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The Lycoming County commissioners approved two grant applications totaling $750,000, aimed at helping with the cost of purchasing a property at 3341 Wahoo Drive and creating a new facility for the Lycoming County coroner.
The building, which is being purchased for $302,000 from the Pennsylvania College of Technology, had been used for automotive instruction.
"It's going to take a lot to change it into a forensic center," said Kate Kiessling, chief deputy coroner, in making the request for approval from the commissioners to pursue the grants.
The 2023 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program through the Department of Justice is in the amount of $500,000, and a second grant, through the The First Community Foundation Partnership Williamsport Lycoming Cycle grant, is in the amount of $250,000.
The grant funds would be used for improving local forensic services, helping to eliminate backlog, workforce improvement and incorporating emerging technologies as well as offsetting staffing costs. Some of the grant funds would go toward the purchase of the facility.
"Throughout this entire journey from the get-go, we had every intention of applying for grants, but to apply for these grants, we had to have a secure building," Kiessling said.
The county also had secured bond financing for the project, which, according to county coroner Chuck Kiessling, who was also at the meeting, could cost upward of $4 million.
"So, even if we get grants and bond funds, there is still going to be a significant outlay," Chuck Kiessling said. "We're still dealing with the inflated costs from COVID, so $4 million may be on the low side of where we're at."
Commissioner Rick Mirabito pointed out that the public has to understand that there are regulations that need to be followed to build a forensic facility that can increase costs.
"It's not like we can just buy a garage and throw a cooler in and boom. There's ventilation, there's all sorts of legal requirements as well as safety requirements that we need to meet -- environmental, too," Mirabito said.
Once closing on the building takes place, Chuck Kiessling indicated that the garage area at the site will be cleared out, and the coroner's trucks and trailers can be moved in.
When asked by commissioner Tony Mussare about a timeline, Chuck Kiessling said that the architect is projecting 12 months of construction depending on when everything, such as the acquisition of materials, falls into place.
"We're probably looking at a year and a half if we can get things going, but we have a lot of work to get done," Chuck said.
In other business, the commissioners approved a services agreement with Manpower; the 2023 Liquid Fuels Municipal Allocations in the amount of $155,500 (this is in addition to state funds); an amendment to an agreement with Professional Petroleum Service Company for the landfill; and an agreement with the University of Cincinnati Research Institute.
Personnel items approved were Bobbi Jo Swisher, full-time replacement, procurement and grant officer in Procurement, $41,203; Lisa Ames, full-time replacement administrative specialist in Procurement, $19.24 per hour; Tayllor Budman, full-time replacement, equipment operator in Resource Management Services, $18.18 per hour; Timothy Marsh, full-time replacement, custodial worker in Facilities Management, $13.28 per hour; Max Motko, full-time replacement, maintenance III -- HVAC in Facilities Management, $28.56 per hour; Sharif Mercer, part-time replacement, correctional office I, $20 per hour at the prison; Cole Peterson, full-time replacement, correctional officer I at the prison, $20 per hour; and Kennedie Bahr, full-time replacement, adult probation officer in Adult Probation, $20.10 per hour.
The next commissioners meeting will be at 10 a.m., June 1 in the commissioners board room, first floor Executive Plaza, 330 Pine St.