Lycoming County commissioners say a ‘bittersweet’ goodbye to Executive Plaza
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It was a "bittersweet" day, according to Lycoming County Commissioner Scott Metzger, as the commissioners held their final meeting in their board room at Executive Plaza. Beginning on July 11, the commissioners' meeting will be held in their new site on the third floor of Third Street Plaza (TSP).
The move has been in the works since Horizon Federal Credit Union purchased the Pine Street building last year.
The consolidation of county offices into one building was prompted, Metzger said, by people complaining that the county owned a lot of unused real estate.
"They were being heated and air conditioned and there's just nobody in them," he said.
The instances of office space being rented decreased in part due to the fact that more people were working remotely, he explained.
"So, it was harder to rent. We were able to sell this building and we put it back on the tax rolls," he said.
"At the same time we're moving into a location which is more conducive to the customer. They come to one floor and everything is on one floor, or the floor below them. It's more efficient that way," Metzger said.
Also moving to TSP is the Joinder, which will occupy the fourth floor beginning July 22.
Some of the money saved from not having to pay rent at the Sharwell building will be used to pay rent at TSP, which in turn will pay down the building. Extra money that they save in rent will go toward mental health services, "which is a crucial need today," Metzger said.
"We feel these are all good moves. We're not done yet. We'll continue to make this more efficient," he added.
One of the items the commissioners approved on their last day at the Executive Plaza boardroom pertained to the greater Williamsport area levee system $3.5 million designated funds.
The vote taken by the commissioners was to approve the grant match letter of commitment for $741,653 for work on the levee system. The grant award was for the non-federal sponsor for the levee.
The award was made to the city for the greater Williamsport Area levee system, which also includes South Williamsport's levee.
"The $3.5 million is being split between the city projects and the South Williamsport projects. The two items that the county is involved with right now are the cross pipes in South Williamsport, which we helped South Williamsport get a $500,000 grant. The cost of that project is estimated about $1.4 (million) so we have $500,000 towards that, and there was going to be the match of the additional monies for that," said Shannon Rossman, director of the county's Planning and Community Development Department.
"Then the other part of the project we're working with South Williamsport and the city currently on are the relief wells...it was very difficult, because of the age of the relief wells, to get somebody to replace in kind, nobody really wanted to touch them, and they were making bids that were significantly like, four times as much as originally thought. So what we're doing is redesigning those relief wells," Rossman explained.
Currently the county has a contract with an engineering firm for $1.9 million for that contract so that the grant match approved by the commissioner would help to recover some of the costs of that, Rossman said.
"So out of the combined total of a little more than $3 million for those projects, we will have $500,000 coming from the grant. And then we'll have the match of $741,006," she said.
The county's match will come from its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Metzger noted that the previous Board of Commissioners had designated $4 million in ARPA funds for the levee project and that the county has already given $1 million.
"We're heavily invested in this as the county. We understand that the number one economic concern for Williamsport is the levee system, and we need everyone to pay attention to that," Metzger said.
"If something goes wrong with it, 80% of our tax revenue is behind that," he added.
The commissioners approved the following purchases for the Resource Management Services Department: a Carlson VX7 antenna in the amount of $14,945 for the GPS in the compactors; a Signet Flowmeter replacement for $13,695 to monitor the flow of liquids at the landfill; a roll-up door framed opening for the new weld shop for $20,787; and the purchase of a pipe for the gas system costing $26,890.
Other agenda items given the okay by the board were: a three-year agreement with Keystone Communications for $73,680, $77,364 and $81,232 for an in-house communications' technician; a maintenance contract with United Power System in the amount of $14,740; agreements with Jefferson County and George Junior Republic of Pennsylvania, for juvenile detention services; an agreement with Keystone Communication for $39,950 for the new microwave contract to be split over a three year period; an amendment to an agreement with CDWG in the amount of $142,117; an agreement with Barton Loguidice in the amount of $21,000 relating to the regional solid waste plan; an extension of the county's contract with Fred Hamm; a subrecipient monitoring agreement with River Valley Transit Authority; an agreement with Financial Solution Partner in the amount of $56,325 to come out of the profits from the White Deer Golf Course over a four year period for for the purchase of a tractor; an agreement with Luminaire Health Benefits; and the payment of an individual agreement for Conservation Agriculture Policy cover crops in the amount of $49,411 for 16 farms.
The commissioners also approved the following appointments to the newly-created County Farm Advisory Committee for a four-year period: Brett Bowes, planning commission; Tom Hamm, conservation district board; and Beth Miller, Cameron Koons and Brett Taylor, members at large.
The next meeting of the Board of Commissioners will be at 10 a.m. July 11, at the Third Street Plaza, third floor, 33 W. Third St. An open house will follow at 11:30 a.m.