 Good. Great. All right. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. Okay. Okay. Let's see. Pursuant to Governor Baker's March 12 2020 order suspending certain prevent provisions of the open meeting law, GLC 30 a subsection 18. This meeting of the Council on Aging is being conducted by remote participation. We're going to do a roll call check here. And as other members are added, we'll recognize them. So let's just start that. And so and this is a time for you to check your at your mute function to mute and unmute. So I'll ask you to do that. And I see, Jacqueline, that you're muted at the moment. So unmute please when you yeah, because we want to hear that voice of yours. I just had it pop up. I was fooling around with it. So like the missions accomplished. If you hear me, I do hear you. We hear you. That's great. All right. So let you be will let you be the first. Jacqueline Smith crooks. Present. All right. Mila Matamayor. I'm here. Rosemary Koffler. Present. And that's, that's all I see in myself, of course, and we'll recognize others as they join us. But we do we have a sufficient number for a quorum at four of our seven members. Do we have any guests joining us this morning? If we would welcome you also. All right. Thank you. That's good. And then I'm also so let's see. So let's see. I'm Mary Beth always helps me sort of recognize if you wish to speak just for it, you can physically raise your hand. That's fine. And let's see. All right. I think we're good. If there are if there are many any members of the public joining us, you're free to this is a public comment section. Dick Yorga is present and his hand is raised. I clicked allow him to talk. So I Dick, are you all set? Can you speak? Yes, I was just going to say that I'm here. Wonderful. Good morning, Dick. We're so glad you're joining us this morning. Thank you. All right. Do you have any words to share with us in the public comment section? No, I'm here to learn. So are we so we'll learn together. That's really great. Okay. So let me just go. Our meeting, I think I think we'll be short this morning. But it's significant. This is this meeting is concludes the unprecedented unprecedented 20 program year of 2021. And I want to take, I want to actually draw from my Native American friend of mine, Audrey Shenandoah of the Haudenosaunee tribe in upstate New York. And she says that if you're on, she urges people to begin their gatherings with gratitude. And I think that isn't a good way to begin this particular meeting. And I want to say, and I think I'll wait until others join us to offer that that those words of gratitude. But I want to just start with saying with acknowledging that that this this year and I will say specifically the words of gratitude for each and every one of you in participating and being faithful and nimble and resourceful and and making your voices heard. I can't I can't say how much I appreciate that in support of the voices and the lives of people in the town of Amherst of seniors in the town of Amherst and those who love them. And that is and I think also it's important for us to recognize that this has been a year, a difficult year, and that we have had some losses, some losses beyond our reckoning, losses of health, of people that are close to us. There have been some just though we've lost something and I think we feel it and some of the usual mechanisms of healing and repair that we have grown used to and and that has made it difficult. There's also I think been a kind of a sense of national reckoning and loss of innocence regarding the the tragic and ongoing division in our country divisions in our country and with respect to the racial racial reckoning and the racial history in our nation and that continues to go on and we still struggle with that and and I think it's mostly been a loss of innocence for members of majority culture who have too often walked away from our past and even and even are present that reckoning. So this members of this council have struggled with this and yes it is indeed has been uncomfortable and yes we have needed needed to strengthen our muscles of of listening and reconciliation when that's possible and stamina and persistence and so that's that's the part of I I have some personal words of gratitude as well but it's been such an honor for me to to be part of this of this effort and I have learned so much from each one of you. One of the things that we have learned and we struggled with is making really to echo what Chad has brought up to us from time to time and a perspective actually which I have shared with him and that is that our our structure has is not has not well served our purposes or or our current understanding of the stages of life of elders. It used to be that you becoming a senior seemed to be something that might have might begin when you were 60 or maybe 65 in retirement but I think each of us has understood during the time of the pandemic especially that there are stages of of elder hood and those stages and the and the lives and challenges of those who are newly retired those who are sort of in the middle stage um um maybe still has have some of their health but are starting to suffer creakiness or take some tolls being taken uh with ourselves or our partners um and then later stages when when we you know we may need we may need um some kinds of support to continue to lead a rich and engaged um and full life um more and in the 80s and then the 90s as well and that Democrat demographic has Mary Beth has pointed out of of seniors with great needs is expanding in our town and we have not yet come to terms with what that means and it's messy and we don't have a lot of answers yet but what we do have is imagination and have the ability to pull ourselves together and have conversation conversations at hopefully face to face as we we connect but we are resourceful and we will find ways to walk to be witnesses to our own imagination and walk through this together one of the things that we did which I have mixed feelings