McKean County commissioners held Tuesday’s regular meeting via telephone conference. The meeting was brief — less than 10 minutes — and focused on getting approval for the county’s necessary business matters.
At the start of the call, they indicated that Commissioners Cliff Lane and Tom Kreiner and Solicitor Tony Clark were together in the meeting room, while everyone else attended by phone.
At the start of the meeting, Lane reminded everyone to “continue to stay socially distant, and we’ll get through this.”
This is the second meeting held by telephone. The McKean County Courthouse in Smethport — the location of the commissioners’ offices — has been closed to the public since March 18. A minimum number of staff are working at the courthouse, while others are working from home.
Commissioners approved two resolutions: one adding a couple of changes to a Community Development Block Grant citizen participation plan, and the other authorizing the filing of an application and business plan for the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) funds for the Wilds Sonshine Factory project in Kane.
Regarding the CDBG resolution, Kreiner said it is for the McKean County Redevelopment & Housing Authority and amends the plan to include the emergency declaration and the CARES Act authorization.
Wilds Sonshine Factory was awarded $489,200 in RACP funds to build a distillery to make spirits from local sunflowers.
Commissioners also approved an architect agreement with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg for $97,540 to replace the roof and gutters at the McKean County Courthouse. Lane explained that the county took out a $2 million bond in 2019, with much of that money to be put into fixing the roof.
He added that they “want to get it right so it’s a roof that lasts many, many years.”
They also gave approval for an agreement between the county and Erie County Forensic Pathology for a period from Jan. 1-Dec. 31 with a $5,000 retainer and autopsies to be billed at $1,100 per report. Kreiner noted that the cost of autopsies has increased from $1,000.
Commissioners consented to agreements for copiers for the Department of Human Services: one for a color copier for $283.65 per months for five years — or $17,019 total — and the other for a black and while copier for $61.38 per month for five years — or $3,709.80 total.
They anticipate the next meeting, set for 10 a.m. April 28, to be held by telephone.
