Updates and Grants Presented to Clinton County Commissioners During Work Session Monday Morning

By Emily Wright

LOCK HAVEN—On Monday morning, the Clinton County Commissioners held their bi-weekly work session. During the session, they heard updates about various programs offered through the Clinton County STEP Inc. office and they were also presented with a few grant funding requests from county departments and organizations, which will be included on the agenda for this Thursday’s voting session.

Rachelle Abbott, Chief Operations and Planning Officer at the county STEP, Inc. office, provided updates to the commissioners regarding the Designated Stop Program. Designated Stop is a transportation program that aims to make transportation in Clinton and Lycoming counties easier and more affordable, offering $2.00 trips for anyone in either county to take advantage of. The program offers routes that run from Renovo to Lock Haven, Mill Hall to Lock Haven, Lock Haven to Williamsport, and Williamsport to Lock Haven.

According to Abbott’s update, there have been 276 rides in total over the past 16 months, and most of those rides have been for employment purposes. To better serve riders, program coordinators plan to make adjustments to the Renovo-to-Lock Haven route to accommodate riders wanting to go directly to Wal-Mart in Mill Hall.

The Clinton County STEP Inc. office plans to continue its outreach efforts to spread awareness about the Designated Stop Program and provide updates about any changes to pickup locations.

Abbott also provided updates about the Whole Home Repair Program, another program offered through the county’s STEP Inc. office. This program provides funding to income-eligible homeowners in the county to address habitability and safety concerns, provide measures to improve energy efficiency, and make units accessible for individuals with disabilities. “We actually have five customers who are ready to go. Three of their audits are done, and of those three, two are actually jobs that are completed,” Abbott shared.

Abbott also presented information about the Workforce Development Program offered through STEP Inc. The program’s purpose is to help community members find jobs and obtain skills that lead to a sustainable lifestyle. The program aims to support individuals by helping them to overcome barriers to their employment and develop job-related skills. Ultimately, the goal is for participants to successfully find and keep a job that can support their needs.

The Workforce Development Program currently has four slots available for county residents aged 18 and older to participate in a paid three-week exploration program at the Penn College of Technology Clean Energy Center beginning on June 10, 2024. Abbott was happy to announce that recruitment has begun for the first cohort, “Building Green Futures: Career Exploration.”

“The idea is that it’s two weeks in the classroom at Penn College, with all expenses and everything taken care of, and then they have one week of experience in the field,” Abbott explained. The hope for the program is that the participants will be hired by the individuals they work with in the field. “This is a really great way to get in with the school and understand what it’s like to be working in those technical training centers,” Abbott said.

Last, Abbott mentioned the 2024 Community Needs Assessment. This survey helps county and government agencies better understand the needs in our community to leverage funding opportunities where those needs lie. Due to a lack of participation, the deadline to complete the survey has been extended to May 1. To complete the survey, visit STEPcorp.org or www.stepcorp.org/cna/community-needs-assessment.

A request to apply for grant funding for the Clinton County Women’s Center, Inc. (Roads to Peace) will be voted on at the commissioners’ voting session this Thursday, May 4. Executive Director Leah Borow addressed the commissioners during the meeting to discuss the funding the organization is seeking, which will be used to provide legal services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as to support coordinated efforts between law enforcement, victim services, and other community organizations as they assist survivors in navigating legal proceedings.

County officials are seeking a countywide wireless system refresh to provide better Wi-Fi service for staff members and guests while they’re in county buildings. The plan is to replace all access points, building by building, with new equipment that will improve connectivity, security, and support. The wireless refresh is necessary due to increasing maintenance costs and the need to upgrade the currently used Cisco access points.

The Clinton County Probation Department also requested grant funding, which commissioners will vote on Thursday morning. The annual grant funding request is for $115,000.00, with $69,000.00 allocated to paying salaries and $46,000.00 to go towards the department’s SCRAM alcohol and location monitoring system.

Also to be voted on during Thursday’s Voting Session is a resolution to change the Articles of Incorporation for the Clinton County Sewer Authority as it pertains to its current members. The Sewer Authority currently has nine members, and the resolution would change two of them. It would make the Wayne Township Landfill a Member at Large and would remove Allison Township as a member, as requested by the township supervisors. Allison Township’s spot on the authority would go to a county representative appointed by the commissioners. The county will get a spot because of the substantial investment made in the sewer authority’s infrastructure in recent projects.

The last to present during Monday’s meeting was Clinton County Grants Administrator Kari Kepler, who made a request to modify funding for the Brewery Hollow ATV Connector Trail project. In 2022, the ATV trail project was awarded $1.2M; however, DCNR canceled the project due to the opening of Route 120 to connect the trail. Officials are now working with Central Mountain ATV to come up with an alternate use for the project’s funding. Suggestions that were discussed included moving the project to a different location in the Renovo area. Kepler plans to discuss this with DCNR to see if any of the alternative project ideas, such as relocation, are viable options. On Thursday, the commissioners will vote to approve the modification to the project and its funding.

The commissioners will hold their voting session on Thursday, May 4, at 10:00 a.m. The meeting can be attended in person in the second-floor conference room of the Piper Building located at 2 Piper Way, Lock Haven. The meeting is also live-streamed through the county’s Facebook page; search Facebook for “Clinton County Government”.