The agenda was approved with the addition of Item "E" under Old Business.

Board members introduced themselves to Michael Flora, new CEO of Ben Gordon Center.

Mrs. Zitka moved acceptance of the October office claims as submitted; seconded by Mrs. Terry. On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Lane announced the Annual Report will be mailed toward the end of the week.

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Mr. Lane announced the book, A Terrible Thing Happened, was distributed to elementary school and public libraries, along with the Police Officer’s Guide to DeKalb County Services brochure and other social service information useful to the public. It is our intention to maintain contact with the libraries, at least quarterly. We would like to regularly provide materials as a shared public education effort. If Board members have ideas for videos, books, pamphlets or other literature, for example, books on caretaking with elderly parents, suitable to donate to libraries in the county, please contact the staff with your suggestions. We will include the library at Reality House and the Senior Center as well as schools and public libraries. We also peruse the bibliographies offered by the National Institutes of Mental Health, NAMI, various advocacy groups, and other sources.

Mr. Lane distributed copies of the bids for roof repair and the door openers (to improve accessibility) at Ben Gordon Center. The Board approved the expenditure for the waiting room modification last month. Although multiple vendors were solicited, each project got only one bid. It is often difficult to obtain more than one bid when the job is small.

The training program is coming up on October 29, 2002, a week from tomorrow, at Kishwaukee College. To date, fourteen people have registered. Mr. Lane met with Chris Gough, from Family Service Agency, one of the originators of the Community Training Consortium, to talk about keeping the emphasis on Mental Health training. A sub-committee has been established to pursue that aspect of training. Mr. Lane said that the partnership with Kishwaukee College has been a rewarding experience, and we no doubt will continue to work together in training matters.

The Fire Department training will take place one week from tonight, October 28, 2002, at Waterman from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. This training is similar to that held last January for Law Enforcement personnel. We expect this training to become a biannual event.

Staff is working toward a DD Housing Symposium that will bring together providers, parents, advocates, agencies and other involved and interested parties to discuss strategies and funding for housing for the DD population. We have tentatively set March as a possible time, although April may be better. We are in the beginning stages and would like interested Board members to assist with the planning.

The Mental Health Protocol for DeKalb County is also on the back burner. Mr. Sands stated that the Domestic Violence Protocol required a manager to oversee the planning, as it is complex and very time-consuming. The discussion on DD Housing and the DeKalb County Protocol is tabled until the November meeting.

The Spring Retreat will be held on the morning of February 15, 2003. The Retreat will include both the February and March Board meetings.

The Board placed $23,133 in escrow, the amount that would have been provided to Ben Gordon Center to fund the SA*AS Program had it remained with them. The program has been transferred to Safe Passage.

There is a consensus that the evaluation process will be reviewed by a committee consisting of Opal Zitka, Patricia Terry and Sue Frantz. The committee tentatively plans to meet before the November meeting.