WORK SESSION OF THE GREENBELT CITY COUNCIL held Wednesday, March 29, 2006, for the purpose of meeting with representatives of To God Be the Glory (TGBTG) to discuss the status of the adult daycare center.

Mayor Davis called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. It was held in the Senior Classroom of the Community Center.

PRESENT WERE: Councilmembers Rodney M. Roberts and Konrad E. Herling and Mayor Judith F. Davis. Councilmember Edward Putens was recuperating from surgery, and Councilmember Leta Mach was out of town.

STAFF PRESENT WERE: Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; David E. Moran, Assistant City Manager; Joe McNeal, Assistant Director for Facilities, Recreation; Di Quynn-Reno, Director, Community Center; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk.

ALSO PRESENT WERE: From TGBTG—LaWonne Booker, CEO, Jerome Booker, COO, Stan Brown, General Counsel, Dawn Goodman-Washington, Executive Assistant to Ms. Booker, and Kelly Burkett, Executive Director; Karen Haynes, Pets on Wheels; Sharahn Boykin, Greenbelt News Review; and Beverly Zinich.

After introductions, Mayor Davis said the meeting was being held because it had been agreed previously, when the lease was extended for a year, to hold a six-month review in order to determine how to proceed in the future.

Ms. Booker made reference to two documents: an evaluation report that was undertaken just before the Adult Day Care Centers were taken over from the Baptist Senior Adult Ministries by TGBTG and an “Organizational Survey Summary” for the Greenbelt Adult Day Care Center, dated March 29, 2006. She reviewed staffing and said external inspections had required only minor corrections. She said they were not currently in violation on any criteria. It was clarified that they are due now for new inspections, but they have not been notified of any dates. In response to questions, Ms. Booker said the Center is at full capacity at 53 clients, with a waiting list of 12. She said of the 53, 37 are residents of the City of Greenbelt.

Regarding plans for the future, Ms. Booker said they want to extend some of their programs, especially field trips and activities away from the Center. She said previously there had been too much watching of t.v. She said a major need is to trade in the current fleet of buses for a new fleet. She said clients have requested weekend care and that they would like to try this out, perhaps with a trial of once-a-month, but they want to be careful not to overextend themselves.

Mr. Roberts asked how many buses they had. Ms. Booker said 12, with four in Greenbelt.

In response to a question from Mr. Herling, Ms. Booker clarified that about half of the 53 clients are capable of going out for activities.

Mayor Davis asked Mr. Moran if there were any issues to raise. He replied that at this time, TGBTG was in compliance with everything the City had requested, and that he would agree with Ms. Booker that there currently were no problems.

The Mayor asked Ms. Booker if they had questions. Ms. Booker asked what the timetable would be for the City to make a decision and what type of lease the City anticipated awarding. The Mayor said these issues had not been decided yet, but she understood that Ms. Booker needed to be informed soon. Mr. McLaughlin asked Ms. Booker what the implications were to them regarding the lease period. She said the period of the lease impacts their finances. She said the buses were a good example of this, since replacing the vehicles represents a big investment for them.

Ms. Goodman-Washington asked what needs the City anticipated for the future and whether there were other interested providers with whom TGBTG might partner. The Mayor said the City did not know.

There was discussion of the fact that the Nursery School and the Adult Day Care Center are the only large lessees at the Community Center, although there are quite a few smaller ones. Mr. Roberts asked what they ideally would be seeking in a lease. Ms. Booker said she hoped for a three-year lease as a way of justifying making the half-million-dollar investment they needed to make, with a longer lease after that if everything was satisfactory.

At Ms. Booker’s request, Ms. Haynes discussed the Pets on Wheels program.

Following several announcements, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathleen Gallagher
City Clerk

City of Greenbelt, Maryland
City Offices, 25 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-474-8000 FAX: 301-441-8248