SOUTH SUBURBAN SPECIAL RECREATION ASSOCIATION April 27, 2017 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes I. Call to Order/Roll Call Sandy Chevalier called the South Suburban Special Recreation Association s Board of Directors meeting for April 27, 2017 to order at 9:02 a.m. Members present: Audrey Marcquenski, Frankfort Square Park District Stephanie Simpson, Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Oralethea Davenport, Lan-Oak Park District Anthony Burton, Matteson Recreational Division Cindy Grannan, Oak Forest Park District Jesus Vargas, Olympia Fields Park District Anna Soloff, Park Forest Recreation & Parks Department Sandy Chevalier, Tinley Park-Park District Members absent: Others Present : Dwone Ross, Sr., Country Club Hills Park District Joseph Bertrand, Hazel Crest Park District Geneen Robinson, Richton Park Parks & Recreation Department Janet Porter, SSSRA Executive Director Lisa Drzewiecki, SSSRA Superintendent Regina Ross Ellison, SSSRA Finance & Office Manager II. Approval of Agenda Cindy Grannan made the Motion to approve the Agenda. Oralethea Davenport seconded the Motion and the Agenda was approved unanimously. III. Approval of Minutes A. March 23, 2017 Cindy Grannan made the Motion to approve the Minutes for March. Anthony Burton seconded the Motion and the Minutes were approved unanimously IV. Correspondence A. Letter from Mr. Paul Hedberg, The Peder Hedberg Foundation B. Letter to Mr. and Mrs. Hedberg, The Peder Hedberg Foundation Porter shared with the Board that the two correspondence are related to another contribution from The Peder Hedberg Foundation. The Peder Hedberg Foundation has supported the agency with their most recent donation of $11,000 and earlier in the fiscal year, the foundation contributed $10,000. This fiscal year to date, the Peder Hedberg Foundation has contributed a total of $21,000 to help support people with disabilities. Porter mentioned that the Hedberg s will be closing the foundation and are retiring in the summer or fall. During the course of seven years, the foundation has contributed over $92,000.
Page 2 V. Public Comment None VI. Community Announcements Park Forest: Anna Soloff announced that the Great American Campout will be held at Central Park on Friday and Saturday, June 23 24, 2017. SSSRA: Janet Porter announced the following: Anna Broccolo, Public Relations Manager, will be expanding the agency s Facebook. Member agencies are invited to share their event information for posting. The Family Banquet will be held on Monday, May 8, 2017. The Drama Club will be presenting The LORAX at Freedom Hall on May 1, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. The 1 st Annual Alysia s Awareness Benefiting Special Olympics Powerlifting thru SSSRA will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2017. VII. Unfinished Business None VIII. New Business A. 2017-2018 Proposed Budget Enclosure The Budget Committee met in February and March to review all anticipated revenue and expenses for the year. Porter highlighted a few points regarding the proposed Budget. There is only a 2% increase in proposed administrative expenses and a 1% increase in program expenses. Porter mentioned that this year there was a zero increase in PDRMA s Health Care premiums which helped the agency s overall budget. In terms of capital, the agency will be replacing one of the buses and will be replacing the office telephone system. Porter asked if there were any questions or comments. Chevalier called for a Motion to approve the 2017-2018 Budget. A Motion was made by Cindy Grannan and seconded by Anna Soloff. Chevalier as if there was any discussion. Audrey Marcquenski stated that her only issue is with IT. Marcquenski mentioned that she doesn t have a problem spending the money; however she does have a problem spending the money with a company that lacks professionalism and responsiveness necessary for IT. With a Motion and second on the table, a roll call vote was taken: Country Club Hills absent Lan-Oak Yes Park Forest Yes Frankfort Square No Matteson Yes Richton Park absent Hazel Crest absent Oak Forest Yes Tinley Park Yes Homewood-Flossmoor Yes Olympia Fields Yes The Motion carried with 7 members voting yes and 1 voting no.
