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Ottawa County officials press area agency after Golden Wheel stops serving meals for four weeks
Summary
Golden Wheel board members told commissioners the senior center had not served meals for about four weeks after their cook did not return; county officials called the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging by phone and were told agency staff would seek substitutes, frozen meals and follow up with the board the same day.
Commissioners pressed the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging for immediate help after Golden Wheel, the local senior center that serves Ottawa County, went without hot meals for about four weeks.
At the meeting Golden Wheel representative Doug Plummer said the center had not served a hot meal in four weeks after their primary cook called in sick repeatedly. ‘‘We have not served a meal out of there for 4 weeks,’’ Plummer said, describing repeated call‑outs and a lack of return calls from agency staff. Board member Sheila Reed and commissioners described attempts to recruit a cook and discussed contingency plans including supply from nearby centers, volunteer freezer‑meal drives and limiting patrons to one meal per day during the hardship.
Commissioner Carla Grund placed a call to an agency representative who identified herself as Linda; the agency representative said she had posted the job on KansasWorks and Indeed and would check vendor options, the contract with Celina/Saline County, and whether frozen meals or a temporary sub could be provided. ‘‘I will ask Christie to give me a count of people who are in need with no other way to get meals,’’ Linda said on the call and pledged to contact commissioners after consulting her director and deputy director.
Commissioners asked the agency whether temporary purchases or patron billing could be arranged and pressed for a quick timeline. Staff and board members said Saline County or Manhattan vendors could possibly supply packaged meals within a few days if contracts and billing logistics are resolved; the agency warned that changes could affect program reporting and future eligibility. The board asked the agency to report back the same day and said commissioners would call if they did not hear back.
The commissioners did not take a formal vote but asked staff to pursue interim feeding options, keep patrons informed and to return the item for further action if immediate solutions are not secured.
