WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=3iFP6GA1rmE

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: 3iFP6GA1rmE):
- 00:00:07: Meeting Start, Introductions, and Minute Approval
- 00:01:44: Chairperson's Report: Town Meeting Funding Failure Discussion
- 00:05:58: Public Comment: FinCom Decision and COA Project Support
- 00:08:59: COA Member Attendance and Event Participation Discussion
- 00:10:54: Public Comment: Evening Meeting Obstacles and Town Meeting Turnout
- 00:14:56: Continuing Member Attendance, Volunteer Lunch and New Members
- 00:17:26: Public Comment: Awareness, Voter Turnout, and Community Engagement
- 00:20:11: Public Comment: Speculative Spending and Town Communication
- 00:22:58: Communication Strategies: Mailing Lists, Emails, and Outreach
- 00:27:54: Liaison's Report: Friends of COA Concerns Discussed
- 00:38:23: COA Director's Report: Upcoming Events and Collaboration
- 00:41:24: Public Comment: Veterans Lunch and Community Dinners
- 00:43:16: New Business: Member Changes and Community Outreach
- 00:44:59: Public Comment: Funding Sources, Budgets and Meeting Adjournment


Part: 1

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All right, I confirmed that a quorum is present. So I'd like a motion to start the meeting. So second >> you all those in favor? >> I

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>> and then we'll do a roll call of voting members. Damon Jerson present. >> Susan present. >> John present. >> Carol present. >> Excellent. And I think we have a few

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other people here. So if you guys could introduce yourselves that would be great. >> I'm Joe Kennedy by field. >> I'm Dan Kelly. I'm from I'm here. As I said to everyone, I'm running for state rep in November and um been meeting with

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the councils on aging and and I'm very excited about joining your group, learning what you do and I might need some help. >> Thank you very much. >> Cindy Carter, council aging director, >> illustrious leader. >> Okay.

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>> Um so review of the meeting minutes. I'd accept a motion to approve. We can't close it. I'll wait for the full >> tracks. Fine. Thank you. >> Motion to accept minutes.

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>> Oh, second. >> Any discussion? >> All those in favor? >> I >> I All right. With the chairperson's report, I report that I have been traveling most

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of the last month and so I've done very little. Um, I spent 20 days away from home and uh made it back for the town meeting and that's about the only time I've spent in this state,

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>> but it was a pretty big um event that you did >> do for us. So town meeting, right? >> Um so as far as an update on most of that's going to come from Cindy, the update on the

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town meeting is that we missed by 10 votes getting the approval for the funding to build the standalone building or to do to hire the architect to really vet out the work that we have

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done. Um so what that means for the project at this point is that we will move into discussion with the select board about a combined facility because that is where their interest lies. I've been

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talking to the architect Jeff Shaw who did some of the preliminary work for town hall when the building was on was going to be cited over at High Road and he has some drawings and program

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work from that for town hall. I can see there's a question there. >> Joint building with >> town hall. Okay, >> thank you. Um, and so I've been talking with Phil Deo, which is why I was a little late getting

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in today, cuz he was walking across the parking lot and I cost him my flight. >> Uh, but the current thinking is to review the drawings that have been done by context. Uh, the COA has already started

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looking at them. It's going to be circulated to members of town hall to see if any of the needs have changed. And then the question will be do we simply ask him to site that on the KUA

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or do we ask him to do a assessment of the different properties similar to what the ad hoc committee had done? And I having worked a project through the town in the past think it is better to have the

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architect sort of redo the work that we did because you know even after 3 years of site selection for the police station, people still showed up at every meeting throwing out new sites. Uh some of which

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were entirely impossible and some of which were only really bad. uh so having a professional vet the work that we did I think is valuable uh but it carries more cost and so that's going to be

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uh discuss further discussions so that's where we have landed at this point um as I said town meeting was much more supportive than I had expected it to be uh we you know the

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we were down by 10 votes. That means if I had changed six people's minds, we would have been there. And Fincom had voted against it unanimously, which I think made it very hard uh burden to lift, but I'm encouraged

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that we got as far as we did. And I think with the select board combined facility, it will be more money in the end, but I think there's also more people pulling for it at that point. But I encourage everyone to keep

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talking about it, reaching out to people. We may have a special town meeting to discuss it. And at that town meeting, we need to pack it as best we can. I don't I'm not sure if I can interact, but quick question. Why was the the financial committee when all the

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select for it? Why was the financial committee against it? What was did they ever give a reason? >> The reason that they gave is unanimously said no. >> Yes. Uh I I had sadly not been able to attend that meeting, but their reasoning

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was both short-sighted and longsided. They said that they were against it because they knew we had a lot of capital expenses coming down the line and they wanted to look at them all together. What they didn't realize is that if we

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started down the road with a contract with context architect or anyone else, it could be amended to incorporate the other projects that we have to look at. And so getting started now is always better for these long sense.

