Resident Council General Meeting
Minutes for Nov. 7, 2016
The Nov. 7 meeting of the John Knox Village Resident
Council was opened by President Jim Ham at 2 p.m. in the Courtyard Community
Center. First time attendees were Jim Lass from Lee's Summit who moved in
several months ago, and now lives in A Building; and Donna LaHue, who has lived
in Villager North for about three years. We are happy to have you both with us,
and hope you will return to our meetings each month.
Dr. Dan Rexroth, President and CEO of John Knox
Village, pointed out that the Village is very involved in the surrounding community.
Dan showed us an award from the Missouri Community Colleges Association that the
Village received in recognition of this involvement. The Village has partnered with
Lee’s Summit for 46 years in security and ambulance services. Dan reminded us
to vote on Tuesday, and informed us of an issue on the ballot that affects the
Village. A bond issue will be presented to update the nearby fire station by
moving it to the south side of our campus, off Pryor Road. Shamrock Avenue
would be extended across Pryor Road and a new fire station would be built. This
fire station would be set back from Pryor Road, allowing further use of the
frontage on Pryor Road. In exchange for using John Knox Village property for
this purpose, the city would take care of the infrastructure needed along Pryor
Road before that area could be used for building. There would also be an additional
left turn (east) off Pryor Road at Shamrock Avenue. This would be a win-win
situation for both the Village and the city.
Stephanie Zeilstra and Karen Burec, with the
marketing and communications department, presented the results of the recent Communications
Survey. There have been so many changes to technology, the Communications Department
felt it necessary to find out which communication tools are actually used by
residents. Currently, the Village uses a number of communication tools
including: The monthly and mid-month Village Voice; JKtV; Village Voice Online
and the daily E-Blast. Most residents have TV's, but only 70 percent have
computers, 35 percent have smart phones, and 27 percent have tablets. Village Voice
Online is seldom used. Besides the monthly and mid-month Village Voice, the E-Blast
was the next most used. Residents would like obituaries and funeral information
published, and they express that JKtV is too slow and takes too long. Because
of the need for better accuracy between different communication tools, the E-Blast
has been moved to MARCom. The Village Voice faces many challenges including: decreased
advertising revenue; lack of resident human interest stories; and the need for
more room for corporate information and construction updates. The JKtV will be
reviewed to minimize the number of slides; Village Voice Online will soon be an
apps system and advertising prices have been slightly increased.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance
Committee: Chair Gerry Wachsmann reported on the October
meeting. Vice President of Finance, Kim Klockenga presented the September financial
report. Occupancy at the end of September: Independent Living, 727; Village Assisted
Living, 172; Village Care Center, 279. Net deposits, move-ins and Entrance Fees
were all below budget. Although revenue was $103,000 below budget, this was
more than offset by expenses that were below budget by $163,000. Todd Hollander,
director of dining services, gave an overview of revenues for all four Village
restaurants. Todd also highlighted the challenges he has regarding labor recruitment,
retention, and scheduling. The next meeting will be at 1 p.m. Nov. 30 in the
Courtyard Theatre.
Health
Services Committee: Chair Helen Darby reported on the
October meeting. The speaker was Patty Wike, PT, director of rehab, Aegis
Therapies, and the topic was “Overview of physical and occupational therapy
programs and demonstration of new i-Balance machine.” Patty spoke about the
Village’s outpatient therapy clinics, and emphasized the importance of
maintaining our balance and gave examples of how balance can be disrupted.
Patty then demonstrated the new iBalance training system. The iBalance machine
is a balance training system and a testing instrument for fall risk assessment.
This equipment includes five different training protocols, with various levels
and stages of difficulty to challenge and train balance. Test results are
compared to normative values, and the fall risk is presented in a
comprehensible way with traffic light colors. Based on the test results, a
therapist can plan an individual’s accurate balance training needs to strengthen
any discovered weaknesses and enhance the person’s balance. The therapy
department appreciates the work of the John Knox Village Foundation in putting
together a successful grant in order to acquire this valuable piece of
equipment. Next Meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Sales,
Marketing and Communications Committee: Chair Margie Stowell
reported on the October meeting. Tiffany Speaks, a representative from the finance
department spoke about the concept of secret shopper and how it relates to the
P.R.I.D.E. initiative at the Village. (The P.R.I.D.E. initiative is Personal
Responsibility in Delivering Excellence.) The secret shopper program evaluates
the associates’ reaction to everyday occurrences. Phone calls are made for the
purpose of determining how helpful and friendly the associates are while on the
job. The associate does not know who the caller is or that they are being evaluated.
