11-13-2017 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, October 23, 2017 7:00 o'clock p.m. 8. GILLESPIE CENTER ANNUAL UPDATE AND CONSIDERATION OF SUPPORT — Continued hosts a holiday boutique with over 80 vendors, sells sweepstake tickets, and provides lunch and evening activities. The Gillespie Center also collaborates with Al and Alma's to have a Monday noon cruise on Mondays, with a portion of the profits being donated to the center. Volunteers also sell Script cards and the facility is rented out for weddings, funerals, and other activities. Another service to the community is the Gillespie Center's day-old bakery. Different volunteers drive to Cub Foods every morning seven days a week to pick up their day-old bakery goods and bring them to the center. Brustad stated they also had a chicken roaster donated to the center that has already been used for one of the fundraisers. Brustad noted each year the Gillespie Center needs to raise around $120,000 for their matching funds. The Gillespie Center is run with volunteers and there are more than 480 members, many of whom are active and volunteer for a host of activities and projects. There is also the youth of the community that volunteers along with the seniors. The Gillespie Center hosts several sports banquets for both the Mound and Orono School District, which involves students at the center. For many of the activities at the center, members of the Honor Society or DECA or other organizations at the schools are at the center helping with setup, cleanup, handing out food, or just helping out wherever help is needed. Without volunteers of all ages, the center could not make it. Brustad stated every year they try to offer new activities and opportunities for the community. This year one of those activities was a quilter's retreat, with 39 quilters coming together from as far away as Stillwater using their own machines, scissors, cutting boards, and a group of people sharing talents, ideas, tons of laughter and fun. The Gillespie Center also has a free lending library that is coordinated by a volunteer. The books are donated and loaned out for free to anyone in the community. Brustad stated most of the programs are free and open to the community. Attendance is not taken and the community the person lives in is not asked. Brustad stated the funds that Orono provides the Gillespie Center are not part of the fundraising funds and are just a small part of what is sent to Senior Community Services. Brustad noted the funds from Orono were cut in half a few years ago and the Gillespie Center has had to make up that difference. Brustad stated even when you ask people where they live, the answer varies, and sometimes the answer is not accurate due to the confusion with mailing addresses and post offices. Brustad noted she lives in Orono but her mailing address is Wayzata, she receives fire services from Navarre and Excelsior, but she lives closest to Spring Park. Brustad stated the best numbers she can provide are that 60 Orono residents were served through the Senior Community Services at various activities that they coordinate that are not through the Gillespie Center, 38 Orono residents are considered paid members of the Gillespie Center, and 25 Orono residents receive Meals on Wheels, involving over 1,400 meals delivered by volunteers. Brustad stated the Gillespie Center would like to thank the Orono City Council for what they have done for the center in the past and that she hopes Orono continues to fund the center and perhaps raise their contribution. Brustad noted the money from Orono goes to Senior Community Services and is not part of the contracts the Gillespie Center has with the other three cities for the endowment. Page 4 of 11