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>> Oh, absolutely right. They just Why did one half say yes and the other half said no? >> Yeah, it was it was because they they wanted to look at all the projects together. >> That's the question. >> Yes, of course. >> Were they um did they have to come out

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and say what they did? >> The decision that they >> Yeah. Yeah. because that like blew a lot of people's minds. >> Don't they have to have a rationale when they present it? So, well, they had presented before then, right? >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Um

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I was a little surprised by the vehements of the of Erica's position. >> Yeah, I was too. And you know, I know her on a personal level and I wish she had reached out to me and >> yeah,

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>> could have talked a little bit first, but I think, you know, they >> like I said, they are doing that they're committed to this long-term plan for the town and >> that is that is capital planning part of the Okay.

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>> And I think that is a very good thing that we really should be looking longterm at those long-term expenses and planning for it. Um, I just wish we'd had been able to facilitate a few

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conversations first. But all that said, you know, it was 10 votes. It was very close. There's a lot of support for the project and we need to keep garnering and building that support. Um and you

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know as I said when we started this process before the ad hoc committee was even formed we know that building structures in new takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. So it's going to be a long haul but I think we have made

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impressive strides in that direction. I think that about covers that. Is there anything I've missed? Um so we will go to COA member attendance. So

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uh we used to have as a regular part of our meeting what events people had attended, how they enjoyed them and if they were able to bring people to them. I wanted to bring that back because again visibility is going to be important and getting people to events

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is very important for us as we move forward. Uh, and I'll start. I was a complete failure at attending events this past month because I wasn't uh who would like to go next. Go clockwise or counterclockwise?

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>> Okay, I go. I'll go because I really feel very strongly about the COA having been involved for at least 13 years and I really feel committed. So, I have attended a lot of the functions you have. Um, I attended I take my exercise

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lessons at the mantel. Um, I've started teaching Spanish here as an, you know, so I' I've done them all and Okay, so you're next. >> I just I'm a regular visitor to this

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house and have gone to the lunchons and each and every time to sit with folks and gather the information and And really what I want to say is a lot of us it's not for the food and the

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meal. We don't need a meal. What I think is the most important aspect is the uh social aspect of the of the the aging people which I am one too and we're all going to need it and the social aspect is more important than anything and that's really

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>> and the conversation and much of the conversation had to do with this. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. and I sat in the in thosely stands, you know, dead ahead, dead center. There were a lot of lot of these folks missing

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at high school. So, if I could just speak to that. >> Um, one thing that was brought to my attention was a Tuesday evening, >> um, >> 7:00 p.m. >> when it's dark out when you leave is an

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obstacle for several seniors to be able to get to a meeting. >> Well, LED lights and cars aren't coming. It's impossible, >> right? And if if it's raining, it makes it even worse. So there was some hesitation on the part of some folks to um go to a meeting that they would have

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to drive home at night. So I don't know if offering the ban for transportation is I don't know if the optics of that are poor because oh the COA is you know busting people in or if we look at doing

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a meeting at a on a a Saturday afternoon you know does that make it more amenable for seniors to be able to attend the meeting? I know that is then you know kids parents with kids in sports on Saturdays that becomes an obstacle for them but is there a time sort of in

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between the sports >> seasons and you know whatot that we could try and find something um that would work a little bit better but that was definitely an obstacle for some >> others I I heard uh several things medical appointments or you know other

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different things that have held people back from being able to attend a lot of the stakeholders in this village at 7:00 are looking at red rubies on route one and 128. >> I don't know. >> Coming home. >> They're still in traffic.

