President, Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker, called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 3:00 pm on Tuesday 08/01/2023. 90 association members attended including Council members, Pat Kasuda and Naomi McAfee, Resident Director on the Board of Directors and ex-officio Director, respectively. Also, Executive Director Don Grove, Associate Executive Director Leslie Johnson, General Services Director Jason Spivey, Dining Director Ken Zahn, Finance Director Gladstone James, CTV Coordinator Amber Fisher, and 972 Coordinator Kevin Hartke.

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

Mission Moment – Always on a Mission
Ed Appel recommends Mission Moment recognition for Howie and Sara Nixon for their positive contribution to the well-being of the Charlestown Community. Howie and Sara are deserving of recognition for their tireless work on behalf of Charlestown, and especially the Benevolent Fund. Howie’s furniture section crew at the Treasure Sale helped to contribute greatly to its success. The sale had its most successful third quarter ever by $590. Sara can be seen at all hours organizing and delivering treasures. Neither of the two seem satisfied unless they are running serving us all. They are kind, energetic, patient and stand out for their caring work. Thank You, Howie, and Sara for your generosity of time!

Mission Moment—Reclaiming a Bare Spot
Gloria Palladi and Donna Martin recommend Mission Moment recognition for Betsy Conlon. As residents of Arborside (Building 8) they are enjoying the flower garden Betsy created in a bare space under the bridge from Charlestown Square to Arborside. In her first attempt last year the deer enjoyed the plants she provided. This year Betsy is prevailing with her plant choices and consistent care in the early morning and late afternoons. Residents and butterflies enjoy Betsy’s efforts in claiming that formerly bare spot. Thank you, Betsy for your vision, responsibility, and caring for our environment.

If you observe these values in action among Charlestown residents, please let the Mission Moment Committee know. Send your recommendations to Phyl Lansing, Chair. See her contact information in the Resident Directory.

Old Business
Minutes of June 6, 2023, were approved as amended; Minutes of July 6, 2023 were approved as were the minutes of the Special Zoom meeting of July 21, 2023.

EXECUTIVE TEAM REPORTS

Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker, President
Today marks my last Council meeting as President. It’s hard to believe a year can go so fast! And what a year it has been! Many have said, “the Council doesn’t do anything; why should I bother with it?” I set out to prove that the Residents’ Council DOES DO THINGS! We believe we

accomplished many positive things and will continue to do so. Whether you emailed me or stopped me in the hallways to compliment what the Council was doing made me very happy. I have been truly honored and humbled by your confidence in me and your support. In my last message as President in the August 2023 issue of the Sunburst, I expressed my feelings, so I won’t repeat myself, except to say that I have been blessed with a wonderful team, who has challenged me, allowed me the freedom to spread my wings and supported me along our journey together during my year as President. Because of them every step taken has made some progress in making Charlestown a better place. I hope you agree. THANK YOU, CHARLESTOWN—THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Stay abreast of news at CCICharlestown.org! Notify the webmasters of any changes/updates/additions when needed.

Report on Residents’ Council Special Meeting via ZOOM on July 21^st
The Residents’ Council met in a special session via ZOOM on July 21st at 11 AM called by the President. The meeting was to discuss and consider a joint request submitted by the Legislative/Political Safety & Security Committees. The request contained four recommendations that the Committees wanted the Residents’ Council to submit to the Board of Directors at their meeting with the Council in mid-August.

There was considerable discussion for each of the 4 proposed recommendations. Voting ensued on each item separately. The first recommendation was passed by unanimous vote. It is described in the Legislative/Political Committee’s report this afternoon. The remaining recommendations called for action by the BOD. However, it was determined that until a response was received from the BOD to the one to be submitted, they were premature to request. Thus, by majority vote, the recommendations were not accepted.

I do want to thank the Working Group who spent considerable time reviewing the new law, the Resident Handbook, and the Report on the issue of firearms from the 2019 Residents’ Council Committees to draft the recommendations. As soon as we hear the response from the BOD, we will have more to report and revisit the rejected recommendations

STAY informed! CCICHARLESTOWN.ORG — your resident-run website.

