Schuylkill gives small piece of land to Penn State

Schuylkill County commissioners on Wednesday agreed to give a piece of land to the advisory board of the Schuylkill campus of the Pennsylvania State University.

The 0.32-acre portion is a part of University Drive that is no longer needed because the county, which owns the road, reconfigured it to remove a sharp curve.

Basically, it’s a swap for an area where the former 1912 building, which the Penn State Schuylkill Advisory Board in 2008 bought from the county and demolished in 2010, once stood, said county engineer Lisa Mahall.

Commissioners also approved a reimbursement agreement with the state Department of Transportation for the preservation of county bridge 114, known as the Zimmerman covered bridge, on Covered Bridge Road over lower Little Swatara Creek, Washington Township.

The bridge is being rehabilitated/preserved as part of PennDOT’s Road Map (maintenance and preservation) project, and will provide up to $2 million for the project.

In a related matter, commissioners also agreed to publish an ordinance delegating to PennDOT the authority to acquire rights of way for the Covered Bridge Road project over lower Little Swatara Creek.

In other matters, commissioners approved a request from county Emergency Management Agency on behalf of the East Central Task Force for a $24,945 agreement with Swiftreach Networks Inc. to provide the county with mass notification services from July 1 to June 30, 2019.

Funding for the agreement will be paid through the Homeland Security grant program.

Commissioners also approved, again on behalf of the East Central Task Force, a $35,000 contract with Acclaim Systems Inc. Feasterville, Bucks County, for the continuation of a maintenance and support of the Total Visibility Resource Management System and Special Needs Systems.

The renewal term is from July 1 to June 30, 2019.