911 Director Gets Drone License – Wyoming County to Receive CYS Award

Wyoming County Housing & Redevelopment Authority grants administrator Lisa Hahn and EMA director Gene Dziak (top, left) address the Wyoming County Commissioners about available CBDG funds, flood buyouts, and bridge repair.

Photos and story by Rick Hiduk

(Also published in the Rocket-Courier)

Wyoming County 911 director Jeff Porter recently completed an exhaustive course for commercial drone pilots and garnered his FAA certification. He took the course at DARTdrones in Jessup with Factoryville fire chief Kevin Howard, then passed his flight test on the first try at the Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort. Howard has yet to take his flight test.

It was way more intense than I ever thought it could be,” Porter said of the program. The course is similar to flight courses offered for commercial pilots, he noted, including the need to understand a lot of aeronautical and weather information.

Anyone can purchase and operate a drone, of course, but the FAA restricts the private use of small unmanned aircraft (SUA). They can be flown no higher than 400 feet, no more than 30 minutes before sunrise or after sunset, no faster than 100 mph, and the drone cannot leave the operator’s field of vision.

Porter’s certification allows him to operate a drone beyond those boundaries. When the need arises, he can communicate with an air traffic controller and utilize controlled air space to assist in aerial surveillance of dangerous situations like fires and flood and in search and rescue operations.

I think it’s neat that we can say we have our own drone pilot,” said commissioner Tom Henry at Tuesday morning’s meeting. “We’re very proud of Jeff.”

The drone was purchased with a grant by the district attorney’s office and will be stored in the county’s new emergency operations vehicle for which Henry promised an official unveiling soon.

While Porter had the attention of the commissioners, he asked for and was granted approval of the promotion of Michael Ronca to the position of Telecommunicator 1 as per the completion of his training program.

State Agency Recognizes County’s CYS Progress

Commissioner Ron Williams participated in the Oct. 16 meeting via conference call and was pleased to announce that Wyoming County has been selected by the PA State Resource Family Association (PSRFA), which provides support for foster care, to win the Outstanding Child & Youth Services Award for the state.

Williams has sat on the PSRFA board for many years and related that Wyoming County has never before been considered for the honor. He and his fellow commissioners credited the work that county human services director Mike Donahue and his assistant, Howard Heise, have performed in recent years for grabbing the attention of the agency.

PSRFA will host its 42nd annual convention in Hershey this weekend, and Donahue and Heise will be there to receive the award on Friday night. Henry noted that he will ask them to attend a future commissioners meeting to share their experiences.

EMA Reports on Bridge Repair and Flood Buyouts

County EMA director Gene Dziak told the commissioners that repairs to the Catlin Hollow bridge over the Mehoopany Creek in North Branch Township were more complicated than expected, but that the job was finished in less than a month. The commissioners approved the use of Act 13 funds for the $236,000 fix but hope to recoup some of that cost after the county gets a presidential disaster declaration for the August flash flooding.

On that note, Dziak said that he is confident that the county will get its declaration, though he is unsure about funds for personal loss. The process has been slow, he added, but has nothing to do with larger, more recent disasters such as hurricanes in the southern United States.

Dziak also provided an update on the flood buyouts in Meshoppen, noting that Wyoming County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (H&RA) grants administrator Lisa Hahn has submitted the paperwork for advancement on 10 of 13 properties. Buyouts on three of the properties are still pending, he explained, but the county chose to go full-steam ahead on the first 10 to get the process underway.

CBDG Grants Available Through H&RA

The regular commissioner meeting was paused for Hahn to hold an official public meeting announcing the relatively small window of opportunity for municipalities, organizations and agencies to apply for CBDG (Community Block Development Grant) funding for projects that will primarily benefit low- to -moderate-income residents or communities.

The $235,412 that will be allocated to the county by the state is up slightly from last year, and Hahn explained that the DCED (Department of Community & Economic Development) would like to limit the number of projects by taking no applications for grants less than $10,000. Applications are available through the H&RA and are due by Oct. 29.

Though the funds are available every year, the two weeks during which applications are accepted tends to catch the very municipalities and organizations off guard that would most benefit from the funding. No applications were submitted on time in 2017, which allowed the H&RA to mark all of the available $222,069 for housing rehab. The program also runs a year behind. The commissioners signed the paperwork on Tuesday for use of the 2017 allocation.

Hahn noted that three municipalities in Wyoming County are considered by the DCED to be low- to moderate-income: Nicholson, Meshoppen, and Meshoppen Township. She also cited fire and safety equipment as being eligible for grants.

In the past, Trehab secured DCED funds to offer dental care for eligible clients, which was very well-received by the community. Williams asked why the dental program had ceased. Hahn explained that the DCED usually has a three-year limit on funding of specific programs, and Trehab had actually run their program longer than that. Nonetheless, she suggested that the agency would probably be eligible again if an application was submitted in time.

Other Topics Addressed

Wyoming County planner Lynnelle Farber attended the meeting for the opportunity to address rumors that properties in Wyoming County cannot be subdivided. She has fielded several calls from residents and realtors lately and wanted to set the matter straight. Henry indicated that he too was hearing the rumors. Properties can in fact be subdivided, so long as the process is completed in accordance with county ordinances.

Lemon Township resident JoAnna DeRemer attended the meeting to talk to the commissioners about a homeless man who she had encountered in Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park. She posted a photo of him on Facebook and soon had 25 comments from people suggesting shelter options and agencies that might be of assistance.

Henry responded that he was aware of the man, who had apparently told some people that he had been evicted from his apartment complex because he could not pay his rent. Henry had talked with the building managers, who told him that they would never have put him out in the cold. Henry said that local police have talked with the man and that he told them he had left the apartment on his own because he did not have the money for rent.

Deremer asked if there is a homeless shelter in the area and was informed that there is not, but local residents and organizations have come together in the past to help people in his situation, including putting them up temporarily in hotel rooms. Unfortunately, at present, the man does not seem to want anyone to help him.

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