Paul >> here. >> Mark >> here. >> Jack >> Ah, good. Deb >> here. >> All right. I'm here. Josh has just notified me. He's on a city of Newton
meeting tonight, so he cannot make it. Dan, >> yes, sir. >> All right. Amy will not be attending. She has a conflict tonight. Stephanie. Stephanie's on. >> Yes, sir. >> I see you. Thank you. Linda Hol is not
going to be in attendance. She's I think gone on a bike trip to Italy. >> Good for her. >> Yeah, I know. You world travelers, I tell you. Uh Chris Silva, I did not see Chris on. Okay. All right. That's roll
call. Let me just read the uh opening statement once I find out what I do with it. [Music] Okay. In accordance with open meeting law regulation 940 CMR 29.10,
please be advised that some senior Senate committee members are attending this meeting remotely. In addition, because senior Senate committee members are attending remotely, all votes taken at this meeting will be roll call vote. Lastly, if any senior Senate committee
member is not clearly audible to his or her fellow members or to any members of the public, please notify the chair or his or her designate immediately and we will do our best to remote to remedy the problem and we'll inform the public
whether the meeting will continue. There will be time for questions from the public at the end of the formal meeting. If a member of the public wishes to speak, please raise your hand on your computer or in the meeting room. And when called upon, please state your
name for the meeting minutes. That's it. That is it. We have an agenda for tonight. Relatively light agenda, but we've not been together since uh Oh, I know.
>> First thing we have Yeah. April. So, first thing we have to do is vote on the April uh meeting minutes. So, our last meeting was April 17, 2025. And I'm looking at them and I know they were sent out. Dan sent them a long time
ago. >> Y >> um they were sent out again a few days ago. They're not that extensive. Has everybody had time to view them? Does anybody have any uh burning desires to make any drastic changes? Any errors
that you see? >> Not I don't think so. >> Okay. I I take a motion by somebody to accept these as written. >> I make a motion to accept the minutes of the April 17th meeting um as they are
written. >> All right. Thank you. We do a second on that. >> I'll second it. >> All right. Thank you, Mark. All right. By a roll call. Paul, >> yes. >> Mark, >> yes. >> Jack, >> yes.
>> Thank you. Uh, Deb, >> yes. >> I'm a Yes. Josh, not here. Dan, >> yes, please. >> Thank you. Uh, Stephanie, >> yes. >> Thank you. That's it. Okay, we're good
to go. Um, so what we've got tonight, something that we're going to speak lightly about and we can't talk in any detail and in all honesty, I have no real
detail. That's progress on lease negotiations quickly. My understanding is from several sources the lease negotiations are moving along. Um my understanding is it's more
difficult negotiating a lease between a public entity and a private entity. I don't know. I'm not a lawyer so I don't understand the complexities of that. But I have not heard anything yet that would lead me to believe that
things are not going to work out exactly when it's going to happen. I don't know. Does anybody on the committee have any without disclosing anything any data that would lead them in any different
direction regarding the lease? >> No. No, >> we didn't hear anything over in Portugal, right? Uh, >> no. >> Good. Okay. >> Two cents. My understanding is there's a
legal issue having to do with the state requirements for a municipality must include certain something or others in a lease. And that's the issue that needs to be resolved between the town and
the flex people. The discussions are ongoing. The issue is understood. What I don't understand or have any knowledge of is what the negotiating position is from
so forth and so on. So, it was discussed at an executive session select court meeting two days ago. So, it's ongoing and apparently a lot of legal back and forth.
>> Okay. Wow. So, I mean that, you know, thank you, Jack. I know you you monitor some things certainly more closely than I have. Um but I mean I again and you've not stated anything either that says wow you know they're at a standstill and we
don't know we can go any further. I don't think that's the case at all. I think it's a matter of working through the issues and finalizing now it's going to be a matter of when do we think it'll be finalized. I don't know. But good news is I think things are moving and uh
you know that's certainly positive. >> Yep. I think we need to hopefully it'll get stalled soon before the weather turns cold and we won't be able to get some of the um building put in ahead of time.
