The Lycoming County commissioners addressed some of the public’s negative response to the announcement of the concert at the Brandon Park Bandshell celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary, especially those claiming that it was a poor substitute for the fireworks display which was cancelled in Williamsport.

Speaking to comments he had seen online, Commissioner Mark Mussina pointed out that there had been multiple meetings, beginning last year to discuss having a concert to commemorate the event.

“These were all discussions that they had been having for a long time,” Mussina said.

“I just don’t want any negativity towards this program that’s going on, because it should be a great thing for local musicians and for the area, and for the students that are involved and kind of the revitalization of the band shell,” he said.

He noted that originally it was discussed having it on the Fourth of July, but it was decided to have it during Homemade Days on June 27.

“I just don’t want anyone to think that this was a throw together after the fireworks debate that came and went…this has been a long, long time in the process,” Mussina said.

Commissioner Scott Metzger concurred with Mussina.

“This wasn’t something to substitute for the fireworks. This was to be in addition to the fireworks. And what the city was planning on doing originally,”Metzger said.

“Those meetings had taken place, you know, a long time ago, and had been every couple months up to then. Because you don’t plan something like that overnight,” Metzger added.

It was announced at a meeting last week that several local musicians, including the Repasz Band and the Williamsport Pops will be performing a concert at the Band Shell to mark the nation’s anniversary.

Under personnel, the board approved filling the following positions at the rates of pay listed: Aleyah Bathurst, full-time resident supervisor, at the Pre-Release Center, a union position,

$20.70 per hour; Ryan Long,full-time correctional officer at the Prison, a union position, $21.50 per hour; and Timothy DeHart, full-time lead equipment operator at Resource Management, $23.45 per hour.

Other actions taken by the commissioners included approving the following: a notification of customer intent for the PPL application moving forward to get two generators at the landfill up and running; an invoice for Cleveland Brothers in the amount of $32,639.80 for work being done on a dozer at the landfill to be paid out of capital expenses; an agreement with Dinges, Dinges & Waltz, LLC in the amount of $45,000 to be paid out of general funds for services for the Juvenile Probation Office; an agreement with Central Counties Youth Center for secure detention for Juvenile Probation to be paid out of operating expenses; an amendment to the Grant with the Department of Health, extending it to June 2027; a letter of engagement with Baker Tilly for a grant audit for fiscal year 2025-26; an agreement with Magnet Forensics in the amount of $13,345 for forensic software in the District Attorney’s Office to be paid out of operating expenses; an agreement with Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc. DBA Scram Systems acknowledging they had bought out PharmChem; an agreement with Robert Meacham to do competency and mental health evaluations to be paid out of operating expenses; and

a letter of engagement with McNerney, Page, Vanderlin & Hall for upcoming union negotiations to be paid from operating expenses.

The next commissioners meeting will be at 10 a.m., May 14 in the Commissioners’ Board Room, 3rd floor, Third Street Plaza, 33 W. Third St.