It came the same day Middletown Division of Police confirmed an ongoing criminal investigation involving finances at Central Connections and the same day Rodgers left the property with a police escort, according to Byron McCauley, Middletown communications manager and police.
Police also obtained consent to search the property at 3907 Central Ave., McCauley said. No additional information about the investigation was available.
The board statement said members are actively seeking an interim director.
“It is the board’s intention to do everything within our power to keep Central Connections open and operating to service the needs of the Middletown and surrounding senior community. As we make additional changes, we will do our best to keep you informed.
On Tuesday morning, about 75 people packed the cafeteria to meet with Rodgers and Rick Fishbaugh, board president.
Those who spoke were upset that Central Connections no longer has a contract with Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio to provide home-delivered meals and other social services to seniors.
Fishbaugh, as he told the Journal-News in an exclusive interview of Monday, said the center was serving 4,000 to 5,000 meals a week and losing about $1 per meal. He said the three-year contract with Council on Aging was set to expire this year. He said the center profited off the contract the first year, broke even the second year and was losing money this year.
Plus, he said, the cost of fuel also drove up the price of delivering the meals.
“Nothing was working in our favor,” said Fishbaugh, who earlier said Central Connections is trying to reorganize its finances and may file for bankruptcy.
Central Connections stopped delivering meals Tuesday, one day after laying off 50 employees. Since then, First Presbyterian Church, 2910 Central Ave., is providing meals for seniors, said Paula Smith, director of communications for the Council on Aging.
She said the church will provide congregate meals from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The plan is for COA to find a permanent place for the meals to be served within a few weeks, Smith said.
Partners in Prime, Meals on Wheels Southwestern Ohio and Warren County Community Services have stepped in to cover all home-delivered meals to clients, according to Smith. Meals on Wheels will also provide meals for the seven congregate sites Central Connections previously served, she said.
Smith said COA is working to connect transportation clients and clients receiving supportive services with new providers.
Meanwhile, Fishbaugh said now that the center isn’t affiliated with COA, it will seek another company the center can contract with to provide home-delivered meals. He some of the employees who lost their jobs on Monday may be rehired if a new contract is signed.
One of those former employees, Denise Silva, who worked in the packaging room for two years, called eliminating home-delivered meals “a disservice” to the senior population. She said seniors depend on the meals and the social interaction the drivers provide.
“We put our people first,” she said. “We consider them family.”
When Rodgers was hired in 2021, she said the center had 600 members, but after the $1.5 million in renovations, the center has 2,790 members.
Many of those in attendance blamed Rodgers for the financial troubles at the center. Instead of renovating the center, that money would have been better served caring for the seniors, they said.
Rodgers said if the center wanted to survive, it had to create an event center to attract outside business and generate revenue. She said the event center is booked through June 2024.
Others wondered how Central Connections, since it no longer provides meals or social services, can retain its 501(c)3 non-profit status. One person suggested that with the addition of a full bar and Bingo, Central Connections has turned into a Moose Lodge.
Two Middletown council members, Zack Ferrell and Rodney Muterspaw, and two Middletown police officers attended the meeting.