John Remias, Vice President
No Report

Diana Dunaway, Secretary
No report

Mimi O’Donnell, Treasurer
Treasurer’s Report –August 2023, 2023

June 30, 2023, Balance                       $ 8,668.38

Election of Resident Council Officers. Merci introduced the slate of officers for the Residents’ Council for the 2023-2024 term as follows:

• President – John Remias
• Vice President – Joe Carrick
• Treasurer – Diana Dunaway
• Secretary – Nancy Meier

Additional nominations were requested from the floor. As there were none, Merci announced the slate elected by acclamation.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Benevolent Care, Carol Kefford, Chair

As Carol Kefford was not in attendance, her report was read by Merci.

• July is focused on chapel
• There is a treasure sale coming up July 26 to the
• Plans for September benevolent care month. The month will start with a donor reception on August 31. The gala is on September the 22nd. They will be ice cream socials to educate about benevolent care as well as outreach or Residents who donate during September will be recognized with ribbons and cards for their doors. In honor of the 40th anniversary donors who give to the legacy society in specified amounts will have read leaves on the tree.
• Brochures will be updated to emphasize current giving and planning

There will not be a meeting in August Next meeting: Wednesday, August 23, 2023, 2:00 PM Charlestown Square RM-216

Communications, David Elder, Co-Chair

• Gregory discussed his work with ComcastThe Charlestown Comcast bulk service contract provides basic HD television in the apartments. Address your concerns to General Services. See more information about apartment television and television connections. READ MORE regarding the upgrades for End-of-Life Set top Boxes which may no longer support all Comcast/Xfinity features.
  • This project has been Fast-Tracked by Comcast, with work ongoing this week at Wilton Overlook.
  • Plans are to begin ON-SITE visits with a team of Comcast/Xfinity Technicians in Independent Living the week of August 7th. More information will be forthcoming on this.
  • The July Evergreen Topics have been distributed by email and are posted to the CCI- Charlestown website, CCICharlestown.org
  • Increasing awareness of org. was discussed by Hope Tillman.
  • Promotion of CCI Communications Email Chat was discussed
  • Encouraging Residents to use the Residents Council Communication Form as a last resort if the available [MyErickson] Work Order system does not resolve your issue, or you have other unresolved issues.

  Communications Committee 2022/2023 Annual Report:

  The Communications Committee is charged with helping meet the information needs of the community. Media include Email, Website [CCICharlestown.org], Channel 972, The NEW Sunburst, Bulletin board postings, and campus mail are employed to reach residents.

  2022/2023 saw MANY advances in the Communications Resources available to Charlestown Residents:

  • Erickson Corporate IT staff provided updates on the progress of the Charlestown ConnectConnect or Charlestown or Erickson Connect Network is the name for the local telephone and Wi-Fi system at Charlestown. READ MORE 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 upgrade project and worked to add ON-SITE Technical Support for Residents & Staff.
  • The Communications Committee provided ongoing assistance to Residents experiencing Wi-Fi and power issues on the 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.
  • General Services initiated the improved Alert Media system to provide granular notification of Charlestown Campus emergency conditions.
  • General Services has ALSO upgraded the Acuity Life Safety Communications
  • The Sunburst publication was taken completely in-house, including

  The Communications Committee assisted Residents with training on the new and updated media, provided information on the Sunset of 3G Cellphone Service, resumed the Monthly Chat ZOOM Sessions.

  Administration, led by Gregory Johnson began meaningful communications with Comcast/Xfinity which has fast-tracked the upgrade of End-of-Life Resident Set-Top boxes with current equipment that will support our recent HD Comcast Upgrades for 971 & 972.

  The Website Subcommittee, with its resident web team, continues to make the CCICharlestown.org website easy to use for residents. Keeping it up to date is a never-ending process. Webhosting has been renewed for the next five years with the support of the Residents’ Council.