>> You know what I mean? They're going to have to do some construction outside and >> we need to get that going if possible. Well, with the winters we've had, you know, in theory, you know, we get cold and we get warm again, we should be
okay into December sometime. So, if they can get something signed end of September, early October, >> get things cranked up, we should be okay for outdoor weather. >> Okay.
>> Yeah, we should be. Unless we get a deep freeze and a lot of snow, but who knows? I I think we're good. I think we're going to be okay. It's just it's unfortunate because everybody was sort of hoping, you know, a town meeting after this got going and we had the vote. We thought, oh, go and negotiate
this and, you know, we'll be, you know, moved in, uh, you know, February 1st or something like that. I don't know if that's real or not. No idea. No idea. I'm going to leave it at that for now. That's much as we can really
cut cover on that. um uh fit up and furnishings etc. Um uh Amy did send me a mill of which I now need to find uh a second.
>> Yes, go ahead. One other detail that committee members may not be aware of. The Lexfest people have cleared the planning board. So the alteration to the special permit relative to parking has been approved.
So there are no further planning board issues. So literally it is the paperwork negotiation that appears to be terms of release to be the only thing that are
now needing to be finalized. >> Good. That's good news. That's excellent. Thank you, Jack. That's I think we can look optimistically. Um let's I'm just looking at some notes.
Uh so Peg, uh Maryanne and and Pat uh have been meeting regularly to review possible uh furnishing and equipment needs. Uh they met with WB Mason, visited the company which constructs many of the items of interest. Um and
also with Mass Core. Um so I guess things dealing with the furnishings and equipment that's going to be needed. I guess things are moving along, you know, not not purchasing anything yet or leasing anything yet, but at least figuring out what's going
to be needed. Uh because the good thing is we're going to have space that we're actually going to have to put things in versus not having space to put anything in, you know, presently. Big difference. >> Um so that's about all that Amy really
gave me. Didn't uh did not want to comment on anything else, which is fine. U so the other thing so let me let me cover the quick one and then I'll go to the longer one. So the quicker one I think is do we continue to have monthly
meetings until the new center is ready opinion people I I say yes what do other folks say just update meetings once a month >> if it's just updates can it be done with a memo
>> what was that again Dan I didn't hear clearly >> if it's just updates can it be done with an email message that's just sent out to the committee members If there's nothing for us to deliberate, >> just a question. >> Yeah. True. True. Yeah. And it could
just be an update sent out. Yeah. I'm not looking for another meeting to attend. I have more than enough as most of you already do. Any other committee members have any update on that? >> Well, I think until we know that the
lease has been signed. >> Yeah. and you know what the steps are going to be after that. Um I I don't see why we should be sitting here together until we have something else to discuss.
>> Okay. Okay, that works for me. >> Time to talk about a long-term question. We our charge was to advise the select board on opportunities for both interim and long-term
solutions. We have done so quite well for the what we call I suppose right now the interim solution. But the interim solution sounds like it's going to be 15 years of
lease. [Music] The the question should be discussed perhaps between you and the select board whether we go on hiatus
once the lease is signed. I I don't know what other trigger points would involve our next activity. I you know I frankly the town needs more money to spend on a water system than building a building when we got a
15-year lease in a site that may work out extremely well. It's a I'm not expressing an opinion. I'm expressing a question that we should perhaps contemplate and we could contemplate that now or in the next meeting whenever
it is. Um ultimately I guess the select board would be the ultimate arbiter. Don't know our charge not have an instinct or any sort of defined
um completion definition but I don't think we exist indefinite. >> I think you're right Dan. Uh I I don't know that I mean we have basically completed what we're in a sense supposed to have done for the select board based
upon our our our mission. Um we need to the next thing on the agenda that we're going to bring up soon is the discussion of what a final report would look like. uh very extensive, not so extensive, you know, advising what you know, you know,
here's the final report and here might be some next steps. Some next steps might be looking at building uh a permanent uh center. Uh but right now in at least my view I don't know that the
town or the select board uh would have an appetite to looking towards a longer term solution when we have a you know approximately 15ear solution sitting in front of us that we haven't even begun
to occupy yet. Um, you're right. A town barn, uh, the water system, uh, bonding for the for the Green Meadow School. We had a lot of things, you know, on the plate now and getting onto the plate. I don't know that looking at a senior
center that won't have a requirement for at least 15 years. I don't know that there's an appetite to even have that discussion. Just my thought. So, I think that's going to just die on the vine. I think it could be mentioned in the final
report that you know this was a portion of what we looked at. It was discussed here were some some uh you know options that were were addressed and this could be addressed at a future date. Bingo. That's the end of that I think.