They are then judged by their friendliness, knowledge, and helpfulness to the
caller. Tiffany said they are looking for volunteers to continue this secret shopping
idea. There will be a special training session for those who wish to volunteer.
Craig Faith, director of public safety, and member of the Lee’s Summit City
Council, spoke about his duties on the Council. He informed us that both the
Lee’s Summit Police Department and the Lee’s Summit Fire Department answer
emergency calls at the Village when needed. Both departments work closely with
the Village. Also, in emergencies, the City calls on our services (security, ambulances
etc.) when needed. Craig mentioned an important no-tax-increase bond issue that
will be on the ballot in November. This money would be used for building a new
fire station to replace the existing one which is too small. A new radio system
and updated air packs (essential for the safety of firemen) are also needed.
Craig represents us well on the Council and can keep us updated. Craig would
like to see more residents getting involved with City affairs. There is a
Citizens Leadership Academy which acquaints volunteers with all City
Departments. He recommends it to anyone who has an interest. Tracy Wenson,
sales manager, distributed and reviewed the latest sales and statistics report.
The statistics are looking better and we are getting closer to our deposits
goal for The Meadows. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 17.
Resident
Services Committee: In the absence of Chair Martha Wood,
Fran Baker gave the report of the October meeting. Maria Timberlake gave an
update on the progress being made to the new Coffee Shoppe at the Courtyard.
She also announced that the preliminary offering of $41.8 million in bonds was
released on Friday Oct. 7. Meetings are scheduled for prospective investors
including interested John Knox Village residents. The speaker was Melinda Ward,
Director of Home Health. She explained the three divisions of “in home” care
available to Village residents and a multi-county area. Home For Life Solutions
offers many useful products such as sensors, emergency pendants and fall detectors.
Village Helpers are available 24/7 with plans tailored for each client.
Services include assistance with personal care, transport and escort for appointments,
companionship, meal planning, etc. Village Home Health must be ordered by a
physician and is designed to allow patients to recuperate safely and effectively
at home. Nurses are on call 24/7 to provide skilled nursing care including
physical and occupational therapies, wound care, pain management and much more.
The next meeting is Nov. 14.
Nominating
Committee: Chair June Dewsberry reported on the October
meeting. Each committee member has been assigned a Committee to work with,
making calls and soliciting for new members. Candidates for the Resident Board
member seat, Resident Council President, and Resident Council Vice President
are also being sought. We will have our December meeting on Nov. 25, as we will
honor a departing member, Mary Ellen Noll. We will meet for breakfast at Places
Restaurant at 8:30 a.m.
Program:
The program was presented by Todd Hollander, director
of dining services, Carman Wayman, Courtyard Café manager and Chef Tim Wells.
Todd informed us that The Coffee Shop is now in progress, and will hopefully be
completed in December. The reason for the delay is that extra funds became
available and the plans were able to be upgraded. Carmen indicated the menu
would include soups and sandwiches, smoothies, cappuccino, lattes, bakery
items, seasonal items and ice cream. Todd let us know that there will soon be a
“Food Committee”, planned and supervised by the dining department. This
committee will meet once a month (on a date to be determined), in the Courtyard
Cafe. Because the Courtyard Cafe is open to all residents, the committee is also
open to all residents of the Village. Todd emphasized that all the restaurants
are for all residents, and no one area “owns” any restaurant. Each restaurant
has its own character, with different menus, prices, and ambience. Feed back is
critical, and this is the purpose for the Food Committee. A Food Committee
already exists at the Lakeside Grille in Country Club. The parking lot at the
Country Club complex is now open, making Lakeside Grille much more accessible.
The traffic at both Fireside Restaurant and Lakeside Grille has increased
lately. Todd spoke about the different specials at Courtyard Café, with blue plate
specials changing weekly, and Sunday evening specials provided to entice us
every Sunday. Todd indicated that staffing is always a challenge, and asks for
our patience when service is slower due to the staffing crunch. This is an
industry wide problem. Todd introduced the Courtyard chef, Chef Tim Wells, who
was formerly a cook. An attempt is made to please all palettes, but residents
recognize that it is not possible to please everyone all the time, and we thank
Todd and his crew for all they do to make Village dining a pleasant experience.
The next General Meeting will be on Monday, Dec. 5.
This will be the annual “Holiday Hospitality” celebration, honoring all new
residents who have moved into JKV during 2016. Everyone is invited to attend.
Refreshments will be served, and we will enjoy holiday music presented by our
music department. There will also be plenty of time for socializing and getting
acquainted with all our new residents.
The next Executive Committee meeting will be on Nov.
18 – a week early due to Thanksgiving.
Respectfully submitted,
June Dewsberry, Secretary, Resident Council
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