  Next Communications Committee meeting is 2 PM, AUGUST 28th, 2023, by ZOOM.

  Conservation, Mark Buehlman Chair

  At our July meeting Melvin Bonaparte, Charlestown’s’ Assistant Housekeeping Manager, went over the new three-a-week trash pickup. If you haven’t read your cubby notice, starting August 28th trash will be picked up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in all buildings. The recycling collection schedule will continue to vary by building. While there aren’t environmental advantages to this new schedule, it should increase convenience for residents and reduce the need to put trash in common area trash cans.

  There have been some recent newspaper articles discussing how poorly, in general, worldwide plastic recycling is done. Marty Tewksbury, who heads our recycling sub-committee, spoke with his contact at Waste Management about this issue. He was reassured that not only does Waste Management continue to accept all plastics from number 1 to number 7, but they also continue to have markets for their plastic material.

  We are working with the Charlestown Senior Leadership Team to start three Sustainability Working Teams. Initially they will focus on sustainable grounds, sustainable dining, and sustainable transportation at Charlestown. Each team will include a Charlestown staff person from the appropriate department and the focus will be on developing readily achievable, cost effective, sustainable solutions for several issues. This is another example of how the Charlestown Senior Leadership listens, cares, and responds to resident concerns.

  There has been Council discussion about developing a statement on sustainability to include in the Council Policy and Procedures Manual. In July, the Conservation Committee drafted and approved a statement that will be presented to the Council for adoption at the next Working Session as follows: “As a Council, we are committed to fostering a sustainable future through thoughtful actions and decisions. We prioritize the conservation of natural resources and strive to create a resilient and thriving community that harmonizes with nature for generations to come. Each Committee will record their sustainable accomplishments and will include them in their end of year report.

  There will be no August meeting and our next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 2:00 pm in Brookside Classroom 1.

  Dining Services, Mary Lee Seaman, Chair
  The committee discussed renaming of the bi-monthly meeting with the restaurants GMs and teams. A vote was taken and the new name for these meetings will be the Resident/Restaurant Discussion. This will be effective beginning with the October meetings (October 4).

  While the number of QR Code responses is more than had been received on the comment cards, the number is still low in comparison to the number of residents. The committee will work with Dining Services to promote the use of the QR codes.

  The Erickson Living Seasoning is now on sale at the Short Line Café.

  Since this is my last report as Chair, I would like to highlight some of the accomplishment in Dining Service this year:

  • The re-launch of Signature
  • Theme Nights – 3 per month
  • Launch of Net Menu which impacted the accuracy of MyNutrition
  • Dietary Guides at each
  • The Carb and Heart Smart Guide, which is only here at Charlestown
  • QR Codes for feedback which is “real time” feedback which goes to Ken Zahn and Don Grove
  • Hospitality Training for leaders and staff, continued leadership classes to improve operation
  • Healthier Choice menu items on all menus which increased menu by 3-4 items per venue
  • Offering of plain vegetables

  Finally, I would like to thank the members of the dining services committee for their dedication.

  No Meeting in August. Next Meeting: Monday, September 18, 2023, 1:30-2:30 PM, Charlestown Square RM-116

  Finance Committee, John Yoder, Chair
  The Finance Committee met on July 25, 2023, and reviewed the quarterly Financial Report. highlights are:

  • Occupancy June 30, 2023, actual:
    • Independent Living 6%
    • Assisted Living 7%
    • Memory Care 8%
    • Skilled Nursing 4%
    • For the quarter ending June 30, operating income (revenue minus expenses) continues to be above budget. Non-operating income (investments) is also above budget due to markets beginning to rebound.
    • In discussion about the difference between reporting a count of residents versus billable units the committee was reminded that while the count of residents may be of interest to some, it is not a financial driver since it doesn’t account for double occupancies. Finance reports percentage of “billable units” occupied which is what drives revenue. The total number of units (apartments) available at Charlestown will continue to decrease over time as smaller units are combined to meet the demand for larger ones.
    • As of June 30, there were 13 residents receiving Benevolent Care Funds (BCF). YTD inflow to BCF was $722.453 (including $300,000 from the BCF investment fund) and an outflow of $630,492.
    • The Finance Committee plans to be in conversation with other Council committees and administration to discuss sustainability.

