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Ogdensburg and DeKalb senior meal sites remain on St. Lawrence County’s chopping block

Posted 9/16/15

By JIMMY LAWTON CANTON -- St. Lawrence County will continue to deliver senior meals five days a week, but could still close its DeKalb and Ogdensburg. A large number of seniors attended the count …

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Ogdensburg and DeKalb senior meal sites remain on St. Lawrence County’s chopping block

Posted

By JIMMY LAWTON

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County will continue to deliver senior meals five days a week, but could still close its DeKalb and Ogdensburg.

A large number of seniors attended the count legislator's meeting Monday to express concerns regarding the congregate dining site and home delivered meals as the county considered cutting home delivered meals from five days per week to four days per week and offering a frozen meal instead on the fifth day.

The resolutions had been tabled at a previous meeting.

In a 7-7 vote with one legislator absent, the measure to reduce the number of home delivered meals failed.

St. Lawrence County Legislature Chairman Joseph Lightfoot says the cuts would have saved the county $100,000 a year.

The county operates nutrition sites in Ogdensburg, Massena, Canton, Potsdam, Morristown, DeKalb, Star Lake, Edwards, and Brasher through the Office For the Aging.

A second resolution, which would eliminate meal sites in Ogdensburg and DeKalb remained tabled, but could still be acted on at a later date.

Lightfoot says the county is facing a $4 million budget gap and must consider all potential savings measures as the board prepares to craft the 2016 budget.

In August, mayoral candidate Vernon ‘Sam’ Burns, Ogdensburg City Councilor Jennifer Stevenson and city council candidate Tim Davis visited the Ogdensburg Nutritional Site at Centennial Towers and called on state officials to provide additional funding for the program.