President Stephanie Leddy called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 3:00 pm on Tuesday December 2, 2025. 78 residents attended in addition to Don Grove, Charlestown Executive Director; Leslie Johnson, Associate Executive Director; David Schneyer, Finance Director and Jason Dennis, General Services Director.

Moment of Silence

The Council observed a moment of silence for those who have passed away.  Stephanie also asked the residents to keep John Remais in our prayers as he is currently in St Agnes Hospital.

Minutes

Minutes of the November 4, 2025 meeting of the Residents’ Council meeting were approved.

Mission Moment

Honoree: Susan Dennison

Nominated by Donna Martin

Donna Martin celebrates her friend Susan Dennison, who maintains the lovely flower garden in the hallway of the second floor courtyard crossing. Donna explains this garden is a source of beauty, comfort and peace to all of us who pass by. Many people come to sit, rest and meditate there. Susan’s Joyful Heart and hard work keep this lovely collage of Color Alive and flourishing, creating an oasis for all of us to enjoy.

Honoree:   Terry Ihle

Nominated by  Betty Brown Young

Betty is praising Terry for many years of decorating the entrance way of Herbert Run. Every month of the year, her lovely and sometimes whimsical displays create an ambience of joy and welcome for residents and guests alike. Thank you so much,

Honoree: Sherry Smith

Nominated by Dawn Strumsky

Dawn is honoring Sherry Smith for being an observant Angel. Sherry noticed a stray package sitting on a park view guest room shelf and delivered it to dawn in Herberts Run. The package turned out to be an unexpected birthday gift. Dawn was delighted not only to receive the surprise package, but also to make a new friend.

Executive Team Reports

Stephanie Leddy President

Decorations are up around campus getting us ready for that holiday season.

There’s no better way to get in the holiday spirit than through music. And we have 11 varieties of music right here on campus, from December 3 through the 21st.

• Our own Harmonizers start us in the holiday mood this week on Wednesday at two and Thursday and Friday at seven in the auditorium. Here, you can check their notice in the sunburst if you haven’t gotten a ticket. But good luck.
• Karaoke is on Monday, December 8, at 7pm in the card room near the Chesapeake, and you can go and sing your holiday favorites.
• The UMBC jazz concert band will be at the short line on Wednesday, December 10 at 7pm Baltimore.
• Classic guitar society orchestra will be in the auditorium on Thursday, December 11 at 7pm
• The Suspicious Cheese Lords will be in the chapel on Sunday, December 14 at 3pm with choral music for Advent and Christmas.
• The Arbutus Middle School ensemble, which includes orchestra, chorus, wind and jazz groups, will be in the Conference Center at 11 o’clock on Monday, December 15.
• The harbor city music company holiday show is on Tuesday, December 16, from seven to eight in the conference center. For that, you need to get tickets on December 8 again, see
• The sunburst trumpet duet Carolers will be at the short line. That’s a teacher and her student on the trumpet on Wednesday, December 17, at noon. So take some time for lunch and enjoy the music.
• The Little Theater Company will be serenading in the dining areas on Wednesday the 17th, from five to 630
• On Thursday, December 18, John and Rob’s rocking holiday will be serenading in the dining rooms from five to six.
• The Holiday recorder and sing along conference concert on Friday, December 19, from seven to eight here in the auditorium. You need free tickets for this, and you can get those also on December 8.
• Charles Zahm with a Celtic Christmas in the chapel on Sunday, December 21

All of this information is in your December Sunburst available at the main desks right now.

Jerry Donaldson, Treasurer

Balance –  October 31,2025        $6,883.68

Income                                                     00.00

Expenses

Secretary, Budgeted Expense    (963.44)

Total Expenses =    (963.44)

