County plans to demo part of Chenango St. property

BY STACI WILSON

Plans for the Chenango St., Montrose property purchased by the county commissioners for $192,000 at auction nearly two years ago are moving forward.

At the Apr. 13 meeting, Commissioner MaryAnn Warren said work on the building will occur in two phases.

Phase 1, Warren said, will include the demolition of the back part of the home. She said the foundation on that part of the home, which was constructed as an addition to the main part of the structure, could not be repaired.

The county has advertised for bids which are due in the courthouse by Apr. 29.

The bids will be opened for review at the May 11 commissioners’ meeting.

The second phase of construction will involve preparing the remaining front part of the home for offices.

Warren said the commissioners still do not know what county offices will be moved to the Chenango St. location.

The commissioners are also requesting PennDOT to pave the parking area at the new building as part of an agility agreement with the county.

A cut in state funding has led to the elimination of a position that supports the administration of the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension and Education Program, effective May 25.

The program was administered jointly through Children and Youth and Penn State Cooperative Extension in Susquehanna County.

The commissioners extended by 10 years, a lease with Claverack Rural Electric Company for 1.01 acres in Apolacon Twp. for $1 per year, to keep emergency communication equipment and facilities on the Claverack Tower.

NEPA Community Health Care, Hallstead, entered into a two-year lease agreement with the county for space in the Warner Building to house the WIC offices. The lease is payable to the county in $889 monthly installments.

The tax claim bureau was exonerated from collecting delinquent taxes on a trailer in the name of Anthony Hibbard which had been located on the John Shaskas property in Jessup Twp. The trailer was exonerated from the assessment rolls in March as gone. Total taxes exonerated were $3,245.49.

An trailer on the tax claim bureau’s repository list in the name of Lona and Mark Smith, and located in the Oakland Trailer Park, was exonerated from the tax rolls by assessment in March as unlivable. The commissioners voted to remove the trailer from the repository list.

The county entered into a $42,000 three-year contract with MCM Consulting Group to provide services for 911 and wireless planning, as well as include Voice of Internet Protocol in the planning and review process. The county will receive about 60 percent reimbursement from wireless funding.

Andy Auklakh, Gregg Confer, Sandy Conklin, Tom Follert, Kim Ross and Michele Suchnick were reappointed to serve on the tourism committee for a one-year term, beginning May 8.

Apr. 22 was proclaimed County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania Day in honor of CCAP’s 125th anniversary.