Resident raises concern about Senior Life Services center closure; commissioners say no formal county request received

During public comment Sept. 3, a resident asked whether Senior Life Services had approached the Morgan County Commission about a plan to close a local senior center and repurpose the site.

Commissioners said they had not received a formal request from the Senior Life Services board or from the local senior citizen group. One commissioner said he had received calls from the mayor and longtime staff and that the provider’s board had held a large meeting where questions were raised; another commissioner noted the county has assisted Senior Life Services in the past on matters such as HVAC costs.

The resident asked whether the county could provide financial assistance or guidance to keep the center open. Commissioners said they had not been formally approached for funding but that similar requests had been considered in the past; no formal action or motion to provide county funds was made at the meeting.

Background: The resident who spoke said the provider’s board had voted to close the center; commissioners described public meetings that drew large crowds and said the local senior group had not yet formally contacted the commission to request county support.