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>> Yes. Oh. Oh. Oh yeah. I was wondering what the red rubies were. Now I get it. >> And it's difficult to get. >> You're never going to please everybody, you know, in terms of meeting time and day, but um you know, there's just some some thoughts. I think part of the

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problem this year too was that the agenda was really long. I think there were what 28 >> 28 articles on a >> lot of warrants. >> So it I felt like oh boy this is going to be really overwhelming. I I went to

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the meeting I did not stay to the bit end of it. >> A lot of people don't. Mhm. >> Yeah. We have the same problem here >> where you don't have parents of young children, >> right? >> And that's a huge constituency because of the schools. >> Yep. But we often babysitting

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>> and we don't have good. >> That's nice. We don't have the elderly. I mean there's a big push to try to get people to watch it on our local cable station and be able to vote doing that but or have it on Saturdays but it's a perennial discussion that never gets

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>> I mean in my own town we did during co we had a Saturday afternoon town meeting under a big tent on the soccer field in the town comp and it was you know >> yeah that's what >> but that was co so um I do I think

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offering the van is a good idea because I heard that as well. I understand you were one of the bigger items to be voted on. >> So, it does sort of look like it, but if you offer it all the time, >> right, >> it can't be viewed as that because this

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is something we do anyway, >> right? >> I mean, we do it for voting. >> I used to I don't do it anymore for voting just because I I never So, the couple of two or three years that I offered the ban for uh the elections, nobody ever took us up on it. So, it was me having to um schedule the driver. It

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was me having to schedule. I think there was one time that they were out shopping. >> Y >> and they said, "Hey, can you swing by? I need to vote." But it was sort of off the cuff. It wasn't something that >> No, it's a 10hour swing. This one's one one quick two hours in one spot.

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>> Well, I think um let's put the discussion of the van town meetings on the agenda. Okay. Um and and then we can have a formal discussion about it. We're getting into a violation of open meeting law if we

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get into debate about an idea today. This is not on the agenda. >> So, do you want that on the next agenda? >> I would like that on the next agenda, please. >> Got it. >> Uh so to return to what is on the agenda, Janine? Um, I forgot everything I did,

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but I contin I continued to visit with my person that I volunteered to visit with. >> Um, I do that weekly. Yep. Um, back to the volunteer lunch. Um,

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I don't remember everything. >> We need volunteers for our big events, uh, holiday events and whatnot. Uh she's a go-to for us for those bigger um >> bigger meals, bigger >> bigger events that we have. >> Yeah. The veterans coming up. >> Yes. That's this week.

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>> Um yeah. So >> very good. >> And you actually help out at these some of these meetings. >> Yeah. >> Y >> keeps me busy and out of trouble. >> Are you still at the library as well?

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>> Yes. I still at the library. Yeah. Okay, Susan. Um, I have just been straight. So, was it do anything? Um, >> I can empathize.

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>> I know sometimes. So, and turns up in June. So, I'm just going to step down for a while and just feel overwhelmed with everything that's going on. So, >> that actually is a good reminder that if

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people know people who would like to potentially serve on the council, we are going to meet some new members. >> So that's actually why I invited Joe to come here today u to just get an idea of what our meetings are like and what we talk about. Um he may be interested in

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joining us. So Oh, that would be wonderful. >> Yeah. Well, you know, my wife Tina is here a lot. She does a lot of volunte and and I even though I don't want to believe I'm a senior. I'm a senior stuck 6year-old stuck in a 603y old

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body. But you know age is a state of mind. But no I I feel I feel very um passionate about the council of aging any council of aging because now I am part of the major what it is the majority. I've been to this. I've seen

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the goodness that a lot of these places do. You know, I hate to go say Newberry Court, but they are, you know, they set a kind of gold standard with what they have and all they but they have a lot to offer with their building and their programs. And this nothing that we I

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feel we couldn't achieve here, too. We have a lot of people. We have a lot of seniors. And you talk about 10 votes. I can name 20 people in my neighborhood who are of my age who were not at that meeting who aren't made aware of the Council of Asia, who don't understand

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it, don't know it, don't maybe no one wants to get old, but we all going to be that way one day. So, I feel like, you know, I want to be an advocate, help, and you know, get out there and tell those 20 pe those 20 people why you at the meeting last week.