Balance –  November 30,  2025   $5,920.24

Committee Reports

Benevolent Care, Sandy Mack, Chair

• End of Year Push for Benevolent Care
  This month, Philanthropy is launching its Benevolent Care Participation Initiative. To kick things off on Giving Tuesday, Rachel Susio and her team stationed themselves at three key locations—the Café on Main, the Fireside, and the Shortline. Their goal was to boost resident donation participation and welcome new donors.
• Planned Giving –
  We are pleased to report that our campus outreach program on planned giving, initiated on October 9th, is progressing well. We have successfully completed eight visits to clubs thus far, with one additional visit scheduled for December. Looking ahead in 2026, we are excited to have twelve more visits scheduled in January. We extend our sincere gratitude to the leadership of the various clubs for allocating time during their meetings to let us discuss planned giving with their members.
• Pop Up Sales – We now have 4 pop-up sales scheduled in 2026.
• Silent Auction
  The silent auction featuring the artwork of resident Angeline Culfogienis is scheduled for next week on Wednesday, December 10th from 6 – 8 p.m. in the conference center. All proceeds will benefit Benevolent Care.
• Paint Day – Back by popular demand, we’ll be hosting another paint day on Wednesday, December 17th, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Conference Center. Tickets will be sold on Dec 6th, 9th and 11th from 4 to 6 p.m. at various restaurants. For details please check the bulletin boards and Sunburst. All proceeds will benefit Benevolent Care.

Next Meeting- Monday, December 22nd at 2:30 in CTS 116

Communications, Betty Elder, Co-Chair

Community Resources

• Club Guide – Mary hopes to create a booklet with just the primary club, group information in it and circulating that

General Services

• 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 – Thanks to Gregory Johnson, we have a new 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 station listing, current as of Nov. 18, 2025 (Channel 972 is still being tweaked)
• Carts – Carts have been ordered but no shipping date is available yet.  Question was raised about the need for a “legal” cart storage area nearer to Building 8. It was pointed out that fire codes prohibited stairwells being used for cart storage. There is the possibility for residents to purchase their own foldable carts, as many are not returned to the original storage areas.
• Amazon, Uber and Signage – There was a discussion of ongoing issues with delivery and ride drivers struggling to find buildings due to inadequate signage, especially at non-clubhouse entrance buildings. Greg Johnson explained the process of checking the loading dock daily for resident packages. It was noted that a couple of mapping apps do not have correct building numbers in the correct places. The need for additional signage would be helpful.

IT Updates and Security Concerns – Zackary Parks

• IT Support Team Work Orders for October – 201 Resident tickets were closed out with an average of 1.28 days for completion: 116 employee tickets with 1.11 days for closure
• Mobile Phone Systems Upgrade at Wilton Overlook and Caton Woods – The system is fully live for both Continuing Care buildings and Building 6. Employees were noticing improved service across multiple carriers.
• Planned Mobile Phone System Upgrade for Independent Living – planned for the first quarter of 2026.
• ConnectConnect or Charlestown or Erickson Connect Network is the name for the local telephone and Wi-Fi system at Charlestown. READ MORE 3.0 Upgrade – Six other Erickson communities are already using ConnectConnect or Charlestown or Erickson Connect Network is the name for the local telephone and Wi-Fi system at Charlestown. READ MORE 3.0. Replace Access Points in common areas and resident units. One passphrase per apartment for all devices making it easier for installation of printers, Alexa, etc. Community information will be shared in Q1.
• Resident Scams so far in November – 2 scareware, 1 malware and 1 scam resulting in loss of money. Residents should be cautious about installing remote access software from unknown sources.

Signage Subcommittee – will hold its first meeting on January 8 at 1:00 pm in Brookside 1. While we can have a list of outstanding issues, our main focus will be to review upcoming campus projects for how we can improve signage with those.  Interested residents should contact Hope Tillman.

Evergreen Topics – Charlie Eichenlaub continues to distribute this monthly focusing on recurring topics and current announcements. You can find these listed on CCI Charlestown.org under Evergreen Topics.

CCICharlestown.org – Of note from the Website meeting was the improvement of the “In Memoriam,” noting that obituaries are now being linked to in-memoriam pages on the website, providing more detailed information including photos for many entries.

