Agency on Aging unveiling survey

The Branch-St. Joseph Area Agency on Aging is unveiling its once-every-three-years survey seeking input from residents in Branch and St. Joseph counties, and local service providers and key leaders.

Laura Sutter, agency coordinator, said the agency prepares a multi-year area plan, and input received from the survey helps spell out the needs and priorities of older adults, and targets funding according to those priorities.

The agency is one of 16 in Michigan and is responsible for administering federal and state funding, identifying needs, and providing a comprehensive array of services and supports to assist older adults living in Branch and St. Joseph counties.

A link to the survey may be found through the health department’s website: bhsj.org.

The questionnaire takes less than 10 minutes to complete and is open through Friday.

Residents ask to meet with commissioners

Two Sturgis residents asked members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners if they would be willing to meet one-on-one to discuss plans for a proposed senior center in Sturgis.

Lois Ware and Bob Holt said they weren’t happy with the lack of answers during past meetings with representatives from the county’s Commission on Aging. They said the proposal is a major expense of taxpayer money and county leaders should make themselves available to field questions and take the time to meet with their constituents.

Board chairman John Dobberteen, whose jurisdiction includes the city of Sturgis, said the issue is in the hands of the COA and its officials are more at liberty to discuss the concept.

Ware and Holt said they object to the taxpayer money that could be spent to build a senior center in Sturgis. They suggested the money be spent to refurbish the current facility, the John H. Cassault Center on North Jefferson Street.

COA to get Senior Center

Officials from the city of Sturgis have approved a letter of intent with St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners regarding the development of a senior center.

The proposed center is slated to be built on property adjacent to the Doyle Community Center and would be leased to the county for a token $1 annually.

County Commission members over the past year have eyed a senior center in Sturgis to complement the Commission on Aging senior center already in place in Three Rivers.

The letter of intent was OK’d by Sturgis officials at a city commission meeting last week

State Rep. Lori coffee hours

State Rep. Matt Lori on Friday is sponsoring coffee hours in Dowagiac.

Lori, a Constantine-area resident, will meet with residents at the Cass County Council on Aging in Front Street Crossing, 227 S. Front St. in Dowagiac from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Lori said the venue is an informal setting where he can provide a short legislative update and listen to concerns and ideas from constituents.

2012 List of Accomplishments

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Chairman Rick Shaffer compiled a list of 2012 accomplishments and noteworthy tidbits relevant to county-related matters.

During last week’s final county commission meeting of the year, Shaffer reviewed a list of 31 items he noted as highlights. Shaffer also added he appreciates the work his fellow commissioners put in in 2012.

The list of highlights includes the election of incoming judges David Tomlinson and Rob Pattison; approval of the articles of incorporation for a St. Joseph County Building Authority; Scott Hopkins replacing Jimmie Barnes as emergency services coordinator; a three-year, $300,000 commitment to enhancing the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit; the formation of a committee to study the development of a senior center in Sturgis; and an agreement with the St. Joseph County Economic Development Corp., which developed a partnership with Southwest Michigan First and Southwest Michigan Partnership, LLC.

Highlights of County Board in 2012

A partnership with Southwest Michigan First was one of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners highlights in 2012, according to board chairman Rick Shaffer.

Shaffer last week presented a list of the commission’s 2012 highlights, which also included an agreement for additional staffing in the MSU Extension office, the revision of an Animal Control ordinance and the creation of a county building authority.

In addition, Shaffer’s highlights included approving ballot language for millage renewals of the central dispatch and commission on aging agencies.

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