1993 05 21
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CHANHASSEN SENIOR COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MAY 21, 1993
Chairwoman Billison called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Bernice Billison, Selda Heinlein, Barbara Montgomery,
Jane Kubitz, Sherol Howard, and Mark Littfin, Sr.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Albin Olson
STAFF PRESENT: Sharmin AI-Jaff, Planner I; and Dawn Lemme, Senior Center
Programmer
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Howard moved, Kubitz seconded to approve the agenda as
presented. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
UPDATE ON SERVICES PROVIDED BY CENTER DRUG FOR SENIOR CITIZENS.
AI-Jaff: At the last meeting you wanted me to find out if Center Drug
delivers medicine to seniors and if there was a charge. The answer is yes.
They do deliver. There is no charge. You just call them. The doctor
would have to send a prescription and they will have your medicine
delivered to your home. You had requested that information from me at the
last meeting.
Montgomery: The doctor can phone in the prescription, is that right?
Al-Jaff: The doctor can renew a prescription. I don't know if he can
phone it in. But it's something.
Montgomery: Because then you still have to go up there.
Al-Jaff: For the first time.
Howard: He will call the doctor for you. You don't have to go up there.
Montgomery: Well that's what I was wondering. For the first prescription
that would still be okay?
Howard: Yes they will.
Littfin: Somehow the first prescription has to get to the drug store.
That's a written out prescription.
Howard: I don't believe so. They'll call the doctor...I deal with these
drugs. They also have dealt with a different. If you have your
prescription at Cub, they will call Cub and get the prescription and
transfer it for you.
AI-Jaff: But they do a door to door delivery.
Howard: They're very accommodating there.
AI-Jaff: That was just something you requested at the last meeting.
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May 21, 1993 - Page 2
Littfin: That's good to know and that should be somehow passed onto all of
our seniors.
Montgomery: Yeah, they should advertise it.
Littfin: I mean we know it here but the rest of our seniors don't.
AI-Jaff: Absolutely, you're right. I could at the next.
Kubitz: Could that go in the newspaper in the Senior Column?
Littfin: No.
Montgomery: No. They should put it in their ad. Maybe they don't want to
publicize it.
Littfin: I think a notice perhaps on our bulletin board down here or a
flyer on the table.
Howard: Or in our next newsletter.
AI-Jaff: See in our newsletter we can't advertise.
Montgomery: Maybe ask them if they would like to put a flyer in.
AI-Jaff: Let me check with Dawn.. .in the senior column, need your medicine
delivered to your home, Center Drug will deliver it and then put the phone
number there.
Heinlein: Why not just make something in the Senior Center.
AI-Jaff: I'll work with Dawn on this one and we will...
Littfin: Work with Dawn and get approval from Center Drug.
AI-Jaff: No problem at all.
Montgomery: Does Chanhassen Drug also deliver?
AI-Jaff: I don't believe so.
Littfin: The old drug store.
Montgomery: The old one, I don't know.
Billison: We have to backtrack here for a minute.
approval of the Minutes that were dated April 16th.
anything to say or any corrections? Additions?
We forgot to have the
Does anyone have
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Littfin moved, Montgomery seconded to approve the
Minutes of the Senior Commission meeting dated April 16, 1993 as presented.
All voted in favor and the motion carried.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 3
VERBAL UPDATE ON SENIOR LINKAGE LINE (SLL).
AI-Jaff: I don't know if you're all aware that we originally had hired
Phyllis to be the site coordinator for Senior Linkage Line. What happened
with Phyllis was, she is from Watertown. She contacted us and said, how
many hours a day and how many days a week do you want me to work and we've
always said that it was 5 days a week, 2 hours a day. She said, well how
about 4 days a week. We said, we can work with that. Then she said, how
about 1 week for 4 days and the following week 3 days. And then she said,
how about 3 days a week only? Then she said, well I think I could only
come in 2 days a week. So that put a lot of pressure, that would put a lot
of pressure on Dawn and myself. That means we would have to be there all
the time and neither one of us can handle that extra pressure. That extra
load. I just admit that Dawn would have to carry the extra work more than
I would because she is in the senior center more than I am. So I contacted
the County. Phyllis was also a very strong choice of the County and
because this is a joint venture, we had to have the County's input. I mean
they are paying for the salary. So I contacted the County and I said,
unless you want to send us someone to help us out with this, I said Dawn
and I cannot hire someone for 2 days a week only. So the County said, do
not tell her it won't work. Tell her that it's 5 days a week, 2 hours a
day and that's what we are offering. If you can't meet that criteria, then
let us know. And I called Phyllis back and I said, this is the criteria.
She said, well you're going to have to look for someone else. So I
contacted Kitty Sitter, who lives in Chanhassen who was a very strong
candidate who we really wanted at the beginning and Kitty was very excited.
She took the job. She's working out beautiful. The woman is just
incredible. Extremely active. A genius mind for advertising. Really
knows what she's doing. She's got her act together. We went through one
training session already and that was last Monday. And it's interesting, I
wish you were there for the training session because we know so much about
what services are available to the County from the past 4 1/2 - 5 years
that we have worked on this project. Just trying to find out what is
available to the seniors. At least I found that I maybe learned two new
things at the training session so it was amazing to me. I mean I didn't
realize I knew so much. We have one more training session. That's going to
be on Friday and then we're done with the training. All the information
has been loaded into the computer. We do have a desk for Kitty in the
senior center. We have a 1-800 number. We have a 1-800 number that is,
has been connected to City Hall. I am ordering the TDD machine. Do you
all know what it is?
Howard: No.
AI-Jaff: Okay. It's for the hearing impaired individuals. They would be
able to contact City Hall and then type in whatever they want to say and it
would appear on a screen here and then we would get a printout of what
they're saying. So we would be able to read it and then we would type back
the response to them. We do have a separate line for Senior Linkage Line.
