Present: Carol Keenan, Joan Haines, Lieutenant Thomas Dillon, Judith Tacey, Christine Taylor, Kathleen Sullivan, Frank Lane, Eileen Knapp, Lee Sekas, Louise Ryan
Liaisons: Natalie Morrison
Introductions: Everyone introduced themselves.
Public Comment: There was no public comment.
Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the March 16, 2005 meeting after agreed upon corrections were made. The motion was seconded and all were in favor.
Group Homes: Lasher Court is still looking for a new group to take it over. There is the possibility that the town or housing authority may get involved. The board is looking for members to volunteer to become liaisons with the heads of the group homes so we can better convey and receive information when necessary. In June we will discuss who will be the liaisons for each group home. These liaisons will need to inform the group homes of the date and details of the summer picnic.
Seniors: Christine Taylor shared copies of the Friendly Shopper/Friendly Visitor brochure. This brochure was printed thanks to a donation. The Medicare Part D prescription program begins January 1, 2006. The Social Security Administration will begin sending mailings May 27th through August 16th 2005 based on recipient's social security number. Please read it thoroughly. There will be two informational sessions regarding this new program and how it can help you with the cost of your prescriptions. The dates of these sessions are Thursday, October 27, 2:00mp-4:00pm and Thursday, November 17, 6:00pm-8:00pm, both being held at the William Pitkin Community Center, 30 Greenfield Street Wethersfield, CT.
Parks and Recreation: The Parks and Recreation Department is now taking registrations for Summer Programs. Greenfield Playground is almost complete. We are still waiting on picnic tables and swings. The board is looking into when the wheelchair swing will be installed. The street entrance to the park was determined to be unsafe and has been closed and the plaque is now near the rear entrance where it is more visible. The Special Olympics Regional Games are being held May 21st at Weaver High School in Hartford. The Law Enforcement Torch Run with the Wethersfield Police Department is Thursday June 9th on the Silas Deane Highway. June 10th -12th the State Southern Games will be held at Southern Connecticut University. The first Annual Roaring Thunder Motorcycle Ride is July 23rd with a rain date of July 24th. The summer picnic at Millwoods will be on July 9th from 11:30am-2:30pm. We need help with registration, serving lunch and raffles, etc. Please call Natalie Morrison at 721-2952 to volunteer to work or bring a dish. You can volunteer on a morning shift from 8:30-11:00am or afternoon shift from 11:30-3:00pm.
Transportation/Dial-A-Ride: There are many concerns with Dial-A-Ride including, not enough room on the buses, stalling buses, going back to 5 days a week, and adding Price Chopper to the list of stops. Also, there is limited assistance to passengers in getting them to the door of their residence.
Resource Booklet: Kathleen Sullivan continues to work on the resource booklet. The current information needs to be updated before she can begin to add new information.
New Business: There was discussion of possible changes in the Bureau of Rehab. Services. Frank Lane will try to find out more for June's meeting. As occurred last year, the budget is being cut; we are waiting to hear what the new budget will be. The 2nd Central Regional Forum on the Community Inclusion of People with Disabilities is being held May 26th from 9:30am-12:00pm at the Newington Senior and Disabled Center.
Other: Minutes for the WACPD meetings will be available on line, going back to January, 2005. There was a discussion about the need to educate drivers to pay more attention to pedestrians including the disabled, on the sidewalks and crosswalks. There is concern that the crosswalk buttons are too small in some areas, and are difficult to use for some with disabilities. They would rather have them changed to larger buttons.
Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Eileen Knapp
Secretary