Senior Center didn’t pursue acquiring a spring intern

At the March 15 Nodaway County Senior Citizens Senate meeting, board members questioned why the Administrator Amie Firavich had not obtained a spring intern from Northwest Missouri State University.

Because of the turnover of staff and the need to train the new staff, Firavich had not applied for a new intern. She plans to look into interns for the fall semester.

Discussion was held on transferring sick hours from one employee to another or into a sick leave bank. Firavich will explore the topic and bring information to the next board meeting.

Preventative maintenance agreements for the senior center equipment were approved. Vice President Joe Baumli said the board needed to keep in mind that these were maintenance agreements and not repair agreements. Cost was $5,200 per year. Board Member Ray Courter said the board would receive at least $5,000 from investments which could cover the cost.

After more discussion, it was decided to wait a year while the new freezer is covered under warranty and use the money to give raises, etc. to the employees.

The senior center will need to do fundraisers to replace the information sign.

Other construction projects are on hold. The curbing by the First Street entrance has to be completed before the asphalt can be laid. The pole has been moved. Nick Palmer Construction will need to “revisit” his bid as concrete prices have raised.

Baumli brought up recycling at the senior center. He volunteered at the Maryville Host Lions Club to haul recyclables to recycling centers. Treasurer Connie McGinness said Second Harvest Community Food Bank is charging The Ministry Center $1 per cardboard box, so recommended those boxes not be broken down for recycling.

McGinness requested a breakdown of Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri two investment accounts with the senior center. In the senate bank account, the senior center’s investment has been over a period of time, $206,431.70 since May 2020, as of January 2023 it stands at $203,801.30.

The second account has fared better with a beginning balance of $102,229.10 in October 2020 to the total of $103,255.29 in January 2023.

Meal counts for February’s 17 open days were for congregate or dine-in meals averaged 84 meals per day. The home-delivered averaged 91 meals per day. Both are an increase from the previous month and the same month in 2022.