Nina,
What you described is ok
Andrea
On Mar 9, 2020, at 9:58 PM, Nina Garfinkle <nina.garfinkle@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Rhonda is the Executive director, I’m not sure what James Brown’s title is.
Rhonda had given a detailed report about the elevators about a year ago.
Nancy’s note [copied again in pink below] summed up a lot of what we can
expect and how they are dealing with it.
I’ve created a list of questions we can forward to Rhonda. If you have
additional questions you think should be included at this time, please
advise.
- what is the timeline for the elevator fixes
- what can we expect during that time
- are there plans for monitoring the stairwells?
- what is the protocol for evacuation if needed? Do we have an alternative
plan to get elders out if neccessary?
- Thank you for following up on this. The state of the elevators is a real
“shanda”.
I don’t understand how we can meet and not have them there. They have the
info and the answers and I’m sure would want to hear out concerns. They have
really done their do diligence regarding the elevators and trying to work
within the restraints of a very old building. They also have circulated info
about corona.
I suggest we get the questions to Rhonda. We have her give us a report for
the first part of the meeting [TBD]. Then we can meet without staff for the
second part of the meeting to go over any remaining concerns. That is a
scenario I’m comfortable arranging and it has worked well in the past. I
don’t feel comfortable organizing something before I am more informed with
Rhonda’s facts.
-Nina
PS Andrea and Heidi, maybe it’s best if you and I speak on the phone to find
a way forward? I can be reached at 617.733.4321
On 9 Mar, 2020, at 4:32 PM, Diane Dion <dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Nina--
Your agenda and order of events all sound fine. For those of us new to the
scene: Who are Rhonda and James?! Hoping we can meet in person which will
be much more efficient/impactful. I'll stay tuned re: time and place.
Many thanks,
Diane
DIANE DION
dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx
Writer. Editor. Wordsmith.
617.959.1592
On Mon, Mar 9, 2020 at 3:54 PM Nina Garfinkle <nina.garfinkle@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
All,
I was planing on coordinating this. Was waiting for a day to see who all
responds first and with any comments or agenda items. Thanks for your
patients. However, If one of you wants to be the lead on this… I’d be happy
to let you organize it.
My thoughts based on F&F in the past
- we would coordinate with Rhonda and James so they can answer our
questions. We can also have them join for part of it and we can meet before
or afterwards without them [we’ve done that in the past. it’s worked well,
and Rhonda is great about presenting facts]. I think I’d like to have us
meet afterwords with the benefit of her report, and we can then follow up
with her with any further questions, actions, etc.
- we would meet at 100 Centre St in the community room
- we’d have to coordinate with their schedules and when we can get the
room.
- unclear if we’d do 10am as in the past, or shoot for 4 in the afternoon.
Once we get a date from Rhoda I can create a doodle pole to check
preferences of people
- In person meetings are much better in creating community, but with the
corona issues, we’ll have to see if in person or phone is best.
DRAFT AGENDA
- Elevator situation
- Corona virus
- Large screen updates
- Other business????
Responses so far:
Diane Don
Nancy Pearl Glazer
Sande Young {I guess they are handling it the best they can}
Sydney Resendez [will prioritize attending]
Susan Dubin-what will be done in a Brookline emergency or that building in
particular.
Allan Lewis- corona and elevators
Andrea Fein- early eve
Dale Sokoloff [can call in for a morning meeting.
Deborah Katz
Andrea Fine- March 15th works
Nina
Peter
On 7 Mar, 2020, at 4:55 AM, (Redacted sender "nturnbull" for DMARC)Nancy Turnbull
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
My mother lives at 100 Centre and I had a conversation about the elevators
this week with James (cannot find last name), who is in charge of
facilities.
Here is what I learned:
First, the building will not likely have three working elevators for 3 more
months.