That will only ring on one phone and when you pick it up, you will say
Carver County Senior Linkage Line. At the Expo, I was going to talk about
the Expo, although it's a separate item. But at the Expo we advertised
Senior Linkage Line and Kitty was out there. She did the first 4 hours and
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 4
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then I started passing out. What we did was we made labels with a sticky
back and they had Senior Linkage Line on them. I'm sorry, go ahead.
A comment was made from the audience that was not heard on the tape.
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AI-Jaff: Okay. Well, not everyone is on the Board so, I'm sorry if I'm
repeating things that you already know but. We had sticky back labels. We
made 1,000 of them and they were done in blue and white. I ordered them 2
inches by 1 inch. They're the kind that you can peel off and then you can
stick them on the side of your telephone. Just the perfect size and we
also sent out a sheet of paper that explains what Senior Linkage Line is.
Many of the service providers were extremely interested in the program.
They wanted to make sure that they were on our computer list. They wanted
their name to be out there. A lot of the seniors that were hearing about
this were extremely amazed that such a program was going to be available to
them. At the Senior Expo they were making some announcements, different
announcements and we took that chance to advertise Senior Linkage Line and
let the senior population be aware that there is such a program available
to them. We originally decided that we were going to start up the program
on May 17th. However, we couldn't meet that deadline mainly because of
training days. We couldn't get our schedules freed up between the four of
us. So it pushed it for 2 weeks. So the opening is going to be on June
1st. That's when the program is going to be up and running. And like I
said, I mean we've got all the information available. We did receive two
phone calls on the Senior Linkage Line. Although we did advertise that it
is going to be available on June 1st, we're already getting phone calls.
People wanting information. And it was a moment of panic. What do we do?
What do we do? But we said that we will research it for them. We also
informed them that the program will be running on June 1st but we're trying
to respond. At least Kitty is trying to respond to all the questions right
now.
Montgomery: Wonderful.
AI-Jaff: It is. It really is working very nicely.
Montgomery: Doesn't that need something? I mean there it is.
AI-Jaff:
County.
happen.
Yes, absolutely. We still haven't signed contracts with the
We still haven't received the money. But it's something that will
Montgomery: That always takes longer than you think.
AI-Jaff: Absolutely.
Montgomery: Will there be any publicity in all of the different Carver
County papers?
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AI-Jaff: Oh absolutely. Absolutely. It's a lot of papers are just
picking up the information and running with it.
Heinlein: That Weekly News yesterday had quite a bit in about seniors.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 5
AI-Jaff: Correct. We will contact them. Usually once they get wind of a
story like this, they will print it but we could contact, and I'm going to
let Kitty take care of this. We need to figure out our budget. Right now
everything is so up in the air. It's not going to be a problem. I'm sure
we will be advertising it throughout Carver County. The County paper will
pick it up. There's a newsletter that goes through the County that will be
advertising Senior Linkage Line. Our newsletter, local papers. We do
intend to contact all of those papers. One thing that also happened was
Jim Feeber contacted me.
Montgomery: Oh, from AARP.
AI-Jaff: Yes. And said Sharmin, would you give me a background on Senior
Commission and how it all came about. I said no problem. What do you want
to use this for. He said an article of using Chanhassen as an example of
how a senior citizen should be treated.
Montgomery: Pretty nice.
AI-Jaff: Yes. It's going to be in the Herald newspaper. Chaska's and I
read an rough draft of what he's going to put in there. It's a beautiful,
beautiful article. And Senior Linkage will be advertised there. He's just
going to go through everything. I was brainstorming trying to remember
everything that the Senior Commission had done. And he said, well what is
the goal of the Senior Commission and I was trying to go through what the
initial study was and how the study didn't just sit on a shelf and collect
dust. And how aggressive our Senior Commission is and how they decided
we're going to do this no matter what. And he was extremely impressed with
the fact that we went to the HRA and City Council and said we want the
Senior Center to be built within 5 years and the Council and the HRA said
no. Do it in 6 months. He thought that was incredible. He thought that
the elected officials and appointed officials had backed up the senior
citizens in the city immensely and that really impressed him and he thought
that every city should treat it's seniors in that manner. Their seniors in
that manner. So it was, he also thought that every city should have
seniors like Chanhassen's. That are out there to accomplish something and
they set their minds to it and they actually do it. So like I mentioned,
Senior Linkage Line is going to be there. It will be in the Herald paper.
Montgomery: Pretty nice to have a supporter like that.
AI-Jaff: I know. I know. It was really nice. He also interviewed Dawn
for about 45 minutes. He talked to me over the phone. He talked to Dawn,
he met her in the senior center and they talked for about 45 minutes. He
wanted to know what the senior center was providing and he wanted to know
the difference between the Senior Advisory Board and the Senior Commission
and what roles each one of them plays. So it was really interesting. It
was, he basically knows our background right now completely. He knows
everything about Chanhassen Senior Commission and...
Howard: I understand that Chaska has...Rita Stapleton who is on a
committee with me, says that when Auburn Manor was built. the City gave
them some funds or so on so they had more funds available. Did he tell you
this worked?
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 6
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AI-Jaff: No.
Howard: Senior use. Chaska did it's share when they built Auburn.
AI-Jaff: No, I'm not. All I'm aware of is, I believe Chaska city donated
the land to Auburn Manor but that's all I'm aware of. I don't know if.
Howard: Well maybe that value is their share of the contribution to
seniors. Because this is what Rita claims. That they have no backing from
the city to do anything about the seniors.
Montgomery: Yeah I had heard the same thing. That it was just a donation
of the land. It's up to use the land but nothing beyond that. At least
that was my understanding.