No Meeting in December. Next Meeting is Monday, January 26 at 2PM

Preceded by the Website Committee at 1:30PM – if you need the ZOOM link, contact hope@hopetillman.com

The Conservation Committee, Gary Rogers, Co-Chair

• The current Recyclable Items Display boards have undergone additional updating and were displayed at Cafe on Main during November and are now on display at the Terrace.
• Leaking Faucets & Fixtures Educational Campaign- flyer posted 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 & CCI-Charlestown

A flyer was posted 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 and CCI-Charlestown during October. Encouraging residents with leaking fixtures to call General Services to make repairs. Unfortunately, we were not able to obtain any data to help us determine whether any residents in fact called for such repairs as it is not tracked.

• The committee along with the Sustainability Working Group is investigating feasibility of a residential food scrap composting program similar to that at Ryderwood and other Erickson properties and to run in parallel with the restaurant food composting program here at Charlestown. The current effort is to meet with the food scrap compost group at Ryderwood for a deeper dive on their program. This will take place on December 3.
• As we reported last month, the committee has been requested to participate in the updating of “Eco-Charlestown” a 2017 document on the natural history, the development of, and the outdoor and indoor environment on our campus. The document can be found on CCI-Charlestown.org. Our co-chair Charles Robinson is taking on the review of the section related to Lake Charles but any resident with the interest and expertise in updating other parts of the document should contact Gary or Charles for more information.
• During our meeting, Mark Buehlmann gave a very interesting presentation on environmental ethics which helped the committee understand environmental ethics principles, challenges, and practices.
• Given the impact of energy costs on our monthly service fee, the committee is considering a more in-depth educational campaign for energy conservation in order to lower those costs.

No Meeting in December

        Next Meeting: January 20, 2026, at 2 PM in BR-1  

Dining Services, Cathy Stevens, Chair was unable to attend.

Stephanie reported:

• Terrace Cafe will close after brunch on Sunday 7 Dec 2025
• Cafe on Main

On Monday 8Dec2025, Cafe on Main will start serving a buffet from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM that will include a meat, fish and vegetarian entree. Residents had been asking for some variety of desserts, rather than just donuts and that Paul is taking that into consideration.

• Introduction to “Chunk” and Hershey’s Ice Cream

All restaurants will be introducing Chunk, the plant based item that is similar to meat.  Last Sunday, it was served at the atrium buffet in a baked macaroni dish and was very delicious.

Hershey’s is now our official ice cream vendor,they offer more sugar free and lactose free ice creams. We will raise the question to Paul of what the options will be and when we will see them.

• The Chesapeake is getting new Menu Covers
• Still working to get a full time bartender at the Chesapeake
• 21 new servers have been hired for all of the restaurants

Next meeting is Monday, December 15th at 1:30PM in CTS 116

Finance, Art Johnson, Chair

• Budget Overview- From Town Hall

It is important that residents take the opportunity to inform themselves about Charlestown Budget and financial information whenever possible. The recent Town Hall on the budget was quite informative, for example.  The Finance Committee’s November meeting followed up on information given at the November Town Hall, questioning Finance Director David Schneyer.  Among other more detailed information, it was noted that while the 2026 budget showed an increase in total expenses of 6.3%, residents’ rates for 2026 are set at 5.5%. Residents are encouraged to view the Town Hall meeting on channel 972 and to encourage others to do so as well.

• Special Committee on Auditorium Renovations

At its November meeting, the Residents’ Council approved a motion to create a “special committee” to begin the process of identifying changes that will be needed when renovation of the Auditorium begins hopefully in 2027.  The Auditorium Renovation was recommended by the Finance Committee via the CapEx26 process and approved, but not funded, by the Board of Directors’ 2026 budget process.  The Special Committee will be composed of representatives from the major users of the auditorium, relevant Residents’’ Council committee chairs, and residents with subject matter interest in the project.  The Finance Committee will manage the Special Committee, which will report to the Finance Committee monthly and will terminate in June 2026.

• CapEx27 process

The CapEx27 process is about to begin. Residents are encouraged to submit proposals for capital improvements to be funded in 2027. Proposals must be submitted to a Residents’’ Council committee to be considered. Information and proposal forms will soon be posted on MyErickson under “Forms” and in January on cci.Charlestown.

• Residents are encouraged to attend the community meeting on “Contracts, Transitions, and Refunds” scheduled for 11 a.m. on December 11 in the Conference Center.

