PSU Schuylkill turns 75

The Schuylkill County Commissioners held their by-weekly public meeting Wednesday at the Schuylkill Campus of Penn State University in North Manheim Township and presented the school with a resolution adopted at the meeting observing the 75th anniversary of the campus in Schuylkill County.

The resolution read: "Whereas on September 19, 1934, through the efforts of a Pottsville citizen's group exploring options for local, affordable post-secondary education, classes began at the Pennsylvania State College, Pottsville Undergraduate Center, which was housed on one floor of the Bunker Hill School building in Pottsville and leased to the university for $1 per year. In 1963 the Pottsville Undergraduate Center became known as Penn State-Schuylkill Campus when the university purchased 42 acres at its present site from the county for $1. Penn State has grown from 20 students to over 1,000, from six faculty members to 130, from offering the first year of college to the first two years, five associate degrees, four baccalaureate degrees and four minors."

Business conducted

The commissioners carried out county business in a smooth, routine manner with no controversial issues arising and the meeting lasted a little over one-half hour.

A bid was opened for the Mahanoy Township building project under the Community Development Block Grant (GDBG) program. Six bids were received as follows:

A.P. Houser Inc., Emmaus, $10,970 base bid; $17,300, first alternate; $9,740, second alternate; and $3,640, third alternate.

Bill Davis, Cement Contractors, Mahanoy City, $18,061, base; $17,158, first alternate; $5,900, second alternate; and $3,265, third alternate.

Bognets Inc., Hazleton, $15,901, base; $9,842, first alternate; $3,284, second alternate; and $2, 621, third alternate.

L&K Construction Inc., Pottsville, $7,400, base; $13,860, first alternate; $2,800, second alternate; and $2,100, third alternate.

Smith and Smith General Contractors, Pottsville, $5,400, base; $12,475, first alternate; $5,200, second alternate; and $2,400, third alternate.

The bids were referred to a committee for review and to make recommendation

A grant agreement for $116,482 in funding received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was accepted on behalf of the East Central Counter Terrorism Task Force and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to be utilized for planning, training, exercise and personnel actiivities by the task force.

An agreement was entered with Suppression Systems Inc., of Pennsburg, for preventative maintenance for the supression system in the count courthouse which includes semi-annual inspections at rate of $600 each at a total cost of $1,200 per year.

Approval was given Grant Writer Gary Bender to file an application to the Pennsylvania Council for Arts to seek $6,573 in funding for the Schuylkill County Council for the Arts.

On behalf the Children and Youth Services Agency the commissioners approved three contracts, one with Youth Service Agency of Pennsylvania, of Jim Thorpe, to provide residential quarters for youths assigned by court at a cost of $146 per day; United Methodist Home for Children Residential Care, Mechanicsburg, for community based residential accomodations at $186.62 per day; and Laurel Youth Services, Blossburg, for shelter care service at $188.54 per day.

On behalf of Rest Haven Home and Hospital a contract was entered with Jenna Hill, Schuylkill Haven, to provide nursing assistant, in-house pool services at $13 per hour and a contract with Nurses Available Staffing Inc., Towson, Md., to provide a temporary nurse staffing for $24.75 to $276.50 per hour; licensed practical nurse, $42 to $48,50 per hour; and registered nurse, $59 to $62 per hour.

Retirement board

The Schuylkill County Employees Retirement Board met following the commissioners meeting and Controller Melinda Kantner, secretary, report the market value of the fund as of Nov. 30 was $84,952,969.