The project in the front is a complete renovation of both elevators, which
are old and break frequently. CCB held off for a year on the project in
order to make major repairs to the back elevator so it would be in better
shape during the renovation. In the course of the renovation, the
contractor discovered both elevators need a new part, which had to be
custom-made. Making and testing the parts are taking longer than expected.
The part should be here next week. The renovation of the second elevator
should go more quickly because the part is made.
During the week, they have staff members running the elevators 8-5pm every
weekday . (He did not call me back right away when I called because he was
doing a 2-hour elevator shift.) Part of it may be to keep the peace among
the residents but it's mostly to make sure that there is a staff person
available and present to deal with any challenges that arise.
We talked about resident safety and they seem appropriately focused on it.
CCB has detailed protocols and policies in place, including empowering staff
to take any action they deem necessary to deal with any situation that
arises without getting permission. My sister had seen ambulance folks with
a gurney waiting quite a while for an elevator in the lobby. James
explained that this was a scheduled transport and not an emergency call.
(In an emergency, fire fighters come too and they all have elevator override
keys that allow them to take control of the elevators.)
James said that CCB has an excellent relationship with the fire department,
which, on average, is at the building most days for some kind of call. The
frequency of calls at CCB allows the department to keep more staff than it
otherwise would need, so the department wants to keep CCB safe and happy. So
his view is that the fire department will do anything CCB needs, and has
been very responsive. They know the building well, and they are trained to
go up and down stairs, and have to do this in many buildings in Brookline.
A few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, there was an elevator issue.
The staff person called the Fire Department, which sent over a crew of
people to walk the hallways for the two hours it took to deal with the
problem.
This situation is clearly very stressful for residents and staff, and I felt
that management is working hard to get it resolved. Manufacturing, testing,
installing and testing a custom part does take time. The company working on
the renovation is not the same as the company that CCB has used in the past
for the elevators--CCB switched to the company that HSL uses, and James says
they are much better than the former company and he's confident that once
the renovation is done, the elevators will work better and fewer service
calls will be needed.
CCB put out a weekly update on the elevators in the last few weeks (I have
been out of town and so haven't seen it) and another is coming this weekend,
which will repeat the above, probably with more detail.
I suggested that CCB might want to do some outreach to the Friends and
Family group--if there is interest, I am sure they would meet with us.
One issue my sister raised when I updated her about the above is whether CCB
is monitoring the stairwells more frequently, given that there is likely
more activity there. Our mother is evidently taking the stairs down from
dinner some days, which she really should not be doing by herself. I plan
to call James next week and ask about this.
I have no expertise in elevators, buildings or operations. But, by the end
of the call, I felt more informed, assured that they are working hard to get
a difficult situation resolved, and sympathetic about how stressful this is
for everyone involved. I found James to be knowledgeable, caring, and very
concerned about the residents. He wasn't at all defensive, and he answered
everything I asked clearly and thoroughly.
Of course, none of this changes that this is a bad situation and it needs to
get fixed asap.
On 9 Mar, 2020, at 2:42 PM, Diane Dion <dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
If they are part of HSL management (I don't know who they are), it may be
inhibiting. And, they may dominate things with a "feel good" presentation.
Might be better for those of us who are truly friends and family to
connect and share our concerns first--and approach authority figures with
a request for action later. Thoughts?
DIANE DION
dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx
Writer. Editor. Wordsmith.
617.959.1592
On Mon, Mar 9, 2020 at 2:38 PM <nturnbull@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Do we want to invite Rhonda and James to join us?
-----Original Message-----
From: Diane Dion <dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Andrea Fein <andreafein29@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Deborah Katz <dkatz125@xxxxxxxxx>; nina <nina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
dmarc-noreply <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; miller peter
<peterm@xxxxxxx>; fandf100 <fandf100@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, Mar 9, 2020 8:11 am
Subject: [fandf100] Re: Elevators
Sunday, March 15 late morning (11am) works for me. If this is confirmed,
can Peter send an e-mail announcement to the entire F&F list? And, where
at 100 Centre Street should we gather?
