 Okay, welcome everybody to the Amherst community chat for Thursday, July 30th. My name is Brianna Sunred from the town of Amherst and joining your town manager, Paul Bachman, is director of senior services Mary Beth Ogilowicz. I think I said that right, I practiced that at night so. Welcome to you Mary Beth. So before we launch into updates about senior services and questions, I wanted to give town manager Paul Bachman a chance to give us any updates. Sure. Thanks Brianna to two important updates this this week. First is that the Board of Health on Monday passed a mask regulation that requires the wearing of facial coverings in the downtown area basically it follows North Hampton Road which is route nine down Lincoln Ave. And then up North Pleasant Street and Triangle Street, and it sort of juts around Main Street and back to route nine, which includes the town commons so this is an area downtown where our main business district is to that is an area that because of the higher density of pedestrian traffic, and the narrow sidewalks, the Board of Health determined that it was important that masks are required, not just recommended to be worn now they're all kinds of caveats so if you have health conditions or mental or physical that prevent you from wearing a mask. That's that's not there, you're not going to be there aren't going to be mask police out there. We will be engaging with the university to bring in student ambassadors who will have masks available to help share them with people and inform them of the regulations. So that's that's the first thing. The second thing is, we are have established a working group with the university to read to be on a sort of real time basis meet pretty regularly with decision makers at the table to. Review what's going on in the community and be able to respond very quickly is as we review data and look at different options available to both entities. So that's a that's a good news thing. And as we anticipate students coming back for a state of classes I think is August 24. So students will be coming back before then clearly for the ones who are on campus and for those who are off campus to so I'm just to start there and then move on to our senior services director. And I'll just say to both of those points Paul just made you can view the full order in the full information about both the emergency order for part of downtown downtown Amherst with the masks as well as the working group information. On our homepage in the news and announcement section so you can see the map and get the full details on both of those things. And before I give Mary Beth a chance to give just a general update I want to remind folks in the room that you can use the Q&A button to pose your questions to Paul and Mary Beth as well as by raising your hand from the zoom application or star nine from your phone. So Mary Beth I thought we would give you a chance to give some general updates before we launch into Q&A. Yeah. Well we are at an interesting point I think very different from where we stood previously. I think the last time I was here we were in the midst of the thick of the pandemic, and and sort of I think of it as more of a crisis and emergency response, sort of an adrenaline surge of response to make sure people had the level of services just to keep them safe and well. At this juncture I think of us as in sports parlance sort of settling the ball. The things have calmed down, we're taking a look around and trying to really have a measured approach to looking ahead to the future the best way in which we can forecast how we'd be able to deliver services and looking back to where we have been and where do we need to grow. So, I think of it as an opportunity to reimagine and really reinvent senior services so for people who don't know the full history of my position it used to be the director of senior center, and Paul very wisely when he hired me one year ago and one day. Changed my title to director of senior services which I found very appealing and I think more closely matches the challenge that we are facing of delivering services throughout the whole town without having a center that may you know for the foreseeable future be public. So that's the phase we're at sort of taking measure, looking at best practices communicating a lot with other senior centers, both regionally and statewide looking at guidelines and trying to think of how we can not necessarily replicate what we were doing, but also reinvent what we had been doing and looking at new needs that are arising. So that's the quick where are we now, and I'm happy to dive in more. Great thank you for that update and we do have some questions that have already been submitted. And I will definitely remind folks to please jump in the room we'd love to hear from you live so you can do that by raising your hand. But if you feel more comfortable, you can use the Q&A function at the bottom of your screen. So one question that we've gotten a lot is when do you think the senior senior center will reopen the physical building. Yeah, and I think that there probably isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't at least ask me that. And I think of it as two levels of determination. First we have to look at what the what the governor is going to authorize in terms of his executive order and looking at the phases. What we know to be true from our communications that we do a weekly call with the executive office of elder affairs is that senior centers will be among the very last entities that will open in the state because there is a strong concern given the vulnerability of seniors. So we have not yet received permission within the phased opening, but beyond that really what what the message is weekly to us is look at your local determinations because what's happening in Sudbury could be very different than Amherst. And we really have to lean into our local board of health and the town manager and looking at what's happening here and how we might be able to best support seniors in terms of opening. So for right now, we continue our status of we are here so I don't like to think of us as closed. I like to try to disabuse people of that notion. We are here, we are open and we're functioning. We're just not allowing the public to come in for programming and for individual appointments. So what that looks like is we are available, you know, through phone calls through zoom through telephone conference calls, we meet people outside so we've been, you