Page 3 VIII. New Business (continued) B. IT Services Agreement Enclosure Frankfort Square Park District provided the association with their IT agreement back in January, 2017. The agreement for IT Services was revised with SSSRA s information reflected, and reviewed by Ancel Glink. It includes the exact language on insurance requirements provided by PDRMA which is inserted in section six of the agreement. Porter also mentioned that the agency revised the Statement of Work, which is on the last page of the agreement and is an addendum to the agreement. This includes the duties and tasks that (LTS) will be performing for the agency. Porter mentioned that Audrey Marcquenski has expressed some concerns about the Statement of Work. Porter mentioned that the agency has never had this type of agreement before and would like for everyone to feel comfortable. Chevalier asked if there was any discussion. Anthony Burton raised a question asking Marcquenski what were their issues? Marcquenski explained that their responsiveness to tickets was not done in a professional matter. The company revamped their website and it was not working correctly. The output wasn t professional and it was not a good experience. Burton mentioned that it is frustrating not getting the service you need from an IT provider and it is important to have an agreement in place. Chevalier mentioned that Tinley Park-Park District has the same IT Company and their experiences have been great. Grannan mentioned that Oak Forest Park District has the same IT Company and their experiences have been great. Grannan also mentioned that when the district creates a ticket the response time is immediate. Porter stated that she is aware of that fact that Frankfort Square is not comfortable with the company; however, the Executive Director would like for Frankfort Square to be comfortable with the agreement. Porter mentioned that this is important to the agency that Frankfort Square feels the agreement is solid. Marcquenski suggested having the agreement go through PDRMA legal counsel so that the agency can have the strongest agreement possible. Porter asked if the Board would like for the agency to have PDRMA look over the agreement. The Board agreed unanimously to have PDRMA look over the agreement. Porter mentioned that the agreement would be put in the May Board packet. A. Program 1. Winter, 2017 Inclusion Summary During the winter of 2017, SSSRA supported a total of 17 individuals though the Inclusion process. Drzewiecki shared with the Board that the direct service hours by part-time staff was 400 hours and by the Inclusion Manager was 63 hours. Drzewiecki also mentioned that SSSRA hired 15 staff for winter Inclusion and last year there were 9 staff for winter Inclusion. 2. Outreach Report March, 2017 SSSRA met with the Frankfort Square Park District to review the association s service and outreach efforts in their community. Drzewiecki mentioned that the agency made progress with school District #161 and will be working on providing services. The agency will keep the Board posted.
Page 4 A. Program (continued) 3. Homewood-Flossmoor High School Outreach Event On March 24, SSSRA provided a special event for students in the Life Skills program at Homewood- Flossmoor High School, in Flossmoor. There were 32 students who attended the event. 4. Special Olympics Basketball Individual Skills Drzewiecki shared with the Board that per the request of a parent, SSSRA offered the Individual Skills Basketball program. The program allows participants to compete in a variety of basketball skills such as dribbling, shooting and passing, due to the fact they may not be ready to compete. There were 4 individuals in the program and 1 individual received a gold medal at the State competition. 5. Special Olympics Bocce On April 8, SSSRA had 19 athletes and 2 Unified Partners compete in the Area Bocce Tournament. Those who received a gold medal will be eligible to compete in the State Summer Games from June 9-11, in Normal Illinois. Drzewiecki provided the Board with a list of the athletes, communities, and results. Drzewiecki also mentioned that the Special Olympics Bocce program was offered free of charge due to fundraising money that the agency received. 6. Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies Program Update As of April 7, the Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies program has reached a total of 71 veterans enrolled since the program began in 2013. Drzewiecki reviewed a table showing each community and how many veterans have participated in the program. Drzewiecki also mentioned that Frankfort Square and Lansing are newer facility locations and will take time to grow their program. One of the biggest challenges in the HMHB program is the number of veterans who contact the Program Manager and express interest in joining the program. However, the veterans that express interest do not complete the follow-up paperwork, despite follow-up phone calls and emails done by SSSRA. On March 27, SSSRA offered a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) workshop for HMHB personal trainers, facility coordinators, board members and SSSRA full-time staff. Drzewiecki mentioned that the workshop was very informative and this is something the agency will continue. The workshop was presented by Dr. Ann LaFrance, a licensed psychologist and former Navy veteran that specializes in PTSD and works with veterans in the area. Tammy McMahon and Dr. Ann LaFrance are working together to develop another workshop for our member districts. Porter asked the Board who attended the workshop, what was their feedback? Oralethea Davenport stated that the workshop was great and eye opening. Cindy Grannan stated that her staff attended the workshop and thought it was phenomenal.
