COUDERSPORT — Potter County commissioners continue to work with Tioga County on the proposed merger of tourism-promotion activities.
Roy Hunt, member of the Ulysses Borough Council, asked several questions Thursday about the merger prior to his council taking a vote on the matter. At least 50 percent of all municipalities in the county must approve the move for it to take effect.
Members of the Potter County Visitors Association (PCVA) voted unanimously last year to disband, and suggested that the county merge its tourism promotion agency with Tioga County’s.
Commissioner Doug Morley, who has been working with PCVA and Tioga officials on the merger, said that there will be a tourism center located in Potter County, and residents will have positions on the board. Several PCVA members are working on the transition and plan to continue working with the joint tourism agency.
“We will benefit from the strength of the Tioga visitors’ association, which has an extensive promotion network built in that we couldn’t match with the funding we have,” Morley said, though he added. “I won’t agree to anything that would diminish our position below equal with theirs.”
He also stated that PCVA membership would not have been on-board with the plan if it slighted Potter County.
PCVA will continue to exist, functioning more as an event-promotion agency for events like the God’s Country Marathon and the Austin Dam Show, which they have been running for years.
The PCVA/Tioga County Visitors Bureau merger is still an ongoing process, but the new agency is expected to be up and running on July 1.
Recently, the group released a tourism-promotion flyer featuring Potter County’s Dark Skies at Cherry Spring State Park opposite a photo of Tioga County’s Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. The two counties have a number of attractions along their shared boundary line and tourism promotion officials are working to fit the opportunities available in the two counties together in a way that they complement each other.
`In another matter, Commissioner Paul Heimel will represent Potter during the upcoming County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) conference in Harrisburg, and he plans to attend a meeting of the Natural Gas Task Force and sessions focused on efforts to lobby state lawmakers on issues that affect rural counties.
He will also be involved in criminal justice reform, veterans’ services and assessment/taxation reform sessions.
Heimel said he will network with other commissioners from rural counties concerning their community/economic development programs to assist county officials in preparing for the launch of the community development director position approved for hire last month. Heimel is also attending training sessions for grant writing and administration in an effort to assist fundraising efforts for future community development projects.
Also during the meeting:
Commissioner Susan Kefover is monitoring progress at the state level concerning Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to merge some human services programs and offices. The move appears to be aimed at reducing redundancy and eliminating duplicate management, accounting and other positions, but counties are unsure of what that means for services provided through those agencies.
Commissioners approved Resolution No. 5 of 2017, changing the polling location for Galeton Borough’s First Ward voters. Individuals registered to vote in the ward will now do so at the St. Bibiana Social Center on Germania Street, instead of at the ambulance building.
Commissioners approved a request from Planning Director Will Hunt for support in offering training from the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) for municipal officials. Hunt said it would be difficult for those individuals to travel to a PSAB training site and requested that it be offered in Potter County.
The courses will be offered in two sessions, scheduled for May 24-25 and June 7-8, and will cover topics including community planning and subdivision and land development regulation. Trainings will be held at the Gunzburger Building. Borough and municipal officials should contact the planning department for more information. The sessions will be paid for by the county at a cost of $1,650 per session.
The county will also pay for a portion of the cost for local police departments to acquire mobile data terminals and printers for police vehicles. The system will allow for electronic filing of documents with the county’s three district judge offices by officers working for the Sweden Township Police Department and the Coudersport Borough Police.
The next meeting of the commissioners is at 11 a.m. March 31 at the Gunzburger Building.
