A motion approving reallocation of funds toward the purchase of a new cook site for Lyon County’s Friendship Meals was approved 2-1 during Thursday morning’s Lyon County Commission action session.
The reallocation of $5,000 is contingent upon the North Central Area Agency on Aging’s purchase of the former Emporia Rehabilitation building. The purchase will allow the meals to be cooked in Lyon County rather than in Ottawa and transferred into Lyon County.
“It’s a very convoluted system,” said Doug Stueve of the Lyon County Department on Aging. “It’s not very economical. It makes sense economically (to have local cook site) and makes sense to the quality of food being delivered to the seniors.”
During Thursday’s meeting, Steuve talked about concerns over the cook site not moving to Emporia Senior Center.
“It’s just a situation where it doesn’t appear the two groups are going to be able to come together to put the cook site back at that location,” he said.
Stueve said this decision doesn’t diminish the importance of the senior center.
“We see the Emporia Senior Center as being a very key focus in senior activities here at the county,” he said. “They are the largest center. We have a lot of the rural folks from other centers that come for the activities.”
Susan Riley, manager of the Emporia Senior Center, expressed concerns over a building being purchased as a cook site.
“Emporia Senior Center fully supports the meals coming back to Lyon County,” Riley said, adding that she was concerned over the size of the former Emporia Rehabilitation building and the overhead costs. “It’s not a new building by any stretch of the imagination. We’re buying a building and we hope that maybe someday it will be self-supportive. There are going to be tough times and can we chance that?”
Also included in the motion to reallocate funds from the area agency on aging’s cook site reserve was the reallocation of $3,000 to go toward the roof at Emporia Senior Center.
The motion passed 2-1 with County Commissioner Teresa Walters in opposition.
“I totally know that the seniors need this service,” Walters said. “It just concerns me that there are some unknowns that I have not made privy to some reasons that are going on that we couldn’t make it work with local establishments. I just didn’t feel comfortable voting for it.”
In other matters, commissioners voted 3-0 to raise the speed limit to 55 miles per hour on Roads U and 200 and pull up the 35 mile per hour signs on Road S near Emporia Energy, the peaking power plant. County Commission Chairman Scott Briggs said the speed limit was lowered while the project was in construction stage, and construction is over.
Commissioners also approved Ann Mayo, director of environmental health at Flint Hills Community Health Center/Lyon County Health Department, as the Lyon County health officer in the wake of the resignation of the center’s executive director, Lougene Marsh.
An application for a utility easement vacation also was approved during the meeting.