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Record of Proceedings

Senior Advisory Board Meeting - April 15, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, April 15, 2026
BodyPuyallup, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, April 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:12:39

Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

Board members, it is three o'clock.

0:15

All right, let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:22

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:26

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:29

One nation under God.

0:31

Indivisible.

0:32

With liberty and justice for all.

0:49

I guess are you going to do the roll call now?

0:51

I was waiting for you to me.

0:53

Sorry.

0:54

No, you're good.

0:55

Board member Rix.

0:58

I'm here.

1:00

Board Member Massey.

1:02

Here.

1:03

Board Member Bradley Mack?

1:05

Here.

1:06

Board member Aileen.

1:08

Or is it A-line?

1:09

A-line.

1:10

A-line.

1:10

Okay.

1:11

Here.

1:14

Uh Board Member Shemian.

1:16

I'm sorry.

1:16

Do I I always mispronounce that?

1:18

Is that correct?

1:18

You got it correct.

1:19

Thank you.

1:21

Vice Chair Shipman.

1:23

President.

1:24

We have a quorum.

1:26

All right.

1:27

Has everyone had a chance to look through the uh agenda.

1:32

We do have a uh amendment to that agenda.

1:35

And Doug, could you approach uh address that at this time?

1:39

Thank you, Mr.

1:40

Chair.

1:41

So we have uh Dr.

1:42

Ericsson sitting in the row kind of in front of me.

1:46

Uh we had a collaboration with the University of Washington Tacoma with her students.

1:51

We completed a quarter or a what is it, six week, eight week session last time, and uh have a new group of students, but she is uh going to be doing a nice uh presentation for us.

2:02

And I do have some handouts for you.

2:04

Thank you for Jody for putting this together for us.

2:08

All right, I would entertain a motion to approve the agenda as amended.

2:13

So moved.

2:14

I'm sorry, for clarification, where was this going to be within the agenda?

2:17

So how about thank thank you?

2:22

We did it under seven uh seven seven C you were moving that up into seven C we'll talk about it as we do that or seven C or I'll move it to seven C, then I guess seven D.

2:37

So seven C will now become seven D.

2:39

We'll move the overview of past board member involvement to that because it involves that yeah.

2:44

Uh and I'm sorry, who uh yes, and then we needed the second.

2:52

Okay, all those in favor say aye.

2:55

Aye.

2:56

Opposed, same sign.

2:59

Motion passes.

3:02

Uh now we will uh move to uh the elections of a new chairman and a vice chairman, and uh we would entertain at this time for any nominations for those positions.

3:19

I nominate Steve Shipman for chair.

3:31

Anyone else?

3:33

Nope, you're it's all yeah, but does that mean that you second the motion?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Senior Services█████████████████████████████████████████████60%
Procedural████████████████21%
Affordable Housing██████████13%
Arts And Culture███4%
Homelessness██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Senior Advisory Board Meeting - April 15, 2026

Note: The agenda and minutes list the meeting date as April 13, 2026, but the instruction specifies April 15, 2026. This summary uses the provided date, with the discrepancy noted.

The Senior Advisory Board of Puyallup met on April 15, 2026, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included board elections, presentations on aging in community and age-friendly livability, and updates on upcoming programs. The meeting adjourned at 4:12 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the Agenda: Amended to add a presentation by Dr. Jodi Erickson (UW Tacoma) as item 7.c. Motion passed 6-0.
  • Approval of Minutes: The February 9, 2026, minutes were approved unanimously (6-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No written or in-person public comments were received.