Next Meeting:  Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at 9 AM  in BR-1

Grounds, Dick Voelkel, Chair did not attend – no report given – bullets below were provided:

• Lake Charles Hydro Raking Project is on track to start December 1st. Expected to dredge up 300 cu ft of spoil material. Sediment control fencing has been installed.
• Herbert’s Run Erosion Project/Pier Support-On track to begin in January. If there are weather delays, the project could be pushed back to June.
• Deer Control -Four deer have been culled to date.
• Asphalt walkway from Erickson Way to the Lake trail has pushed up significantly from tree roots.
• Garden Plots are being vacated ahead of planned renovation.
• Twelve small trees are being donated and need to be planted.

            No Meeting in December       

     Next Meeting: will be Monday, January 27 in BR 1 at 11AM

Health Services, Marty White, Co-Chair

• No meeting in November – Veterans Service Conflict
• Grab bars have now been installed in all of the stalls in public restrooms. A few stalls were missing bars, but that has been rectified.
• Our medication takeback on November 17 was quite successful. 2026 dates are February 16, May 18, August 17 and November 16.
• Our committee cosponsored an ELLIC class given to a sold out audience by Dr Kevin James of Riderwood on Prevention of Falls in the Elderly.  Thanks to fall statistics provided by Craig Nelson, he was able to personalize his lecture for Charlestown residents.  Feedback has been excellent and the recording can be viewed on MyErickson under Special Lectures.
• Our substance abuse subcommittee has also sponsored 2 of a series of 3 lectures on the brain and the effect of alcohol on the human body. Both have been recorded.  The third lecture in the series will be on  February 23 at 1 PM in the Auditorium.

Next meeting: Tuesday, December 9, at 11:00 AM in BR-1

We will have a presentation  by employees of Occupational Therapy on bladder health.

Housekeeping, Pat Whittier, Chair

• Shout out to Housekeeping Staff & Housekeeping Committee

I want to express thanks for the outstanding work of the housekeeping staff and their quick response to issues brought to their attention. But, special thanks has to go to the members of the Housekeeping Committee and those who serve as floor or building monitors for their home buildings. These residents walk the halls to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed, things like carpet stains, discarded items or elevator conditions, to name a few. They report them to the appropriate person who can address the problem. Some accompany us on the monthly walk-through inspections with the local housekeeper, a supervisor and myself or my representative. We do this to document any observed problems, follow up on previous items identified and discuss the overall appearance of each building. Our goal is to help keep Charlestown safe, attractive and clean. If you might be interested in supporting this effort by being a monitor in your building, please contact me – everyone is welcome.

• Housekeeping Update

Michele Fenn, Housekeeping Manager, reported to the committee about previously raised and current questions. She reiterated that staffing issues still exist and when there is an emergency situation in one building, housekeepers from other assignments must go to assist. This means you may not see your housekeeper vacuuming or cleaning as often as you would like. She reported that the Arborside and Harborview now have new floors in their elevators. She reminded everyone that Housekeeping is responsible for cleaning issues only.  Other concerns should be reported through work orders to the appropriate office.

• What we all can do to make a difference

What can we do to make a difference? I know, and have been told that people are tired of hearing about the use of the plastic trash cans, it is a small effort but when we all pitch in it makes a difference. If you need one, contact General Services and they will deliver one to you free of charge. Also, we all can make an effort to be pleasant and thank the folks working hard to keep Charlestown clean and safe for us.

• Upcoming Events

In January,  a large dumpster will be placed over by the garden plots for bulk trash pick up after the holidays.

No Meeting in December

             Next Meeting: January 12, at 10 AM in BR-1

Legislative/Political, Richard Lee, Chair

• Meet & Greet on December 9, 2025 from 7-9PM in the Auditorium. Delegates from 44a and 44b have confirmed their attendance.
• MaCCRA will visit Annapolis during the legislative session TBD
• Legislative wrap-up in late April or early May
• Candidates’ Forum for County Executive & Council seats in May
• The League of Women Voters is looking for volunteers to help in 2026 elections.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 10 AM in BR1

Maintenance and Engineering, Brian McGill, Chair

• Aquatic Center Update

Installation of a dehumidifier system at the swimming pool will begin in December.

