Putnam To Front Senior Centers Grant Money For Kitchen Equipment

Putnam County Commissioners voted Monday night to purchase kitchen equipment for its senior centers that cannot afford to spend reimbursable grant money.

Mayor Randy Porter said the state awarded $30,000 reimbursable grants to every senior citizen center across the state. He said the centers in Baxter, Algood, and Monterey have let him know that they can not afford to spend the money before being reimbursed. He said the county taking on the burden of paying up front and awaiting reimbursement will be a huge boost for these centers that need upgraded appliances.

“Most of it’s equipment, and I think they’re going to allow some reimbursement of some salaries, but these little centers, some of them cook meals and prepare meals, and they just don’t have the cash sitting on hand to be able to purchase the equipment and then wait for the state to reimburse them,” Porter said.

Porter said he does not expect Cookeville’s center to request assistance. Porter said he has checked with the state and the Audit Committee, which signed off on the arrangement. He said the centers will give him lists of how they would like the money spent, and the county will be reimbursed before June 30 when the grant period ends.

“We support our senior citizen centers 100 percent, and this is a chance for the county to help,” Porter said.

He said the final step in confirming the plan was to ensure that the commissioners were comfortable fronting the money for the centers.

“There’s four of them, so it would be $120,000, but Cookeville, I don’t think is going to want us to do it,” Porter said. “I think they’re okay. It’ll just be the other three. It’ll be $90,000.”

Porter said refrigerators and stoves are likely to be among the most desired items that the grant money can go toward.

In other business, the commission ratified Porter’s reappointments of Jonathan Williams, Ben Rodgers, Danny Holmes, and Kim Bradford to one-year terms on the Payscale Committee. They also approved Cathy Dyer and Ralph Mills to serve two years on the Agriculture Extension Committee, and Ben Rodgers and Dale Moss to be commissioners of the Agriculture Extension Committee through 2026.

Commissioners appointed Jeff Jones as Delinquent Tax Attorney for the 2022 real and personal property taxes.

Commissioners also added Honeysuckle Trail, Lemongrass Lane, and Sweet Magnolia Lane to the official Putnam County road map. The streets are off Moss Road where property was donated for a new park.