about is that we revised a committee structure and um the structures um the structures themselves reflect um I think our effort was to reflect structures that that are consonant with the mission um of the council on age aging the historic mission of advocacy and of service and um we distilled those uh our mission into three areas um that uh I think are a legitimate um uh focus um which include health and well-being program and service and diversity equity and inclusion and that latter one um is um a new focus uh long overdue but uh represents um a new area of serious work and repair and imagination and again in our in our town um so um that is not the only thing um that um uh I would hope we would look at in the future um because uh Tim um has uh been one of the voices that has expressed concern about senior services and its funding structure and how we um how that structure um is different from other town departments and how um we need to have some serious conversations about how uh to provide both a level of services and also prepare for a future where we know that the need will expand for both advocacy and services uh for um for uh the treasured grandmas grandpas and other seniors in our town so um that is um I can imagine that and and by the way um unless I've missed something though um a new senior center is part of the uh a plan that is perhaps about four years away we need to insist that seniors ourselves are involved in the in the planning process uh nothing for us without us is the motto um and so that that that engagement needs to happen and and from the from the get-go we don't you know and and and that engagement needs to be meaningful um so um some of the things I think that we have not been able to do but which we sorely need um um are a retreat of some sort I I mentioned um um um and some gatherings that that will will allow us to do some of this basic work call it a reach some retreats call at some listening sessions one of the things my hope is is um that we we do um possibly in in this in the summer or at some unspecified time in the future but soon is to have I would love to have a listening session uh with Marybeth just to listen about her vision her priorities and struggles and how we can best support her as a council um and um um and that I think is a sort of a core miss um um possibility um the other thing my other concern I have is I can see us doing brainstorming sessions that's easier to do when we're um in the company of each other because instead of feeling like built billiard balls separated and distant we build our energy builds we we build on each other if we if we were doing some brainstorming around certain issues and that unleashes some imagination there's a psychologist named Bruce Tuckman who who speaks about who many years ago wrote about forming storming norming and performing and uh we've done a lot of storming this year and some and forming but and you know that we and I my sense is of that is that it's also kind of a circle around some of the specific projects we have but I invite us to do that and to realize to realize that we're not trying to shred each other in the process public service is a hot kitchen to be in and it is not for everyone and uh those who who are still standing and engaged um are uh it's very um are very special to me um this I want to say that this is the time um when my my term as chair uh concludes and um I want to share that this um this has been this has been a tough year for me and I don't mind being vulnerable around that I think sharing that vulnerability is a strength that uh is underestimated um my my husband has had some very very serious health issues which continue and I saw some of my own health issues decline I've moved from prediabetes to diabetes and my blood pressure skyrocketed and um I you know I had and I'm recognizing that I need um and there are a lot of other things happening in my life that I need to address in order to continue to be on the path uh and offer my best self to everyone I say that because um I have made the difficult decision to uh to to finish my term and end my term as chair um and um but I do want to say after struggling some I have concluded that I would like to continue um as a member of the council and um um I've had a conversation with my my partner about that and um who faces yet another surgery minor surgery but still a surgery um in August and um so um so what I am proposing um is um that we um not have meetings we give our ourselves a break um for uh or July and August not have public meetings um but my my hope is um that um we create I'm I'm thinking more possibly in August maybe late August um this is still kind of in the planning stages but um certainly Mary Beth and Rosemary uh my predecessor as chair and I have been in in conversation about um how we could um do some of that um list having some listening sessions or brainstorming or really figure out this issue one of our challenging issues is that we we work hard in developing a committee structure in the service of our our three major missions um but um it isn't problematic in a board so small um how how that would even work um with the requirements of committees needing to post their minutes or to post their meetings to take minutes um we don't have the kind of staffing or skills or technology to be able to do that so um part of what we were kind of thinking through and I'll share this is to invite is it um and this is again preliminary and open for discussion but to um to have a um to work together as a committee at the whole so that uh we will we will still have a structure that meets the requirements of the open and the spirit and the of the open meeting law but also be able to work specifically on some priorities and and problems um and um in the service of our mission so that's kind of where we are with that and um um I just um I get when I say also that that means what what that means is that the um typically in this month we would submit a uh a set uh from from a nominating committee a set