Wyoming County Commissioners (seated, from left) Judy Mead, Tom Henry and Ron Williams, proclaimed April 8 to 14 National Public Safety Telecommunications Week with help from 911 dispatchers (back, from left) Mardi Moore, Terry Anderson, and Lloyd Burton, 911 director Jeff Porter and deputy director Frank Miller.
Photos and Story by Rick Hiduk
(Also published in the Rocket-Courier)
Wyoming County has made advancements in emergency-related telecommunications that other counties are looking to as models, the commissioners reported at their April 3 meeting. Wyoming County 911 director Jeff Porter and deputy director Frank Miller brought three telecommunicators with them to the courthouse Tuesday morning for a proclamation by the commissioners of April 8 to 14 as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.
“I don’t think most people realize how far ahead of other counties we are,” Commissioner Judy Mead said, noting that Porter and his associates attend conventions and other events to share with participants information about the programs and systems that have been implemented here in recent years.
“When the general public calls in for help, this is the first line of defense for them,” said commissioner Ron Williams, gesturing to the crew.
Commissioner Tom Henry echoed the pride the other board members expressed about the 911 staff and read the proclamation aloud, calling public safety dispatchers “the first and most critical contact our citizens have with emergency services,” serving as a “vital link for our police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel.”
Porter in turn thanked the commissioners for their support and wise use of impact fee money to continually fund new programs, including a new app for reporting active shootings at an institution or place of business with one touch on a cell phone. The program not only alerts the 911 center but all others in a building using the system. The Tunkhannock School District has seen a demonstration and will next be invited to the county emergency operations center to see what it looks like from the dispatchers’ perspectives.
County’s Opioid Crisis Efforts Recognized
Henry and county EMA director Gene Dziak attended Gov. Tom Wolf’s Opioid Disaster Stakeholder Overview at the new PEMA building in Harrisburg on March 28.
“They were impressed at how we work as a team to make sure that everyone has Narcan and other things that we do in the county,” Henry said of their reception by the state’s task force. “There are a lot of big counties there, like Dauphin County, who don’t know how to get naloxone.”
“They’re kind of looking at Wyoming County as the ‘poster child’ for what can be done,” added Dziak, who was asked to compile a detailed outline of the county’s efforts that can serve as a template in other parts of the Commonwealth.
Nonetheless, Henry noted, the statistics shared at the meeting were sobering. There are an average of 13 overdose deaths per day in Pennsylvania and more deaths per year blamed on overdoses than automobile accidents. Equally disturbing, he continued, are the growing number of newborns born with addictions.
Williams, who has served 24 years with the Statewide Adoption Network, related that the number of babies abandoned by mothers with substance use disorders is also staggering.
Henry was impressed though by the variety of agencies and levels of government officials who participated in the meeting and expressed hope that everyone can work together to achieve a measurable decrease in all the problems associated with substance abuse and overdoses.
Career Links for Inmates Discussed
The county is simultaneously looking into grants to bring re-entry programs directly into the prison and ways to get those who have committed crimes back into the workforce faster upon their release with the help of Trehab. The commissioners approved a measure to have PathStone act on behalf of the county to apply for grants that range from several thousand to $150,000 each for such programs. The commissioners will soon meet with representatives from Step-Up, just one example of re-entry programs that members of the county’s prison board hope will help reduce recidivism.
Libraries Recognized
Directors from four of the six Wyoming County public libraries were in attendance for the reading of a proclamation acknowledging April 8 to 14 as National Library Week, calling libraries “trusted and treasured institutions” the workers and librarians of which “fuel efforts to better their communities, campuses and schools.”
The Laceyville Public Library, represented by June Lybolt, recently held an open house to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Lybolt noted that soup sales have been held one per month as a fundraiser during the winter. There are also craft classes held at the facility, which is located on Main Street between the bank and funeral home.
Factoryville Public Library director Elena O’Connor reported a successful book sale recently, as well as meet-the-author events and a visit from a glass blower. The library’s first Paint ’n’ Sip Night, which quickly sold out, was a great way to bring people into the facility for the first time, she said.
Tunkhannock Public Library director Kristen Smith-Gary was excited about the upcoming, second annual Books & Brews festival, which will be held at Lazy Brook Park on Saturday, May 12. The event will feature food, live music, and sampling of locally brewed beverages.
Williams cited all of the events cited by the library directors as proof that there are plenty of things to do in the area, and that libraries are great catalysts to community growth. (See photo below)
Board Position Filled Without Commissioner Input
The commissioners were apologetic to Jeff Zimmerman, who has attended their meetings for months, seeking an interview with the Wyoming County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (H&RA) in hopes of filling a vacant board position. Henry had stated on several occasions that he had submitted Zimmerman’s name and made attempts via phone and email to elicit a response from the authority to no avail.
“Despite all those phone calls, I received a two-sentence letter,” Henry said, holding correspondence dated March 19 from H&RA director Danielle Powell asking the board to approve John Maglaviti of Lake Winola as the new board member. Henry said that he further looked into past practices between the commissioners and the self-governing HR&A and, “In every case, they made the recommendation,” he noted.
Zimmerman was disappointed not only in the process but in the lack of transparency concerning the agency, noting that the HR&A website doesn’t even list the board members nor meeting dates. By contrast, he commended the Wyoming County Planning Commission for having a very concise website that provides everything one would want to know about an agency making such important decisions.
Williams said that the primary difference is that the HR&A answers to the state, if anyone. Nonetheless, Williams pointed out that Manglaviti is highly qualified for the post.
Voter Redistricting Addressed
Zimmerman did, however, thank the commissioners for their support of State Bill 22, which addressed gerrymandering and motivated the recent changes in representatives districts in Pennsylvania. Zimmerman recently attended an anti-gerrymandering convention at which Wyoming County was mentioned as one of 13 that had signed the resolution.
Sen. Lisa Baker attended the convention as well, Zimmerman noted, which he felt was in some part due to the commissioners’ support. She seemed especially concerned, he suggested, in making sure that rural counties are properly represented.
A rally in support of fair and equal districts will be held in Harrisburg on April 16, with bus seats available from Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Interested readers can log on to www.fairdistrictspa.com for more information.
National Library Week was marked by the Wyoming County Commissioners and public library directors (back, from left) Charlotte Hopfer (Noxen), June Lybolt (Laceyville), Kristen Smith-Gary (Tunkhannock) and Elena O’Connor (Factoryville). Representatives from the Meshoppen and Mehoopany libraries were unable to attend the meeting.