More than 300 participants sign up for farmers market vouchers, capital projects expected for Medina County Senior and Adult Services building

MEDINA — More than 300 participants in Medina County have signed up for the Ohio Department of Aging's annual Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Medina County Senior and Adult Services Director Laura Toth said with the large number of participants, there has been an expenditure of about $2,000 in benefits, which she hopes to see grow. Each year, the Ohio Department of Aging partners with local agencies to provide Ohioans who are 60 or older, and whose annual income is no more than 185 percent of the federal poverty level, access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Those who qualify can apply to receive $50 worth of vouchers to use at select farmers markets. Toth said the Medina Square Farmers Market and the Farmers Market of Medina County at Cornerstone Chapel both take the vouchers. "I love that one at Cornerstone Chapel," Toth said. "It's much smaller, but for anybody with a mobility issue, it's great. You can pull up almost to the stands and get to those farmers." People can also use the vouchers outside of Medina County, Toth said, noting that Red Wagon Farm in Columbia Station also takes the vouchers. To learn more, visit tinyurl.com/2me2wpzc. In other news, Toth said several capital improvements are expected for the Medina County Senior and Adult Services space at the Human Services Building, 246 Northland Drive. In the future, the Human Services Building is expected to have an elevator project and, potentially, a generator project. Toth said seniors will access the ground floor via the ramp near the patio. The two large bathrooms on the ground floor will be renovated, transforming into four individualized bathrooms. Toth hopes the project will begin at the end of August, shortly after the department finishes its bimonthly Picnic on the Patio series. "In the middle of August, the maintenance department will begin demolition of all the cabinetry in our craft room," Toth said. "That capital project is being paid for in full by the Senior and Adult Foundation." Once the craft room is demolished, Toth said a new floor will be installed, as will new cabinets and a sink. Then, the space will be repainted. Toth said the project will cost about $50,000, which the foundation will cover completely. To prepare for the changes, Toth said she is working to keep the seniors informed. "A lot of displacement is going to take place," Toth said. "We have bathrooms that are going to be closed. We will have an elevator that is going to be closed. Eventually, for a few weeks, we won't have an art room which is utilized two or three times a day for our groups." Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.