    Grounds Committee, Mike Rose, Chair
    The Grounds Committee met on Tuesday, July 27, 2023, with Mike Rose presiding and from the staff, Kevin Crawford and Courtney Baker, Grounds Department. Topics covered were:

    • Trees in back of Shortline Courtney said he will trim them.
    • The administration has proposed a mini dog area outside of St.
    • Red buds in Courtyard need
    • The Catalpa tree at Charlestown Square is being watched by
    • Sue Hodcap proposes to write an article for Sunburst concerning protecting plants against deer.
    • The Residents Council needs to address the deep problem with administration. Mike will follow through with \Replace or refinish benches and place some where needed.
    • Suggest using crusher run instead of
    • Bridge footer repair plan has been
    • There was a question concerning the wall near Building

    This was Mike Rose’s last meeting as Chair of the Grounds Committee, and we thank him.

    Health Services, Jean Tribulski, Co-Chair
    Our July meeting was pleased to have Lisa Roeder, Resident Services Manager, as a guest to speak on Suicide Awareness. Her message was to alleviate guilt over a friend or neighbor attempt or loss to suicide. She suggested when you do not see a neighbor and fear their withdrawal invite them in for a chat or cup of coffee and ask how they are doing.

    Medication Disposal was held Monday, July 17 at both the Fireside and Cross Creek lobbies. We are still having problems with sharps (needles, syringes lancets, etc.) they are not accepted. You may call Housekeeping for a sharp container delivered to your door and call for pick-up when full. If you know a neighbor is using injections, ask if they have a sharps disposal container.

    In addition, you must not leave medications when no one is monitoring the collection table. We have both officers from Charlestown Security and the Baltimore County Police Department to secure the collection tables.

    The August meeting is cancelled.

    The next Health Services meeting will be on September 11 at 11:00 am in BR classroom 1.

    Residents’ Council-Health Services Committee- 2022-2023-Annual Report James Fitzsimmons, Co-Chairperson, Jean Tribulski, Co-Chairperson
    The Health Services Committee set three goals for the 2022-2023 year.

    • Goal 1. Provide for four medication disposal events. The committee met this goal by holding events in October, January, April, and July in co-operation with Charlestown Security and the Baltimore County Police Department. The events were held simultaneously between 1- 3 pm at the Cross Creek and Fireside lobbies. The collection tables were staffed by volunteers from the committee a Security and County police officer. The County Police removes the medication to an incinerator for disposal thus eliminating the medications from ending up in the waterways. For an environmental accomplishment. This year was the first year a collection of liquid medications was introduced with disposal into cat litter which has been collected by the Housekeeping Department.
    • Goal 2. Assign liaisons to the Safety and Security Committee. This goal was achieved by the previous liaison, Louise Dempsey, asking to continue into the 2022-2023 One or both Health Services Co-Chairs also attended the meetings.
    • Goal 3Continuing liaisons with Continuing Care and Independent Living and Home Health. Pat Kasuda and Louise Dempsey have shared the scheduled Liaison duties and presented written and verbal reports to the committee. Carol Jones was the liaison to Home Health, which had only one meeting this year due to an open position in Home Health leadership. Both Carol Jones and Jean Tribulski attended that meeting and verbally reported at our July meeting.

    Additional Activities.
    Co-Chairperson Jim Fitzsimmons has been working on a listing of organizations and private entities that provide services to assist residents in health care programs and devices. A booklet with the listings and contact information will be kept in the library.

    Dr. Mickey Pelczar presents a written monthly report on infectious diseases from the CDC. We also have had several other speakers to present to our committee; Mr. Dean Crawford has come to two meetings; Lisa Roeder spoke to the committee on suicide awareness and Mohamed Jalloh is scheduled for our September meeting.

