Schuylkill to purchase prisoner transport

Officials at Schuylkill County Prison have been forced to house inmates in other county prisons to alleviate overcrowding, with the bulk of those inmates going to Centre County.

In other words, the inmates are transported back and forth along Route 80, which can be dicey during inclement weather.

During a Schuylkill County Commissioners’ meeting Wednesday, the board approved the purchase of a transport van, a 2020 Ford Transit. The board previously approved spending $39,504 for a 2019 Ford Transit but once Ford launched a four-wheel drive Transit in 2020, officials opted to make a change.

The new price tag will be $49,765. The passenger van will be purchased from Kovatch Ford, Nesquehoning, through the COSTARS program, with the money coming from the county’s commissary fund.

In other action, the commissioners:

Opened a bid from Remedy Repack Inc. for the purchase of naloxone 2 mg/2 mL syringes ($34.43 each) and Narcan 4 mg nasal spray, two-pack ($76.50). Remedy Repack was the lone bidder, and the bid may be awarded at a later date.

Approved hiring 12 “rovers” at a rate of $10 per hour, to help with logistics and preparation for the April 28 primary election. Frannie Brennan, who heads the County Election Bureau, said that workers are needed at the polls, and that citizens who are interested should contact the election bureau.