Page 5 A. Program (continued) 7. May Special Events Enclosure Drzewiecki highlighted the following: SSSRA Family Banquet will be held on Monday, May 8, 2017. Spring Arts Recital and Drama Show will be held on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Country Club Hills Cares Day will be held on Friday, May 12, 2017. Year End Celebration will be held on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, in Richton Park. 8. Inclusion Training - Enclosures A letter was sent to the member districts offering three Inclusion In-service Training meetings. Drzewiecki asked the Board to contact Heather Specht, Program Coordinator, for the trainings and if those dates do not work, Heather Specht is also available to come to their location to provide training. Drzewiecki mentioned that a two-week notice is appreciated due to Heather Specht s busy summer schedule. B. Administrative 1. Staff Professional Involvement, Activities and Training March, 2017 Porter reviewed staff activities, highlighting a PDRMA Workshop regarding Risk Management in an SRA that Tammy McMahon, Pam Alvarado and Heather Specht attended on March 10, in Naperville. The workshop covered the following items: Reiterated their stance on invasive medical procedures. Contractual hiring issues with inclusion and drivers. Vehicle safety & transporting individuals with a physical disability. 2. Executive Director Evaluation - Enclosure Porter reviewed the Director's Evaluation process and asked the Board to return their evaluations to Sandy Chevalier by May 12. 3. Summary of Results from Participant and Family Survey Last fall, with the assistance of the University of St. Francis College of Business and Health Administration, SSSRA conducted an agency-wide participant and family survey. Porter mentioned that six full-time staff have been working on a committee to summarize the results and put them into action steps. There was an overall return rate of 12.7% and families had the opportunity to send their survey to the office by mail or electronically through Survey Monkey. Chevalier raised a question asking out of the 12.7%, how many surveys were returned by mail compared to online? Porter explained that there was more surveys returned by mail compared to online.
Page 6 B. Administrative X. Financial Report 3. Summary of Results from Participant and Family Survey (continued) A. Claims List Porter mentioned that the St. Francis students separated all the responses by mail or online. Porter mentioned that the answers in terms of priority were the same by both groups in every category. The highest number of responses were received from families of participants with an intellectual disability, autism and a developmental delay. The most significant barriers to participation were noted as: lack of funds/limited personal budget, location of the program and program day and time does not work with their schedule. Porter mentioned that when the agency did their strategic plan in 2009, the message was the same in terms of the lack of funds. Porter stated that even though the agency subsidizes our programs by 35 50%, it is still very difficult for our families to afford our programs. The agency will continue to offer free and discounted programs with the grants that the agency receives. Regarding program locations, the agency has added some transportation opportunities to help our families. Parents also talked about program days and times; the agency was able to identify which day of the week works best for our families and in what order. Porter also mentioned that the agency would like to move some of the programs that have not been successful to a 5:00 p.m. start time. Porter mentioned to the Board that the agency will need their help in terms of facilities. A full outline of the Action Steps and timeline for implementation will be provided in the May Board packet. 4. Palumbo Family Foundation Second Annual Trivia Night The Second Annual Trivia Night was held on Saturday, April 22, 2017. Porter mentioned that the participation doubled compared to last year. Porter also mentioned that last year, the foundation contributed $4,500 from the event. 1. Additional March, 2017 Cindy Grannan made the Motion to approve the Additional Claims List for March, 2017. Oralethea Davenport seconded the Motion. Chevalier asked if there was any discussion. A roll call vote was taken: Country Club Hills absent Lan-Oak Yes Park Forest Yes Frankfort Square Yes Matteson Yes Richton Park absent Hazel Crest absent Oak Forest Yes Tinley Park Yes Homewood-Flossmoor Yes Olympia Fields Yes The Motion was approved unanimously by those present.
Page 7 X. Financial Report A. Claims List (continued) 2. April, 2017 Anna Soloff made the Motion to approve the Claims List for April, 2017. Anthony Burton seconded the Motion. Chevalier asked if there was any discussion. A roll call vote was taken: Country Club Hills absent Lan-Oak Yes Park Forest absent Frankfort Square Yes Matteson Yes Richton Park Yes Hazel Crest absent Oak Forest Yes Tinley Park Yes Homewood-Flossmoor Yes Olympia Fields Yes The Motion was approved unanimously by those present. B. Financial Statement 1. March, 2017 Cindy Grannan made the Motion to approve the March Financial Statement. Stephanie Simpson seconded the Motion. Chevalier asked if there was any discussion. Porter mentioned to the Board that accounts 414 & 512 are over budget. The first line item is 414 - Consultant Fees, due to legal fees related to the agency s policy updates and correspondence between SSSRA and one of the member agencies. The second line item is 512 Postage, due to the use of postage for the participant and family surveys, which was $1,512. Porter mentioned that as a result, the agency did make adjustments for the upcoming budget year. With a Motion and a second, Chevalier asked for all those in favor of approving the Financial Statement, and it was approved unanimously. C. Approval of Expenses in Accordance With Travel Reimbursement Policy (None this Month) XI. Executive Session None XII. Adjournment Oralethea Davenport made a Motion to adjourn the meeting. Anthony Burton seconded the Motion, and the meeting adjourned at 9:44 a.m. Next Meeting: May 25, 2017