know, practicing that in terms of social distance meetings at the sidewall where we deliver our lunches. And we're also looking into sort of a mobile fleet of can we drive around our COA van park it at some locations and then pull out a table for six feet distance and meet with people within the community who are a bit more separate and maybe don't have access to all of those other forms of communication. So, you are on the reopening you're an advisor on the reopening of senior centers right Mary Beth at the statewide level. Yeah, so, so we have created a really robust and I think exceptionally thorough and detailed set of guidelines statewide for the Commonwealth for senior centers so there was an MCO a reopening guidelines Task Force. I was a member of that because I do love policies and procedures and safety protocol. And I will say that, even in the absence of being open, you know, some of the things that we've been doing as a result of those guidelines is, again, everybody takes those general guidelines and then you look at your own footprint. So we have been doing things like, you know, examining modifications that are necessary to resume opening just in terms of space. So we're trying to use this time to put in place all of those practices and procedures and modifications that will allow us if the, you know, the green light comes from the state and from Amherst to be able to open at least in a in a small way. And the message I would also give is that this is not a race. So this will be a measured soft partial opening whenever we do have the permission to open. So it might begin in a very small way with allowing one to one meetings and appointments with social work staff, and then perhaps growing to small groups or something of that nature. So that's what we've anticipated in opening. It's not going to be will open the doors and everything is resumed as it was. So it might look and feel a bit different as we would ramp up just like the state is ramping up in stages. We would do the same thing here. So, great. Thank you, Mary Beth. We have a question from Eileen in reference to one of the updates that Paul made earlier. Who are the health agents and municipal enforcement officers who will make sure people are following the order to wear masks? That's a great question. So under the Board of Health Regulation, the enforcement officers are the health agents. They are located in the inspection services department. The police are not the enforcement agencies agents on this. But in terms of enforcement, that we are not going to be going out and ticketing people for not wearing masks is going to be an educational component because that's the thing that works the best. And tick us just, we don't think that that's going to achieve the goal that we want to achieve. So in terms of enforcement, it is the inspection services department that is actually inspect or the enforcement agents as identified by the Board of Health Regulation. And you can again, I'll remind the room that you can see that full order and it kind of breaks it down by section where you can get the full details of what that means. And some of those definitions is right on our homepage of amersetmay.gov in the news section. So we have another question here. And I know we're just kind of redefined with the senior center being closed meant but with that in mind. So what do you think the seniors are missing the most during these last few months. I would probably lump that into two two areas is one community and connection. And so we all long to belong and to be part of something it's how we gain identity purpose and meaning. And we really did serve that. So the location of the senior center gave a lot of people that sense of belonging. We have a number of older adults in this community who have no family here in the area. So they don't have an extended circle, their friends here became their circle. And so I think that that's one thing that people have felt like that they are missing. And the other one I think is a sense of care. Because along with that sort of community and connection, right, you get that the caring the follow up of how are you feeling. Do you need something and somebody doing that extra special thing for you. I think people are missing that kind of connection and follow through so even if they are able to virtually connect with someone, the delivery of the sandwich or bringing over the coffee or, you know, we were famous here people would bake and they would just bring in goods like oh I baked 29 muffins and I only ate two and so here's muffins and we're all sharing them with each other. So those demonstrations of caring. They're also missing. And that that being said what I what I also would like to flip the script is that so much of how we navigate this this period of seeming loss is how we describe it in our brains like what is that narrative. I think that there is increasing research around gains versus loss with the pandemic so in surveys that have been done recently when they have asked individuals to journal or to write down what have you lost and what have you gained increasingly they're finding that individuals when they actually spend time looking at what they gained have gained more than they have lost. My my task as a service providers to look at loss and how do I supplant that and help to store that. But also I think another part of that conversation is we have to make sure we're talking about what have we gained. You know people have talked to me about how much they've just enjoyed talking to one another. You know communicated with high school friends and relatives that they haven't previously connected with people have talked about appreciating quiet and peace how they've enjoyed nature more even just the view from their window. Gosh I never noticed I had this beautiful tree outside Mary bath. So so I think it's it's we have to have some balance in looking at loss and gain and how we frame that for a conversation within the community. I really appreciate that perspective I mean not I'm sure just not for for for seniors are senior community members but for all of us to kind of look at things through that lens so that's going to be my my challenge this week. So I appreciate that. So I want to say we have a couple of questions in the Q&A and also a hand raised so I'm going to allow the phone caller, whose last four digits are 3102 to come into the room please introduce yourself. Hi, this is Rebecca Hall and I have two questions