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>> I can maybe 30, you know. >> Yeah. that you know >> I know people that >> a lot of people could have made that easily to think there was only 200. It's sad that out of a town of 5,500 people only 280 people voted and that's I mean that's probably one of your big going to

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be one of your big dilemas and everybody out to vote >> 7% of the cuz I work the voting and 7% >> of town voting. >> Yeah, we had 450 out of 12,000 registered. Yeah, it's but everyone's

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the first one to come, you know, to your which is everyone will tell you what their idea is, but no one will show up and vote. >> So, just to speak to that, um I did speak with town administrator Tracy Blae about how we can be better about um

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public relations on this piece. So, I'll be working with her and the public relations group that they have here in town. um I tend to forget that they have that and do things on my own. Um I have a good rapport with the editor of the newspaper and the um reporter and the

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photographer that they use. So I generally just tend to reach out to them and say hey we have an event or hey we have something coming up. Um and there was an article in the paper about town meeting and Tracy did mention the COA piece of it but we're going to work on um and I did put stuff on that paper

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that you're showing. I did put that on our Facebook page. Um, I myself am not a social media user, so I know not everybody is and that's not maybe where they're going to get information. Um, but it's just one more venue I'm trying to use, but I will be working with

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>> We had a little green last night. There were probably roughly 20 people, 23 people there and there were about four of these on the table. It was a big part of the discussion asking questions of myself because I knew I was on the

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adopt committee and it came down to attendance. It came down to the right mix of people voting. But also there was a lot of discussion and what I heard most and I didn't have the tarity to challenge. It wasn't my place. Uh that you know the young lady who stood up

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indicated the seven to zero vote. It's hard when a town is pressed for revenue to to spend anything but on bricks and mortar. >> I have to spend it on speculative about process and design. >> I think >> it's tough >> but you can't do the bricks and mortar

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without >> and I I know that I think it was in the paper that the town of Salsbury had needed 125 for a quorum and they couldn't find them. you know, we had so but the gold example we go is Newbury Port,

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but I always keep in mind it's a city >> and it has a lot more available >> and a massive commercial base >> and a huge commercial base. Yes. To your point too, when they did not have that building, they were much smaller. They got a building and they had space to be.

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I think honestly if living in this town for 35 40 years town's going to do a better job to tell people putting a sign next to one day water mitigation you can't water your lawns and turn it around okay vote today there's one sign

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by they just flip it over there's nothing this town do anything to get get out of >> I forget what they call it the town always has if you go by the high school middle It's illuminated and electronic an

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electronic sign. >> You know, that would draw more attention than what we have. It was posted on High Road. It was posted up here in the >> by the fire station by the fire. So, I mean, it is out there, but do people pay attention? >> Well, the other thing is like in my

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town, everyone is mailed a copy of the warrant. >> They don't do that here. And I understand it's an expense. It's an expense and I understand that. But if you didn't know, you got that big booklet in the mail. You're like, "Oh, huh." >> But we do mail the consolation. >> Yes. >> Well, I always have a copy of it here.

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>> No, you mail. You have a mailing all that. >> I do. I actually did put information that the town meeting was coming up. I did not put in particularly about I just was it was a broad town meeting is coming up and the town election just to let people know sort of who, what, where, when.

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>> Um, and people said to me, "Oh, I didn't know there was a town meeting." And I said, "It was in the the newsletter." Mhm. >> So, and read it. I was going to say that's >> that's the key. Yeah. >> Put something extra on the agenda for the next meeting. I think I'm thread

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there with this recommendation to you and in the past that mail should go out to every resident. >> So, that's an expense for me though. >> But I would I I do want to speak to the uh when I started here 5 years ago, I asked the town clerk for a mailing list

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of people 60 plus. So now I'm five years in. I'm going to update that mailing list to capture that, you know, younger group. >> Should be younger group because it cohesion with their receiving is they have elder parents coming into the works and they should be aware of what's

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available. I I just need you to understand too >> the amount of time and energy and effort it takes to >> the expense that I have to print these, stuff everything, fold them, seal them, have the labels made, bring everything to the post office. That's that's me and

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the staff here doing that. We do have volunteers who help us fold and whatnot, but doubling our mailing list would be kind of crushing. >> And I wonder if younger people will look at councils on a nothing to do with me. half of the seniors that I SENT IT TO