Discussion Items

  • Election of New Chair and Vice Chair: Steve Shipman was elected Chair (motion by Ellen Bradley-Mak, seconded by Don Massey, passed 6-0). Robert Aline was elected Vice Chair (motion by Aline, seconded by Bradley-Mak, passed 6-0).
  • Presentation on Puyallup Area Aging in Community (PAACP): Vice President Lisa Doyle provided an overview of the organization, founded 20-25 years ago. The Aging Expo is the signature event, now held at Pierce College with 80-100 attendees. Doyle highlighted the need for volunteer support at the upcoming May 2 expo. Parks & Recreation Director Cody Geddes noted that age-friendly initiatives are now part of the board’s responsibilities. Vice Chair Aline asked about the AARP age-friendly designation; Doyle stated a proposal covering eight domains of livability is required.
  • Ice Breaker: Board members and staff introduced themselves, sharing personal backgrounds and ties to senior advocacy. New members (Joel Ricks, Jenny Krzemien, Robert Aline) were welcomed.
  • Improving Age-Friendly Livability in Puyallup (UWT Presentation): Dr. Jodi Erickson presented findings from 11 students who assessed Puyallup against the eight AARP livability domains. Strengths included vibrant parks, recreation, and communication. Three areas for improvement were identified:
    • Housing: 62% of seniors live alone; 30% spend 30% of income on housing. Population projected to grow from 43,000 to 62,000 by 2044.
    • Transportation: Pierce Transit offers free fares for youth but not seniors; students suggested exploring free fares. Parking concerns were noted, with one senior stating, “If they remove our parking, people are gonna die.” Unsafe pedestrian crossings and limited bus routes were also cited.
    • Outdoor spaces and older buildings: Uneven sidewalks, limited curb cuts, lack of emergency phones in parks, and non-ADA compliant older buildings. Board member Bradley-Mak proposed collaborating with other age-friendly cities to advocate for free senior fares on Pierce Transit. Dr. Erickson supported the idea, suggesting student-led discussions. The board expressed interest in guiding the spring quarter student group to focus on transportation solutions.
  • Overview of Past Board Member Involvement and Upcoming Events:
    • Classic Car Cruise-In: Started four years ago by Chair Shipman, now multiple gatherings per year. Staff moved the event to Fridays to align with other car events; first gathering June 26.
    • Spring Wellness Fair: Canceled this spring to focus on the Aging Expo (May 2 at Pierce College). Plans to reinstate in future years.
  • Other Business: Board members were asked to have their photos taken for an updated pamphlet. New name tag magnets were ordered.
  • Staff Reports:
    • Program Updates: Summer events include Classic Car Cruise-In (June 26), Picnic in the Park (Clarks Creek South), and Concert in the Park (August, featuring Harmony of Rock tribute band). New programs: Walk Puyallup (Wednesday walks at rotating parks, art walk, Friday ranger walks, Saturday women’s walk) and Move Puyallup (Zumba on Tuesdays). Dessert with the Mayor will continue monthly on the fourth Wednesday.
    • Senior Services Report: Highlights included the St. Patrick’s Day party (approx. 100 attendees, Midday Melody Men performance, Irish stew lunch), AARP tax assistance (free for low-to-moderate income older adults), March Madness bracket activity (free, $25 gift card prize), and Mystery Madness trip (popular, fills on first day of brochure release, long waitlist).
  • Board Member Comments: Jenny Krzemien asked about name tags for the Aging Expo (staff confirmed) and expressed interest in hosting a networking event at the Activity Center. Chair Shipman thanked attendees. Vice Chair Aline commended Shipman’s leadership.

Key Outcomes

  • Elections: Steve Shipman (Chair) and Robert Aline (Vice Chair) elected unanimously.
  • Student Project Focus: The board directed the new UWT student group to concentrate on transportation improvements for the spring quarter.
  • Upcoming Events: Aging Expo on May 2 at Pierce College (board members encouraged to volunteer). Classic Car Cruise-In rescheduled to Fridays, starting June 26.
  • Administrative: Board photos to be taken for updated pamphlet; name tags prepared for events.
  • Future Agenda: Age-friendly city topics will continue to be integrated into board discussions.

Meeting Transcript

Board members, it is three o'clock. All right, let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible. With liberty and justice for all. I guess are you going to do the roll call now? I was waiting for you to me. Sorry. No, you're good. Board member Rix. I'm here. Board Member Massey. Here. Board Member Bradley Mack? Here. Board member Aileen. Or is it A-line? A-line. A-line. Okay. Here. Uh Board Member Shemian. I'm sorry. Do I I always mispronounce that? Is that correct? You got it correct. Thank you. Vice Chair Shipman. President. We have a quorum. All right. Has everyone had a chance to look through the uh agenda. We do have a uh amendment to that agenda. And Doug, could you approach uh address that at this time? Thank you, Mr. Chair. So we have uh Dr. Ericsson sitting in the row kind of in front of me. Uh we had a collaboration with the University of Washington Tacoma with her students. We completed a quarter or a what is it, six week, eight week session last time, and uh have a new group of students, but she is uh going to be doing a nice uh presentation for us. And I do have some handouts for you. Thank you for Jody for putting this together for us. All right, I would entertain a motion to approve the agenda as amended. So moved. I'm sorry, for clarification, where was this going to be within the agenda? So how about thank thank you? We did it under seven uh seven seven C you were moving that up into seven C we'll talk about it as we do that or seven C or I'll move it to seven C, then I guess seven D. So seven C will now become seven D.

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