08-21-2026 COA MinutesChanhassen Commission on Aging
Meeting Minutes - August 21, 2026
Chair Mobley called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chair Phyllis Mobley, Vice Chair Beth Mason, Barbara Solum, Bill Monn, Jim Camarata, Janet
Dean
MEMBERS ABSENT:, Jane Bender, Gwen Block
MEMBERS REMOTE: NA
STAFF PRESENT: Jackie Sorensen, Senior Center Coordinator
GUESTS PRESENT: NA
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
The commissioners reviewed the agenda. They added a Carver Oaks visit to the agenda under
Commissioner Check-in and removed the updates from Senior Community Services, Chanhassen
Library and Carver County Health and Human Services as those presenters are not in attendance.
Commissioner Monn made a motion to approve. Commissioner Dean made a second. All
members voted in favor and the motion carried.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
June 12, 2026, minutes were reviewed by all commissioners. Commissioner Camarata motioned
to approve the minutes. Commissioner Dean seconded. All members voted in favor and the
motion carried.
VISITOR PRESENTATION
Senior Community Services Update, LeeAnn Eiden
LeeAnn Eiden was not in attendance.
Chanhassen Library Update, Linnea Fonnest
Linnea Fonnest was not in attendance.
Carver County Health and Human Services, Office of Aging Update, Kara Cassidy
Kara Cassidy was not in attendance.
Senior Center Update, Senior Center Coordinator, Jackie Sorensen
Jackie Sorensen, Senior Center Coordinator, shared updates on several upcoming events
including the Carver County Joint Commission on Aging annual meeting on September 10, the
groundbreaking ceremony for the new Chanhassen Community Center on August 31 and the
third installment of the AI series on August 25.
She also reported that, in support of the Commission’s goal to improve transportation access, she
is coordinating with Southwest Transit to deliver a general overview of their services on October
20, followed by a November presentation focused on holiday shopping and airport travel. She
hopes to have them provide quarterly presentations moving forward.
Jackie requested the Commission’s assistance at the upcoming Oktoberfest event on October 8
and the Holiday Party on December 17. She noted that both events will be catered and asked for
help with tasks such as setting up the space and serving food.
Jackie also shared that a survey will be distributed to residents to gather information on their
programming preferences. The results will help guide future programming decisions.
There will be two Party on the Porch events in September, held on Friday afternoons at 1 p.m. on
the Senior Center porch. The September 11 event will feature the Chan Jammers and root beer
floats, and the September 25 event will feature the Uke-A-Chans and apple pie.
The Commission also discussed caregiver burnout and potential additional resources to support
caregivers, supplementing the existing caregiver support group facilitated by Lee Ann and the
Powerful Tools for Caregivers class. Jackie noted that she and LeeAnn are discussing restarting
the Memory Café program, which offers opportunities for caregivers to connect with others in
similar situations while providing structured programming for those receiving care.
There will not be a meeting in December.
COMMISSIONER CHECK-IN:
July 3/4 Recap and Community Bingo Update
Commissioners and staff recapped the July 3 and July 4 events. The resource table at the
Business Expo on July 3 saw strong engagement.
The Bingo event on July 4 had significant turnout and generated over $1,000 in donations.
Commission discussed how pleased they were with the tent location, setup and time this year.
Due to the time change, some attendees arrived late and it was suggested that future printed
materials include the website to encourage residents to check for updated information or time
changes. Additional ideas included offering free ride tickets as bingo prizes and providing
brightly colored shirts for Commissioners to make them easily identifiable. Jackie thanked the
Commission for all of their assistance.
Individual COA Committee Updates As Available
Commissioner Camarata continues to submit articles to Carver County Local News.
The Healthcare Directive workshop is scheduled for October 20 at 2:30 p.m.
Commissioner Monn noted that Southwest Transit has been more active on social media recently
and reiterated the goal of securing more frequent presentations from them.
Commissioners discussed visiting Carver Oaks, a 55+ community located at 1595 Hartwell
Drive, Carver. Chair Mobley will coordinate with Allison to schedule the visit for September 23
at 10 a.m.
Fall/Winter COA Volunteer Opportunities, Jackie Sorensen
This item was discussed earlier under Senior Center Update. No additional discussion.
GENERAL BUSINESS:
Resignation of Commissioner Sharon Cooprider
Sharon Cooprider resigned because she is moving out of state. Commissioner Monn made a
motion to accept the resignation. Commissioner Camarata made a second. All members voted in
favor and the motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
Commissioner Dean made a motion to adjourn. Vice Chair Mason seconded. All members voted
in favor; the meeting was adjourned at 10:28 a.m.
Submitted by:
Jackie Sorensen
Senior Center Coordinator
jsorensen@chanhassenmn.gov
952.227.1124