Senior Citizens Advisory Board

Adult Activity Center

Agenda — 18 items

1. 1 CALL TO ORDER
2. 2 ROLL CALL
3. 2 Meeting called to order at 4:10pm.
4. 3 a. Roll Call and Excusal of Absences
5. 4 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
6. 5 a. Approval of February Meeting Minutes A MOTION TO APPROVE LAST MEETINGS MINUTES WAS MADE BY JULIAN SEVILLANO AND WAS SECONED BY JAMES “JIM” BERLIN. ALL IN FAVOR; PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
7. 6 SUPERVISOR'S REPORT
8. 7 a. General Updates AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters began by discussing the expansion of AAC facility hours into Thursday evenings with Zumba After Hours Thursdays from 5:30pm-6:30pm and a Sports Current Events discussion group meeting Thursdays from 5:30pm-6:30pm. Zumba After Hours is aimed at providing a Zumba class for the working 50+ population and as an overflow for the very popular Tuesday and Thursday morning Zumba class that usually hits maximum capacity. Gregory then continued to discuss summer registration, stating that resident registration will open on Monday March 11th with non-resident registration continuing to open on the third Monday of the month prior to the program start date. Board member James “Jim” Berlin then inquired about the starting time between the opening of the resident and non-resident registration for a month. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters stated that the standard is at least a two-week difference, however on this occasion it will be a longer period to allow the same non-resident rule to stay in use and prevent confusion with registration. Board member Jean Connelly then inquired if there tends to be a reduction in class registration during the season, AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters responded that while registration does trend downward the AAC has continued to grow at a steady rate, and they believe this summer will continue to be the busiest summer yet. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then inquired about the statistics of resident versus non-resident registration numbers in the previous period. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters stated that the AAC is still completing monthly reports containing those statistics and stated that he would share those numbers with the board in the April meeting. Board member Judith “Jude” Alexander then stated that the swipe-in numbers may not be the most accurate as many individuals do not check back in between classes during such as Total Body Conditioning and Zumba. AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete stated that staff does their best to track those who remain in Zumba following Total Body Conditioning, however they do ask that everyone make the effort to check-in for each class they attend. AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete then mentioned the Farmer’s Market date of March 30th when the AAC will be in attendance to promote the AAC and asking if any board members are available and would like to attend and help promote the AAC and the work that the Senior Advisory Board does. Following discussion, the decision was made that board members Jean Connelly and James “Jim” Berlin would attend from 8am-11am and board member Judith “Jude” Alexander and board chairperson Celia Suarez would be at the market starting at 11am and remain for some time following the flash mob to promote the AAC and Senior Advisory Board. Board member Judith “Jude” Alexander then inquired if we could possibly add an additional change to the survey before it is sent out including an option of hearing about the AAC through the Farmer’s Market promotions. AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete continued to state the dates of the upcoming AAC special events with the Variety Show taking place on Friday April 19th and the Spring/Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon taking place on Friday May 10th. Board member Judith “Jude” Alexander then mentioned that there was not enough time for rehearsals for the Variety Show dance group participants stating that they have been trying to practice between classes, but there is not adequate time between classes. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then stated that once the date of the variety show has been determined she believes there should be a space on the scheduled blocked out for a regular rehearsal time for multiple months prior. AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete then responded by stating that those participating in Variety Shows are usually responsible for figuring out rehearsal times and finding rehearsal space themselves. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters then added that this concern has been discussed with Community Recreation Director Fred Couceyro and the determination was that the AAC cannot justify moving or cancelling classes for an extended period for a once-a-year special event. Gregory then stated that he had offered a solution to Maria, when she had raised this issue previously, of having rehearsals before classes before or after the AAC time of operation, however there was no effort made to schedule these rehearsals with AAC supervisors. Community Recreation Administrative Assistant Susan Lainfiesta then stated that it may be worth adding this discussion to the next meeting’s agenda so it may be discussed at the next meeting at more length. b. Special Events AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete then began reviewing upcoming special events within the Community Recreation Department stating that the Farmer’s Market will continue to be held for the remainder of March, the Movies Under the Gables Moonlight on March 16th at 6pm showing “Mrs. Doubtfire”, and the Egg Hunts on Saturday March 30th. c. Administrative Updates The Coral Gables Farmers Market - Saturday, Mar 9 - Mar 30 at 8 a.m., Movies Under the Gables Moonlight - Featuring Mrs. Doubtfire – March 15 at 6 p.m. and Eggstreme Egg Hunt - Saturday, Mar 30 at 10a.m.