>> Y >> any other >> I agree with you Jerry. you know, because 15 years from now, um, taking a look at some of us, we might not even be around here then. >> Well, I don't know about you, Deb, but
I'm certainly not going to chair the next one. >> I I see that. >> Yeah. I I don't I don't think so. No, not 15 years from now. No >> folks, I have a different viewpoint. I'm going to repackage some of the stuff
that family said. I'm personally irritated that, oh hey, the town's got to do water and yada yada yada. We are here to advocate for seniors and I don't give a about another set of problems. They're going to be there. We can't avoid them. But
hey, let's do away with us because there's so many other problems. It's not what this committee should be about. So, I do agree that at some point we're going to have to go to the select board and say
there's a lease in place. I assume it 15 years, but I don't even know that. But once we know that and we know that the senior center lease has been executed and the building has been occupied so that we know what the issues are,
etc., etc., etc. I would propose we keep this committee going on whatever schedule until after occupancy of the lease center and then have a formal session with the collect board that basically says brings up the
things that we talked about here. Okay, this at least period we signed up the longterm thing but conversation that says what is it you really want us to do given in lease
period there's going to be double digit >> go ahead will be the renewal terms that are in that lease if if the town has right of first refusal to continue the lease then that >> puts the town in a much stronger
position than if it's a ticking time bomb and we're going to get thrown out in 15 years. >> Yeah, you're right, Dan. And you're both right. I mean, you're right. These are things we don't know at this moment. Yeah. Yeah. And and to your point, Jack,
we don't know. And and and you're right, our focus is to serve the senior population. And all I threw out was the fact that I think if we were to go to town meeting or even bring up, you know,
until we know for certain we have an issue with the new lease, it's only going to last five years, something of that nature, I don't think anybody in the town would have an appetite for doing much more. But you're right, we need to go to the select board. Go ahead, Jack.
The the other point that comes up here, we are the advocacy body that needs to back up the Council on Aging and the COA director. >> Yep. >> Until again, until the thing is up and running in a lease space
for us to go, hey, you know, we're done. Just not appropriate, >> right? We're not done. We got to put a final report together. and then putting the final report together. There's a lot there's a number of things still happening now that are going to get put into that report. So, we still need to
be together. We need to get information back again from the uh sub working groups we had that worked on the various things like uh you know the real estate working group, finance working group. So, we need to review those things, put
those into a final report and then that's going to take us a couple of months just to get that done. So, I think we're going to be getting into the lease and and to your point, we'll just have to wait until we get in and occupy and see if the space is going to serve
our needs properly. But again, you're 100% right, Jack. This is for the COA. I mean, we're just to help and and get it to this point. Otherwise, We don't have an awful lot to do. We got to get a final report and summarize
everything we've done, what our investigations were. So future committees, you know, like we had from the committee we had back in 2011 and 12, you know, you can look at that report and say, "Oh, I see what they did." somebody 101 15 years from now is
going to have to look back at our final report and and and see what was done and what assumptions are made at this particular juncture in 24 and 25. So uh you know to Dan's point I don't
disagree we don't need to physically have meetings to get together. Uh now might there be a few folks that get together um and even via Zoom just to start working on the uh draft of a final
report. Yeah, I think we need to do that. Um but I think a lot of the updates uh can be done to Dan's point via email and if there's a reason to get together, we can schedule a meeting. That's
Now, we didn't have to schedule a meeting out a month ahead. I don't think that any of us are that busy that if we knew two weeks ahead, we could probably make arrangements. So, I think we're sort of suggesting we're
not going to schedule monthly meetings going forward right now. We will try to do things and updates via email. Would that be correct? People sort of agree to that. Yeah. Mark, you're shaking your head. Yes. Dan's head is nodding up and
down. >> Yes. >> A little bit. >> Beg, you're good. I mean, Deb, you're good. Paul, you're good. >> Jack, you good with that? We're just email communications and meeting if necessary.
