2017-01-18 Senior Transition MeetingSenior Transition Team Meeting
January 18, 2017
1 p.m.
Present: Commissioner Stamper, Commissioner Fund, Commissioner Jackson, Glenda Forga, Becky
Butler, Steve Walton and members of the Senior Transition Team
Recorder: Rieva Lester
Members of the group and audience introduced themselves.
Commissioner Stamper gave an opening message about the desire to create an environment in which
the senior centers can become self-sufficient and operate outside the constraints of county government.
Commissioner Fund said this is the transition team’s meeting. She said the group needs to work
together to make recommendations to bring to the board.
Commissioner Jackson thanked the group for coming. He encouraged the group to feel free to
brainstorm ideas. He told the group there are no bad ideas.
Glenda Forga said the team’s goals would be to find a short-term solution as well as a long-term solution
… in an essence, make a business plan to give to the commissioners.
Glenda gave an overview of her working history. She talked about the senior centers being currently
staffed as skeleton crews. She said her long-term hope is that the centers can become fully staffed,
viable entities.
Glenda gave a PowerPoint presentation about Lewis County Senior Programs.
Among topics she covered:
• Older Americans Act nutrition program
• Senior college-sponsored classes
• Recreational activities
• Information and assistance
• Socialization
• Nutritional education
She discussed the fact that the county owns and operates the centers. She talked about the various
government and private partners associated with the centers. She said partners provide funding,
donated goods, services, etc. She talked about Advisory Boards, which help with fundraising and
enrichment programs. She discussed the Area Agency on Aging, which works on the Nutrition Programs,
and she discussed the role staff members play at the senior centers.
Glenda said the county has five senior centers (but six meal sites). She gave an overview of the chain of
command regarding the senior centers and an overview of the centers’ funding sources.
Glenda said the county’s annual contribution, pegged at $376,000 for 2017, is the funding that will
disappear. She said almost all centers throughout the state are being run outside of county government.
Glenda said the county budget can’t withstand continually funding the centers.
Bill Marshall asked about creating a 501c3. Glenda steered the group to not drill the commissioners with
questions but rather to generate ideas.
The group selected its representatives as the following:
Chairman: Bill Marshall
Co-chairman: Jim Henderson
Secretary: Michelle Whitten
Glenda said it is the responsibility of each site representative to take information back to their senior
center.
The group devised the following mission statement: Create a self-sustaining, long-term solution to
operate and fund Senior Programs within Lewis County.
The group discussed the fact that the Transition Team could be an ad-hoc committee, unless the group
decides otherwise.
The group discussed keeping the meeting time as 1 p.m. every other week. Glenda said she would
provide the group with access to email addresses and phone numbers for the members, as well as
minutes. The group supported a recommendation to hold meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of
the month.
Glenda said the group would be broken into subcommittees in the future.
Glenda said she would work as the facilitator, making copies, phone calls, etc.
Glenda said she envisioned the meetings lasting an hour to two hours. She talked about rotating the
meeting site.
Bill Marshall suggested running the meetings similar to council or commissioner meetings, in which the
public is allowed to attend but the decision-makers are the actual members.
Glenda said the next meeting would be Feb. 1 in the WSU meeting room at the old historic courthouse.
Glenda said the group’s homework would be to read an article she brought copies of as well as go online
and research how other non-governmental senior centers work.
Meeting adjourned at 2:11 p.m.