At a Wyoming County Commissioners meeting on Sept. 9, commissioners praised state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., and state Rep. Tina Pickett, R-110, Wysox, after they recently announced $200,000 in state funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Municipal Relief Program for upgrades to Wyoming County’s 911 system.
According to Commissioner Chairman Rick Wilbur, the money will be used to replace aging radio transmitters, constructing a new mini-tower in Noxen Twp. to improve coverage in that area, as well as various equipment upgrades on towers throughout the county.
Wilbur said that without this money coming from the state, these upgrades and repairs would have had to come out of the county’s general fund as the repairs are necessary for safety reasons.
“We (commissioners) can’t thank Lisa and Tina enough for securing this for the county,” Wilbur said. “These safety improvements are absolutely vital for the safety our residents, and it’s great to see someone fighting for us at the state level.”
Baker serves on the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee in the Pennsylvania State Senate, and Wilbur serves on the same committee for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. He is hoping with county representation on both of those committees will mean more funding in the future as the EMS crisis continues to cripple rural areas such as Wyoming County.
In other business, the county voted to concur with Falls Twp. that the county take on administrative responsibilities for subdivisions and land development in the township starting on Dec. 31. According to Wilbur, the county already has this responsibility for several municipalities, so it is not adding that much of a workload.
Commissioners also announced that the Live Scan system at the Wyoming County Jail is now fully operational. Incoming prisoners can now be processed at the jail 24/7 rather than at the courthouse. Booking prisoners during courthouse off-hours had become problematic for law enforcement officials, so they are hoping Live Scan fixes this problem.
Also, commissioners approved the resignations of: Maureen Hite as a 911 dispatcher trainee; and Adriana Simon as adult probation officer/drug treatment court case manager.
They also signed a proclamation declaring Sept. 14-20 as National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.
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