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THAT. >> So well I mean >> it's also available online. >> Yeah. You know since 78 and I was a young mother of four kids at home and I remember getting something and for about and I would say oh that's affordable

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someday there you know you know big deal. >> I don't know if I I'm sorry I'm maybe I'm a step but in this day and age no one else. How about how about emails? So I do have emailually >> I do email everybody like emails for

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everything. >> Yeah. >> Could speak to this for a moment. When I was uh one of our luxurious elected leaders, uh it was always the case that either people said, "Why are you stuffing this

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down my throat?" Or, "You didn't tell me anything about it." Yeah. >> Um, >> you know, I don't want to hear any more about the damn on Larkin Road. Why do you guys keep reaching out about it? And what do you mean you're going to take the damn down? >> You are never going to hit it just

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right. So, you know, Red Alert now >> informs you about town me, which is great. You know, I got a text about >> uh I got an email about it there. We can do more, but we are never going to be able to reach people who are not

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looking. If you don't look at your mail, you just find your bills and pay them. The mail won't help. You know, I get sometimes a thousand emails a day. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> I'm not going to see everything. You know, I'm trying to

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figure out how to get an AI to help me short my emails so I can deal with them more efficiently. Um >> we just well in the last election was held it was there was no one um contested. We're all going to go in. >> Any questions? No. >> Yeah. No questions. And the other thing

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is like for the select board, there were two positions and two people. Bill came in first, blanks came in second, and Matthews came in third. They were blanks. >> Oh, it's telling. I mean to to Joe's point,

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maybe what you would consider would be an invitation to each household with a symbol envelope, not the entire entourage. Uh just saying uh saying out out loud, we're not able to put the entire book, but it's available online.

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>> So we did do that. I don't know if you remember that. We put something in the tax bills. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Um and we put it in the tax bills and I got this is nothing from nothing. No one say, "Hey, not this is my tax bill. Can you add me to your newsletter list?" >> Well, then we add it to the signs at

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Morgan Avenue, you know, and >> I mean, I also leave copies at the library. We leave copies at town halls desk. Um, we try to get it out there. Um, >> again, you have to want it and look for it. And I think you know part of the

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town's not the council on aging the town's job is to communicate and work on its communication because it is a you can't reach everyone and b for some people it's through the PTA for some people

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it's through the newspaper for some people it's through direct mail email >> it is a bigger job and it is not the council on aging's job to do it all we can reach the people that we reach and we can try always to extend that but we

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can't reach the whole town and it's not our our in our hurry to really do that. Uh but I think we've gotten a little sidetracked and I want to get on to the liaison's report. >> Okay, the leazison report. um what I

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intended to come here as and to say that I'm I want to say I will not do this anymore even appoint someone new but we have found out that the only person who can go is you >> the chair

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well all right I've been on there a year and I've been listening for a year and I've been very polite I raised my hand just to clarify something but I I did I I blew blew it and not blew it. I emotionally had to for months people

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have been coming to me constantly how unhappy they are with the authoritarian president running everything. And this is a person I don't know why you recommend it, but this is a person who um has nothing to do with the CA. I

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don't think has ever been to the COA to see the people. Maybe she had a meeting with you. >> She has. >> She doesn't come to events. She helps her a couple times though. >> She has breezed in to pick up pickup. She has things up there. >> She like you, you know, you come and um

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volunteer here or some other folks participated. Ella is brand new and she has come here and she has helped out and she's just one person and all the rest of them I know like Tina and other people all wonderful and they're behind it and what they're coming to me

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constantly is they were afraid to talk to the director say any names here to the president and the president was elected because nobody else wanted to be president. So this this is someone nobody knew and she has another friend who has now put her on they had a

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meeting to revise things and they did not invite the treasure but took one of her friends from the directors to formulate a new way of doing things. So finally my sense of morality took over and I said I can't do this anymore. I really can't. I just can't. All I feel

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that everyone on the on the as D heaven COA uh is a volunteer just like us and we're all the same and no one should be held superior or better than another. We all look at each other when we talk to each

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other and that's not the feeling for the people who have been hippie isn't really trying and really working. And then we had another what I did is I wrote a letter to Helen Carrick who does a lot of work. Everyone thinks she's the president. She's not. But she's and I

