By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – The Linn County Commissioners agreed on Monday, April 20, to work with the East Central Kansas Area on Aging (ECKAAA) on developing a voucher program for the participants in the meal program at the Parker Senior Center.
Commission Chair Jason Hightower, who is Linn County’s representative on the ECKAAA board, explained that because the attendance is so low at the Parker program that people wanting to have lunch through the program will pay $4 for vouchers from the agency that can be used at the restaurant in Parker or at the Price Chopper grocery store in Paola. The senior center will be closed for meals.
\The vouchers will be approved for foods that fit the guidelines that ECKAAA has to follow in their lunch program. The agency is working with One-Stop restaurant in Parker to get this set up.
In a phone call, Hightower said the high numbers for Parker attendance at the lunch meal were two to four people for each meal. He said that this move to vouchers did not stop the program from opening up again if a larger number of people were interested in attending.
At current rate of attendance, the lunches cost the agency about $40 each by the time the manager opens the program and stays there through the lunch period. ECKAAA has been using ARPA money they received to keep the programs with low attendance going, but they are not sustainable with the number of people who are attending.
Hightower said that ECKAAA has done this with the senior lunch programs at Williamsburg and Lane, and the people seem to think it is working.
According to Hightower, meals will still be delivered to people at their homes. At present, only one home in the Parker area receives delivered meals.
Plans are that the voucher program will begin sometime in May.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Learned from Planning and Zoning Director Darin Wilson that the Prairie View school district had gotten back with him and the county could hold a public hearing in their auditorium on May 28 at 7 p.m.
• Approved purchasing the oil supply for the chip-and-seal projects with Coastal Energy Corp.
• Approved going with the cheapest bid for asphalt from Bettis at $95.70 per ton. Asphalt Foreman Tod Moeller will see if the county can get a fixed rate.
• Did not approve a skid-steer loader for the Pleasanton shop. During discussion Commissioner Jim Johnson commented that the county needs to “utilize the equipment we have.“
Discussion was held about using the skid steer loader at the Linn County County Park instead of purchasing one. Public Works Director Shaun West said that the loader at the park is at the end of its life cycle. He said that the staff at the lake used it for moving brush and other things that were too heavy for a person to lift.
Commissioner Danny McCullough said that he was in favor of using the one at the lake.
• Heard West’s report on the Pleasanton Senior Citizen Center building progress. West said that one of the appliances at the center needs to be replaced before the floor is installed.
West also reported that the north door needed to be replaced.
• Approved hiring CDL Doors for installing an automatic door on the south side of the courthouse for $6,047.
• McCullough said he will work with West to get the back stairs to the courthouse repaired or replaced.
• Learned from West that the new transportation bus had been delivered. He will develop a resolution for the old bus to be sold locally. He said since the old van was from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), the county will be able to keep the first $5,000 of the sale price but can only keep 20% of the rest of the sale. The rest will go back to the state.