City of Evanston Commission on Aging and Disabilities met Nov. 13

City of Evanston Commission on Aging and Disabilities met Nov. 13

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

COMMITTEE MEMBER PRESENT:  Katie Fasullo, Julia Pantoga, Murphy Monroe, Litrea Hunter, Donna Stevens, Adrienne Allen, Barbara Sittler

STAFF PRESENT: Amy Kellogg (Senior Services Division Manager), Yazari Gutierrez (Senior Services Coordinator)

1. CALL TO ORDER/DECLARATION OF A QUORUM

2. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES

A. Approval of Meeting Minutes

 Approval of meeting minutes for October 9, 2025

 Minutes approved by Murphy Monroe and Barbara Sittler

3. PUBLIC COMMENT

A. Russ – Willard Elementary

 District 65 is planning to close both Kingsley Elementary School and Willard Elementary School

 This planned closure will leave the 6th and 7th wards without any ADA-compliant schools

 Hope is that the Commission on Aging and Disabilities can share their opinion of the school closure with the school board.

4. COMMITTEE REPORTS

A. ADA Advisory Committee

 Public Works Department came to present on latest update for the dog beach. At the time of the meeting, they still had not presented an update to the City Council.

 Public Works explained that as they work on new projects, the City takes that opportunity to make spaces more accessible. An example is the Ecology Center renovation.

 At the current rate that the City is working, the sidewalk improvement plan will not get completed as originally agreed upon. The ADA subcommittee urges the City to prioritize sidewalk improvements and consider the timeline as firm in the same way they have been with the lead pipe replacement timeline.

 Multiple residents have reported heavy doors at multiple establishments. Lauren and Accessibility Advocates will create a resource guide for the establishments.

 The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) held a hearing, which several members of the ADA Committee attended. They advocated to make the Central Street station more accessible.

B. Dementia Friendly Evanston Committee

 Recap on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s: Planning on moving it next year to the event occurring in the north shore area instead of Chicago, along with planning to begin marketing sooner in hopes of raising participation.

 After the new year, Dementia Friendly Evanston plans to reach out to elected officials to see if they would like to get the Dementia Friends training.

 Met with Care Team and had a very productive discussion. Care Team asked for a resource page that the subcommittee will work on following the new year, the City staff will then maintain and keep up to date. The subcommittee will also continue to invite the police department and the fire department to engage in discussion.

 The North Shore Senior Center was present at the meeting and presented on their services and dropped off materials that can be distributed at the Levy Senior Center.

 Evanston Symphony Orchestra is hosting “A Very Special Concert” on Sunday, December 14 from 12:30-1:15 p.m., intended to be a barrier-free concert.

5. STAFF REPORTS AND UPDATES

A. Agenda Attachments

 Any agenda attachments must be included in the meeting packets, which are available to the public, due to the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

7. NEW BUSINESS

A. Dawes Elementary School Closure

 Murphy Monroe and Litrea Hunter sent out a letter to the District 65 school board advocating for ADA-accessibility within District 65 schools.

 As the Commission on Aging and Disabilities is not associated with District 65, the best the Commission is able to do is advocate for students and sharing their opinion.

 The hope is that District 65 as a district will create more accessibility, as there is no current school that is fully accessible.

B. Willard Elementary School Closure

 The letter sent from Murphy Monroe and Litrea Hunter has been revised to include the Commission as a whole, as agreed upon by all commissioners.

C. Evanston Dog Beach

 At the recent City Council meeting, the City Council agreed to make the Evanston dog beach accessible by using a permanent solution. The solution has not been designed or presented.

D. COAD Structure and Vacancies Update

 Three current vacancies on the Commission. Hoping to get new appointments from Mayor Biss soon.

8. COMMUNICATION

A. Work Plan — Updates from the Committee

9. ADJOURNMENT

A. Meeting Adjournment

 Meeting adjourned at 3:45 p.m.

B. Next Meeting

 Next Meeting: Thursday, December 11, 2025, Council Chambers, 909 Davis St., 3:00PM

https://cityofevanston.civicweb.net/document/436067/Commission%20on%20Aging%20and%20Disabilities%20-%20Nov%2013%202.docx?handle=656250FCD5FA4391A420F7AD590685C5