Board Addresses Changes to Day Center Rules, Renewed IDA

The Wyoming County Commissioners (top) cited Keystone Community Resources (above) as just one agency in the county that would be effected by changes proposed by the State’s Office of Developmental Programs.

Photos and Story by Rick Hiduk

On Tuesday, the Wyoming County Commissioners unanimously signed a letter addressed to Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) deputy secretary Nancy Thaler, a former Wyoming County resident. In the letter, the commissioners expressed their concerns over the potential passage of Appendices A through H of the Consolidation and P/FDS Waiver renewal documents released by the ODP on Dec. 3, 2016.

New regulations aimed at day facilities and program providers for persons with disabilities would mandate that those participating in such programs spend 75% of their time in the community rather than in-house participating in workshops. Facilities that cannot comply would lose state funding.

We are going to have families very upset that they cannot attend,” said Commissioner Ron Williams of the proposed changes.

Commissioner Tom Henry cited Keystone Community Services as one such agency that has become vital to residents with disabilities in Wyoming County, helping many to make great strides toward integrating into society.

They put their clients out into the community as much as they can,” added Commissioner Judy Mead.

Many individuals enjoy the time spent in day programs and workshops,” the letter reads. “This is a place where they feel safe, productive and purposeful.”

The commissioners fear that the new rules will impact the employment of individuals who have family members currently enrolled in full-day programs. Disruption of services would also impact the coordination of transportation for such individuals, which is already a challenge in rural areas, they say.

Most importantly, individual choice and family control – both considered keys to the growth and success of individuals with disabilities – would be compromised.

The letter notes that the state of Maine closed workshops and day centers, resulting in negative impacts on persons with disabilities who were no longer able to find employment nor maintain much-needed social contact. The cost to taxpayers for replacing the day centers with home-based services became a burden to taxpayers. “Pennsylvania must not follow this direction,” the letter concludes.

CPR for IDA Could Spur Gas Growth in County

A number of parties continue to seek ways to bring natural gas service to Tunkhannock. UGI would likely get the contract for the installation of a service utility line that would run roughly from the area of Shadowbrook Resort east of town to Tunkhannock Area High School at the west end of the borough.

Commissioner Henry related that the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce is doing the bulk of the work but has asked the commissioners for help in procuring grants.

The Chamber has coordinated with UGI Utilities and other organizations involved with bringing natural gas to Tunkhannock,” WyCCC president Gina Suydam confirmed afterwards. “We are facilitating discussions and working closely with local municipalities to keep the project on track.”

The commissioners are moving forward with a recommendation from the Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development at Wilkes University to revive and restructure the IDA in partnership with the Chamber to facilitate county-wide economic growth initiatives. This will include the appointment and confirmation of directors.

We could apply for the grants,” County Solicitor, Atty. Anthony Litwin III explained. “But we probably wouldn’t get them without the IDA.”

According to Commissioner Williams, the IDA was formed more than four decades ago to monitor the construction of a new road to the Procter & Gamble plant at Mehoopany. When the organization ran out of big projects, the IDA sunk into oblivion. In fact, Commissioner Mead had to embark on a rigorous file search to locate the IDA’s original bylaws and names of board members.

According to Litwin, those who last served on the board are still the legitimate leaders of the Authority until their successors are appointed. The commissioners noted that some of the last board members may be deceased or no longer have an interest in serving on the board, which will require the appointment of new people to those positions. The commissioners hope to meet with the Chamber on Thursday morning to discuss their options.

Planning Commission Board Needs to be Filled

The retirement of two members of the Wyoming County Planning Commission in 2016, plus the fact that one of the members regularly takes leave of the board in the winter to go to Florida means that reaching a quorum for planning commission meetings will be more difficult.

The commissioners nominated and approved the appointment of Ellen Wengen of Lake Winola for one of the positions and noted that they have another person in mind with whom they need to speak again. Wengen is currently vacationing in Europe, so her confirmation will have to wait until a formal interview and her final acceptance of the seat.

Henry noted that he would like to have former Planning Commission board members Walt Derhammer and Marta Kovacs-Ruiz attend the next commissioners meeting on Feb. 24 so that they can be officially recognized for their years of service to the county.

New Hires and Contracts

Union contracts have yet to be ratified, according to Commissioner Henry, but the hiring of several new full-time employees was announced, as well as the retention of a retired employee whose services are still needed.

Lisa Krukowski was hired on Dec. 15, 2016, to fill a vacancy as a domestic relations secretary. Renae Johnson was hired on Jan. 23 as a district justice secretary. Crystal Miller was hired on Jan. 30 as a domestic relations conference officer. The latter position, Atty. Litwin explained, “determines the amount of support between parties” in situations of divorce.

A service contract was approved for Patty Skrynski, who will be retained for no more than 100 hours to aid in the transition of new director of Wyoming County Human Services, Mike Donahue.

Correspondence

The commissioners reported receiving of a letter from Children & Youth Services and the State acknowledging receipt of a $2,000 grant; a letter from the Department of Economic Development questioning an invoice associated with a Community Development Block Grant project that Henry said he signed off on some time ago; and a letter from a county tax collector arguing that the county’s pay rate for tax collectors was unfair.

It was very unpleasant,” Henry said of the letter, noting that the commissioners had officially addressed the matter in December 2016 when they denied a request for an increase in the per-parcel payment while providing a slight increase for supplies.

Ours is one of the highest in Pennsylvania,” Henry said of the figures used in Wyoming County. “The people have voted for us to do a job, and I think we’ve been more than fair.”

In other news, Commissioner Mead related that she recently attended a Penn State Cooperative Extension board meeting and that several districts are being aligned. Wyoming County, which has been part of a district with Luzerne and Lackawanna counties will soon be part of the Northern Tier District, which includes Tioga, Bradford, Susquehanna, and Sullivan counties.

That’s better for us,” said Mead, “because we’re all rural counties.”

The next meeting of the Wyoming County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 9 am at the courthouse in Tunkhannock.

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