Representatives from the Council on Aging, senior services and the senior center told the Pratt County Commission they are concerned about a planned city building remodel that could affect the senior-center kitchen and the Friendship Meals program.

Tara Pakenkoff, who identified herself as with the Council on Aging and volunteer senior programming, and Nancy Smith, community service board coordinator, asked county officials what the schedule and scope of the city project will be and how it might affect meal service. County staff said the city has indicated work may start in the fall or around the new year, but that details and schematics are not complete and the timeline remains uncertain.

County staff told the group the city has said it will try to limit interruptions to the senior-center meals and that staff would provide advance notice of temporary outages or relocations. The commissioners and staff encouraged the senior-service representatives to maintain direct contact with Regina (city staff) and the chief of police; commissioners agreed to forward the senior group’s written questions to city staff for clarification.

Senior-service speakers also expressed concern about the Friendship Meals program and recent media reports of statewide service reductions. County staff relayed that current cuts reported in state and national news are not directly tied to the county’s current elder-care program and that the county will not know next year’s budget details until state allocations are released; staff said the agency expects to have clearer information by August. The senior program representatives said they plan to continue community outreach to sustain services while awaiting budget details.