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Several changes to polling sites were approved by the Board of Elections this week. Some of the changes mark a return to a former site while others should be noted as new places for voters to cast their ballots. All will be in effect for the November election.
Most of the polling place changes are related to accessibility issues, according to Forrest Lehman, director of Voter Services. The county had reached a settlement with the Department of Justice to correct those issues in order to make the county's polling places compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"We've been very busy over the summer with Tony Visco's office. Initially it was just surveying sites but obviously we have 30 facilities out for construction now with our first contract," Lehman told the board which is composed of Lycoming County Commissioners Scott Metzger, Marc Sortman and Mark Mussina.
"We've been looking at the next batch of sites and in the course of looking at 60 sites now, there's been a number of cases where we've just had to plan to make some changes," Lehman said.
A long term change to move the polling place for Anthony Township to Anthony Baptist Church, 4750 Quenshukeny Road was approved. According to Lehman, the move was necessary because the current polling place at the township building would have been difficult to bring into compliance due to the terrain outside the building which would have made placing a van accessible parking space difficult.
"Anthony Baptist Church is right up the road, only about a mile, and they have a classroom building right next to it, where it's nice and flat. We can work with that site to get a van accessible space in there," Lehman said.
Wards 3 and 4 in the Jersey Shore Borough will now vote at the Mountain View Alliance Church, 1515 Cemetery Street, following approval by the Board of Elections.
The Third Ward had voted at the Jersey Shore Area School District Administration Building, while voters in the Fourth Ward had used the borough building for a few elections, due to accessibility considerations.
Although the district had been amicable about offering space at the administration building, Lehman pointed out that his office has been looking for an alternative to using school buildings.
"Mountain View Alliance, fortunately, is located very near to the third and fourth wards. It's actually a better location for those wards," he said.
"We'll have to make some accessibility improvements, but we were going to have to do that at the other facilities anyway, and this is a case where we're getting a two for one," Lehman added.
Other polling place changes approved were: Limestone Township voters will now vote at Nippenose Valley Village, 7190 Route 44 South; Old Lycoming Precinct 1 will cast their ballots at Hillview Baptist, 40 Hillview Avenue, which is off Grimesville Road, while Old Lycoming Township Precinct 2 voters will go to the Old Lycoming Township Building, 1951 Green Avenue.
Two changes represent a return to former sites. The first is Loyalsock Township Precinct 7 which will again be located at Greenview Alliance, 1955 Warrensville Road and voters in Williamsport Ward 3 will return to the William Hepburn Apartments, 400 Lycoming St. to cast their ballots.