actually I have one for Mary Beth. I was wondering if and if so how you've been involved in the new co vid working group. You know that set up to to determine college openings and and whether your input has been part of that and to I guess is a more is more a question for for the maybe Mr. Councilman or the town and that is inspection services department is in involved in the enforcement of these orders and I'm wondering who exactly is the inspection services department are they part of the Board of Health. So so Rebecca nice to nice to hear your voice. Hi Mary. Yeah, yeah, long time I haven't spoken with you. I appreciate that convert that question. And one thing that that I would assure you is that Paul and I have constant communication about senior needs senior concerns. Anything that is arising. We have a formal and informal way of sharing information around co vid and concerns of seniors. I certainly would attest to the fact that he's been very sensitive to the conversations that I presented him with and the feedback that I have with him around seniors and their their specific concerns in the way in which they view co vid and and the working group and its task that lays before them. So, so I can, I can assure you that that all of the information and the concerns are shared in daily sometimes and certainly weekly conversations as part of a solution that he is charged really with with counting those relationships, including his position. So that's, that's what I would, I would share around that. And the other piece I think that is an important piece that that informs anything that the town does and decisions that Paul's moves. I don't mean to speak for him but is the Council on Aging for the Council on Aging has very active and and quite vociferous and you know the chair of the Council on Aging Pat Rector met with Paul yesterday. And it's a continual flow and and the, I think the unique feature of that is that those are individuals with different constituencies different perspectives different neighborhoods different backgrounds. So, there's a multiplicity of voices that he gets through that conduit of information. So, so that's what I would and I'd leave it for him to take it. So the enforcement agent is a really good question because it sort of seems like who are these enforcement people. So, so many years ago, not many several years ago, the town gathered all of the inspectors into under one roof under the building commissioners. So we put the plumbing the electrical the building the health inspectors all together and they work together and share information side by side so we have health inspectors specifically and we have health health inspectors who are also building inspectors because a lot of their worlds intermingle so those are all located in town hall on the second floor. They all work together and under the general direction of the health director but under the day to day supervision of the building commissioner. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Rebecca. If you have any other questions feel free to press star nine again from your phone and we'll bring you right back. Alright, thanks so much. So we've got several questions in the q amp a and I'm going to take them in the order that they came in. The first is how will the two enforcers have any effect on mask wearing downtown. So I don't know if we said there were two enforcers but we said there would be student ambassadors, student ambassadors, who will be out about and sort of just engaging with people as they walk into town informing them, you know, a lot of people will be coming dropping their children off for college and just saying this is an area where master required can I help you. And I think, you know, what we're trying to achieve is sort of a social expectation in this area that you will wear a mask and that that becomes pretty. I've seen it in other communities it becomes. When that becomes the norm you feel odd not having a mask on and that's the kind of culture we're trying to create for the downtown area. So I guess you're sitting down at a restaurant table which we encourage you to do. If you're walking around you have your mask on and that and you know I've experienced it. And areas around Boston where if you don't I went out and I didn't have my mask and I felt really awkward because I didn't have my mask and it felt like everybody's looking at me because I didn't have the mask and I think that that's the kind of true in sort of obvious we want to create in downtown area. Okay, thank you Paul so the next question here I believe is going to be directed towards Mary Beth. Charlotte wants to know do you have any information on if or when meals on wheels may resume from you mass. No, I do not have any information from them about that resuming that the time that they ceased the program. It was due to the fact that they were closing all of their kitchens and just sort of economically, it did not make sense, and they didn't have the staff and the wherewithal to continue the robust program. So we did, I am in communication with them about another program that they currently are providing so the Burke truck which feeds the school children and family members also was available to seniors at seven locations. And they that that was sort of a middle ground that we struck in terms of being able to provide us with some assistance. And they said they would be visited in the fall, and I think that they will be making determinations probably within the next several weeks about whether that would be a possibility or not from their perspective. Great, thank you. We've got another comment and a question here. There's a link provided to a specific tool provides a good guide for determining risks, the risk of attending an event such as a party. Our county currently has a risk of 42%. What is our town doing to mitigate the risk poised by gatherings likely to increase dramatically in a couple of weeks. It's it's something that we're talking about constantly as just on an hour long call before this started on that exact topic. I'm really intrigued by that link that Georgia Tech has so we'll look into that. Yeah, I mean, we know, once the university made the decision to to reopen campus and bring students back and we knew that there were going to be students living on campus and off campus. That decision had incredible number of ramifications and that's what we've been working on very extensively at all levels police fire, building inspections, health