Andover senior center directors, users describe demand, ask council for AED and city support

Margaret Gibbons, director of the Andover Senior Center, told the Andover City Council the nonprofit served 15,678 meals last year and has more than 500 members, and asked the council to help the center obtain a defibrillator and consider longer-term support.

The senior center director described a daily average of about 77 in‑house diners and said the center served 10,927 in‑house meals and delivered 4,751 meals to homebound residents last year; she told the council the center projects serving more than 17,000 meals this year. Gibbons said the center received a $5,500 city grant this year and approximately $48,000 from the Butler County Department on Aging, and that the center relies heavily on fundraisers, donations and memorials to cover operating costs.

The numbers, the center’s services and an ask for an AED were the focus of public comments and a staff presentation. “The $5,500 grant we received from you was used in a very good way to offset food costs for a month and a half, two months,” Gibbons said. “We are projected to serve over 17,000 this year.”

Why this matters: the senior center functions as a daily meal site, social hub and resource point for older residents in Andover. Council members responded with questions about capacity, funding sources and whether the city should more formally support the center or provide municipal services.

Details and council response

Resident Myrna Rogers opened public comment with survey results from center members about why they attend, saying members value “the food, the fun, and the fellowship” and that the center is “an extended family and my refuge.” Another resident, George Theo Harris, urged the council to fund a defibrillator for the center, saying some center members eat their one home‑cooked meal there and expressing concern that the center did not have an AED.

Gibbons said the center’s primary expenses are food, payroll, utilities and insurance, and that in the first six months of the current year the center spent about $70,000. She described program offerings that include daily hot lunches, two low‑impact exercise sessions per week run through a Wichita State University physical therapy grant, “Donuts with the Chief” and memory‑care support groups. The center rents the facility for private events (member rate $35 for four hours; nonmember $50) and also serves as a commodity pickup station for low‑income residents.

City staff and council members discussed options rather than taking formal action. Jillian Graham, assistant city administrator, advised caution about moving the center into the city’s organizational structure: “Margaret enjoys a lot of autonomy, and I think the seniors like running the center how they like to run it…there’s a lot of rules, regulations, bureaucracy…that might make the senior center not look like the senior center looks today.” Graham said the state funds aging programs through counties and that Butler County’s department on aging funds the $48,000 the center currently receives.

Council members and staff said they would explore options. Mayor Ronnie Price and other council members suggested a workshop to examine models used by other cities, possible partnerships (including a nearby church and county resources), and grant sources for an AED. Councilman Tim Berry asked staff to research comparable municipal arrangements in other cities and to return with options.

No formal motion or vote was recorded. Council members indicated they would schedule further conversation at an upcoming workshop and staff said they would follow up with Butler County staff to learn more about a possible new funding tier the county has discussed.

Community context and next steps

Gibbons told the council the center has occasionally reached capacity; she said the building’s capacity is 134 and that some days the center must close early when attendance is high. She and council members discussed possible expansion space across the street or partnering with a nearby church for additional room and services. Council members also noted Butler County provides transportation that many center members use; Gibbons said Andover is the county’s largest user of that transportation service, with thousands of rides annually.

Margaret Gibbons thanked the council and urged residents to attend the center’s upcoming Monterey dinner fundraiser.

Ending

Council members did not vote on additional funding or a structural change at the meeting; they asked staff to compile options and consider a workshop where Butler County and senior center representatives could discuss transportation, funding tiers and facility options.