of recommendations to fail any vacancies that occur on our board and um we um hold on here I just can you still see me okay something strange happened here Mila somehow you clicked screen share and we're viewing your screen share so if you could stop sharing your screen go down go down to the bottom toolbar uh on your screen and you'll see share screen and if you could click that I don't know what's happening here Mila can you hear us there we go okay we're back yes thanks all right good thanks thanks thanks Mila it helps when somebody knows what's going on yeah yes that's a that's a fact okay so to continue um um I had had appointed um a nominating committee and people had stepped up and um shortly after that um Tim who was to convene um resigned um and we so we're we have to figure out how to reconstitute that and can convene that and work through that and I think um as Mary Beth and Rosemary and I spoke yesterday we we have to um um as we repopulate our our um council um my hope is that we continue the forward progress on our um um uh and uh with intention on um diversity and inclusion um and that we're very intentional also um when I say diversity not only racial diversity and ethnic diversity but I'm also speaking about also taking a look at maybe some other skills and also frankly um looking at um uh recruiting a demographic an age demographic uh uh of um uh individuals who um have skills and the energy of the the newly retired and um because um that that's going to be necessary to serve the long term uh goals of of moving the council into the future um so you know I'm I'm sharing that with everyone uh just to um um just to um say that um um um and be explicit that um explicitly invite each and every member of the council to feel uh empowered to share with me and with Mary Beth and Paul Backelman and others um um the uh the recruitment and encouragement of individuals who share our purpose and our mission and and the path that we we have um and that we are we are on um and um again drawing upon the words of Audrey Shenandoah she says you don't have to uh you need not hurry if you are on the right path and uh we you know we've we've stumbled on a path sometimes and we've we've taken a few detours here and there but it feels like we were headed in a direction um that is um affirming life affirming community and firm affirming um and um it feels liberating and uh to me and energizing um and um I hope that's where we can go so um let me just shut up for the moment and and make some room for any I know that's I've said a lot I uh any any comments from council members um or anyone else Mary um Rosemary I I do believe what you're saying is that anybody on the council currently who has ideas for people who might be appropriate members for the council to feel free to come forward and um make those suggestions and um there is a process simply filling out the community activity form yes and uh so if anyone has ideas any member we encourage that yes thanks for that um I would also add that one it's a great um I'm being a bit self-critical here but one thing uh need that we have is to do a better job at orienting our new members um and I'm I've also looked at that whopping uh doorstop of a council member's manual which nobody really reads or only the very the fanatics read and and so our our goal is to trim that down it's antiquated it's uh too much um and um and just um make it you know um more useful to our members and so that's kind of another summer project I think that we're doing as well but yeah I appreciate that I think that that's that's valuable um and um and you know a great suggestion yes Pat and I talked about um the orientation and maybe um looking at this huge manual so if anyone would like to join us in their project we would welcome that because you got the manual you can tell us what you think of it and what you find found useful if you even opened it and but I think there are some essential items that should go into that manual but um much of it is antiquated so we would welcome those suggestions absolutely yes and don't hold back on your reviews we've tried to create a culture of honesty on this council and frank talk so we're that's we we think that that also serves our our purposes so absolutely I would say if any of you are particularly called to to that project or any of our core conversations our core focus you know health and well-being or program and services or diversity and inclusion my hope is that while you're recreating some this summer that you might you know do some of the fun work of imagining imagining what what might be possible and and so you might want to step forward and also I mean I I have to say honestly um I look for I think I look forward to people that I enjoy working with who are community members so I'm starting to think about as I travel around and things are opening up a bit um it's it's a process of real discovery um and I I think so I invite you to discover others I would also say that we are that members of our council do need to be from the town of Amherst have residents in the town of Amherst and so that is that is um that's a requirement um we we also have been brainstorming about how uh to draw upon some specific expertise that's needed um as well and um so um anyway if you have ideas about that you could share them and we do have four vacancies so that's a considerable number of people have absolutely yeah so um Jacqueline can you hear me yes um I I I just want to thank you and and thank Rosemary and Mary Beth uh as a team of uh dynamic workers this is my I'm concluding you might say my first year um and um I have to tell you the spirit of my ancestors is rising in me and I have to say to you it makes me feel like going on feel like going like feel like going on and and and what what it did for me I there was so much as you were talking and bringing things into focus I I heard the echo of maxing waters reclaiming my time as an elder and all too often um we equate my elderhood with neediness and to have a vision