Local owners offer '108 Lifestyle' space for west-side Polk County senior center; Area Agency on Aging outlines tight funding

Les and Sally Moss told Polk County commissioners they can make available the '108 Lifestyle' facility — a conference room, dining room and commercial kitchen — as a location for a west-side senior center. "We were proposing that we start with $100 per day," Les Moss said, describing a flexible rental arrangement intended to cover maintenance and utilities.

Stacy Burgess, director of the Area Agency on Aging and Disability, told the commission the county already receives "$23,192" in agency funds, which require a local match of $5,808. Burgess said the agency can provide meals immediately once a site and an on-site distributor are confirmed and that additional grant opportunities (USDA, the Tennessee Department of Aging and Disability — grants up to $50,000 — CDBG and ARP-related funding) could be pursued if the center is established.

Commissioners and staff discussed beginning with a limited, Friday-only schedule to align with existing meal deliveries, then reassessing if participation grows. Burgess warned that the agency's operating funds are limited and emphasized the importance of local volunteers or county-staffed operations to run daily activities and meal distribution; she described the home-delivered-meals program as also performing informal welfare checks on isolated residents.

The Mosses said the conference room seats about 75 and that the dining room and kitchen would be available in June. Commissioners suggested the county could begin with short pilot periods (e.g., three-month reviews), pursue grants with the agency's help, and include the program in next year's budget discussions if the pilot demonstrates demand.

Next steps described at the meeting included: county staff and agency representatives coordinating on a pilot schedule, the commission considering small short-term funding or facility-use agreements, and exploring volunteer recruitment for meal delivery and day-to-day operations.