The Royal Palm Beach Village Council heard a presentation Thursday, Aug. 15 from Diane Gutman, the director of operations for the local nonprofit organization Our Community Cares, previously known as Wellington Cares.
The nonprofit changed its name after expanding its services for senior citizens into the Royal Palm Beach community.
“Our Community Cares is a non-for-profit program for seniors 65 and older, who are choosing to age in place,” Gutman said. “We offer free non-medical services. The support services provided by volunteers, who are vetted and trained, help to minimize the feelings of isolation and loneliness that are so commonly expressed through our participants. We extend the time that persons 65 and over can remain in their homes.”
Gutman explained the concept of “neighbors helping neighbors,” where local members of the community are helping each other directly. The services provided include transportation to both medical and nonmedical appointments, social visits and phone calls, general correspondence, a light maintenance program and advocacy work.
“Our transportation services allow individuals who do not drive to still be able to get to their appointments. Our light maintenance program means we are not going to do any contracting work,” Gutman said, explaining that volunteers can change batteries in a smoke detector or replace an air conditioner filter.
As the cost of living increases throughout Palm Beach County, there is also a shortage of affordable assisted living facilities. Since Our Community Cares currently serves Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Gutman shared data on both municipalities.
“As of 2022, 16.7 percent of Wellington and 16.5 percent of Royal Palm Beach residents were 65 and over. More than 25 percent of Palm Beach County residents are aged 65 and over. It is predicted that this will grow by 10 percent by 2027,” Gutman said. “We have 52 volunteers and 146 participants. The value of services provided for the last quarter was $37,200. The average age of our participants is 84 years old, and the average age of our volunteers is 67.”
From respite visits that allow caregivers a break to weekly food deliveries, volunteers will even assist participants in completing applications for programs like the Area Agency on Aging’s precooked meal delivery for homebound residents who cannot cook their own food.
Since new volunteers and participants are typically found by word of mouth, the council was interested in helping out.
“Thank you for the wonderful contribution that this organization is making to our community,” Mayor Fred Pinto said. “We are always looking to figure out what we can do to improve the quality of life for our seniors, and you’re doing it. You’ll be hearing from me, thank you.”
Volunteers are not required to commit to specific days of the week or hours per month, so it is easy to give back without the inconvenience. The organization hopes to eventually expand into other parts of Palm Beach County, and both participants and volunteers can get in contact with Our Community Cares directly by calling (561) 568-8818 or visiting www.ourcommunitycaresfl.org.
In other business:
- During the time for residents to speak on items not on the agenda, Tim Woodcock addressed the council regarding an issue with waterways.
A Royal Palm Beach homeowner since 2009, he expressed concerns about the herbicide treatment being used in the waterways for the past few years.
“These are actual labels from some of the chemicals that you guys are using, and every one of them say highly toxic to fish and also to wildlife, and I clearly see a difference once they spray. I just find it to be kind of scary, especially for the fact that my neighbor across the street showed me this hanger on her door that said, “Do not water [your] grass for two weeks because we just treated the canal,” he said.
Woodcock brought up how chemicals in products such as the Roundup weed killer have been noted as carcinogens and would prefer to stop any issues before they become health hazards. He did propose a potential solution to the problem.
“I understand that Lake Challenger has Asian carp in it. Somehow, they were put in there, and they’re about 40 pounds at this point, and they control the weeds,” he said. “I did some research on it, and back about five years ago, it cost about $7 a fish. You only need about five fish per acre for waterways, so I’m going to say this is a much better solution.”
He noted that the village currently spends approximately $250,000 on herbicides for the treatment of the canals.
“You’re saying it might be safer to buy more fish?” asked Pinto, to which Woodcock responded that the carp would only eat the grass. “Which is why you’re here tonight, to bring our attention to it, and we appreciate that.”
Woodcock was directed to provide copies of his research for the village to review.
- Paint Lux Collision Center received plat approval, expansion and site plan modification support for the surplus property it recently purchased from the village at 6846 Seminole Palms Drive. These entitlements make the property viable for the expansion of the business’ parking lot. No new services are being added.
- Staff recommended approval for the Mazda dealership at 9305 Southern Blvd. to add a car wash to the facility. Other dealerships nearby have them already, and the council approved the request unanimously.
- The project at 9701 Belvedere Road in the University Centre development received approval for a site plan modification allowing the installation of a 10-foot loading space, an electric vehicle charging station, benches, bike racks and a playground. The playground will serve the clients of a tenant that offers services for special needs patients. To address concerns by a nearby resident, a special condition was put in place guaranteeing that the playground will not be used for a daycare facility.