    Housekeeping, Sebastian Petix
    The housekeeping committee did not meet in August. Committee members reported issues as usual to me via email and to cciworkorders@erickson.com. Housekeeping Manager Michelle Fenn invited Residents’ Council members to accompany inspectors on their monthly tours. There were positive responses to this, which will be a monthly recurrence. All residents are encouraged to report issues using cciworkorders@erickson.com. The issue of window washing was addressed to management which did not yet have a firm date in August to report.

    Our next meeting is September 18 at 10 AM in BR 1.

    Legislative/Political, Patricia Payne, Co-Chair
    The major events of the year 2022-2023 for the Legislative/Political Committee were the primary and general elections held for all Statewide offices in Maryland including:

    • Governor,
    • Attorney General,
    • Comptroller
    • S. Senator. As well as and Congressional and local offices including:
    • 7th District Congressional Representative
    • Baltimore County Executive
    • Baltimore County Council member, and
    • Members of the General Assembly
  • The goal of the Legislative/Political Committee was to ensure that as much information about the candidates for these positions was available to the residents of Charlestown. This was the first election held after Maryland’s redistricting process. This meant that the residents of Charlestown were voting in a new legislative district located entirely within Baltimore County.
  • The Committee conducted TV 972 interviews with both the Republican and Democratic candidates for the offices of County Executive (John Olszewski, Jr., and Pat McDonough), County Council District 1 (Pat Young and Albert Nalley) and House of Delegates District 44A (Eric Ebersole and Joe Hooe) which were shown on TV regularly during the campaign season.
  • The Committee created a sub-committee to investigate the feasibility of introducing Ranked Choice Voting in An ELLIC course on Ranked Choice Voting will be offered on this topic in fall 2023.
  • Based on resident concerns, the Committee Chair and other members met with the newly elected Baltimore County Council Member, District 1, Pat Young to discuss the repaving of Maiden Choice Lane and sewage spills taking place at Charlestown. In addition, support was expressed for including Charlestown in plans for expanding Baltimore County free circulator service.
  • The Committee sponsored Zoom meetings with Charlestown residents the members of the Maryland General Assembly (House of Delegate member Eric Ebersole, District 44A and Sheila Ruth and Aletheia McCaskill, District 44B as well State Senator Charles E. Sydnor) both before and after the 2023 General Assembly session. The goal was to ensure maximum resident input and information sharing about the workings of the Maryland General Assembly. The representatives from 44B were invited since they represent the area adjacent to Charlestown.
  • During the General Assembly Session 2023 the Committee tracked 46 pieces of legislation, 13 of which were signed into law.
  • The Gun Safety Act of 2023 as amended and passed by the General Assembly, has significant implications for Charlestown. The Committee reviewed this new law in consultation with the Safety and Security Committee and made recommendations to the Residents’ Council regarding its implementation in July 2023.

  No Meeting in August. Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 13, 2023, 10:00 am in Brookside Classroom 1

  Maintenance/Engineering, Gordon Piche’
  I just completed my daily walk around and to my surprise and delight, the signage down Building seven corridor has finally been updated! The sign by the elevator near the Terrace Cafe replaced and looks correct. The sign long missing at the intersection of Building 8 down the corridor toward Building 7 is now in place – FINALLY! I can leave my job next month and feel good about it!

  2023 M&E Projects

  • Most Black top A/C bridge units are still not working
  • Herbert’s Run renovations progressing as scheduled
  • Interior Signage project –new correct signs have arrived
  • Caton Ridge Renovations to finish this fall
  • Dust in apartments and hallways from various situations needs resolving Next Meeting: August 22., at 2pm in the General Services Conference Room

  Resident Life, Nancy Meier, Co-Chair; Joe Carrick, Co-Chair
  Matt Dougherty, Director of Sales & Marketing was invited to the meeting because committee members have had questions in the past about perceived changes in the admission process. Matt provided the members with the process and the requirements which include both financial and the interview process. Applicants need to have resources that sustain them for 35 months of continuing care fees plus

  1.4 incomes to monthly service package ratio. The applicant also goes through an interview process with Resident Services to determining independently for living in independent living.