Diane
DIANE DION
dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx
Writer. Editor. Wordsmith.
617.959.1592
On Mon, Mar 9, 2020 at 12:00 AM Andrea Fein <andreafein29@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Are we planning for Sunday March 15? That should be fine for me.
On Mar 8, 2020, at 6:39 PM, Deborah Katz <dkatz125@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I will come if I can.
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 8, 2020, at 6:28 PM, nina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
There is a box in the great room to collect emails, etc in. I noticed
today that the slips to write on and put in the box are all used up.
Andrea, maybe you can follow up with Laura B to see if she can run some
more off?
We all could suggest to our resident loved ones to spread the word to
their friends, to get others to sign up.
On 8 Mar, 2020, at 2:06 PM, Andrea Fein <andreafein29@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi everyone,
I'm in. Please let me know when you're meeting. Early evening is best
for me. Thank you for the good information.
Is there a way to reach out to more friends and family of residents?
Thanks,
Andrea
On Mar 8, 2020, at 10:55 AM, Diane Dion <dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Thanks, all, for these updates. My sister lives on the 11th floor
which the back elevator does not reach even when it is working. I
would definitely welcome a F&F meeting to discuss the elevator
situation--especially as it relates to the impact of the Coronavirus
on this vulnerable population. Please keep me posted!
Best,
Diane Dion
DIANE DION
dianecarasikdion@xxxxxxxxx
Writer. Editor. Wordsmith.
617.959.1592
On Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 9:37 AM <nina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks for the sharing all that information.
F&F has been on a bit of hiatus… but I always imagined we’d reconvene
if/when their was a particular issue to discuss. Maybe the elevators
are that issue? And keeping up the connections is always a good thing
Are folks interested in meeting to discuss:
- the elevators issue further [hopefully Rhonda and James could join]?
- Are there other issues you'd like to discuss?
We typically have met on a sunday morning, and can have a call in
option available as well,
I’ll wait to hear back from everyone. to see if there is interest. If
so we can firm up an agenda and possible meeting time.
Best,
- Nina
PS don’t forget to “spring forward” your clocks tonight!
On 7 Mar, 2020, at 4:55 AM, (Redacted sender "nturnbull" for DMARC)
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
My mother lives at 100 Centre and I had a conversation about the
elevators this week with James (cannot find last name), who is in
charge of facilities.
Here is what I learned:
First, the building will not likely have three working elevators for
3 more months.
The project in the front is a complete renovation of both elevators,
which are old and break frequently. CCB held off for a year on the
project in order to make major repairs to the back elevator so it
would be in better shape during the renovation. In the course of
the renovation, the contractor discovered both elevators need a new
part, which had to be custom-made. Making and testing the parts are
taking longer than expected. The part should be here next week.
The renovation of the second elevator should go more quickly because
the part is made.
During the week, they have staff members running the elevators 8-5pm
every weekday . (He did not call me back right away when I called
because he was doing a 2-hour elevator shift.) Part of it may be to
keep the peace among the residents but it's mostly to make sure that
there is a staff person available and present to deal with any
challenges that arise.
We talked about resident safety and they seem appropriately focused
on it. CCB has detailed protocols and policies in place, including
empowering staff to take any action they deem necessary to deal with
any situation that arises without getting permission. My sister had
seen ambulance folks with a gurney waiting quite a while for an
elevator in the lobby. James explained that this was a scheduled
transport and not an emergency call. (In an emergency, fire
fighters come too and they all have elevator override keys that
allow them to take control of the elevators.)
James said that CCB has an excellent relationship with the fire
department, which, on average, is at the building most days for some
kind of call. The frequency of calls at CCB allows the department
to keep more staff than it otherwise would need, so the department
wants to keep CCB safe and happy. So his view is that the fire
department will do anything CCB needs, and has been very responsive.
They know the building well, and they are trained to go up and down
stairs, and have to do this in many buildings in Brookline.
