Minutes of the Apr 13, 2009 Staying Put Board Meeting
A meeting of the Staying Put Board took place on Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 4:30PM at the New Canaan Library.
Penny Young from the Advisory Board and Jeb Walker, First Selectman, attended by invitation.
Jane Nyce's Executive report was emailed to the Board. Her salient points were: the number of individual members is 252 while the household memberships stand at 190; 9% of the membership is on some kind of "scholarship." The current renewal rate is 88%.
Programs and events are listed on the website. Jane reminded Board members not only to call other SP members to encourage them to attend but also to bring prospective SP members to these events.
First Selectman Jeb Walker discussed the Stimulus package and the Town budget. The Town budget will increase less than 1%. In order to keep the budget increase low, capital projects will be put on hold. By refinancing some bonds, the Town will not have a deficit this year. Tax collection is ahead of last year's pace. The mill rate will be established once the appeals are finished. The stimulus package for New Canaan is $975,000, to be used for "infrastructure," some of which will be used for the school system. Overall, education, fire, and police will be less impacted than other services. Requests to the State for dollars from the Dept of Economic and Community Development were turned down in favor of Westport, and the Millport Apartments received nothing from the state.
Tax relief for the disabled and the elderly was also briefly outlined. Jeb added that after tax/finances, the number one concern is what role the Town should play in the loss of retail. There are 14 empty store-fronts and the Town has no "appropriate" role to draw upon for this situation.
Darien has started a "downtown renewal" marketing plan, which was sponsored mainly by private investors. New Canaan is considering what the appropriate role for the Town in such matters is.
Waveny Care Network is developing the proposal for a CCRC, Continuing Care Retirement Community, including the number of units, the dollars to the Town from the lease of the land (which will create substantial revenue for the Town), and how much space will be needed. The proposal will go first to the Town bodies, and then through a legal process to be sure it is in agreement with the deed. Then the sentiment of the townspeople will be measured. Jeb has asked the CT Attorney General, and he has agreed, not to "weigh in" on the deed legality until WCN has the concept and proposal finalized. Jeb suggested that the proposal might be ready by the fall of '09, and that a measure of the town's support should be known by June of '09. Jeb also noted that the recent publicity claiming that a CCRC would not be in keeping with the deed is "dangerous," pre-emptive, and probably not the way the Attorney General will eventually rule on the question. The key issue is whether or not the majority in town is in favor of a CCRC.
Pat Stoddard reported that Ann Cohen has been putting the fundraising info into a new program. Because some checks were sent to United Way and forwarded to SP, some contributions were listed twice and some weren't listed at all. This new program should have all the corrections in it.
The new fundraising campaign will start in the fall. SP has raised $127K vs. our goal of $250K, and with our costs projected at $170K for 2009 there is no margin for slack. Pat asked that every Board member be a supporter/donor.
David Moran will host a party on June 5 for the "farm team" of younger adults. The purpose will be to make them feel invested in SP and give them a sense of community. To do this, we will offer a "package" of volunteer opportunities, e.g., construction practices, estate planning, technical help, and also the usual physical help, like hanging Christmas lights. Dave, John Engel and Teri Wagner will work with the Volunteer committee to develop these ideas.
David Brown weighed in with some historical perspective and reminded us that Waveny Care Center which started out as a nursing home, is no longer enough. To help fill the need, Staying Put is being established. The younger adults in town might want to have a say in the structure and the success of SP because they will be the beneficiaries. As David so eloquently said, "We're setting the table for them!" As the elders, we must show our needs, so that the "farm team" will not only help but also look into their own future and really take personal interest in SP. The younger group also has a need for a forum to discuss their own aging parents - perhaps they'll start a Staying Put in their parents' towns.
In order to successfully engage organizations like the Rotary Club it is a good idea to have a few supporters "at the ground level" who will help carry the momentum.
Ellie O'Neill reported that the Membership Committee is mostly non-board members, which is a good indication that more and more people are involved. Brochures are given to people who exit Waveny Care Center and the hospitals and doctors' offices. Brochures are also given to people who use the GetABout, and to Meals on Wheels.
The condo meetings were fun and well attended; it's too soon to judge how the "pay off" in new memberships will be. Please tell Ellie of anyone who might be interested in joining SP. SP will have an article in the April 23 newspaper, and we will march in the Memorial Day Parade. The Annual Meeting will be on Sunday May 31st at St. Mark's Morrill Hall at 2PM.
Congratulations to Gloria Major-Brown for the Spring Newsletter. Other publicity includes inquiries into a possible interview with Jane on Channel 12, and an article by Nancy Helle on our new President, Tom Ferguson, now posted on the website. Website hits are up 20% to 13K+ in March. Tanis Erdmann will attend a seminar this month called "Getting the Publicity You Deserve," and Ellie O'Neill will attend a later one called "How to Tell Your Story," both sponsored by the Fairfield Community Foundation. The summer Newsletter will feature SP Volunteers.
Jim Hollyday has offered to chair the newsletter volunteers information to help get it addressed and mailed out. Molly DePatie has taken on the volunteer position of Administrative Point Person and is fulfilling Jane's requests for help on a weekly basis. There is still a need for another Point Person to fill more immediate requests. The concept of involving as many people as possible remains the same. We want to be as inclusive as possible. Jane and Lyn Chivvis will meet to identify needs and Lyn will work with David and John and Teri to come up with ideas for the younger set to volunteer.
Tom Ferguson has emailed the Board the Business Plan with projections to 2013. It includes strategy and organization, and will be a useful tool for fundraising.
Please check the website for upcoming events and please encourage people to attend.
Respectfully submitted,
Lyn Chivvis, Secretary
Call us at
203-966-7762