Al-Jaff: Yeah, the land price was quite sizeable the way I remember it. I
mean I believe Margaret Winter told us about this when we visited Auburn
Manor.
Montgomery: Yeah I think so.
AI-Jaff: I remember such a thing being said but no. Actual monies were
never given to Auburn Manor.
e Billison: Thank you Sharmin. It was very interesting.
AI-Jaff: Sorry it was a long report. A long verbal report but there is so
much going on that I thought I should share with you.
Montgomery: You know I was going to say too that I think even if you're
repeating something somebody's heard, we need it in the Minutes. You know
because that's our journal.
AI-Jaff: I asked Kitty to attend the next meeting. This meeting, this was
her first week and she had 5 meetings scheduled. No one told me this was
going to happen. But she will be attending the following meeting hopefully
because I truly would like her to meet all of you and I'm very confident
that you will like her very much. Some of you have met her. In fact I
believe all of you have met her.
Kubitz: She's really very upbeat.
AI-Jaff: Isn't she.
Heinlein: I also broke down and volunteered to learn.
AI-Jaff: Wonderful Selda. That is absolutely wonderful.
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Heinlein:
easy mom.
try.
I don't know as though I can do it. Bill says computers are
You can learn it. If my daughter can do it, I guess I can. I'll
Al-Jaff: Absolutely. That's wonderful. That's fabulous. You will enjoy
the computer very much.
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 7
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VERBAL UPDATE ON CARVER COUNTY SENIOR CITIZENS' EXPO DAY.
Billison: I'm sorry I had to miss that.
Montgomery: Were there a lot of people?
Al-Jaff: Yes. In fact, do you want me to do the update on this one?
Billison: Why don't you do that.
AI-Jaff: Okay. They originally anticipated 100 people to attend. They
had over 150. I don't know if they turned anyone back and said, okay
that's it. But they had quite a few. Our Chanhassen Olerries were there
singing. Brought tears to my eyes.
Howard: Do you have the tape here? Are we going to see it?
AI-Jaff: Yes. After the meeting we will be able to go to the senior
center and the entire session was taped and we will be able to listen to
it. You will be very proud. It was fabulous. It was fantastic. It was.
It was really great. I heard it. It was just beautiful. We advertised
the Senior Linkage Line while we were there and we had quite a few
Chanhassen residents at the Senior Expo.
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Howard: Well only in the course. I was there at 8:15. I was a hostess.
No one from Chanhassen came until about 11:00. No one was there. Jane was
the first one to come and I didn't see you because you went right to the
workshop and I think Jane was the only Chanhassen.
Heinlein: Emma St. John.
Howard: For quite some time.
Al-Jaff: I'm sorry. Where were we? Oh, you said that there weren't that
many Chanhassen residents that came in?
Howard: I didn't think so.
Al-Jaff: Okay.
Heinlein: I saw quite a few right around...
Howard: I was very disappointed. When the Chorus came, then there were
Chanhassen people there.
Heinlein: There were others there besides the Chorus.
Littfin: Not too many other than the Commission, the Chorus, Al Herzog and
his wife, who are just seniors. Stan Hernowsky was there. He's a senior.
e Howard: Al was there.
Littfin: Al Holtzin. Well he's commission. And Earl McCallister who is
on the Chorus. His wife was there. That's about the extent of what I saw
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 8
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from Chanhassen.
Howard: Considering our population, I did not think it was...
Littfin: Yeah, no turn out at all.
Howard: ...Chanhassen and I know it was well advertised. Once people go,
they would go again.
Montgomery: Maybe now that the Chorus has been there, maybe next time
they'll have more interest or bring friends to hear it or.
Al-Jaff: Correct.
Kubitz: I think there were a lot more people there this year than there
were last year.
Montgomery: Yeah, I thought so.
Al-Jaff: Oh absolutely.
Kubitz: Next year it will be even better.
AI-Jaff: What I noticed this year was people from out of Carver County
e were there. It wasn't just Carver County residents.
Howard: I've got lots of ideas, both for the Commission and for the Board
from it. I thought it was an excellent program. And their workshops were
very good.
Montgomery: What were some of your ideas?
Kubitz: I thought the memory one was excellent. I found out I wasn't
losing my mind.
Montgomery: That's worth the whole day right?
Kubitz: What was
because remember,
takes time to dig
But you haven't.
interesting is that she said, you can't think of things
you have programmed so much into your memory that it
it out again. That's why you think you're forgetting it.
It just takes longer to get it out.
Al-Jaff: That's interesting.
Kubitz: It's an interesting thing, yes.
AI-Jaff: That makes me feel good. Once in a while I forget things and I
think what's going on here.
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Kubitz: I think she would make a good speaker for...
Billison: Is there anything else?
Montgomery: I was curious to know what Sherol...
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 9
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Howard: Well just some of their workshops I think we should have another,
we talked about it before. Have another safety program. We should do that
yearly.
Montgome,y: I think we intended to but we didn't.
Howa,d: We should schedule that I think. That was one of their things.
And the other thing I think would be very interesting for some of us. Not
for Ma,k, would be the cat maintenance and cat consume, service. And what
a nice thing, program that would be for those of us women who are alone
with cars and not too much understanding of them. And I think that would
be a good program to work into something at the center.
Al-Jaff: I'm sure quite a few individuals would be.
Howard: I think so.
AI-Jaff: I know that the driving classes are always very well attended and
I'm sure the car maintenance classes would be well attended.
Howard:
which is
yearly.
get that
Then they had to update the
always good to repeat that.
And oh people had mentioned
into the center.
dietician and avoiding senior scams,
I think we should do that at least
the line dancing too. That we should
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Billison: I've seen it. It looks like a lot of fun and exercise.
Howard: And then I had contact with the historical society as you did.