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said, you know, the mission statement of the friends is to help the COA. And they did send out one of the members that you come here all the time and she went to a lot of buildings and shops and to get

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money and um it's not coming here. some CDs and for the people of the future. And then and so it just came to a head when we had um Cindy put in a request for a special cookie for St. Patrick's

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Day for $400. This sitting on over $123,000 and they said no. We had you asked for a rep for the bin which is out there and there was a lot of argument and Elen Manning volunteered the money from her

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husband which was huge and I'm I think yes you have a great goal but if it's not coming here and she's on bended knee this is wrong. So my morality got ahead of me and I said okay blow it up and I said what I shouldn't have done and I

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knew I had to resign but now it turns out I don't have to resign because you'll be leaving and likewise we did not know that and the president the vice president and they what they realize is they have been doing things irregularly

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too which Cindy helped with and >> I did okay um I did send an email to let them their plan was to have an annual meeting with the members after a board meeting where the board would elect their um officers.

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>> But how do you elect officers if you don't know you're being elected to the board? >> Mhm. >> So I said you should really be having your per your bylaws. >> Yeah. You should really be having your annual meeting first where your members elect the board of directors and then

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you would have your board of directors meeting where you would then elect the board would elect their officers. It seems that uh it's still the other way around. Um but I was reading through the the bylaws. It it does state that the chair

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of the COA and the director of the COA are exeicio members. I would really like them and I will bring us up at the next meeting to amend those bylaws to say or our um designate because if you can't make it or I can't make it, I would really like to, you know, if Kathy could

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go or if you could designate someone to go, I don't want it to be that we can't, you know, or I mean you can go if you're a member of the COA, >> you can go, but you cannot really interact in the meeting. Obviously, the chair has to recognize someone to speak.

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That's just regular. >> And I done that for a year. >> And it was to the point people were coming up and telling me, "I'm not going to do this. I couldn't take it. This is the sickness this woman has. I don't know. I just listen to it all." But when I heard another member say to me, I

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looked and all of a sudden the emails I knew from the only go to certain people and they're not the certain people. No, they don't get a general email. and and their names were dropped off the email list including yours and that's people

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they don't how do you join the c friends of the co >> so you join by there's uh I usually have their membership I think it was the previous newsletter there was in the newsletter about the membership drive it's $10 to join as an individual there's also forms out front um that

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people can uh can join the friends um the annual meeting will be in June June. I did put that in the next edition of the newsletter. They do post it on their website. Um, but you have to be looking for that, you know. Um, but we did end

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up getting the $400 for the cookies that I asked for. There was a lot of discussion around it. >> Um, but it was um, >> we we did get the money and I do get money from them every year. I do ask at the beginning of the fiscal year for um

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I anticipate my needs for I think it's five or six major events. Um and so I will ask for that money, but things come up may come up during the year. The only reason I asked for the $400 for the cookies was the initial vendor we were going to use for our favor for that

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event backed out on us. So I we found someone else who happened to was a home baker. She only takes cash. Um, so I asked them for cash. I can't go to the town and say, "I need >> cash." You know, it's my bank. So, not that the friends are a bank, but they

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have mortgages. >> No. And I'm always saying >> as a former teacher, you always say when you have a child in the teacher, uh, whose needs are being met? Is it child's needs, the teachers needs, administration needs? And I just felt

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that the people who work hard, their needs weren't being met. but more importantly the COA and what I said to them is uh we have meetings she's the stakeholder the main stakeholder she should really she's the one would you be there and she was dropped off of the

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emails I mean this we know authoritarian >> well I was also excused from a meeting I was told not to come to that meeting so and as an exeicio member I shouldn't be told don't come to this meeting we're going to discuss >> oh I was told not to come to two twice we were uninvited to meetings So I just

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because they were going to have breakout sessions. Okay. I went to a meeting we were invited to and they had a breakout session and I'm getting ready to leave and I was told by the president, oh you can join this group over here when she was on cuz I knew her and it was a very comfortable you know needy how to work

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on you vote as an exeicio so you can attend but you don't have a set but they can recognize you so you can speak. >> They usually ask me to speak. Um, so I'll just give an update about the programs that they are funding, >> right?

