Sheshequin Township Supervisors Host County Commissioners

Bradford County commissioners (top, foreground from left) Doug McLinko, Daryl Miller, and Ed Bustin tour the Sheshequin Township building with (back, from left) township supervisors Les Wanck and Kurt Lafy, past supervisor Eric Matthews, and county public safety director Jeff Scarboro. Above, the commissioners conduct a regular monthly meeting with chief clerk Michelle Shedden (left) in the building’s conference room.

Photos and Story by Rick Hiduk

The new Sheshequin Township building on North Middle Road provided just enough space for a meeting of the Bradford County Commissioners on Thursday. While the conference room wasn’t generally designed for such large gatherings, Sheshequin Township officials were proud to see the room at standing-room-only capacity.

The impetus for constructing a new township building was the need for an emergency shelter in times of crisis, according to supervisor Kurt Lafy, who provided a tour for the commissioners and Bradford County public safety director Jeff Scarboro after the commissioners meeting was over.

With so many of its residents in low-lying, flood prone areas, he explained, the idea of providing a refuge for them where they could take a hot shower, cook a simple meal, and recharge their phones seemed a fitting use for impact fee (Act 13) funds.

The project was initially bid at $1.2 million, but the supervisors broke down and solicited new bids for the various components. The final cost was closer to $900,000, according to Lafy, who was also joined on the tour by fellow supervisor Les Wanck and former supervisor Eric Matthews.

The conference room is separated from a large, four-bay garage by the galley kitchen and shower room. Parallel to that concourse are utility rooms to the rear and offices at the front for township roadmaster and supervisor John Smith and the township secretary.

The garage features heated floors which thaw snow and ice on vehicles brought in for maintenance. Lafy related that there are still some bugs to work out in that there is an imbalance in both humidity and heat control. Building codes mandate exhaust fans be in operation whenever people are present in the garage, but the units installed are pulling too much heat out of the building, he noted.

At the far end of the building is another large garage, approximately two thirds the size of the main garage, but with only one door. Lafy referred to the unheated space as “cold storage.” Inside are stored as many large pieces of equipment as possible to keep them out of the elements.

Photo by Laura Hewitt

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