Down River

By John Lipez

Over/Under is Ten:
If you’ve been watching Phillies games on tv this season, you’ve had to tolerate the announcers schilling for gambling. It’s all part of the ubiquitous nature of gambling in society these days. Yep, the government found out it could make much, much money by legalizing gambling all across the country.

That wasn’t always the case. There was a day in Clinton County when state police would raid some of our favorite social clubs and confiscate slot machines and games of chance, all to save John Q. Sixpack from the perils of gambling. But the years went by, the public attitude toward gambling changed and government at all levels found out there was a ton of money through passage of sin taxes.

So here we are, watching the Phillies, trying to enjoy the game, only to hear play-by-play man Tom McCarthy talk about placing a bet on how many strikeouts Aaron Nola will get that night or the over-under on the total runs scored in that particular game. You can’t help but feel bad for these announcers. They want to tell what’s happening on the field, not your chance to make a lot of money or, if the odds hold, lose even more.

It’s beyond irritating to baseball purists, but sports is all about money, from youth league travel ball to mega-NCAA conferences with teams stretching from sea-to-sea to betting on how many games the Eagles will win this year on their way to the NFL title.

So you get the point, right?

Which leads to: Lock Haven City Council Monday night was to consider, by a Down River tabulation, at least a fifth choice for a permanent home for the city police department.

The old Heilig-Meyers/Town Tavern site on Bellefonte Avenue? City Hall itself? The Hope-Hose Fire building on E. Church Street? The upper E. Church Street municipal parking lot? And now the old E. Main Street United Methodist Church building?

As council moves through this one, who wants to set up a book and take over-under bets on how many sites the city will consider before if and when it makes a final decision. The bet here is an over-under of six.

A city source says the E. Church Street parking lot will in fact be the ultimate location for new police quarters; that would be, chronologically speaking, choice number four in a continuing series to find a new police home. Let’s hope that source is right.

And the city can do it all over again as it looks for a possible new home for the city manager and remaining staff members still in City Hall. Any bets on how that will go?

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A Nationwide Search:
The process has begun to hire the next superintendent for the Keystone Central School District. Current superintendent Dr. Jacquelyn Martin announced earlier this summer she’ll be retiring at the end of her five-year contract with the district, her departure effective the end of January.

The district at this point is soliciting proposals for a person or firm to be involved in the search process, the ultimate hire to be made by the district school board. Applicants to conduct the search have been told to be prepared for a board interview as soon as sometime next week.

This is heavy stuff, the challenges in this district are many and too many district residents either have a grudge, a petty grievance, or just don’t care. The superintendency is a daunting job, the current superintendent fighting the good fight for the last four and a half years; the next hire will be faced with continuing that fight.

It was interesting to see how the district framed itself in its posting to prospective candidates to carry out the search for a new lead administrator:

Keystone Central School District is the largest geographic district in the state of Pennsylvania, covering municipalities in parts of Clinton, Centre, and Potter Counties. Within our 970.8 square miles, we have 3,720 students in nine schools, our KCSD Virtual Academy, and our KCSD Career and Technical Center. The district is home to a number of state recreational parks in the heart of the Pennsylvania wilds offering the outdoor enthusiast hiking trails, freshwater fishing and camping opportunities. State game lands are available for the hunters. Cultural activities include concerts, theater, and art festivals at the nearby Millbrook Playhouse.

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven Campus, is located within the district, and Lycoming College and Penn State University are in close proximity. Our teachers, administrators, and support staff are working hard to encourage our students to pursue excellence in all that they do; to have ambitious goals for themselves and their future; to look for solutions to problems; and to develop respect for themselves and others in our schools and in our community. We strive to be a truly inclusive school district offering all our students, whatever their level of ability, a great classroom experience, extra-curricular opportunities and a strong support system. Additional information about the District is available on the District’s website.

Looks like a fair rendering of what the district and the area are all about. Down River wishes the search organization and the school board nothing but good luck in their goal of providing the best public school education they can to the young people of our community.