Improvements are planned at Trumbull’s Stern Village senior citizen housing complex to avoid the difficulties faced by the residents there during this month’s massive blizzard.
First Selectman Timothy Herbst told the town’s Senior Commission Friday morning that the improvements include the installation of emergency generators in case the complex loses electricity in another storm.
Stern Village has electric heat, and many residents rely on oxygen ventilators and other medical equipment that run on electricity, so they cannot go without electricity for long, Herbst said.
Later, at a press briefing in his Town Hall office, Herbst said the problems that might occur at Stern Village due to a prolonged power outage were obvious after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, but the Housing Authority did nothing to act on a report’s recommendations to install emergency generators and make other improvements to the town’s emergency response at the complex.
Another improvement is the computerization of residents’ records, including their special medical needs and medicines, he said.
Herbst said a Stern Village tenant who was found dead in one of the apartments by emergency personnel who were evacuating residents following Hurricane Sandy was misidentified for a time because of the failure to keep those records up-to-date.
He was quick to add that it is not known what caused the person’s death. But the misidentification was detected before any relatives were informed, Herbst added.
A Facebook Comment
Herbst also took a member of the commission to task for a comment he made on social media related to the blizzard.
Commission member Gary Raytar posted a comment on the evening Feb. 9, less than 12 hours after the storm ended, noting that snow plowing appeared to be better in other towns. “Just curious. Not to be the complainer but Easton, Weston. Is plowed. Milford that had more snow than anyone is plowed,” read the comment, according to a screen shot obtained by Trumbull Patch.
“If you want to make a political statement, you want to come after me, that’s fine,” Herbst told him, “but the people who work for the Public Works Department don’t deserve comments like that.”
“I never made a negative remark about the Public Works Department,” Raytar replied.
Then Senior Commission Chairman Rachel Yahwak took him to task for identifying himself as a Senior Commission member when he spoke at a Stern Village residents’ meeting. She instructed him not to speak as a commission representative unless specifically authorized to do so.
Herbst said he has run into a problem with members of several commissions, including the EMS Commission, the Senior Commission and the Housing Authority board, meddling in the administrative functions of town departments.
He cautioned the Senior Commission members against trying to “micromanage” the Senior Center.
I'm confused about the administration's perspective on liability. The FS took the nurse out of Stern Village because she was being asked to involve herself in levels of care coordination that might create liability. Now he wants the town to track the medical requirements of residents? So, when a storm comes and the town hasn't ensured that Mrs. Smith has access to her newest prescription are we creating liability? Is Stern Village independent living for low-income seniors or some form of managed care? We better get a clear understanding and act on it in a consistent manner or the impact on the town could be huge. Lastly, with so much public and press attention on SV would anyone expect less than constant presence by the THA board and the administration? The real tests will be after the permanent director is hired and 6 months, 12 months and 24 months have passed. Then we will find out if the commissioners that never were involved with SV before have made it such an important part of their lives. I hope they do and, if so, God bless them for that commitment.
I'm still waiting to hear why Mr. Herbst appointed a new commissioner to the THA who was at risk of being told she had to leave Stern Village for smoking in the Congregate Building around people with oxygen? That doesn't sound like "safety first."
PS. Clearly, Mr. Herbst is monitoring people's Facebook accounts as well. Wherever does he find the time to follow every remark and comment and still be efective at running the town. He, himself, was chastised by the administrators of We Are Trumbull facebook page for posting some nasty remarks. What goes around, comes around.
First Selectman Herbst asked for a consensus from the group regarding him making a request of the Board of Finance for the $13,000 which was previously in an account that had been allocated for Trumbull Day, but re-allocated for the planned 2012 concert, which ultimately did not occur. Cindy Penkoff, a Board of Finance alternate, stated that she thought the Board of Finance might look favorably on such a request, but reserved judgment as to what the final decision of the Board might be. I wonder whether Cindy Penkoff will be chastised for speaking for the BOF at another commission meeting. The FS chastised Gary Raytar for simply introducing himself at the Stern Village meeting as a member of the Senior Commission. He most certainly did NOT say he was representing the commission nor did he speak for the commission. If what he did was egregious enough to be chastised for it, then Cindy must be in a BOATLOAD of trouble for her comments AS a member of the BOF at the Trumbull Day commission meeting. Hmmm. Who thinks she is in trouble with Tim?
The OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS enforces the HIPAA privacy rules. I urge the THA Commissioners, Attorney Callahan, and Ms. Polansky to familiarize themselves with the requirements for privacy, and act accordingly so as not to put the THA at risk for violations and enforcement actions or lawsuits. Additionally, THA must ensure that no discriminatory actions are taken based upon information contained in individually identifyable health information.
And, BTW, the only communities who took longer to plow were Bridgeport and New Haven. That's a fact, Jack. If Herbst is troubled by that, he should appoint an independent commission to look into which democrat he can blame for the pitiful response to the snow. Then he should write another one of his big, bad letters.
Recently, I saw video of our tax collector and Joanna Leone, new THA commissioner, clogg the public comments section of a BOE meeting to reprimand a Board member. Their comments had nothing to do with education and their point was that he was out of line as a Board member for criticizing a THA meeting. The purpose of a BOE meeting is to discuss policy, budget, and programming issues impacting children, not publicly retaliate for political reasons. And I don't believe either have any school aged children!