Newly elected Uinta Senior Center board of directors chair Mike Davis kept his promises made at the Dec. 8 meeting.  M. Davis had promised the attendees at that meeting that, from now on, he would make sure they all had a copy of the agenda and there would be a microphone available so all could hear. At the recent meeting of the board on Dec. 15, those promises were kept.

There was a large crowd of senior citizens and local residents again at the meeting on Dec. 15 because the meeting had been announced at the last meeting and notices were circulated throughout the center.  Everyone present was given a copy of the agenda and the chair was using a microphone.

Chair M. Davis opened the meeting by asking everyone to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, which had been brought into the dining room for the meeting.  He then asked the board for approval of the minutes and followed that with approval of the financial report.

“If anyone here would like to read the minutes and see the financial report,” Davis said, “it will be available after the meeting.  We intend to be totally transparent with you.  Now, I would like to hear comments and concerns from all of you.”

Laura Hughes, a regular attendee at the center, said she would like to see the back area behind the center turned into a handicapped parking area.  She said that many times the handicapped spaces in front of the center are taken by vehicles with no handicapped sticker.

Interim Director Bobbi Brown said, “Jeff Breininger and I are going to talk to the County Commissioners about doing that.”

Jeff Breininger with Uinta County Public Works added, “The problem is that is a loading zone and a city alley and has to be kept open for that. We can bring it up to the commission and the city since there is only one house on the alley that has a garbage can and it could be put out in front.”

Other suggestions from the group included adding more designated handicapped spaces in front of the building, having the staff park in the back, and using the bus or van to pick up more people for meals.

Don Barnhart complimented the board, saying, “This is the first board meeting when I ‘ve seen the board properly using Roberts Rules of Order. Thank you.”

The board then excused themselves for approximately fifteen minutes for an executive session and upon return Davis asked the seniors in the group what they would like to see in an executive director as the board would now be advertising for a new director.  He added that Aimee Ottley would no longer be an employee of the senior center as of Dec. 31.

The majority response was, “We want a director that is here, that will visit with us and eat lunch with us and just be here.”

Board member Joy Bell said there had been some confusion regarding the qualifications for the executive director because of the nursing survey report.  She explained that the executive director and the director of nursing are two different positions and the qualifications listed on the survey report are for the director of nursing.

“The executive director is responsible for the running of the Center,” Bell said, “for the day-to-day operation of a non-profit organization.  They need financial experience, grant writing experience and need to be able to handle all the business of the center.  They need to engage with the seniors and understand the aging process and most important they need to be honest and have integrity.”

Bell continued describing the position and said what is really wanted is a leader who will work closely with the board of directors to develop a strategic plan.  She said the director needs to work on the day-to-day stuff, work with the staff and the seniors and, sadly, the Center is in an “anarchist state presently.” The executive director needs to be collaborative and be able to market the center and be a partner with the city, county, and housing authority, Bell said. 

Board member Sen. Wendy Schuler added that she would be checking with the state on requirements as well and they intend to post the position the first of the new year.  The Center is a business, Schuler said, there is a significant payroll and the home health director won’t be the same person as the executive director.

The seniors attending all agreed what was just described is what they want in a director. 

Hughes added that the bulletin board which was removed and put in the lobby needed to be brought back up to the dining room so seniors could keep abreast of what was happening in the community.

Appointing new board members was on the agenda but Chair Davis said the board had been receiving more letters of interest and decided to wait until the Jan. 5 meeting to appoint the new members. The board will then be comprised of nine members. At that time, they will vote on a secretary, treasurer and a vice-chair.  Employee Pam Ward is filling in as secretary until then.

The board then moved to appoint Joy Bell as treasurer and, when there were comments as to why they didn’t wait until they had appointed more board members, Davis responded that it was important to have a treasurer immediately to handle the finances in order to remove that responsibility from Ottley and to see that bills were paid.

Bell said, “I will be taking care of finances for now and we can vote on the position again if we decide to when we have a full board.  It is imperative we deal with the finances immediately. I will set up a system and then whoever the treasurer is will have internal controls and protocol for handling the finances.  There will be full transparency.”

A question raised at the previous three meetings concerning what happened to the million-dollar donation was brought up again.

“I have been researching this,” Chair Davis said. “There were two separate donations of $1 million each.  The first was back when Blakeman was here and the Kirlin family donated a million. That money is gone as a result of the theft and what little bit was left kept the center afloat until funds were released by the federal government.  That is in the past and we can’t change it. The second $1 million was donated several years ago by Richard and Sarah Salmela.  That money is in a money market account and is safe. The board intends to honor the Salmelas later this spring and we will let you know when that event will take place.”

Another important recurring question was answered when M. Davis said Decoria & Company P.C. of Evanston had been hired to complete the audit that was due at the end of 2022.  The firm will be doing the audit in January.

Several personnel issues were brought to the board and the formal meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be Jan. 5 at 4:00 p.m. in the dining area of the senior center and the public is welcome to attend.