across the board. So the biggest challenge is private gatherings on private property because there are certain constitutional rights that people have. And the sort of complications of trying to go on to someone's property and say you can't be gathering here. So we're looking at all the tools that we have and what's available to us it will be a topic of conversation at Monday's town council meeting because the town council is has heightened awareness of this as well. We know that every year at this time of year when students return, there are every every every fall there's an uptick in parties just when the weather turns nicer and students are back and they're bringing the joy and you know, vibrancy they bring to a community and that expresses itself in certain ways and that's that's been a challenge. And we sort of had it down we sort of know how to manage it and we've learned we've learned every year how to do it better and have really terrific enforcement people at in conjunction with the university and our bill department and things like that. But this year is different, because we worry about the health risks that these gatherings present. One of the good news stories is that, you know, the evidence isn't that there is that there isn't as much when you are outside. And so having parties outside is actually not a bad thing, but it's going to be visible. And that's where we're going to be. People are going to be seeing parties and reporting parties people aren't social distancing people aren't wearing masks, and how we respond to those complaints is what we're working on right now. Great. Thank you, Paul. I just want to remind folks that we are coming up to the end of our half hour we've got about five or six minutes left so it's a great time for you to raise your hand or pop your question into the q&a. We do have some other questions. So this person wants to help out and they're not able to volunteer but they have resources. Is there anything our seniors need right now that could use a donation. Our community has been so responsive to this period of time. I was recently finishing off the thank yous for the newsletter and listing the number of donors we've had which has been really profound so I start first of all with a thank you to everybody who's contributed so far. But of late, I think that the greatest need right now posed by looking at a foreseeable future of being in shelter or in some form of isolation is a need to build a technology loan library. So I was very fortunate I've been looking at resources and received $2500 grant from Health New England which is fabulous. So we are purchasing our first nine tablets which we will get loaded with zoom and ready to go. We have a technology volunteer who will help to deliver those and help to orient people on their usage. We've developed some criteria around eligibility because we imagine that we're going to end up with a wait list. So I have a new task before me which is to raise $7500 to make up. I wanted $10,000 I got $2500 so I am doing a GoFundMe campaign and seeking donations of up to $7500 so even $1 will help. We have the link on the page and I am to get people also moving. So one of the things we know most importantly I just did an interview with Dr. Rebecca Starr who is a geriatrician who's recorded conversation will also be on our page. She said the number one thing that people can do to keep themselves healthy is to exercise. So we are calling it move and groove to close the senior digital divide. So I will be running a course of 189 miles I believe it is to Provincetown. I was trying to pick like the furthest point over the next couple of months so I'm not doing it in one fell swoop and asking people to pledge as I run and my staff has agreed to join in and we're asking the community to join in and move and just share with us. Whether that's dancing, whether that's kayaking, swimming, walking your dog, moving back and forth. Dr. Starr was recommended even if you sit up from your chair five times in one hour and try not to use your arms to lift yourself if that's safe and that would count and that's a great way to get in some physical exercise. So that's what I would be asking people if they would be willing to pledge towards our technology loan library because we know that it will combat depression and isolation, most importantly, and that's what I need to do is to help people to connect. So. Thank you. Thank you, Mary Beth and I just want to let everyone know who's in the room you can find that link on the senior center page as Mary Beth mentioned Amherst and may duck of slash senior center will also share it out via social media later today so that you can find that and share that for anybody who's willing to to give will also be creating a new playlist for some of the the virtual programming that Mary Beth has been organizing in her conversations she's been doing with practitioners and will start collecting those into a playlist that people can easily look through and and share out as well. So I'm looking in the room I don't see any other hands raised or questions. We are coming down to the end of our half hours so if I don't see anything now I'm going to give the chance for Mary Beth to kind of address anything she didn't get asked yet so far. My message would be healthy aging healthy living and how can you do it one exercise to engage your mind in any way go on a class online learn something new language musical instrument anything. Number three sleep the quality and the quantity of your sleep makes a significant impact on your health and then lastly civic engagement. So follow all the conversations that are happening in town become aware become interested and we have to available seats on the council on aging. So go on the website fill out a form for to participate and see where it brings you you can participate from home safely and we would love to have your voice. Absolutely and you could do that at Amherst MA of slash CAF, which stands for Community Activity form you can express your interest in COA or any of the other boards and commissions that we have. Okay, so Paul any last words or Nope, I think this is a great talk. Thank you very best for being here. Thank you. Always a pleasure. I love always. I love my job. I love this. So thank you. Well, we appreciate it and thank you for joining us today and thanks to all in the room. We'll have this up on our channel shortly for those of you who want to share it out. Thank you. Have a nice day.