  • Community Resources provided the Committee with the upcoming activities as
    • On August 17 at 1:30 in the Auditorium there will be a Fruits of our Labor planning session for all resident group and club leaders and co-leaders.
    • Calling all card players: Continuing Care is in need for IL card players, so think about helping our neighbors in Continuing Care.
  • The DIB subcommittee had another significant event on July 25th. This time it was on the subject of ageism. This training session focused on how to embrace growth and shatter stereotypes on The event filled all the allotted spaces in the Gallery. The DIB subcommittee will be holding future sessions on ageism.
  • Two concerns were brought up at the
    • The first concern was on the pool. A member brought up the concern that the change from chlorine to saltwater in the pools is affecting hair and swimsuit discoloration. The Committee discussed this concern with Teresa Reymann- Curran about the change and she told us that the pool has always been a saltwater pool. With a saltwater pool saline and chlorine are combined. Teresa also discussed this issue with the resident who had this She mentioned that there have been a few occurrences over the years but never because chemicals were not balanced.
    • The other concern was dogs and the owners allowing the dogs to go anywhere on the outside grounds. This has been an issue for a long time. I ask all dog owners to do the right thing and follow the guidance provided on pages 14 and 64 and 65 of the resident handbook. If your dog poops you got to scoop!

  Resident Life Committee Annual Report. The Resident Life Committee examines all aspects of community living to support pleasant, productive, and harmonious living. Highlights during 2022-2023 include:

  • Started the discussion on Fall Prevention at Charlestown which is now an active
  • Revised the resident information magnet to include department names and phone
  • Provided Administration with resident’s concern about a Charlestown access to the Short Line This concern led administration to not moving forward on the access point.
  • Efforts on off-campus transportation led to the dropping of the $5 trip fee by the Charlestown Administration.
  • Brought the Baltimore County Ride and Maryland Mobility Program Managers to Charlestown to speak about their programs. They provided a tutorial on how to register for these programs. These off-campus transportation options provide a more affordable option for residents off campus These Programs have seen an increase in Charlestown ridership.
  • Supported the Pet Group subcommittee collection of animal supplies and food which was donated to the Baltimore County animal This is a quarterly event.
  • Supported the Pet Group subcommittee efforts in bringing veterinarians to Charlestown monthly.
  • Supported the Birthday Angels subcommittee efforts to change the birthday balloon to a birthday ribbon
  • The Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) subcommittee conducted three very successful and popular Tapestry Tapestry is a program where residents share the stories that shaped them.
  • The DIB subcommittee Ageism Project Team conducted their first ever Disrupt Ageism Training Session on July 25, 2023.

  There will be no meeting in August. Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 20, 2023. 2:00 PM in Brookside Classroom 2

  Safety and Security, Justine Parezo, Chair
  I am Louise Dempsey, a longtime member of the Safety and Security Committee, and I am happy to have the opportunity to share with you some of the many accomplishments of our committee over the last Council year. We had set goals for a two-year period to educate residents about issues related to safety and security, and to assist the Security Department in familiarizing residents with related procedures. We wrote articles about how to avoid scams and fraud, utilize pendants, and react to fire and other emergencies. We published articles in The Sunburst, posted them on our committee’s web page, and publicized issues in various ways on 972. We also participated in community-wide events to reduce residents’ exposure to harm, and we informed Security and the Administration about issues of concern as they were brought to our attention by residents. We manned tables at the Fruits of our Labor and the Wellness Expo and held lotteries at both to encourage the ownership and use of safety pendants.