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>> Um, you know, to let them know either how something went or something that's coming up or for me to ask for funding for something. >> Um, so there was the cookies, there was the the Oh, yeah. The RA the quantit funding request policy, but they had

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asked me to not attend that meeting. So, um I just there's a lot of people on that board that are working really hard. They're also do a lot of awesome fundraising that the board before this didn't do anything, >> right? >> Yeah. Well, it's it's a and before I

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would go to them when we started this um beginning of the fiscal year funding, I'd gone to them for one thing and they said, "No, we already need money." So at least I have there's some discussion you know um with this board but they are working really hard. They're doing like

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their calendar raffle is in full swing right now. They'll be doing their holiday boutique in November. They're they're they've been fantastic. Fantastic. And it breaks my heart. I know I shouldn't have done it but I said okay I'm off of it. I won't have

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anything to do with it. But my sense of morality was like like I kept saying can you okay and I kept encouraging them and they're really feels they said to me I'm not educated I don't have as much experience and they were really downtrodden and this was

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this was for months it wasn't and like before when we had the other uh friends they inherited quite a bit of money they put in CDs untouchable money and that was did and it was get down on

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your knees back with something and it was the same and I just said to him I'm I'm afraid you're developing into like we had before and it's really sad. >> All right,

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>> that's it. I'm done. >> My turn. >> Your turn. >> All right. So, I just wanted to briefly go over things. cuz I know you all get the newsletter and read it, but our veterans lunchon is this Wednesday and then we have traveling chef on Thursday. Next Tuesday we're collaborating with

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the library on a social security optimization um program. We've done this twice before, once with the library, once on our own. It does um tend to bring out more people when we collaborate with the library and hold it over there. Uh pickle ball starts on June 9th. Tuesdays will be the

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beginners's classes that people will need to sign up for. There will be classes in June, July, and August. Um, Thursdays, we are doing open play, so it's not just experienced players. We encourage the beginner players to play on those days, too. We're having Delvina

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come back on Thursday, June 11th. We're doing a Father's Day event on Tuesday, June 16th. Animal World had to cancel this past April. Uh, we had them scheduled for during April school vacation. We like to open that up so that uh it's multigenerational type

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program. of you will be back in July. I don't have the date with me right now, but um the next newsletter is a June July newsletter that went out to the printer on Friday. So, we will be getting that soon to stop and mail out. People should have it for the 1st of June.

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>> Can I ask when the next the veterans lunch is this week, but when is the next lunch after that? >> So, then the next day I have Traveling Chef the very next day. >> Oh, that's Traveling Chef. >> Yes. So, Traveling Chef, if you look at the back of that newsletter that I handed you. Yes.

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>> Um once a month we do a traveling chef meal. So those meals are always listed on the back there. That's a standard. In May we had a Mother's Day tea in March. I had a we had a St. Patrick's Day event in around the holidays. You know, we do

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Thanksgiving. We do, you know, Christmas holiday event in December. Those are sort of major events that we do. The Father's Day one is a is a big one that'll be coming up too. But as far as monthly meals, the traveling chef is >> So how many lunches do you have a month?

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>> Definitely one each month and then like we'll add in So we're here late on Tuesdays. So we'll add in game night where we serve dinner and have um and play games. We started doing dinner club in lie of game night. So some night some Tuesday nights it might be that we're

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just serving dinner, not having anything afterwards. We don't I don't have lunches every day. We're not a meal site. We have a glorified break room over there for our kitchen. So, I really can't, you know, everything we do is catered. Um, >> and what do you expect the attendance for this? How

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>> for a traveling chef? >> How many people attend? >> Traveling chef usually about 40 45 people. >> And would it be okay if I answered that? >> Sure. I will go to the bathroom is amazing. >> Is it just limited to veterans?

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>> So the veterans event we gear >> well we gear towards vets but they can bring a uh they can bring a guest. So some might bring their spouse, some might bring a friend. Um, I would rather someone come with someone and come to the event than not come because they're afraid to come by themselves.

