strive to achieve our mission of strengthening the bonds of diversity, inclusion and belonging in Charlestown.

Finally, in cooperation with the active support of the administration, specifically Chandra and Don, we will now begin planning for a Joint DIB Council – residents and staff – here. Up to now, we have operated on a separate basis – a Residents DIB subcommittee and a Staff DIB Council. The plan now will be to have nine residents and six staff as members of this new Joint Council. This approach will allow us to operate in a more unified, residents and staff together, way.

Our next DIB subcommittee meeting will be on October 21^st in Brookside 1. All are welcome.

Safety and Security, Justine Parezo, Chair

At last month’s meeting, Craig Nelson attended for the Security Department. As I have said in the past, our job is to pass on resident concerns to management and pass on issues of concern to management to you. As we learn new information, we pass that on to you, as well. For example, a resident attended as a guest to inform us that his wife had fallen and broken her ankle when exiting the shower. He attributed this to the lack of a grab bar in a critical location. We learned, and shared with him, that by getting a referral letter from his wife’s doctor, he could arrange for a free safety evaluation of his apartment by a physical therapist.

Another resident had reported an emergency exit blocked by stacks of chairs. We reported that to General Services and they responded by clearing it out quickly.

Our next Safety and Security meeting will be on October 11^st in Brookside 2.

Pat Rudolph

As many of you know, Charlestown board of directors has two resident members, Naomi McAfee and Pat Kasuda, introduced to you earlier in the meeting. Naomi McAfee has served on the board of directors for 13 years. Because she decided to step down, residents were asked to submit names of prospective candidates to replace her. So far, the nominating committee has received 35 recommendations, but 17 said no. I hope to get more applications. If you, or someone you know. would make a suitable candidate, there is still time to apply. The deadline for submissions is Friday,

October 7. This community has some amazingly talented, experienced people and this job is a job worth doing.

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS AND GUESTS:

Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker introduced Chandra Kumar, Executive Director of Charleston and Don Grove, Associate Director. Chandra thanked the residents that participated in the focus groups that talked about long range planning. She said the architects are working to develop options based on the feedback received. When more information is available residents will be consulted. One option being explored is a sit- down dinning venue for the historic area. The timeline discussed is two to three years

COVID numbers are up slightly but the medical centers reports that cases have been minimal. There are 22 cases of COVID campus wide, 17 in independent living and five in continuing care, plus five employees tested positive. The COVID clinic for the booster shot will be October 11 for continuing care and October 12^th for independent living. Residents will receive time assignments next week but can get times reassigned by calling Resident Life.

About 1500 residents have already received their flu shots.

Chandra encouraged participation in the residents’ satisfaction survey which runs from October 3 through the 31^st. The survey is available online and paper copies are available at the front desks. There is plenty of room for verbatims. People who take the survey are eligible to participate in a raffle with various prizes.

Administration is still exploring the feasibility of opening access to the Shortline trail. However, there are security and safety concerns that need to be addressed.

Based on residents’ requests, a contract is in place to refinish the floors in the locker rooms for the pool. A more expansive refresh will take place late.

Neighbor chats with the executive team have been expanded to include Wilton Overlook and Caton Woods

Chandra introduced Don Groves, Associate Director, to answer questions.

A question was asked about why the lights in the parking lots went out last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Don said he could not remember the technical details but that it was an electrical problem that was fixed Monday morning and should not reoccur.

Sebastian Petix Expressed a concern about the fact that sometimes the water in his apartment goes off and back on with not notice or explanation. He said he thought it was caused by the contractors working in his building. Don said the outage should be planned and residents notified. He said he would look into the issue.

There were no further questions, but Naomi McAfee had a comment about the fact that so few people are interested in applying for a position on the Charlestown Board of Directors.

President Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker adjourned the meeting at 8:08 p.m. Respectfully submitted,

Diana Dunaway
Residents’ Council Secretary