The Mid-Columbia Council of Governments board decided this week it would not try to retain the Area Agency on Aging contract and then subcontract it out in an effort to ensure local operation of those senior services.  MCCOG is in the process of divesting itself of its service contracts after members in the five-county area it served decided to dismantle the organization.  Interim executive director David Meriwether says state officials who oversee senior services were not supportive of the retention possibility, adding they are sticking with their process to first see if individual counties are interested, then giving preference to existing AAA’s before moving to new providers.  Meriwether noted the MCCOG board did vote to ask the state to combine phases two and three.  Meriwether did say other service contracts that MCCOG has handled are in the process of being shifted to other entities, and that should take place over the next few months.