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>> We had someone who brought their father who was over 100 million. >> He's a veteran two bedroom which we're not going to have many left. >> It's awesome. >> I don't know if he'll come. He'll be coming this time. No. >> Um, but

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yeah, the traveling chef is usually pretty well attended. >> Sounds great to me. Yeah, >> they do a good job here. >> Thank you. >> And you get donated, right? >> So, I tried to pay this time. He always donates in November for the uh Veterans

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Day event. So, I said to him, "Oh, we want to do it again for Memorial Day. You know, 50 people is my max. Give me a ballpark figure." He's like, "Oh, it's on me." "No, no, no. You know, I'd like to pay for it." "No, no." He says, "We take care of our veterans. He's very good." >> So, we appreciate Mike and

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>> Mhm. It's a good name. >> The people over there. Yeah. >> It might been been mentioned to Bill that I think he his father is a World War II veteran, too. >> Uh he's not World War II. He's he's a general, though. He's a retired general. >> Oh, that's what it is. Yeah. >> So, he'll be here.

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>> Paul, you're looking to come to the veterans lunch on Wednesday? >> I would love to come to that. >> Why don't you talk to Kathy on the way out and see if she can't patch you up? >> We'll make sure. >> You come as my guest. Well, that'll be great. Yeah, I appreciate that. I I will

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come to that. >> Okay, that's >> I'll go to both. >> It's great. They're noon. Both are at noon time. >> Bring your appetite. >> I just want to meet with people. >> Sure. Sure. >> I did not bring my phone, so I can't look up on the calendar the next >> uh date if that's where we're at.

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>> Well, we have new business, so I don't know if there's anything else that is on people's minds. >> Yes, it's been a good meeting, good discussion. Um, so I will reiterate that we are going to meet some new members coming up. People's terms have expired.

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People are stepping down. I did uh get an email from Joe that there's Antico that uh there's some medical issues in her family. So, she's going to be stepping down. >> So, people, you know, life life gives you lemons sometimes and you got to

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press them. So, >> yep. >> Uh, >> how many people how many people turn? >> Three are leaving. >> Okay, that that speaks to my comment about we need to reach out to the stakeholders in this village, not just

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council on aging shouldn't be precursor to just aged individuals with the stake in it. It's the youngsters emerging to help volunteer management. That was something that finally

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did a good job speaking about that town meeting. She wanted enough people to hear it, but I thought what she said was very good. You know, I know individually like I know that they go out and they talk to younger people because we need

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young blood every when you look at a lot of these sports committes the same people. Exactly. >> And back to the election you've got touring but no one really against him but the aist and then I think someone

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else young people. >> Yeah. Could I ask before you close? Could I ask one question about funding? >> Funding. >> Funding. So, um I talked to the interest folks about this. So, how much of your

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budget comes from the mass council on aging? How much of it comes from the town and how much of it comes from friends? Most of it comes from the town. So, that pays all of my salaries uh and wages for three staff members here. I

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have two other staff members that I use our formula grant funding which comes from the state. The the formula grant funding pays for our van driver and our meals on wheels driver salaries. And >> is that the mask council on aging or is it a different different >> different funding? Um I don't get

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funding from the mask council on aging. They they um advocate to the state for the formula grant. >> Okay. Um so the formula grant pays for those two salaries and then for our uh bulk postage permit and um mailings.

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And then I reach out to the friends to fund five to six major events a year. So that's all inclusive of catering, entertainment, all the incidentals that go along with say our St. Patrick's Day event or our holiday event. >> Excuse me. would like to say anyone can

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donate to the COA directly also that would be acceptable >> cuz I know with us especially with the vulnerable we always donated directly and wrote just to >> so I do get a lot of donations throughout the year too. So, so the and so your total budget is is what

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150,000 less than that >> more >> 200. >> Yeah, I I can that's a discussion for activis um >> yeah don't mean to shut you down but it's not on the agenda and so >> we shouldn't be violating open meeting

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law. Um >> the next meeting date we have in we have to set a meeting for June. I'm again traveling for work for the middle of the month. So I can be here June 8th or June 29th. Are there any preferences or needs

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>> or do we need to have a Zoom meeting? >> Do you want a Zoom meeting? >> I think we probably will need to have one. So then maybe sooner would be better. >> I'll be gone.

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>> Okay. So let's plan for June 8th at 9. If I could get a motion to that effect. >> So move. >> All those in favor? >> June 9th. >> June 8th. >> I did say, but I'll double check.

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>> It is Monday. Monday the 8th. >> Yeah. Okay, >> that is all right. Um, >> and with that settled, we will I would accept a motion to adjurnn.

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>> Motion to second. >> All those in favor? >> Thank you all very much.