Have meetings. >> Yeah. Okay. So, working on the final report, has anybody anybody got any good
suggestions on a way to do this? Is it I think we need to have a I hate to go back to working groups again, but I think we need to um who would want to be on a working group? Now, we don't have everybody here
tonight either, so I could oppose that out further than us. But is there anybody on here tonight that would like to be on a working group that would work on the draft of the uh final report from
this committee? >> I'm happy to be on. >> Who wrote the last one? Did Did Jack write it or did someone else? >> Last one. We do >> the the previous committee >> Jerry >> the 20
>> 13 >> 2013 I I sent it out to everybody. >> Yeah. How did that get developed? >> What he's asking, Jerry, is who did it? I thought he did. >> I I Jack, I honestly don't remember.
Damn it. I looked at it today and I recognized a lot of parts of it and I chaired the committee but I don't remember how we got all the pieces together. I honestly don't remember. >> I'll be happy to be participant. Um >> okay.
>> I I assume that we would look to the previous committee's report just as a source of information for content level and structure. And we can also lean heavily on the report that we made to the town of Mayard for the
calendar year 2024. >> Yes. >> For content. Obviously, we don't have to have so much necessarily in our final report. Um it I don't know what other sources of
information besides our monthly minutes or or meeting minutes that we would be calling upon. >> Well, a couple good point between the annual report which is done the presentations which were given at both
the select board andor town meeting. add a few pictures that came out of the stuff Josh did or whatever and you're essentially going to be most of the record. >> Yeah, I think we have all the pieces uh
just about all the pieces right now. uh from you're right from presentations previously made the work that Josh did the work that the uh working groups did and and documented the visitations that were made and you know and and data
collected uh the UMass uh study that was done some pieces of that that we you know you know utilize small amounts of that that can all be put into the report. I think we have all the pieces. I think this committee needs to get to
this working group needs to get together to kind of fe through some of the pieces that we have and how can we organize them best and report some of that back to the full committee and say this is what it looks like. It's got six
chapters. Here's how they how they're they're labeled. And that was why I sent the last one out just as a you know a sample a guide. uh doesn't have to look just like the one that was done in 2013, but you know, it's a guide.
So, right now, I'm happy to be on this working group. Dan's willing to be on the working group, but I have >> I'll pitch in. I mean, really, the the longer the report, the less chance it's actually going to be read.
>> So, a a report as compact as we can make it. include links or whatever to other things so that people can go if you want. >> The one thing that I would kind of push for that has not been highlighted or
emphasized in the stuff we've done so far is all the visits the data collected from all the visits to other senior centers. I think that's going to be a very valuable piece, you know, get down the road a bit and should be part of a
report that we submit. >> Yeah, agree. >> I'll be part of the working group. >> Okay. I agree. I agree. Um, let's see. So, I'm going to also I'm going to throw this out for right now,
Jack, Dan, myself, uh, and that's really okay because I'm going to throw this out. uh to the other members uh you know Josh and Maryanne um
who else Amy's got enough going on right now but we'll get input from Amy >> um so right Josh I think Josh is going to be way too busy >> way too busy um but Maryanne may have an
interest in in helping out with this on the committee as the subgroup. Were you trying to say something, Deb? >> Yeah, I was saying uh what about Linda? >> Yep. I have to ask Linda, but she's on vacation in uh in Italy for a week or
so. Yep. Yep. >> But she might be interested in doing something like that. I mean, I I'll help, but I I just don't want to I can't commit to it right now. >> Yep. Yep. So right now, just so everybody know, this is what we have to be cautious of.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, nine, 10. So we have 10 voting members. So we could have four voting members on this.
