Elk County Commissioners adopt three resolutions

RIDGWAY - A jampacked agenda, with many visitors and presentations, occupied the Elk County Commissioners during a recent lengthy second meeting of October.

Courtney Pahel, Director of Children’s Education at Dickinson, gave a brief presentation to the Commissioners on Tuesday describing the Parents as Teachers program that Dickinson re

cently won a blue ribbon award for at the national convention in Baltimore last month.

Parents As Teachers is an early childhood parent education and family support program. The program model consists of four components. Personal visits offer parents age-appropriate child development information to help parents observe their child while addressing parenting concerns and engaging the family in activities that provide meaningful parent-child interaction. Group meetings provide opportunities for families to share information about parenting issues and observe their children in a social setting. Screenings are conducted to provide early identification of developmental delays and health, vision, and hearing problems while increasing parents’ understanding of their child’s development. And finally, the program offers a resource network that helps families identify and connect with needed resources and overcome barriers to accessing services. There is no cost for the program for children under five years of age and currently no waiting list for the next session of classes. Interested parents can contact the Dickinson Center at the St. Mary’s Children’s Program location on Erie Avene at (814) 834-2602.

The Elk County Planning Department applies for funding annually through the PA Housing Finance Agency for PHARE funding. The PHARE funds received are used to administer a Housing Rehabilitation Program and a Handicap/Accessibility Modification Program for Elk County residents. The programs have helped with active leaking roofs, windows, stairlifts, and ramps in the past. The Housing Rehabilitation program can not assist with foundation repairs or cosmetic modifications. These programs are available to very lowand moderate-income consumers who qualify per the specific guidelines and submission of required documentation. The income guidelines for the programs are determined using HUD Income Limits for the total number of persons in the home. Some examples of required documentation include having an active homeowners insurance policy, current property taxes, and utilities (heat, electric, and water).

Anyone who thinks they may qualify is asked to contact the Elk County Planning Department at 814-776-5335 or fill out the application on the Elk County website under the PHARE program.

Becky Taylor, the new CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Coordinator for Elk County, was authorized to submit an application for the PA Department of Community and Economic Development for funding. This is an annual application and for 2022 is requesting $316,516 for the County, which is designated for projects such as the West End Sewer replacement and the water project in Jay Township.

The Commissioners tentatively approved the 2022 calendar for Elk County, which will be posted on the Elk County website in the next few days. Official meeting dates, holidays, and adjunct boards are scheduled well in advance so that schedules can be prepared for all attendees and the public has access to the meetings.

The Commissioners evaluated a new 10year Landfill Capacity Assurance program on Tuesday. The County is required by statute to have a designated waste disposal facility under contract for all waste generated in the County. This service must be renewed every ten years and is subject to a competitive bidding process. Five bids were received by the Elk County Chief Clerk on Tuesday and presented to the Commissioners. They tabled the awarding of the big until they spoke to the designated waste authority expert. The bid will be awarded at the next Commissioners meeting.

The next meeting of the Elk County Commissioners will take place on Wednesday, November 3, beginning at 10 a.m. in Conference Room #1 at the Elk County Courthouse Annex. The reason for the date change from a Tuesday, and from the usual location is the General Election which will be held on November 2 from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. The Elk County Elections Office uses Conference Room #2 at the Courthouse to open mail-in ballots and conduct other election business the week of the election.