Bayfield County buys new cars for meal deliveries as senior meal demand grows and volunteer drivers decline

Brynna Watters-Moffitt, Aging & Disability Manager, told the Aging & Disability Services Advisory Committee that Bayfield County operates seven congregate meal sites (Barnes, Cable, Cornucopia, Port Wing, Iron River, St. Louis, and Timeout in Washburn) and that attendance and referrals for senior meals continue to increase.

To support home-delivered meals, Watters-Moffitt said the county purchased three new cars with approval from county supervisors to replace high-mileage vehicles. She thanked supervisors for approving the purchases and said replacements were needed because the older vehicles had high mileage.

On transportation, Watters-Moffitt listed eight entities that provide elder transport, including BART, Bayco Door to Door and Namekagon, and described shortages in the Volunteer Driver Program. She attributed driver retention barriers to high insurance rates and federal requirements to report income, and said recruitment efforts are ongoing.

Watters-Moffitt also discussed ADRC demand and said staff were scheduling appointments about a month out. Jan Lee asked Watters-Moffitt to define "ADRC-N" and the transcript records that Watters-Moffitt explained the term, but the meeting transcript does not include the explanation text; the definition is therefore not specified in the record.

Staff detailed program-level operational changes including a new three-tier assessment tool (high/medium/low) to prioritize waiting-list referrals for senior meals.

The committee did not vote on these operational items; discussion centered on service capacity and recruitment for volunteer drivers.