for creating a council that rises to the occasion for elders a wholeness is just so energizing it is so energizing uh yes we will do something for or advocate on behalf of but it's not aimed at disempowering by disabling and and and that came through so clearly uh and I guess a very different way and I had not given words to it but framing it in that way makes a difference the stages of elderhood having a place where it's not designed just for quote helping you because you are helpless but working with partnering along the way not excluding providing help of the that that that addresses the neediness but knowing that there's still some life left in you you know what I'm saying yes I know my mama used to say when I when I get to be a hundred which she didn't get to be she said I'm not going to be sitting in a rocking chair waiting for somebody to wait on me and I'm going to accept that waiting on but I'm going to let you know that I'm not helpless and and so this is this is like repeating that repeating that and there's it's it's keeping elders alive not just physically but keeping elders alive holistically and the vision feels not just sound it feels even clearer it feels even clearer not static and not stuck and I appreciate that it's like grounds for appreciation hmm thank you thank you so much for that I've come to realize in my antiquity that interdependence is a spiritual practice and so and that your comments really raise that image in mind and and I'm still learning I'm still learning about that and so thank you um any any other any other feedback or questions or um observations well go ahead I have nothing as profound as what Jacqueline just said but I do want to take a moment at this point in time before we get on with business details to thank you pat for your leadership your commitment and your dedication as chair of the council it has been it's how you took on that role at the most challenging time in history to say the least and during the year we've had several new members and the difficulty of not being able to meet in person and form meaningful connections and and working together as a team was very challenging and you just never gave up you you just were there and came up with your ideas and and thoughts and made phone contact with people to connect and I especially applaud you for your ideas and your um revision of the committee structure because I feel like creating committees that give us achievable goals and also give us guidelines to do the meaningful work for elders and and for the people we serve so I want to really thank you for all that you have done as chair of the council you're welcome thank you yes did hope um I wanted and back at you I want to say before we conclude this love fest I want to say I want to say a few things about individuals as and again my own expression of gratitude and and put this on the public record which is I want to thank you know each person on the council has um um I'm I'm I make the assumption that they've they've done the best work that they can do um I appreciate event palisthenics a commitment to service um and her her listening um and her energy um and um and I hope and I hope uh that um we will continue to connect with her personally uh she's just she's so fiercely practical with some wonderful projects and I hope we continue to nurture that relationship I want to say thank you to to Greg and to to Chad uh to Greg Baskham and and Chad Fuller for um their um being keen listeners uh and commentators um I appreciated Tim's honesty um in saying um and uh you know in the face of of dissent uh difference and uh and we I want to make room for that uh we need to make room for people bringing uh different perspectives to the work that we do together um and I appreciated his well articulated uh concerns about the financial underpinning of the of the senior center and where we where we go ahead that's really a huge topic and we we did not dive into it um this year but we've got to address it um I also want to salute this would have been um this is the end of the term for uh Sue Dirks and what a trooper uh if you've ever done minutes for any organization in your lifetime you understand uh her skill her dedication her faithfulness uh you know it's just mind blowing what she's done for us and um in spite of a lot of her own specific challenges she she's another one who has persisted and helped support our common work um I also appreciate um and value and honor and I'm honored by Jacqueline Jacqueline's courage and her steady drumbeat for justice it inspires me and encourages me and keeps me on the path that where I want to be um and um that has been um that has has kept my heart beating strongly and um I love it um um also I want to say thank you for Rosemary who's been a bedrock for me um and uh just her her energy and her kindness and her organizational skills wow it's a it's quite a package I could go on forever but anyway and then finally I wouldn't have joined this council uh if I uh uh you know several years ago um if I had not heard Mary Beth say um who's at the table and who's missing I heard her say other things but that stood out to me and what that and the message that I heard in that was that everybody matters everybody counts we've got to figure out how to how to put that into practice um as we we we work together as we uh relax together as we learn together and um I was she's been dedicated and resourceful uh and clear-eyed and uh the staff that she has built and that she nurtures uh has served us well during the during this difficult time um I am amazed at that and and uh so um I um again I want to express individual gratitude and put that on the public record um I I think that uh we can transition now uh to uh Mary Beth's report um and um and that's item two on our agenda thank you Pat and thank you everyone and I'm just going to begin just with a very quick thank you to each and every one of you because this year has been extraordinary in just about every possible way um and honestly it has been