Arrangements made for mass vaccination clinic at Schuylkill mall

Arrangements have been made by the Schuylkill County commissioners and operators of the Schuylkill Mall near Frackville as a site for a mass vaccination clinic to provide HiNi flu shots to the general public on Jan. 8 and 9, in action taken at its work session held at the courthouse in Pottsville Wednesday morning.

The Emergency Management Agency is in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide the HiNi vaccinations and the operators of the Schuylkill Mall are allowing use of their community room free of charge for the administation of the vaccine.

Other business

Approval was given by the commissioners for the engineering department to use $600,000 of liquid fuel money towards projects to repair three county bridges.

Repairs are scheduled to be made to the bridge which carries Greenwood Street over Panther Creek in Tamaqua. This bridge project is currently under design and bidding is anticipated next Spring. Other bridge projects includes repairs to the bridge which carries Mill Mountain Road over Little Schuylkill River in East Brunswick Township and repairs to the bridge which carries River Drive over Pine Creek in West Brunswick Township. Allocated is $200.000 for each bridge. County Engineer Lisa Mahall reported work is progressing in overseeing the safety of the 62 county bridges.

Mahall also obtained approval for Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA) to implement a traffic signal conversion program as two of the seven traffic signals in North Manheim Township will be retrofitted with LED bulbs at the intersection of state route 61 and 443 and 61 and Manheim Road.

A 36 month maintenance agreement for the law library in the county courthouse was approved with West Legal Print Company to ensure that the county law library materials are accurate and up-to-date at a cost of $5,503. Also, to maintain and expand a database at a cost of $2,244.44 per month.

An agreement was approved with the Schuylkill County Housing Authority to prepare the environmental review record for the Capital Fund Program and the release of funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the county paying consulting costs not to exceed $2,800. The commissioners named Edward Kleha, Shenandoah, who also is the chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Party, to the board of directors of the housing authority for a five year term ending December 2014.

A contract was approved with Samuel Deegan, Pottsville, for purpose to perform a tri-annual audit on 9-1-1 operation and the county code for the years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 at a cost of $64,000 per year.

The commissioners approved personnel matters for the board to take action at the public meeting to be held next Wednesday.

The actions include the retirement of Arthur Kaplan as coordinator of the emergency management bureau; termination of Erin Oxenrider, Frackville, as a telecommunicator with 9-1-1; retirement of Bonnie Eckert, Norwegian Township, as a clerk in the Domestic Relations Department; retirement of Cynthia Long, Mahanoy City, as a court stenographer; and appointment of Elizabeth Vervoom, Shenandoah, as a part time nurse's aide.

The commissioners were also informed about two resignations at Rest Haven Home, Kay Mouyer, Pine Grove, as a part time nurse's aide, and Kristy Aungst, Pine Grove, as a part time licensed practical nurse at Rest Haven Home. Also, the appointment of two unpaid interns in the adult probation department, Mitchell G. Kramer, New Ringgold, and Kelly Joyce, Ashland.