After today, the Tri-Township Senior Center that operates out of the Felch Community Center will no longer be affiliated with the Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency, or DICSA.

The site committee will continue preparing on site and takeout meals Monday through Wednesdays at the site, as an independent operation, said Lisa Casey, committee president.

DICSA also stressed no changes are planned in its Meals on Wheels deliveries for homebound seniors in that area.

The split comes after DICSA and the site council could not agree on how the program should be operated at the site.

ANN SCHROEDER, A volunteer at the Tri-Township Senior Center that operates out of the Felch Community Center, assembles bags for meals she will deliver to about 12 people on the Ralph route. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo)

According to Casey, Felch has been serving senior citizens and others for decades, not just Felch Township but also neighboring Breen and West Branch.

The center provides locally prepared meals for an average of 50 people daily Monday through Wednesday, with one evening meal every third Wednesday that draws nearly 100, she said.

In an email DICSA provided dated March 13, DICSA said problems arose in April 2024 when the Felch site began delivering meals to area residents, independent of the Meals on Wheels program that operates through DICSA. After DICSA’s grant provider, the Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress or UPCAP, found out, it warned this was a violation of DICSA’s contract regulations, according to the DICSA email.

DICSA said it tried to find a way to let Felch continue deliveries and have DICSA remain in compliance with its UPCAP contract, but stated in the email it “became increasingly difficult” to “work within the required program guidelines and to satisfy the site council’s goals for our program.”

So DICSA Executive Director Kristin Sommerfeld and its governing board decided to discontinue its meal services in Felch due to “concerns of our inability to ensure program compliance and a positive working environment for staff,” the email states.

Casey said the Felch center began doing home deliveries after getting requests from area seniors who preferred the locally prepared meals to ones DICSA brought in from Iron Mountain. About 30 people now are signed up for the service, she said, adding the Felch site drivers are all volunteers who use their own vehicles and do not take compensation for gasoline or mileage.

One major area of contention with DICSA, Casey said, came over including a dessert with each meal, which the seniors wanted but could exceed calorie guidelines.

“You don’t want to change things for the seniors and their routine. Change is hard,” she said. “So keeping desserts may seem minor, but it’s major to me.”

DICSA’s withdrawal from the Felch center means the site will lose its meal supplies and some equipment, along with one of its two cooks. It also will not receive any state or federal funds.

With that in mind, the site committee requested the Dickinson County Board add $20,000 to its 2025 allocation, which the board unanimously approved Monday, bringing the Felch site’s total to $32,000 for the year.

In turn, the county’s allocation to DICSA will be cut by $10,000 to $290,000. The rest of the increased allocation will come from an estimated $35,000 in senior millage funds the county had in reserve in the 2025 budget.

The revenues are from a county-wide voter-approved levy of 0.4 mills, or 40 cents per $1,000 of taxable value. Of the $496,000 initially distributed from the senior millage, the majority went to DICSA to provide the home-delivered meals and other programs, including in-home services, transportation and support for the Family Ties adult day care center.

The 2025 millage also provided $60,000 to Norway-Vulcan senior center, $60,000 for the Crystal Lake Activity Center in Iron Mountain, $36,000 for Breen Center in Kingsford and $28,000 for Sagola Township center.

Norway-Vulcan gets support as well from a levy of 0.5 mills, or 50 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, from the city of Norway and Norway and Waucedah townships. The Norway center partially separated from DICSA in 2016.

County Controller Brian Bousley noted Monday the new funding agreement for the Felch center is for 2025 only. “Come October, we will get everyone’s finance again (for the 2026 budget),” he said.

Commissioner Joe Stevens said both DICSA and the Felch center “do a wonderful job” and it’s unfortunate no compromise could be reached. “I’m disappointed and sad that this is happening,” Stevens said.

Commissioner Kevin Sullivan said he would have liked to have seen “some mediation” in resolving the issues.

The Felch Township Board earlier had voted to allow the committee to continue the meal service at the community center at no cost — the township even pays for utilities for the kitchen — and provide funding for the first month restock and replacement costs, Casey said.

The site will retain cook Joan Wickman, with volunteers continuing to assist until a second cook can be brought on, Casey said. Volunteers already daily set up the full salad bar, dining area, beverages and other amenities at the site.

“We can’t do it without our volunteers,” Casey said.

All are seniors, said Lori Aho, committee treasurer and a volunteer. “They’re giving back to the community,” she said.

They believe those who use the Felch senior center will notice little change in the site or meal service.

“We’re really very excited,” Aho said, “to start out on our own.”