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BELLEFONTE -- Centre County Commissioners addressed a wide variety of matters related to renovation and improvement projects around the county at this Tuesday's board meeting.
Topics included emergency communications support, changes to construction plans for the former Centre Crest building, updates to the County Sheriff's Office and final completion of the 2018 Centre County Bridge Rehabilitation Bundle.
Emergency
Communications
Commissioners added two emergency communication items to next week's consent agenda.
Approval was granted for a contract with Watkins Security, LLC to install an intercom system to the 911 Communications Center in the Willowbank Building in Bellefonte. The contract includes installation of two intercom stations, one gate intercom station and nine desk answering units to the Communications Center.
The contract total is $13,496.50.
Approval for an intergovernmental agreement for talkgroups (an assigned logical group of users on a trunked radio system) between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, acting through Pennsylvania State Police was also added to the agenda.
The agreement will establish and monitor designated state police talkgroups to improve interoperability between 911 Centers. This will promote officer safety by improving situational awareness regarding PSP-involved accidents and advance notice of incidents that may call upon their services.
The 20 year contract will run from July 15, 2024 until July 14, 2044 and will come at no cost to the county.
Centre County Sheriff's Office
Commissioners added approval of a design proposal with Hoffman Leakey Architects LLC to provide architectural design services for renovation of the Centre County Sheriff's Office to next week's consent agenda.
The proposal concerns the second floor of the Sheriff's Office, which until 2005 was used as the Centre County Jail. The design includes a men's and women's locker room and updated flooring.
Commissioner Mark Higgins said this was an important step in continuing converting the old prison to a functional sheriff's office.
2018 Centre County Bridge
Rehabilitation Completed
Commissioners eagerly approved the final completion report for the 2018 Centre County Bridge Rehabilitation Bundle, which will acknowledge completion of the T-505 Main Street Orviston Bridge, T-942 Lower Coleville Road Bridge in Spring Township and the T-526 Fox Gap Road Bridge in Miles Township.
As of May 24, the work has been inspected and declared complete.
"This is the first of the bridge bundles to actually be completed so we give the Commissioners kudos for stepping up for these municipalities by rehabbing these bridges and making this project happen," said Transportation Planner Xochi Confer.
The $1.95 million project was largely funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Multimodal Transportation Fund grant for at-risk local bridges.
"I'm just glad to have this project done as some of these bridges really are the only way from point A to point B where they are located," said Commissioner Amber Concepcion.
According to Confer, the Lower Coleville Road Bridge in Spring Township has been closed for nearly five years, and the reopening has already had a significant, positive impact on the community there.
The completion of the Main St. Orviston Bridge comes less than two weeks before the Oriviston Festival, which takes place July 12 and 13.
Higgins lauded the event as one of the most fun small village festivals in the county.
"We had tried to promise Dave Lomison that we'd have that completed in time for your Orviston Festival," he said, pleased the county was able to fulfill that commitment.
In other business commissioners:
-- Discussed briefly the hiring of a new Director of Elections/Voter Registration.
-- Adopted a resolution authorizing the filing of a proposal for funds with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for the HOME-ARP application.
-- Approved a contract with Eger Excavating & Concrete LLC to replace 120 feet of sidewalk along Willowbank Street. The contract total is $13,340.
-- Approved a grant agreement with 3 DOTS Downtown to provide a grant in the amount of $5,000 to assist the required match application for Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Grant.
-- Approved a revision to the Human Services Block Grant (HSBG) Income & Expenses Report for fiscal year 2022-2023. The revision addresses a client count issue related to Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, but does not affect the financial aspect of the report.
-- Approved a grant submission to support homeless prevention and mental services through the DCED.
-- Purchased five vehicles from Penn State University to add or replace vehicles in the business fleet.
-- Approved the consent agenda, authorizing a contract with MGM Mechanical, Inc for HVAC services and Nittany Building Specialities Inc, for the installation of an ADA door at the lower entrance of the Willowbank Building.