They say, Chanhassen has just been vaccum. Mrs. Bloomberg was on the Board
for a number of yea,s and plans were made but nothing happened and they
don't have pictures. They say it's just, Chanhassen is just there and they
don't have material and the man has since called Sharmin and called me and
is very interested in our taking part in it.
AI-Jaff: One thing that we talked about was that whoever is interested, we
would take a trip to Carver County Historical Society. See what they have.
Howard: He suggested we start with that visit. Go visit the Historical
Society. See what they have done. They're in Waconia. And we could
schedule it after a meeting.
AI-Jaff: Absolutely. In fact I had put something tentatively.
Howa,d: That's one day we're all here.
AI-Jaff: June 18th, if that works out for anyone.
Howard: Is that our next regular meeting?
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AI-Jaff: Yes.
Montgomery: Does that interfere with your chorus practice?
Littfin: We practice Fridays at 12:30.
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 10
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Montgomery: Every Friday?
Littfin: Every Friday because we have to get ready for July 2nd.
Howard: That would interfere then.
Montgomery: Maybe it should be done in July then instead of in June.
Howard: Yeah. Then you'll quit for the summer won't you?
Littfin: I have no idea.
Howard: You've got bookings up there. The County Fair wants you and that
will be in August I think.
Littfin: There has been no decision on accepting any bookings. We've been
invited to the County Fair. It's been suggested we sing at St. Hubert's
Fall Festival and the third one, and at that point we put the brakes on.
Said no. We're here to have fun, not to work. So I think that's going to
be discussed at the rehersal today. We're interested in the Carver County
Fair because they've offered to pay us. And I mean we get some money and
then we can buy more music. That's the idea.
Montgomery: Well how do you feel about that expedition? If we were going
tit to the Histor ical Society.
Littfin: Oh, I'd like to...
Howard: Let's delay this until July. If they haven't done anything for
all these years, what's a month?
Littfin: And as I say, I don't know whether we're going to, I assume we're
going to continue the rehersals every Friday.
Heinlein: If we fall apart. You're going to break up the whole unit.
Littfin: That's right. Unless you continue.
AI-Jaff: There is another option. Maybe we can leave here at about 11:00
if I can make it a very light agenda and we would be back by 12:30. If
that works out.
Montgomery: We were also trying to schedule another visit to another
senior center. I mean senior housing.
AI-Jaff: I haven't put that one together yet.
Heinlein: I don't know, I think we've seen quite a few and I don't know,
there isn't that much difference I don't think in their.
tit
AI-Jaff: We have all the basics down as to what we would like to see. But
if you want one more, I'll put together one more.
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senior Commission Meeting
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Montgomery: This was simply I think because the Mayor had suggested we
might want to see this one. I don't know.
Howard: Well we've had new ideas everyplace we visited. You think there's
nothing more.
Al-Jaff: Yes, and then you'll find. And I think we have some, I can't
wait until this housing complex is completed because.
Howard: I hope we're consulted when this starts about things we have found
and different.
AI-Jaff: Oh absolutely. Absolutely. Nothing has actually, we're at the
stage of where we have to get all the approvals. The HRA has approved the
feasibility study. They're saying go ahead. Do any studies you might need
to do. We need to find different locations, or actually start designing
buildings on different locations. We need to purchase land so it's at.
Howard: What's the next step? Deciding on an architect?
AI-Jaff: Correct.
Howard: Have they made that decision?
Al-Jaff: I believe Arvid will be the person that makes the designs, and
I'm sure you will have to approve them. At least make the recommendation
to the City Council and the HRA to accept or modify.
Montgomery: There's no consideration of another architect?
Al-Jaff: I don't know the answer to this one. I truly don't know the
answer to this one. I have to talk to Paul about this.
Howard:
in town.
Some of us aren't enthusiastic about the two buildings he's done
Didn't he do the large apartment and the Medical building?
AI-Jaff: Yes he did. He also did the one in, was it Stillwater? No,
Isanti?
Howard: Hastings.
AI-Jaff: Hastings, and I believe most of you were quite impressed with
that building.
Howard: Yes, he fit the local picture on that.
AI-Jaff: And I think that you will be able to say, this is how we like the
building to look. To where he would continue to modify the design.
Howard: I think we all felt the Waconia exterior was in our city look.
Montgomery: And I don't think that's the same as the kind.
Howard: And it's not what he's been doing.
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May 21, 1993 - Page 12
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AI-Jaff: Okay. I will have to talk to Paul about this.
Billison: Anything else?
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR 1993.
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AI-Jaff: The reason why I put this item in was to let you know what is
happening with the Historical. Chanhassen's history and we covered that
earlier with the Senior Expo item. Because that was one of the goals of
the Commission. I also gave you an update on Senior Linkage Line earlier,
which is one of your goals. I also gave you an update on the Senior
Housing, which is the feasibility study that you have included with your
agenda. I will talk to Paul regarding the architect and the design and I
will get back to you at the next meeting with answers. Nothing new is
happening with transportation with the exception of, we're adding many,
many new lines that commute between Minneapolis, the Mega Mall and
Chanhassen, Chaska, Eden prairie at different hours. I mean now we have
lines at 3:00 in the morning, which is something that we didn't have
before. We have lines at midnight. I don't know if you still like staying
up til midnight and being out on the town but if you would like to do that
and, Bunny likes the idea. If you like to do that and it's, you choose to
use public transportation, you will be able to do that. But the hours for
Dial-a-Ride have not been extended yet past what we had originally. Oh,
under goals and objectives also. The 4th of July comes in which is going
to be celebrated on the 2nd of July for the senior center. It will be a
grand opening and Dawn is begging for volunteers. If any of you would like
to volunteer, please feel free. I handed out what will be advertised in
the city newsletter under the senior section.