A few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, there was an elevator
issue. The staff person called the Fire Department, which sent over
a crew of people to walk the hallways for the two hours it took to
deal with the problem.
This situation is clearly very stressful for residents and staff,
and I felt that management is working hard to get it resolved.
Manufacturing, testing, installing and testing a custom part does
take time. The company working on the renovation is not the same as
the company that CCB has used in the past for the elevators--CCB
switched to the company that HSL uses, and James says they are much
better than the former company and he's confident that once the
renovation is done, the elevators will work better and fewer service
calls will be needed.
CCB put out a weekly update on the elevators in the last few weeks
(I have been out of town and so haven't seen it) and another is
coming this weekend, which will repeat the above, probably with more
detail.
I suggested that CCB might want to do some outreach to the Friends
and Family group--if there is interest, I am sure they would meet
with us.
One issue my sister raised when I updated her about the above is
whether CCB is monitoring the stairwells more frequently, given that
there is likely more activity there. Our mother is evidently taking
the stairs down from dinner some days, which she really should not
be doing by herself. I plan to call James next week and ask about
this.
I have no expertise in elevators, buildings or operations. But, by
the end of the call, I felt more informed, assured that they are
working hard to get a difficult situation resolved, and sympathetic
about how stressful this is for everyone involved. I found James to
be knowledgeable, caring, and very concerned about the residents.
He wasn't at all defensive, and he answered everything I asked
clearly and thoroughly.
Of course, none of this changes that this is a bad situation and it
needs to get fixed asap.
Nancy Turnbull
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea Fein <andreafein29@xxxxxxxxx>
To: peterm <peterm@xxxxxxx>
Cc: F&F100 <fandf100@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Fri, Mar 6, 2020 8:01 pm
Subject: [fandf100] Elevators
Hi,
Is there an update about the elevator repairs? My parents are
scheduled to return after being away all winter. Their friends have
been telling them it's been awful. Are they reliably working? My
parents live on the 9th floor and cannot walk up even one floor of
stairs.
Thank you.
Andrea
On Mar 6, 2020, at 6:00 PM, peter miller <peterm@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Folks, Laura Baber has passed along notices for two upcoming
programs at the Senior Center in back of 100 Centre at the end of
the month for local family and friends. Flyers for these events are
attached to this coming week’s schedule:
· The March 25th monthly “Memory Café” for all Brookline
residents (we have about 12 who attend currently) could be a good
thing for adult children to know about. There’s a sponsoring org
each month, they provide funding for an engaging program (from art
therapy to drumming circles, etc.) and refreshments. There are
volunteers and staff there and it’s always a comfortable, warm
environment.
· Re the March 31 presentation by “Get Your Ducks in a Row:
The Baby Boomers Guide to Estate Planning” presentation by Elder
law attorney and estate planning expert
Harry S. Margolis, Laura says, “This will be a great program for
adult children to know about… Harry is an amazing speaker and the
new book is really informative. He’ll be bringing copies that
evening.”
----pm
<Weekly_0309-1.pdf>
___________________________________________________
Nina Garfinkle | Garfinkle Design | www.ninagarfinkle.com
7 Holyoke Street, Boston MA 02116
T: 617.424.9115 | M: 617.733.4321 | nina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
___________________________________________________
Nina Garfinkle | Garfinkle Design | www.ninagarfinkle.com
7 Holyoke Street, Boston MA 02116
T: 617.424.9115 | M: 617.733.4321 | nina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
___________________________________________________
Nina Garfinkle | Garfinkle Design | www.ninagarfinkle.com
7 Holyoke Street, Boston MA 02116
T: 617.424.9115 | M: 617.733.4321 | nina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
___________________________________________________
Nina Garfinkle | Garfinkle Design | www.ninagarfinkle.com
7 Holyoke Street, Boston MA 02116
T: 617.424.9115 | M: 617.733.4321 | nina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