• Edgewood parking Lot adjustment

Installation of handrails for the Edgewood parking lot will be accomplished at a date to be determined.

• External lighting survey completed
• Edgewood fire damper inspection

Inspections of fire dampers in Edgewood have begun and should be completed by mid December.

• Terrace Dining Room closure

Refurbishment of the Terrace Restaurant is expected to take 4 to 5 months and will begin in December.

• Interview for vacant GS Maintenance position continues

David Ortiz has joined the General Services team as the new Senior Facilities Manager.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 @ 2 PM in BR1  

Resident Life, Bill Jones, Co-Chair

• The Accessibility and Inclusion group has completed a survey of the campus to determine where additional automatic door openers are needed. This information, along with some other needed upgrades or corrections, will be submitted to the Resident Council for support and then passed onto the Administration for their consideration and action.
• The Low Vision Program recently visited the National Federation for the Blind in Baltimore and were able to see several kinds of equipment that would benefit low vision persons. The group is planning to sponsor a “show and tell” at Charlestown where many of these pieces of equipment can be demonstrated to residents.
• The Dining Ambassador Program has recently recruited several new ambassadors to invite new residents to dinner. The objective of the program is to ensure that all new residents are contacted, within one to two weeks of moving in, to invite them to dinner. Discussion is underway with Paul Edelman to see if the Meet-and-Greet tables at restaurants can be restarted.
• The Friendly Visitors Program has recently recruited eight new visitors and a training session for the new people has just been held. Our chairperson, Mimi O’Donnell, has updated many of their handouts that will be given to the new residents. Discussion is also beginning to extend the program to Continuing Care in the near future.
• The Transportation Sustainability group has finalized a draft of the brochure to help residents find alternative ride sharing opportunities. The brochure has been sent to Dave Schuch, Transportation Manager, for review before going to the Administration for approval. We hope to have the brochure in circulation by the beginning of 2026.

    No Meeting in December

       Next Meeting: Wednesday,  January 21 at 2 PM in BR-2

Safety and Security, Ed Appel & Patti Omiston, Co-Chairs

• Security was unable to attend the meeting but always available to provide updates as requested. BCPD monthly meeting was not held as it fell on Veteran’s Day. So, we will consider no news as good news as far as any major incidents on campus or in the surrounding community.
• Our annual thank you for the services of the BCPD, BCFD, and Arbutus VFD is in the works. We plan to deliver treats to each department and a letter from Administration on behalf of the community. Let us know if you want to participate – dates forthcoming.
• In the interest of holiday travel, Bill Miller shared a sunflower themed lanyard used at BWI for staff to easily identify those travelers that may need extra support due to cognitive or medical conditions. So, if you are traveling alone or with family that may need support this is a great consideration. Airports can be overwhelming to everyone, especially this time of year.
• Our discussion around the recent ELLIC presentation on Falls by Dr. Kevin James and the reality of reported falls at Charlestown was enlightening. A committee member shared his recent experience after falling to be positive in the respect of Security response and follow up including the full home health team at Charlestown.
• To keep safety as a top committee priority we are planning a Staying Safe Senior Safety panel discussion specific to Charlestown in Spring 2026. We are hoping to have Dr. Kevin James as a panelist covering falls. Other topics include walker and EMV safety around campus and the ongoing and ever-changing world of scams. Anyone interested in planning or participating in the panel discussion, or to share any content ideas, please reach out to Ed or Patti. The Fall and scam presentations to date can be accessed 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 and the CCIcharlestown website.
• Another ongoing priority of the committee is identifying safety issues around the community and working with General Services and Security for a timely resolution. Our recommendations are submitted to the appropriate Administrative team and we follow up at our monthly meetings as to outcomes. This includes identifying fall hazards (yellow paint on uneven sidewalks), safety at crosswalks, and traffic violations particularly speeding and going through Stop signs. This is an ongoing process and we encourage the community to report any concerns noted around campus.
• A great example of identifying and reporting safety issues and following it through was offered by Jeannette Baugher at the meeting. She commended General Services for the completion of Parkview parking lot recommendations including extension of the handrail.