Howard: There's a lack of understanding somewhere. It says, something for
sale. How is that worded? 4th of July items.
Littfin: Craft items for sale.
Howard: Yes. This has not been discussed between Marietta and me. And we
are meeting next month and making centerpieces for the table for the 4th of
July and I suppose we could sell those and I'm making some little wooden
things we were going to use as kind of prizes. We could sell those. But
as a sale per se, we haven't arranged anything.
Heinlein: Boy, you've got an awful lot of stuff in there to try and sell.
Howard: This says 4th of July items.
Heinlein: Yeah. Well strictly that.
Howard: This is what the notice says.
AI-Jaff: Yeah, 4th of July craft items.
4It Howard: Well, we can arrange a couple of them.
Montgomery: Maybe just cross out 4th of July and just put in craft items
for sale.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 13
Al-Jaff: This has been advertised.
Montgomery: Oh, it's already gone out.
Howard: We'll have some 4th of July and then we can do it.
Littfin: Excuse me. Sharmin, you refer to the Chanhassen newsletter.
What is that?
AI-Jaff: It's a newsletter that goes out to every resident in Chanhassen.
Heinlein: It's like a book almost isn't it? Like a pamphlet.
Kubitz: You get it in your mail every quarter.
Al-Jaff: It's a quarterly newsletter. Approximately 12 pages.
Heinlein: It's got sports and it's got everything in it.
Al-Jaff: It's got everything that the City has been doing.
Littfin: Okay. I'll have to look for it.
Kubitz: We've been getting it for several years now. Get with it.
AI-Jaff: I don't know if, maybe because you and Mark Jr.'s names are both
on the list, it deletes one of the names. I wonder.
Littfin: I don't know.
AI-Jaff: Let me check into it and I will. ..we'll make sure that.
Littfin: Maybe I've overlooked it.
AI-Jaff: Okay. This is probably our 8th one. Every 3 months a copy comes
out.
Heinlein: About 2 years now isn't it, that it's been going around.
AI-Jaff: Yeah.
Kubitz: That's where we found out about the recital a week ago...
Littfin: There was a separate notice on that. The yellow slip that was
hung on my door knob.
Kubitz: We got that out of the newsletter.
AI-Jaff: Okay. Usually we put that in the news. Everything goes, I mean
separate items do go to each homeowner once in a while. However, we all
put our programs. Anything that the city is involved in, we put in the
newsletter.
Kubitz: Road construction, the whole 9 yards.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 14
AI-Jaff: Absolutely. Well okay. I will make sure that.
Littfin: Well, don't sweat it. We'll watch for it.
Al-Jaff: Okay. Anyways, the 2nd of July will be the one year anniversary
of the grand opening of the senior center. There will be volunteers
appreciation dinner, or it's going to be actually a brunch. Correct. There
will be some beautiful singing.
Howard: Could I ask you a question?
AI-Jaff: Yes.
Howard: Are they going to send invitations for that brunch?
Al-Jaff: I don't know. That's something that Dawn is coordinating. But I
will definitely ask. If you go down the list, there is birthday party,
oldest Chanhassen senior, sale of craft items, 4th of July craft items,
prize drawings. Chanhassen's Chorus. Senior Chorus will be performing. So
it's going to be a full day and please try and attend. It would be
wonderful to have all of you there.
Kubitz:
.. .senior volunteers.
AI-Jaff: Correct. Yes Mark.
Littfin: Is the City having a civic celebration on the 4th of July?
AI-Jaff: Yes.
Littfin: And this is part of the overall celebration?
Al-Jaff: Correct.
Littfin: But it's only for seniors?
AI-Jaff: Well, all are welcome.
year we invited about 50 people.
For instance, for the grand opening last
Over 150 showed up of all different ages.
Heinlein: Don't you think the free lunches was a drawing that day and then
all the youngsters we had. I think it brought a lot of people.
Al-Jaff: Oh absolutely and
the dancing on the road and
to know what was going on.
people.
then just people that were walking by and saw
the crowds and the tents and they just wanted
And it just kept on adding and adding more
Kubitz: The city does the weiners and all of that stuff right?
AI-Jaff: Yes we do. And we usually celebrate the 4th of July on 4 days
total. The 4th of July usually is when everyone attends Lake Ann Park and
watches the fireworks but there is a lot of activities.
Montgomery: What day is the 2nd?
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 15
Howard: Friday.
Kubitz: I understood Friday it.. .Friday is the city activities. Saturday
is going out to Lake Ann...
Al-Jaff: Well the City coordinates all of it.
Kubitz: The City coordinates it but I mean the celebration by here at City
Hall.
AI-Jaff: Oh absolutely. Absolutely. The senior center is only a small
part of the overall celebration. But I'm only letting you know what's
happening with the senior center.
Littfin: What I'm getting at is this, excuse me.
Kubitz: . ..just wanted to know what the whole picture was.
Littfin: Yeah. But getting specific as far as the seniors are concerned.
I talked to Louie Zakariasen yesterday. Question number one was, where is
the senior choir or chorus going to perform? And he thought it was going
to be in our senior room.
Kubitz: Yes, it is.
AI-Jaff: That's my guess.
Heinlein: All the tables are going to be taken out and just the chairs
like we did at Christmas. Remember. That's what we were talking about.
Kubitz: And then we will open the windows so if there are more people,
they can hear it outside.
Montgomery: Are you going to be serving a lunch that day or not?
AI-Jaff: There's going to be a brunch.
Kubitz: Well the brunch was for volunteers.
Howard: No, there is a cake and punch. Cake and punch during the open
house.
Montgomery: Well I was wondering about the tables.
AI-Jaff. Dawn, here she is. Here she is. She can answer the questions.
You came just in time.
Lemme: What's the question.
