Commissioners Kick Off New Year in Bradford County

Photos and Story by Rick Hiduk

Bradford County Commissioners (above, from right) Ed Bustin, Daryl Miller, and Doug McLinko and Chief Clerk Michelle Shedden presided over the first public meeting of the new year at the courthouse in Towanda on Thursday.

The Bradford County Commissioners began 2017 on much the same note they struck at their final meeting of 2016 – concurring that courthouse staff and current elected officials are enjoying a harmonious stretch despite the daily challenges of conducting county business. A number of elected officials on hand representing various departments on Jan. 12 agreed.

I can assure you that these people get out of bed every morning wanting to make Bradford County better,” Commissioner Doug McLinko remarked.

Everybody works very well together,” said Commissioner Daryl Miller. “The tax payers are well-served.”

The number of elected officials packed into the board room included Treasurer Becky Clark, Auditor Matthew Allen, Sheriff C.J. Walters, Register and Recorder Shirley Rockefeller, and new Prothonotary Dawn Close.

Each in turn agreed that, compared to their contemporaries in other counties whom they meet at regional and state-wide gatherings, the infighting they hear about elsewhere is pretty much nonexistent in Bradford County. For their part, Rockefeller extolled the commissioners.

I’ve worked with a lot of commissioners, and I think this is the best board I’ve ever worked with,” she stated.

McLinko also took time to commend the press core for their dedication and fair reporting of county government. Those in attendance included James Lowenstein of the Daily Review, Rick Hiduk of Endless Mountains Media Services, Johnny Williams of the Sayre Morning Times, and Rocket-Courier publisher David Keeler, who was sitting in for regular reporter Cain Chamberlain.

We are so fortunate to have so many news outlets in Bradford County,” said McLinko, who included local radio stations in the mix. People outside the area are surprised, he added, when he tells them about the quantity and quality of coverage given to the county. “When we get it right, you say so. When we get it wrong, you say so, and we fix it.”

The back patting and accolades were part of an otherwise perfunctory meeting that included the approval of salaries for all county employees, updating annual agreements and contracts, and several board appointments.

Mary Neiley, Glen Aikens, and Donald Murray, for example, were reappointed to the Bradford County Planning Commission; Jen Malhorn was appointed to the Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority Board; and Miller was reappointed as the the commissioners representative on the Bradford County Conservation District Board.

Under new business, the commissioners agreed to work with the Central Bradford Progress Authority to assess the viability of the former Ingersoll Rand plant in Athens in an effort to find new uses for the iconic structure.

According to Commissioner Ed Bustin, only about 30 percent of the available space is being utilized, with an operating machine shop under the roof and Dandy Mini Marts using part of the building as temporary headquarters.

Ingersoll Rand had an online auction but didn’t get the interest they needed to sell it,” Bustin noted.

The commissioners approved the drafting of a memorandum of understanding for funding of engineering and mapping services necessary to complete the assessment.

In other news, authority was granted to Bradford County EMA director Robert Barnes to work with DEP and PEMA on behalf of the county to secure funding for repairs to Laquin Road and several bridges owned by the county that were damaged by flash flooding along Schrader Creek in October 2016. “This will make it a little quicker to get things done,” Bustin related.

Visiting the commissioners was Michael Cipilewski, a regional Salvation Army manager stationed in Waymart. He was on hand to commend Bradford County Red Kettle Campaign coordinators for an exceptional year that netted the Salvation Army more than $62,400.

This would not be possible without volunteers in Bradford County,” said Cipilewski (below, left).

He invited Richard Harris (above, right) to share his experience as a longtime coordinator in the Wyalusing area, where $7,347 was collected this year.

When I was first asked to ring a bell by Doug McLinko, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” Harris recalled. Harris was soon asked to step in for an ailing campaign coordinator and immediately found help from local churches and other organizations. Despite achieving a record collection in his first year as coordinator, Harris said, “I knew that this wasn’t about me. It was about the dedication of the volunteers and the generosity of supporters.”

Cipilewski noted that $38,129 was collected in the Towanda area, $5,688 in the Troy area, and $3,202 in the Canton area.

Cipilewski also reported that enrollment would soon begin for a new camp season at Camp Ladore in Wayne County. Wyalusing, Towanda, and Canton area residents with children ages 7 to 13 who would like to attend the five-day session in June may call 570-265-5932. Those closer to Troy may call 570-250-6228.

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