Next Meeting: December 18 at 11am in CTS 116

Associate Executive Director Leslie Johnson’s Remarks  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. You had time to celebrate with friends and family, something that we our leadership team got to do right before the holiday was serve all of our team members Thanksgiving breakfast and then a full lunch and dinner, so all shifts were covered, and it’s just such a wonderful event, because we rarely get time to sit with our teams, enjoy a meal and actually just spend some time together.

We are really excited to share and celebrate our sales team achieving 98.1% occupancy. When we are this full, the sales team has to work even harder, you know, because the availability just just isn’t there. And we have to keep Charles Town attractive, because keeping that occupancy high is how we meet that promise of financial stability. So if you see the sales team, Matt and his team, thank them for all their hard work and congratulate them for hitting that milestone. That’s a big one.

Long Range Plan.

We are looking ahead to the future. What are our strategic initiatives? What are the things that we need to focus on to keep Charles Town affordable, attractive to new prospective residents in the future, to focus on our strengths and our vulnerabilities. What do we need to do to continue to meet those brand promises of a vibrant community, financial stability? The board has come up with a list of questions, and they’ve taken those questions to all of the board committees, and we’re compiling their answers to identify themes and patterns. Something that we did yesterday was our leadership team met with the residents council to go through those same questions to get their feedback. We’re looking at, what are the strengths of Charlestown, what are the risks that we’re looking at into the future? What are the things that make us unique from the other competitors? We also asked, What do future residents look for when they’re looking for a home at a continuing care retirement community? And then the final question is, what do we aspire to be as a community? This long range plan is aspirational. What does Charlestown want to be in the future? We are 40 years old. What do we need to do to be that? You know, the preferred choice for living and also for our teams for the next 40 years old, for the next 40 years. I want to thank the Council for their participation. Yesterday, there was a great discussion. A lot of the things that were mentioned are very similar to what the board committees came up with. We are also meeting later this week with our team members, because we want to get our employees feedback as well on what they think Charlestown should aspire to be. So more to come on that the timeline for this is we’re doing a lot of work, so the board is hoping to have this long range plan completed by summer of 2026 so you’ll hear more information on that.

Updates on some projects in the historic area. The courtyard crossing lobby in building seven is closed for renovation, so the front desk is shut down, you may still pick up your mail and packages from Amazon or anywhere else as normal.  Any packages being delivered by the US Postal Service will be delivered to your apartment by our staff.  We expect that work to take a few months, but we’re looking forward to having a nice, fresh lobby with a new front desk and more inviting, welcoming space.

Few other changes, the maple terrace restrooms were shut down today for to begin their renovations

The Terrace Cafe will be closing to begin a long renovation on December 8.

Full campus audit of the outdoor lighting.

We had a vendor come in and help us with the audit and are having them help with the repairs. It takes a lot of manpower to do some of these. We are still troubleshooting the St Charles parking lot. It looks like rain is getting into some of the systems there and causing the lights to short out. So St Charles isn’t completely resolved yet.

We still have about six lights that are still out in Charlestown Square as well as a few along Loop Road, but we are getting to those, and that remains our priority.

Skilled nursing survey, the annual survey for Wilton Overlook went really well. That team has been doing so much work, and then they got surprised by their annual assisted living survey. And that’s supposed to be an annual survey. It’s been almost three years since the state came out. We are pleased to share that that survey went extremely well. The surveyors were so complimentary of our systems and the care that we provide, we don’t have the final report, because it can always change once it goes back to the state. But happy to share that when the surveyor exited, they did not cite any deficiencies. So we got a completely deficiency free survey, which really doesn’t happen often. So proud of Max and Mohammed and the team, and Max is actually out, his wife had a baby, their second baby boy, so he is on leave, bonding with his family. So it’s really special to see his team come together while he’s off and just run it seamlessly.