AI-Jaff: Question. We're talking about the 4th of July. Specifically for
the dinner that's going to be, or the brunch that's going to be catered for
the volunteers. Is it going to be strictly volunteers? Are you going to
send out any invitations?
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Senior Commission Meeting
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Lemme: Yes, there will be invitations.
AI-Jaff: Okay. So it's going to be closed brunch for volunteers only?
Howard: The center doesn't open until noon and then from 12:00 to 2:00
will be the open house.
AI-Jaff: And the chorus will be performing in the senior center?
Lemme: Yes.
AI-Jaff: And what other questions were there?
Littfin: Well if the tables are being moved out, alright then, where do
the people eat the brunch?
Lemme: Well they're not going to be moved out until after the brunch.
Littfin: Well when does the chorus sing?
Lemme: Not until after like 12:30 or something like that.
Littfin: So the brunch comes first?
Kubitz: At 11:00.
Littfin: Okay. And then after the brunch the tables and so forth are
moved out and then there will be the chorus singing.
Lemme: Right, for the open house, right.
Littfin: At the open house.
Howard: And we get to have cake and punch, right?
Lemme: The chorus will probably be singing, I'm thinking 12:30. Somewhere
in there.
AI-Jaff: And then another question was asked. Are you done? I mean did
Dawn answer that?
Littfin: Yes.
AI-Jaff: Okay. Another question was asked regarding the 4th of July
craft items for sale. What was your question?
Howard: Oh. We haven't arranged any craft items for sale but we can work
something up. We're going to make centerpieces. We can then sell those.
That's our next month's craft project. And I'm making some little USA
wooden things which we can sell. We were going to give them away. We can,
and then we can add some of the other things in the case for sale. But we
aren't making a 4th of July sale per se or we hadn't planned anything.
Littfin: Except that's what the flyer said.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 17
Lemme: Yeah. The 4th of July, there's some 4th of July craft items.
Howard: Where are they?
Lemme: They're the ones that you're making and the centerpieces. Those
are 4th of July craft items.
Howard: Well, there isn't anything, we were just going to make
centerpieces for the table. So we can sell those.
Heinlein: Well it's the 4th of July and you have craft items to sell, so.
Littfin: Whatever they are.
Lemme: Actually it's too late because this has gone to the printers.
Heinlein: I mean what's the difference? There will be craft items for
sale on the 4th of July.
Lemme: Well we had originally talked about trying to do some things and
like the USA ornaments that Sherol's talking about.
Howard: Yeah, we can sell those.
Lemme: You know, it's still somewhat in the planning stages. I need to
talk to Louie today when he comes in on the chorus and specifically with
that. It will be a casual open house. It won't be quite as formal as last
summers because we won't be serving a box lunch and that. But the
volunteer appreciation thing, that will be Board members. It will be
people who have volunteered their time.
Howard: Greeters.
Lemme: Greeters, exactly. Set up a caterer and that's something that I'm
not really going to involve anybody in. I mean that's something that I
want to do for the volunteers. So you won't really know about that until
the invitation comes out. There's got to be some surprises. I came to ask
if you wanted the video in here or if you were going to go to the senior
center and watch it afterwards?
AI-Jaff: What do you prefer?
Howard: You have to go get your keys.
Lemme: I've got them.
Howard: Where is the quality better?
Billison: We could walk over to the senior center.
Lemme: It's right in there. It's all ready to go actually. Okay, SO I
just leave your keys right there then?
AI-Jaff: Yes.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 18
Howard: While we're on the update for the Senior Center activities. I
think we should mention the fact that we're going to form a womens group to
correspond with the mens group, which I know was going beforehand, and
we're going to start at once a month meeting. But be sure and spread the
word. Anyone you see.
Lemme: That will start in September.
Howard: We won't start until September but we're just starting to organize
it.
Littfin: In connection with that, I'll mention that Dale Geving wrote up a
little one sheet By-laws or something for the men, and it was good. If you
remember.
Lemme: Yeah, I've got copies of that.
Littfin: Yeah, pattern it after that. There's some specifics as to how
you're going to operate and some guidelines. And it works good.
Lemme: Yeah, it's really a nice. He wrote up a nice thing. It just said,
Chanhassen Senior Center Mens Club Charter. Or organizational charter and
it just has some general by-laws I guess.
Littfin: It gets a little facetious in parts but that's good too. I
thought I brought a copy with me but I didn't.
AI-Jaff: It says no women may attend or something.
Lemme: No, it didn't say that.
Billison: Okay. Is there anything else on Senior Center activities?
Montgomery: Well did we finish with the goals? We were going through the
goals and ended with the July 4th.
AI-Jaff: Oh, there was one more thing. Thanks to Mark Littfin, he asked
George Dorsey to prepare a questionnarie of people that might want to join
the yes. Yes, thank you. The elderly calling network. And it appears to
be an excellent.
Howard: I think we were going to call it senior network, aren't we?
Al-Jaff: Yes.
Howard: Elderly implies too old. Senior network.
AI-Jaff: Correct. It will be appearing in the next newsletter under a
different title. I will run this questionnaire before Scott Harr, Public
Safety Director to make sure that we've covered all of the questions. And
I will send a copy to our City Attorney to make sure that there's no
liability.
senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 19
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Littfin: Yes this was, George has put this together as a basis to start
from to be revised and checked over.
Montgomery: Oh that was nice of him.
Al-Jaff: Yes, that was very nice.
Montgomery: It should have a title on there.
Al-Jaff: It's for our reference. I mean we will put on a title but most
probably what's going to happen when someone calls us, we're going to say,
could you please answer these questions. And then well, we're going to
have to ask them to sign this form. We will put a title on it, no problem.
Littfin: Yeah, George and I talked about that. Between the two of us we
couldn't agree on a title for the.
