Commissioners distribute funding, analyze bids
RIDGWAY - A lengthy agenda greeted the Elk County Commissioners at the first meeting of August on Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m. at the Courthouse Annex in Ridgway.
Every year, municipalities in Elk County depend on liquid fuel funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to construct and repair roads and bridges and pay for related expenses. Accepting that allocation means knowing all the rules in place for municipalities and following them to the letter. Municipalities receive their yearly allocation from the Liquid Fuels Tax Fund beginning the first business day of March each year. The money can only be used for certain expenses, and municipalities must follow strict reporting requirements or risk having to repay their liquid fuels account for any misused funding. Liquid fuels fund (LFF) allocations come from the state’s oil franchise tax.
Payments to municipalities are distributed based 50% on locally owned road miles and 50% on population from the latest decennial census. The county also receives LFF and distributes it out to municipalities once approved by the Elk County Commissioners.
On Tuesday the commissioners approved $6,000 for Horton Township to be used to purchase oil for the township roads, The total cost of the project is $54,182 and the difference will be obligated to the township. The commissioners also approved $6,000 for Spring Creek Township to go towards the purchase and delivery of road salt and cold-patch for township roadways.
The Elk County Courthouse Lawn is a beautiful point of pride for Ridgway and Elk County in general and hanging a banner along the busy intersection of Main Street and state Route 219 provides exposure for the organization or event that places the banner. The Ridgway-Elk County Chamber of Commerce requested that two banners be placed for upcoming events, the first for the NRA National Championships from July 27-August 15 at the Ridgway Sportsmans Club and the second banner for the Flavors of Fall Festival that is set to be held on September 23 on the courthouse grounds as in past years. There is no cost to attend the Flavors of Fall Festival and besides the vendors, at the courthouse,
many shops, stores, and restaurants in Ridgway hold special sales on that day making it truly a community-wide event. The commissioners approved both banners for display.
The backlog of court cases in Elk County caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns is having longterm impacts on the Elk County Judicial System. One of the major consequences of the shutdown is the massive increase in cases requiring a public defender. Attorney Michael Marshal has been hired as an Assistant Public Defender to assist current Public Defender Gary Knaresboro for a one-year contract with the commissioner's approval.
Elk County Children and Youth Services (CYS) has also been impacted greatly by the COVID-19 shutdowns, and the commissioners approved several renewal contracts on Tuesday to assist them in their mission to make sure every Elk County child has a safe home life and is surrounded by caring parents or guardians.
Renewal contracts were also approved with Dickinson Inc, for the Family Resource Network, Triple P, Comprehensive Psychosocial Evaluations and Recommendations, and Parents as Teachers programs, Another contract renewal was reached with CAPSEA for the Incredible Years program. Finally, Foster Home contracts were approved with LifeSpan Family Services of PA and the Children's Aid Society of Clearfield County.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program supports community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities. The Borough of Johnsonburg has been granted CDBG monies in the amount of $394,436 to repair and maintain storm sewers in the town for 2019, 2020, and 2021 funding seasons.
On Tuesday the Elk County Commissioners Chief Clerk Pat Straub opened two bids for the project. Bob Cummings Construction of Bradford bid $557,000 on the project while Continential Construction bid $567,633.74 on the project. After consultations with the CDBG Coordinator and the county engineer, the bids were tabled until the August 10 meeting of the commissioners where the project will be awarded following a full vetting of the bid submissions.
The Elk County Commissioners Broadband Survey is going well so far, announced Elk County Chief Clerk Pat Straub. To date, 14,670 surveys were sent out to county residents and over 2,220 have been received back by the county, along with 394 surveys completed via the internet are available on the Elk County website at co.elk. pa.us. This translates to about an 18% return rate which is good, but more surveys are needed from all over Elk County so that a true picture of the challenges of bringing broadband internet to rural areas of the county can be addressed. The survey will run through September.
The Elk County Commissioners have established a reimbursable grant program through the Act 13 Marcellus Shale Impact Fee for project activities within Elk County. Eligible applicants include municipal governing bodies, 501© non-profit organizations, and municipal authorities. This grant is an open application that is due by February 28 and August 31 each year to apply for funding through the Act 13 program. Grant requests must be a minimum of $1,000 up to the maximum amount of $10,000. Grant award recipients will receive notification by letter that will include a cooperation agreement with the County of Elk confirming their understanding of the Elk County Act 13 Program Guidelines. Grant applications are available online at co.elk.pa.us or applicants may contact the Planning Dept. for further information at 814-776-5335.
The next meeting of the Elk County Commissioners will take place a week early on August 10, beginning at 10 a.m., and be held at the Elk County Fairgrounds, Building 1, in Kersey to celebrate the 47th Annual Elk County Fair. The public is welcome to attend.