>> So we don't have a quorum. >> And right now we have three. Let's assume for a moment Marian is not here. So We can always volunteer. Anybody who did not attend tonight. Um, so let's assume for a moment that that Maryanne says
yes, she would help out. That's four right there. So that that ends the voting membership that we could have on this working group. That doesn't that does not impact Linda. Linda was a non- voting member. She can be a part of it.
>> Okay? >> She's non- voting. So she doesn't, you know, constitute the quorum. So I mean, right now we're okay and I I will I will throw it out uh you know to to Josh and Maryanne to the rest of the
committee and ask, but I'm guessing that Maryanne might want to be involved. And I'm going to guess that Linda might want to be involved to some extent. So that would give us five would be four voting, one non- voting. So we're under
the quorum, so we're okay to work. That sound like a plan at least to get started. >> Then as we get >> I think so. >> And as we get going and we start to put pieces together, we're going to reach out. Each one of us going to reach out. Someone's going to reach out reach out to you Devil. Someone's going to reach
out to you to ask you something uh from from a COA perspective. Um and and you know, we're going to need to reach out to other members and we'll send emails out. We'll let people know what's going on. Um then we'll have a a meeting,
let's say, in two months. And at that point, we can possibly put out a a skeletal draft of what this looks like. That's all. Just get some input from the whole committee. Hopefully, they'll agree, but who knows?
So that kind of sounds like a plan to me. Anybody any different ideas at the moment for structure of this working group? >> I don't hear anybody yelling and screaming. Um
>> can may I ask a question? >> You may absolutely. So if you have a working group put together um and they consist of four member v voting members and maybe one or two non- voting could those members ask those of us who are
not on that group to put together some specific information to help out >> where people get the information from doesn't matter. >> Okay? >> Right? If they get it from another voting member of the group doesn't
matter. You're not a member of the working group. >> Okay. >> Or a source of information. >> Got it. >> That's it. >> Thank you. >> Like we'll probably go we'll probably go to Amy. Amy's a voting member >> because she has information and we're going to need to ask her some questions.
So you're right. Anybody can give input. Only four voting members can be official members of the working group. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yep. And I'm not trying to avoid a quorum, but when you get the quorum
issue, then you end up posting meetings and it just makes it it just makes it more complicated. But we're not trying to do something behind anybody's back. We're just trying to find a >> I'll say not economical, but an easy way
to to work and maneuver and on an ad hoc basis or we need to get together tomorrow. Oh well, if we had to post it, we have to post it 48 hours ahead. We don't want to do that. >> Correct. >> So, all right. That's all. >> Okay. Thank you. >> But yes, you you can absolutely help and
you do not need to be on the working group. >> Um, >> did I hear >> that was me? >> That was you. You didn't have a comment, did you, Jen? >> Uh, it's actually a question. And I see
P Brown as a guest on this meeting and she was part of the uh the working group to uh coordinate the visits with all of the senior center sites and you're also on council on aging board now, right?
So all that data I mean because ultimately we're going to be doing a baton handoff at some point and really COA is going to >> continue and as long as they have access to this information then then then
that'll work you know because once we stop formally deliberating as a group that information is still relevant going forward for the COA Just as long as that availability is there >> because I have
>> absolutely >> I I've been given a link to it but I don't technically possess a copy for the sake of our committee and that's okay because it's working group information but I want to make sure that it carries on with the COA.