9. 8 NEW BUSINESS
10. 9 OLD BUSINESS
11. 10 DISCUSSION ITEMS
12. 10 AAC Member Fredi Schwartz was attending the Senior Advisory Board meeting began by discussing that she has been registered for the Intermediate French class taught by volunteer Jane Rahman since the class began in November and was not able to register for March due to class capacity. Fredi then inquired if there was anyway she may be able to join the French class for the remainder of March and inquire about opening up registration for multiple months since it is a language class. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters stated that the class limit was set in coordination with the instructor to maintain an effective learning environment and that there is not much flexibility with the enrollment numbers. AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete then assured Fredi that he would reach out to her after the meeting to help find a solution and assist her in any way he can stating that if she still owns property in the City of Coral Gables she may still qualify for the resident status on her account. Board member Richard Thurer then inquired whether there was the possibility of extending the period of registration for classes that have an ongoing course of study to more than one month. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters then stated that this would be something that can be reviewed and looked at moving forward as a potential change. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then stated that it may be worth giving priority to those who have taken a class in previous months to receive priority registration. Gregory responded that this may not be possible with their system and that the current registration process guidelines have a set time for registration to open for both residents and non-residents. Board member Jean Connelly then stated that she has heard from several AAC members that they do not have adequate time to exit the parking garage when they validate their parking tickets. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters stated that these complaints have not been made to the staff and that they have heard very few complaints of this issue, continuing to state that the Palace informed them the industry standard is a 10-minute grace window and that the validation system currently doubles this time offering a 20-minute grace window for exiting the garage. Board member Julian Sevillano then stated that on Wednesday March 13th at 6pm the Coral Gables Country Club will be hosting the “Aging Mind: Advances in Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Health” informing the board that he would be in attendance and extending an invitation to the rest of the Senior Advisory Board who may be interested in attending. AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters assured the board that he will look at finding out more information on the event to share with the board so that they can register and attend if they are interested.
13. 11 a. Pickle Ball b. Farmer’s Market on March 30th AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters began by discussing the issues that have been occurring within Pickleball stating that he is working with AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete to create a code of conduct for AAC members that would like to share with the board at the next meeting. Gregory continued to state that based on violations of the code of conduct AAC supervisors may reserve the right to suspend memberships and participation based on violations. AAC Supervisor Norma Gavarrete then clarified that the center should be a safe space for players of all levels and that this code of conduct will hopefully help make that a reality. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then voiced her agreement with a code of conduct for memberships at the AAC stating that it is something that seems necessary. Board Chairperson Celia Suarez then requested that the board workshop discussions be moved to an earlier position on the next agenda to allow more time to discuss the topic.
14. 12 ITEMS FROM THE SECRETARY
15. 12 Board member Judith “Jude” Alexander then inquired about the AAC survey to see if there was a timeline for when the survey will be sent out, AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregoy Walters responded that they would look at adding the changes suggested during this meeting and see where they are in the process at this point. Board member James “Jim” Berlin then inquired if the certificate has been mailed to past board member Hendrik Woods, AAC Assistant Supervisor Gregory Walters then stated that they had not sent the certificate and asked the board if they would be interested in signing a card at the next meeting before sending the certificate. The board agreed that they would rather send the certificate and have the staff sign on behalf of the board.
16. 13 Date of the next meeting: Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 4:00 p.m.
17. 14 ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 5:18 p.m.
18. 15 NOTE