The county commissioners last week approved a $25,000 capital project request to have a layer of shatter-resistant polymer film applied to windows at some locations.
The request came out of a security enhancement self-assessment survey circulated by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, said Brent Durham, county director of facilities management.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY FOLLOWS THROUGH ON PLAN TO RELOCATE MDJ BECKLEY'S OFFICE
Cumberland County commissioners passed motions last week to renovate and lease space in Lemoyne to relocate the office of magisterial district judge Beckley.
The survey results from local offices identified a need for the shatter-resistant window treatment, he told the commissioners.
“AOPC had allocated $19,000 to the county for this year,” Durham said. “We came out with a price of $25,000. We submitted the entire amount to AOPC and they agreed to reimburse [the county] for the full amount.”
OLD JAIL
In related business, the commissioners approved a capital project request tied to the Old Jail on the northwest corner of Bedford and High streets. Until recently, office space at the historic building housed part of the adult probation department.
“This is to prepare the area for the controller’s office to move in,” Durham said. “We will be patching walls, painting, building some countertops, repairing some floor and replacing some ceiling tile.
“The project will also get a technology upgrade,” he said. “They will be installing Wi-Fi to all areas of the building. The total project is estimated at $37,000 with $25,000 of that being the upgrade.”
CUMBERLAND COUNTY AGING OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED NEXT WEEK
The Cumberland County Department of Aging & Community Services will be closed next week to facilitate the move from 1100 Claremont Road to 1615 Ritner Highway.
The commissioners also approved an $84,000 request to replace a 21-year-old chiller used to air-condition the Old Jail.
“As we started the chiller up this year, the second compressor failed,” Durham said. “We installed a temporary compressor, so we do have some cooling down there, but it’s really nothing more than a Band-Aid fix. The problem really is there’s a very long lead time on getting chillers.”
One quote has a replacement chiller arriving in Carlisle for installation within 10 to 12 weeks, Durham said, adding that his department is waiting for a different quote.
BODY CAMS
In other business, the commissioners approved a capital project request for the prison and sheriff’s office to receive body cameras and software at a cost of $325,000. The price covers a five-year period for a project that could be implemented by this fall, said Trevor Beatty, deputy warden for operations.
In late April, the commissioners accepted $107,000 in state funding to purchase body camera equipment for staff at the prison and sheriff’s office. The funding takes the form of a Local Share Account Fund grant available through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
Another $125,000 will be drawn from the prison’s canteen fund with the balance of the project costs coming from the county general fund budget, Beatty said.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY RECEIVES $107,000 GRANT FOR BODY CAMERA PROGRAM
During a meeting last week, the Cumberland County commissioners accepted a $107,000 grant to purchase hardware for a body camera program for the prison and sheriff's office.
Lastly, the commissioners last week accepted a $200,000 grant from the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
An outgrowth of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, the program provides formula funds to implement crisis intervention court proceedings and related program and initiatives. The goal is to bolster risk protection order programs that work to keep guns out of the hands of those who post a threat to themselves or others.
Cumberland County will use the $200,000 to support the salaries and benefits of two social worker positions in the county public defender’s office.
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