Montgomery: I mean just that it's a Senior Calling Network is what it was,
what we had agreed at the last meeting I think.
Al-Jaff: Correct. I thought it was Elder Calling Network?
Montgomery: No... Well look in the Minutes.
~ Littfin: On page 6 of the Minutes.
Al-Jaff: Okay, I brought a copy at the last meeting of what it's going to
read.
Heinlein: Well we took the word frail out.
Kubitz: We took elderly out and put senior.
Howard: Calling Network for Seniors I think is where you ended up.
Kubitz: On page 8. And on page 10 it's reiterated halfway down. Calling
Network for Seniors.
Montgomery: And that was what we voted on. Okay.
Kubitz: Yeah.
Howard: I read it very carefully. I had to see what you all did while I
was gone.
Littfin: Did you approve?
Howard: Yes. It sounded like a good meeting.
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Billison: Anything else?
Montgomery: Well I wondered, were we going to have on our list of
objectives having a safety meeting?
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 20
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Howard: I thought we were.
Montgomery: Or does that belong to the senior center?
Howard: I don't know. We had it here before. You know Mark came down and
talked to us. It should be, I don't know that it matters which one is
done.
AI-Jaff: I believe that if you do it in the senior center, you would have
a larger audience. If you do it for the Commission, then you only have 7.
Montgomery: Maybe all we need to do is just make sure that it's done. Just
have it on the agenda so we know that the center will do it.
Howard: We'll work it into another activity where we have a captive
audience and then we'll have a short presentation.
Montgomery: Alright.
AI-Jaff: That's all I have personally.
UPDATE ON SENIOR CENTER ACTIVITIES.
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8illison: Is there anything further on the goals and objectives? If not
we'll go on to Update on Senior Center Activities and we already did have
some from that Womens Group.
Howard: The only other thing on that, we are going to change our agenda
somewhat beginning in July. After we've done our full year. There are two
things that have not been as successful as we had hoped. One is the sewing
and the other is the 8ingo. We are going to go to once a month on both of
them. Then if more interest is shown, and last week wouldn't you know,
right after we decided that, 2 women came from Elim Shores for the 8ingo
and they said, oh we'll bring a lot of people.
Heinlein: I said right away, I thought we were pushing it a little bit.
If there's people that really don't know about it.
Howard: You haven't done it for years Selda.
Heinlein: Well I've been coming for a year.
Howard: It's been very discouraging. We'll get 4 people. 5 people. And
we've given up our Wednesdays for this. We're open to change if the crowd
comes but we've heard this so many times. If you change the date, we
changed the date. No difference.
Heinlein: Well that's what confused it because of South Shore.
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Howard: And no one, very few, you are the exception from the card group on
Thursday, none of them come on Wednesday. So if we do get a crowd from
Elim Shores, we'll have it weekly but as of now, we're planning once a
month. And they still have the month of June to come. She said they'll be
there next week so we have a good test area before the first of July. And
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 21
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the sewing is another thing. Jane will be available. If anyone wants
instructions in anything, they can call the center and they will have a
private lesson. But as far as sitting there every Tuesday afternoon for 3
hours, that will not happen. She'll do it once a month.
Heinlein: I was disappointed. I didn't get over to Elim Tuesday. I had
to go to Eden Prairie for myself but I never got over there. I had an
. invitation from the gal that took us around when we were there to come from
2:00 to 4:00. They were having a golf fellow from some golf club and he
was going to show them different ways. Maybe they were playing wrong or
something and then they were going to have something else along with
refreshments. And I just couldn't swing the time. I really was
disappointed. I'm going to drop her a note and thank her for sending me
the invitation. They've had my name on there ever since I was there when
they first opened up. She had remembered me after all that time.
Howard: I can only think of one other thing. We are going to, Dawn will
have notices soon. We had discussed a trip to New Ulm and Eden Prairie had
called Dawn and said they are organizing a trip to New Ulm and they would
appreciate having a stop here if we would go in with them because they can
only get around 20 people. So Dawn said fine. So that will be coming up
in conjunction with Eden Prairie. A one day trip to New Ulm.
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Heinlein: The gal that went to the baseball game with me from our.. .and
she was telling me. I knew they had adopted one little boy. He's black
and they've adopted another one now. He's a year old. I didn't know they
had adopted the second one. A young couple. They can't have children of
their own and this is what they've been doing. He goes around and he has
records, or tapes and that out. Off hand I can't tell you what his name
is.
Howard: I think that's all from the senior center.
UPDATE ON SENIOR HOUSING.
AI-Jaff: We went through the senior housing when, earlier on the agenda.
And basically it's, we're moving forward with it. The feasibility study
has been approved by the HRA that we can go ahead with it. They're telling
Paul, do it. Do it now. Don't wait. And you had a few questions
regarding the architect so I'm going to have to get back to you on that
one.
Montgomery: I had another question too. There's no timeframe for that
study.
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AI-Jaff: They're saying do it now. I mean they're pushing. They're
really pushing.
Montgomery: Because I noticed in it there was no date. I also had a, just
wondered what Bob O'Leery's qualifications are. It looked to me, he was an
associate but 1 wondered if he'd ever had any experience doing any senior
housing.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 22
AI-Jaff: I believe he has. That's another thing that I can bring to you
at the next meeting.
Montgomery: I know it said that McCombs himself would be overseeing
everything but at the same time I just wonder, you know.
AI-Jaff: Correct. Well, it would be like myself working on some items.
Paul always oversees what I do. I don't have, I'm capable of doing things
but it has to be under Paul's direction because he has the experience.
Montgomery: I just kind of wondered. I was reading. ..under qualifications
and I thought, well I don't see anything here. It's sort of like he's
cutting his teeth on it but I don't know that.