  Most concerns brought to our attention involved tripping hazards, inside and outside, as well as speeding vehicles and endangered pedestrians, also both inside and outside. Our voices joined with those of other residents and committees. Together we saw corrective responses from Security and other General Services Departments. We saw tripping hazards obstructed, stop signs and crosswalks illumined, white lines repainted, and many other responsive reactions by relevant General Services. We worked collaboratively and reciprocatively with Craig Nelson, Shawn White, Jason Spivey, and Jason Dennis to whom we offer our appreciation.

  There will be no Safety and Security meeting in August. We will welcome a new Chairperson to our meeting on September 12, 2023, 1 p.m., Brookside Classroom 1.

  Nominating and Elections, John Yoder, Co-Chair
  The Nomination and Election committee has been working hard since January and is pleased to present the following 12 candidates for election on August 9, 2023.

  Ed Appel
  Peggy Carey
  Connie Cooney
  Jerry Donaldson
  Nancy Fayer
  Betsy Granek
  Arthur Johnson
  Stephanie Leddy
  Jacquelyn Lucy
  Catherine Stevens
  Margaret Vincent
  Richard VoelkelCandidate information has been posted in each restaurant area and more detailed bios and short video recordings by each candidate are available on CCICharlestown. We believe the slate of candidates is a strong one and we encourage all Charlestown residents to turn out and vote on Election Day, August 9, 2023.

  Special thanks to all those who served on the Committee and thanks in advance for those who will be working at the polling stations and as vote counters on Election Day.

  COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS AND GUESTS:

  Merci introduced Don Grove, Charlestown Executive Director, who gave an administration update.

  Don referenced his vacation last week and told a story about walking into his office and finding

  a note from a resident that started “Dear Don, living in Charlestown gives me a feeling of security, more than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Thankfully, that’s why I’m here.”

  Don went on to report our Fitch Ratings was updated to A minus which is a good thing. Fitch Ratings is a leading provider of credit ratings. He said we have strong occupancy and a strong balance sheet that’s particularly impressive. He said it was great to confirm that we are sound financially and reported sales finished one settlement above goal last month.

  Don said the Residents’ Council Communications Committee has been working with Greg Johnson on Comcast issues and that starting Monday, Comcast will be going to every apartment to check the equipment and update outdated boxes. This should address some of the outstanding issues,

  An employee engagement survey begins August 7th and October 2 this year’s Hollern survey of

  residents will began and run to October 29th.

  Pat Young, our delegate for the Baltimore County area, contacted Don about joining a small group of business leaders in this area to meet once a month. Don thinks this is a good opportunity for us to get Maiden Choice paved or to address whatever issues we have.

  In closing Don thanked Merci and the council. This is his first time working with the council and said the cooperation and partnership has been great.

  Merci called for questions.

  A new resident asked two questions, The first question was about dining reservations. He heard conflicting rumors about when and how far ahead reservations could be made and asked for clarification. He was told you had to make reservations every day at 8 in the morning and that you could not make reservations in advance. He was advised that this information is incorrect. The reservation line does not open until 10 am and you can make reservations a week in advance.

  The second question was about transportation costs. He was advised that there is a $6.00 per mile transportation charge. Merci also suggested he might like to attend a Resident Life committee meeting as that committee developed a paper on alternative means of transportation.

  Another resident had a question about what is recyclable. Merci referred to the conservation committee and the posters placed around the building. There was some discussion about the supply chain and that some items shown on the recycle list were not what was actually used as the supplier substituted for what was available rather than what was ordered.

  Another resident compliment the administration update yesterday morning. Merci said the update was recorded and available on My Ericson under committee videos and encouraged everyone to listen to it.

  Veronica Coleman asked if the robot pilot project in The Fireside and Chesapeake restaurants is still being considered by the enterprise. The answer is yes.

  Merci reminded residents that the Charlestown Residents Association annual meeting is Monday, August the 14th and that the next council meeting will be help Tuesday, September the fifth, the day after Labor Day

  As there were no further questions, President Merci Izquierdo-Whitaker adjourned the meeting at 4:10 pm

  Respectfully submitted, Diana Dunaway
  Residents’ Council Secretary