your enduring support which has gotten me through so I could get teary-eyed because it has been a huge challenge um you know we as as Pat mentioned we've lost some very dear people in our community we've witnessed a lot of physical and cognitive loss due to having to shelter in the way in which this particularly struck our population which has been very hard for all of us and either as we gather and we begin to open up and classes get together we are always reminded of those who are not joining us who have either passed or are at a different stage of a need for a different level of care and so I I think that it's profound in many ways and and I would not have gotten through this without each and every one of your support you know Mila I've spoken to you so many times we talk monthly um your joy for life and how you present yourself is just it fills us up here um you know Jacqueline we've gotten to know each other so well along the way and I appreciate your honesty and your voice and the gravitas that you bring to every conversation um it has been so important to me to center your voice um because your voice has been missing um and Rosemary you know we go back from the day that I arrived my very first day you were there to greet me and and to hold us together uh Rosemary was the first person before even masks were required she she made me a mask and drove it down dropped in a paper bag uh on the sidewalk as we were handing out lunches and was like you better start wearing a mask and you know Pat I'm just going to call you out as as just one of the great persons with imagination um you booming my spirit when I get stuck in sort of the quagmires um you can continue to elevate to raise our vision and to bring out the very best in us and and I thank you collectively you know Tim Greg every which had um Sue how together even though we haven't been able to to meet in person um that we have been able to bring forward the voice and to center the needs and the hope of our community and to keep us safe uh you know that's been my my greatest challenges can we just get through this as safely as possible so thank you I want to applaud your energy I want to applaud your passion Pat um I you you've sustained me and and the work of the senior center um and and collectively uh what I wrote out when I was thinking about this this morning is that you've insisted that we be true to who we are or who we say we are and I to join in with you on all of that it's uh it's challenging and it's jarring and it's exciting and it's hopeful and it's inspiring so certainly the discourse over the past months have been challenging in lots of ways and I also think it's very promising and it is the reason why I'm here to do that work with you is to elevate what we do and to become a more whole and inviting and welcoming community and a senior center and I think you've made it very clear that you know your commitment to that is very firm and your voices are strong and and we can continue with that and I think it's only going to get better as things begin to open up more and we can gather in person so I also have a quote for you Pat you love quotes so um I have you know James Baldwin told his nephew we can make America what America must become and I think that we could insert Amherst that for that in this group that you know we can make Amherst and the senior center what we need to become um so we have a lot of work ahead of us but I just want to applaud you all for your support in your vision um and your courage uh to stay in these conversations and to continue to commit to having those challenging conversations so with that I'm going to switch to our business which is I had shared uh with you all a letter that we received from UMass I'm really um touting um our senior center nurse Karen Reynon she did an incredible job with the UMass students this year and really um transformed that program and participation to one that was bilaterally meaningful and so I think you know apropos Jacqueline's conversation around neediness versus you know there's learning going on both ways I think that when we do the multi-generational exchanges it's really important that it's not just oh the nursing students are serving seniors that seniors are serving them in their learning and and it was just you know cross-directionally so positive um and she brought in a lot of reflection and processes and integration um and follow-up that had never ever transpired um sometimes students would accidentally get called by seniors at 10 at night on a Saturday evening and Karen would be answering those calls at 10 at night and checking in on seniors in the community late hours on weekends and things like that because you know the student would be concerned that they had been contacted um so it was just it was an incredible um commitment by her and again she's only worked here during the pandemic she's off-site and so it just speaks to what the potential remains when she returns here um more importantly you didn't cite this as a success of the council but I want to bring up that we would not have the project for the walkway here at the bangs without your insistence that I do more and so I want to thank you and you know I always think of this council it is advisory but I love I I come from a system and a deep respect for checks and balances and I like when people ask me challenging questions and challenge me to do more and you asked me to do more around safety and walkability and Pat kept pushing me like don't give up like insist that this moves forward like she was constantly nudging me um you know go to the webinar do this go back to the town tell them we need this so um we will have that walkway the um contractor comes today to size up the the site and they will begin immediately so that new walkway down to the Musanti Center into the Clark House and then that really perilous walkway between the bank center and heading up towards East Pleasant are all going to be addressed forthwith so thank you and that is when you can check off your