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BELLEFONTE -- It's back.
Starting this week, Centre County residents will once again have access to free, walk-in COVID-19 testing at the Nittany Mall in State College.
At Tuesday's Centre County Board of Commissioners' meeting, county administrator Margaret Gray announced that testing will return to the mall at the site of the former Bon-Ton department store. The hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Testing at the site began on Tuesday and will run through Saturday, Jan. 9. The second round of testing will take place from Tuesday, Jan. 12 through Saturday, Jan. 16.
However, once those weeks are complete, the county will have to find a new location.
"You may recall that we mentioned in a previous report that the site may not be at the Nittany Mall for the entire four weeks of extension. That is accurate," Gray said. "We are identifying an alternate location for the weeks of Jan. 19 and Jan. 26."
The site has been funded by county CARES Act funds. It costs about $79,000 per week and allows for 300 tests per day. More than 5,000 tests were administered before the site closed last month.
Anyone can get a test at the site. In fact, patients of all ages may utilize the site, and no symptoms or appointments are needed to receive a free test. A photo ID or insurance card are required upon arrival. Registration is then completed on-site.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners:
-- Approved Resolution No. 1 of 2021, giving Gray the authority to execute financial documents not to exceed $10,000 on behalf of Centre County.
-- Approved Resolution No. 2 of 2021, authorizing submission of an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for federal fiscal year 2020 under the Community Development Block Grant program and certify compliance with requirements of the program.
-- Approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centre Regional Planning Agency establishing joint rights and responsibilities of each party in completing transportation and project development activities on behalf of the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO). The County's contribution for the MOU is $134,336 for the period of Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021.
-- Approved a proposal from RBA Professional Data Systems, Inc. to develop a recording notification service by April 30, 2021 at a total cost of $9,885.
The items were moved to next week's consent agenda.
Chair of the Board of Commissioners, Michael Pipe, reminded residents that Centre County offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 18 in observation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
The commissioners will meet again at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The meeting will be held via Zoom and televised live via C-NET.