>> Yes. Now, Peg is certainly going to be a source that we're going to be going to for information. And and Deb, I think you know Peg fairly well. You could probably even ask her a couple of questions now and then. >> I can. >> All right. That's what I thought. That's
what I thought. So, Peg, you had your hand up a while ago, and I didn't mean to not call on you, but somebody else was speaking at the time, and you're not a committee member, so you're a member of the public. So, did you have something that you needed to say because I think
>> No, I actually must have hit a button on the keyboard. >> Ah, >> I don't know how to raise my hand other than >> Oh, whatever. >> Then I then I lowered my hand and went, "Oops." >> Yeah.
>> Oh, the hand was up on on on the screen here. So, >> how' I do that? >> I have no idea how you did it, Peg. No idea. >> I'll show you, Peg. All right. >> Yeah. Good. Deb, thank you for helping. Um,
so Peg, you're the only member of the public. You don't have have any comments outside of how to raise your hand on the electronic forum. >> No, actually I I might comment since Maryanne Basset is not here that
>> Yes. Our little committee of three has been uh putting together plans for furnishings and u a warming kitchen and all kinds of
other details for the interior of the senior center. But until we have access to the space and specific measurements for the space, we can't proceed beyond
what we've already accomplished. So, we're in a holding pattern right now. It's it's a bit frustrating, but >> yeah, >> it is what it is. >> Yeah. But you've at least looked and you're knowing based upon, you know,
some layout configurations we've got, you know, approximately what could be where. But the the, you know, finalization of any of that is, you know, can't be done yet. I get it. >> Correct. >> Good. But at least that that's moving
forward. We certainly don't wait till uh, you know, you got 30 days left and say, "Oh, geez. Hey, you know, we're gonna put something in here." >> No, we're ready. We're ready to roll. Good, good. That's good. That's good news. Um, that's excellent news.
>> COA. >> Say what? >> You said that there's a group of three people that have been looking at furnishings and such. Is that a working group under the COA? >> No, it's uh Maryanne Basset, myself, and
Pat Kak. Sort of an informal uh furnishings group. All right. Well, that should be all right. Yeah, because I don't Yeah, I don't. So, is
>> we just lost Deb Pat Kak is the clerk. >> Yeah, >> the council on aging clerk. >> Oh, right. I think I think Amy asked the three of them to work together
because they had some ideas about design and color coordinations and vice versa. >> Okay, good. Yeah, so that's perfect. You know, we we can certainly draw upon some of that information, but what the COA is doing,
they're doing and from my vantage point certainly sounds like going in the right direction. uh they're they're planning on an assumption that things are going to move forward. So, you know, time will tell. Um so, Peg, since you're the only member of the public, do you have any
other comments? Because I'm in the public comments section right now. >> No, I'm all set. Yeah, I'm good. >> Good. Um anybody else on the committee have any other issues that they want to bring up at this moment?
We will not we will not schedule another meeting at this time. Anyway, um you know, when Dan gets the minutes out, we can all take a look at those. Um we'll then kind of take those minutes as
as a as as a summary of what happened tonight. Um, but before those even go out, I will send a note to Linda, uh, to Maryanne and, uh, to Josh regarding
setting up this working group. Um, I don't think Josh is interested, but Linda can get on if she has the time because she's a non- voting member. I'm kind of hoping Maryanne might want to get on also, but we'll see. We'll
see. I'll send something out tomorrow, maybe between meetings, see what interest. Um, if there's nothing else, I would certainly take a motion to adjourn. Anybody would want to make that.
>> So moved. >> Oh, very good. Thank you, Stephanie. Must want to go home. Don't blame you. Um, would there be a second? >> I have a second. >> Second. >> Thank you. All right. Roll call. Paul.
>> Yes, please. >> Mark. >> Yes. >> Jack. >> I'm not sure. >> Oh, always one. >> Yes, for Deb. >> Okay. Thank you, Deb. And I'm a yes. Uh,
Dan. Yes, please. >> And Stephanie? >> Yes. >> That's what I thought. All right, folks. Good meeting tonight.