list um our scaling up is going really well as you saw uh in the newsletter we have a number of classes that have returned and it is um it is our reason for being to serve as a site where people can come be welcome have connection move their body the the research and the science behind exercising promoting um cognitive repair even is profound you know all of the centers of science that research aging exercise and movement it can be in fact reparative not just a stop gap so uh that's why I was so keen on bringing in our movement classes um and some are slowly repopulating and some have gathered you know with their with their groups everything here is masked um and we are socially distanced and we have occupancy limits so the the feeling uh among our participants is that it is extremely safe um everybody's abiding by all of the rules without any um issues or problems and they are just simply thrilled the best comment I received was an individual who came out after Zumba class and she told I said how was it um because you could see the joy on their faces the joy in the sweat like it's sweating together there's just nothing like it and they the woman said to me um Marybeth it was all I could do to not cry all during class because I was so happy so I just want you to know that that's what we're building and what we are hopefully going to continue to do I'm looking forward to some more information coming from the health director for June 15th from the state of emergency ends um the only things that we have not returned are classes where we cannot have social distancing so the dancing that occurs um that is like ballroom dancing where you can't socially distance um things like cribbage which was again was a huge group where they can't do it with social distancing so I'm waiting to see how those will be able to be folded in and when they'll be able to be folded in but I think we're on a great trajectory we have foot care back our computer room is open and uh I you know I have an inquiry into the health director of when we can open up for simply socially distance social space so we haven't been able to be a drop-in right where and that was really one of our great uh you know abilities is just to be a place where people could come in have a cool drink and just exchange you know pleasantries with somebody so I am hopeful it will happen either June 15th or July 1 so we're looking for more information on that um I I really appreciate having that that summertime off because I think that that it's going to be a good regenerative time for us and sort of thinking in new ways about who we might be able to recruit I am in conversation with the farmers market about possibly setting up a our senior chat there so that we would have a stand and because I think that that would be another great opportunity and another way to reach people who haven't been coming into the center and to introduce ourselves so what I discussed is possibly going down there twice a month we would have our own senior center stand if seniors who are either in programs or whatnot would like to do it with me uh you know we would we would just be there for the day answering questions we have information about what we do what we're offering and um and hopefully reaching out to some more folks uh the community participation officers go out to the mobile farmers market and so we hope to tag along for that so looking at some some ways to sort of recruit folks um rather than waiting for them to decide to come down here which may be a barrier I do hope you'll all participate in the Juneteenth celebration the bank center will be a large part of that activity and a celebration people will be coming into the poll room to look at the the granite plaques that we have Debra Bridges who works with us as our receptionist has been a keen part of that it's her family's history we will have an area set up in the green behind the bank center with some music and chairs and relaxation and some food so I think it's going to be another just great opportunity for us uh to really live our welcome so I'd love to see anybody who's available to come by on that Saturday and um Wednesday June 23rd there's two thirty to four at the bank center there's going to be the listening sessions for the health department so the board of health Nancy Gilbert as the chair is sending out information and it will be coming out in the next day or two and I believe she's going to be sending it out to all the members of the council on aging and in a number of public ways but that will be an opportunity what they're asking is for the public to come and participate in sharing what are the barriers to health and well-being both you know in terms of what the health department has done well what we are not doing and looking more broadly at the community and I think that we have a lot of ideas so we have a we have a newly formed committee structure but I think we could all probably name a number of ways in which this past year's experience could be augmented and ways in which those health services I think yeah I think there's a lot of room for improvement and looking at the Musanti Center and so I just would invite your voices if you can't attend in person I know that they're also looking at a Zoom session if there are comments that you want to share both in writing or whatnot please contact me I will make sure that your opinions and and also the voices of other members that you know have not been at the table are represented so I just I think that that's an important opportunity for us focused on health and well-being and I have a lot of I've been doing a lot of research on that so I'll I'll be I'll be there and I will be sharing and lastly I think probably the thing that we've accomplished most of what we've been focusing on has been our vaccination rates and if I can do this appropriately I do I sent to Pat I'm going to try to share my screen so and it's hopefully here we go I'm hoping this works for us share so this is an email that I received so one of my fellow