Littfin: They are financial people. They are not specialists in nursing
homes or retirement centers or anything like that.
Montgomery: Well except there are some different.
Littfin: Oh there are differences in the structures, certainly. But in
the financing of them, that's where these people have their expertise.
Montgomery: I know that but I still think there are some special. ..in
senior housing financing.
Howard: Is there anything on the land?
AI-Jaff: We're still looking at the three different. Nothing has happened
really with those three sites. We still are looking at three different
sites with the site located in front of Target being number one. And then
the other two sites are.
Heinlein: I think this is the ideal spot over here if we can get it.
AI-Jaff: Yes. Everything is possible.
Heinlein: If you think of getting seniors in to the senior center too you
know.
AI-Jaff: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Littfin: Except that's awfully expensive land.
AI-Jaff: Once the library moves out, we're starting to look at that more
closely right now. Then the senior center could possibly expand into that
area and you could have congregate dining.
Kubitz: That will be a big drawing card.
Heinlein: Anybody that knows the City is looking for property, they're
going to raise the ante.
Howard: No, that's not feasible because if they're unreasonable they can
condemn it and buy it so you can only hold them up so much.
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 23
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Al-Jaff: That's something that Gerhard will handle. Todd Gerhardt. And
he has already approached the property owner and has had some talks with
him. So we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Montgomery: It would be so nice though to have the ability to expand if
need be.
Al-Jaff: For the senior housing?
Montgomery: Which wouldn't be possible on that lot.
Al-Jaff: Absolutely. You're right there.
Montgomery: I mean it's a large investment to begin with but it's sort of
like buying a cheap screwdriver or something. It falls apart you know or
you buy the cheap model of something and then you have to go do it allover
again. And it just seems to me that if they're making this big expenditure
initially anyway, that it would be nice if it lasted.
Howard: That's true and we're growing so fast. 72 units sounds like a lot
but 5 years from now.
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Al-Jaff: One thing is, there are so many different projects going on and
the HRA is saying, we will give you the money. But because there are other
projects, the money will not, I mean it will be distributed to where every
project would get it's share. I don't know how much is going to be left in
the pot.
Howard: Well you know, almost every senior residence we have looked at has
mentioned expansion. Elim Shores is talking about it. In Burnsville, the
two we visited there. We should really check. They could check with a lot
of the places we visited. Then they could see that they planned for future
expansion in their land purchase.
AI-Jaff: Okay. I will put that in the things to check on.
Howard: Of course that site down by the bank has quite a bit of room. ..the
low, the fact that it's so low I think was a major drawback there.
Al-Jaff: One of the problems with that site is, I think it would be
extremely difficult to put underground parking on that site. Yes, the
water level. Water table. I think the site in front of Target is going to
be the most legible. It's still the first. It's commercial land.
Billison: Anything more on senior housing?
UPDATE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS.
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Al-Jaff: We're working with Shorewood. There is one house. Half of it is
in Chanhassen. The other half is, I mean the county line divides that
house in half. They actually pay taxes to Carver County and pay taxes to
Hennepin. Shorewood has agreed to have us annex that portion of the house.
If they allow us to do that and if everything goes fine, then we will have
Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 24
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half a house in Hennepin County where somebody actually lives there. And
we will be able to reinstate our CDSG funds.
Howard: And then we have to give them something in return?
AI-3aff: With this one, with just acquiring the half house, I don't think
it's going to be a problem. But if we acquire an entire subdivision, then
we would have to give them an entire subdivision. I mean we've talked
about it and since you attended the meeting, they have been very receptive
and very open to work with our city manager and with the planning
department. You really made a difference. Really made a difference when
you attended that meeting.
Heinlein: I thought the article I read said it was a done deal. It seemed
like it was completed.
Al-3aff:
agency.
Council.
Well it is as far as the city. The city is not the only voting
There are. other agencies that have to vote on this and the Met
Metropolitan Council has to approve it as well.
Kubitz:
It's a done deal as far as the Council was concerned.
Al-3aff:
Correct.
e Kubitz: At this point.
Al-3aff: Well and usually if you have two cities in agreement.
Littfin: I didn't think Shorewood was very receptive to our Mayor and our
manager the night that we were over there.
Howard: They were or weren't?
Littfin: Were not. They were a little antagonistic I thought.
Kubitz:
.. .because of the way it came up.
Al-3aff: What may be, they misunderstood a few things in the letter that
was sent to them from Chanhassen. But your presence there, the things that
you said and the way everything was worked out by the City Manager and the
Mayor, I believe it turned out well. Obviously the results speak for
themselves. It is working very well. For this year Hennepin County
basically said okay. We are going to redistribute the funds. Chanhassen
is cut off but Hennepin County, the cities gave up a portion of their
monies so that Chanhassen would have some money.
Montgomery: Oh for the year that we thought we wouldn't get it?
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AI-3aff: Yes. Each city gave up a portion of their money so that
Chanhassen would have some share.
Montgomery: Oh, that was pretty nice.
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Senior Commission Meeting
May 21, 1993 - Page 25
Al-Jaff: That was. That really was. Thanks to Paul worked really hard on
it. So that's the update on the CDBG funds.
Montgomery: That's the '93-'94 funding.
Al-Jaff: Correct. Correct. So we're not completely cut off.
Montgomery: That's great. Do you know, what's the amount? Is there a
difference?
Al-Jaff: No I don't. I'm sorry. But it's not much less than what we had
before.
Billison: Does anybody have anything else on senior housing?
SENIOR COMMISSION COMMENTS.
Billison: Anything anybody?
Al-Jaff: We're going to have to go to the senior center to watch the tape
of the Chanhassen Chorus.
Howard moved~ Heinlein seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in
favor and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned.
Submitted by Paul Krauss
Planning Director
Prepared by Nann Opheim