A few dining updates Cafe on Main next week, when they first rolled out that menu, if you remember, when Paul Brewer was still here, he shared that the menu is going to develop as the the team gets used to the equipment there and the resident, the volume picks up. So next week, they are looking to enhance that menu with additional offerings, looking at having a few more entree like offerings, as well as those desserts that were mentioned earlier. So you’ll see some changes there. They’re also looking at the cadence for the sous chef specials that we have throughout the months, as well as the tasty treats to make it more organized and consistent across all of the dining venues. Paul and his team are also looking to revise the focus group meetings to separate days so that residents can attend multiple meetings from multiple venues.

Associate Executive Director Leslie Johnson’s Responses to Questions

Rick Jones, Maple Terrace, 2-308 asked what was happening with the Maple Terrace  elevator.

Jason Dennis, director of general services. replied that this elevator work is very similar to Fountain Hill, where we closed it down and just kind of made it pretty inside, new flooring, new panels. We’re actually going to wait until after the holidays, so everybody can use the elevators without it. The elevators will be down for five days, two days completely down, and then three days up in the evenings.  Another notice will go out to residents after the holidays.

Gloria Palladi, PV-109 asked two questions.

One was clarifying an issue with the containers used for soup and some beverages that are not recyclable.  She does not think that issue was mentioned for the boards.second The second question was why are we honoring a woman for the wonderful indoor gardening in Courtyard Crossing when the residents of Greentree Court were required to remove the plants from the bridge between  Greentree Court and Arborside on level one. Those residents were informed by Community Resources that that kind of gardening is going to be eliminated.  That area now looks sterile and uninviting when it used to be warm and homey.

Leslie replied that there are indeed some items that are not recyclable. She will follow up with Paul and the committee about the signage.

Concerning Greentree Court she said, “A few months ago, part of our harmonious living effort was we were talking about common area decorations and where residents could place decorations, and those you know are your doors, your package shelves, the elevator lobbies. So there might be an area that the team has identified that is not an area that a resident should be decorating, but I can follow up with you individually and talk to community resources.”  Gloria replied that these were not decorations but were well maintained plants.  John Arnold pointed out that the plants were also in an elevator lobby on a connecting bridge between two buildings.

Another resident stated that she had contacted housekeeping regarding the Plexiglas above the elevator on the fifth floor many times and is told to contact maintenance because there’s a whole bunch of bugs up there. For more than a year, nothing has been done. She believes there should be preventive maintenance to come around at least every six months or a year at the most to get rid of the dead bugs. She noted the issue is in a lot of places. She stated that she used her own ladder to clean the bugs out of the fixture above her door.

Leslie said that Jason was taking notes.

A resident asked about the hiring of the new maintenance supervisor.  Jason replied that David Cruz is our new senior facilities manager who replaced Kevin Crawford. He has a significant maintenance and engineering background. He actually came from Mercy Ridge, another senior living, but he’s been with us now for about two and a half weeks.

Bob Larson, Arborside 217, reported that the new elevator has a loud squeaking noise.

Jeanette Barger, PV-220, asked for an update on the fixing of the hallway air conditioners.

Jason replied, “In Parkview and Herbert’s Run all the common area Heat pumps are due to be replaced. We have proposals for the Parkview heat pumps and they are on order. We’ll start at the top floor, and we’ll work our way down, but we’re on it.”

John Arnold, Arborside 8-116, pointed out that the Bill’s Place heating system has not been functioning for a month.

Jason said, “I know that we had an issue, but I thought it was repaired.”

Concerning the bridge from Chapel Court to Greentree Court, Jason said, “Somebody hit one of the units on the bridge, which took the loop line out, which basically feeds all of those units. So they were all shut down for about two and a half to three weeks. There they were running this morning. Only one was putting out heat, so I’ll make sure when we get back up, talk to engineering again. I’m not sure if there’s a situation with three of them that they’re just not running at all, or if there’s an issue with the line itself connecting to them, but thank you for bringing that up, because all the bridges, even the chapel core bridge in particular.”

Marty White pointed out that the lights in The St Charles parking lot are a continuing problem

David S talked about why they don’t use the reserve fund to reduce monthly fees.

 

 

 

 

Submitted by John Arnold, Secretary