directors tracks weekly the vaccination rates in western Massachusetts and I will use my cursor to show you what's relevant and important but part of the reason why we decided that we could safely scale up and and reopen in in a very safe and slow manner is our vaccination rate which you know has been the heart and soul of the work that my staff has done so here is a chart of these are the names of the communities in western Massachusetts which are part of of this survey and this is taken from the state statistics and this was on May 18 so that's the last graph I've gotten the only community that's at 100 percent it's this one right here at the very end here Williamsburg very tiny town and so they are at 100 percent so if we start looking at who's in second place it is our beautiful town of Amherst and that's us so Amherst includes Pelham so the purple line which you know he puts us as number two but I think of us as number one because Williamsburg is tiny and it's a lot easier for them to just grab their folks the purple line is the population of 65 to 74 year olds so we have over a little bit over 90 percent of our 65 to 74 year olds vaccinated and here you can look you know that many other communities those purple lines are significantly lower you know here's over here this is West Springfield even if we were to look at Northampton we are we are above them and they got a higher percentage of vaccine they got three quarters and we got one quarter so I just something I'm immensely proud of the way that not only my staff but the town staff the ambassadors and everybody really took this up as a call to arms if you look at the blue line the blue line represents the next higher population which is the 75 year olds on up so 75 year old plus and we are at about probably 83 to 84 percent for that group and in that measure we have a few communities that are a bit above us Southampton Northampton and it looks like Munson but and possibly North Brookfield and possibly Beltertown but so so we're doing well because if we look at the the younger adults that vaccination rate is about 43 percent for younger younger persons so so we have really kicked it out of the park and lastly I just want to share that the yellow is 50 to 64 year olds and you will see that we are also in second place with about 75 percent Williamsburg is 100 percent on everything and we are right below them so our 50 to 75 year olds are the the second highest vaccination rate in western Massachusetts and our 75 year olds were a bit behind but that's a tremendous accomplishment and again that was with your support and with with the willingness of the community to have the the senior center closed because it was the ability of us to devote ourselves fully and engage in a vaccine clinic so thank you so much and I look forward to a wonderful summer and I hope I do see you either virtually or otherwise please don't hesitate to call me we have lots of time to recoup and to I think plan for the promise that that pat and you all have imagined so I thank you from the bottom of my heart it has been nothing but a pleasure so all right thank you very much Mary Beth um I want to next recognize and welcome um Chad Fuller to our our conversation hello Chad we're glad to see you we're glad you could join us you missed some of the really juicy parts so you might want to consider reviewing this when the recording of our meeting is posted I'll make sure that you get a copy of it because it's been quite an extraordinary meeting let's move on next to the secretary's report and um the Rosemary Koffler stepped forward and did our minutes did a remarkable job I made really I have I proposed not so much a correction but just an additional information on a topic heading on racial equity that's in red you have it before you so what I'm but everything else looked good to me does anybody else have any corrections or comments they want to make um if not I would like to ask for a motion uh to uh of approval I moved to approve the meeting the minutes all right and a second please second thank you all in favor signify by raising your hand all right very good all right the minutes are approved we have no I uh are there any topics not reasonably anticipated 48 hours in advance I have none to add to that um I want to talk about I just briefly just say um it's premature for us to sort of figure out how we will communicate um I would say to bore all council members um just uh you'll receive occasional communications from us and uh you can always pick up the phone and call um me even though my term is ended um um we can talk with each other certainly uh the free country so to speak and so you know so that's possible but I do want to stay I I I want us to continue to noodle over our our future together and over uh repopulating uh nominating and inviting people um and so you'll you'll receive heck you'll receive some occasional emails from me as a as a fellow council member and that's you know you'll just get that uh until we develop because we we're absent a chair and so that's certainly another thing that we need to talk about uh how that's going to look what our leadership structure will look like um so uh let's help each other think together about that um and um um if there's nothing uh else um we um I mentioned Chad I just to bring you in yeah before you go on um you said phone I have no phone everything for me is email oh okay so that's that's noted and so uh you will include you in email communications um the next meeting um is to be determined and will um but we will just so you know Chad and others know we will not be having holding meetings in July or August um as a uh council on aging we may have other gatherings but they will not be meetings of the council um I'd like to I'm inviting uh is there a motion for adjournment all right and do I hear a second all in favor signify by hand or voice yeah okay all right uh the meeting is adjourned and thank you everyone thank you thank you Pat thank you thank you Pat you didn't get to read your