×

Changes ahead for PSU Extension

Mifflin, Juniata now part of 8-county region

LEWISTOWN – A major overhaul in the way Penn State Extension is doing business is underway, and the Mifflin County Commissioners fear that services for Mifflin and Juniata Counties will suffer because of it.

During Thursday’s business meeting, Commissioner Stephen Dunkle reported on attending a recent meeting of the Penn State Extension office and was told Penn State University is undergoing changes that will consolidate services into regions around the state.

“There’s been a major overhaul from Penn State,” Dunkle said.

The extension services were covered in 20 districts but Dunkle said, that number will be reduced to 10.

Mifflin and Juniata County will now be part of a region encompassing eight southwestern Pennsylvania counties, Dunkle said.

Rather than having one county agent serve Mifflin and Juniata counties, Dunkle said the area will be covered by two people overseeing the eight-county region.

“I think that will be a very significant difference in services that we’ve received in the past versus what to expect in the future,” Dunkle said.

The new region will consist of Mifflin, Juniata, Somerset, Bedford, Fulton, Cambria, Blair and Huntingdon counties. He said the region will be served by a business manager and customer relations manager.

“We are in the extreme northeast corner of the region,” Dunkle said while holding up a map. “I think we’re all familiar with the drive time from here to Somerset County.”

Dunkle said commissioners in both Mifflin and Juniata counties have increased their funding for extension services in their 2017 budgets in an effort to retain the “vital” services extension performs.

“This has placed us and Juniata County in a situation to dramatically increase funding to this organization,” Dunkle said.

He said Mifflin County’s portion in 2016 was $220,663.

That number has increased by $22,760 to a total of $243,423 in 2017. He said extension’s rent has also increased from $85,600 to $114,000 per year.

“As a result of what Penn State is doing, we will find ourselves paying more and getting less,” Dunkle said. “This troubles me considerably. Extension was formed to serve rural Pennsylvania. I think rural Pennsylvania is getting the short end of the stick.”

Dunkle said extension serves an important role, especially in the area of education, noting the local extension service offers a health and science lab, horticulture and master gardener’s programs, a special poultry program, 4-H program for area youth, a nutrition education adviser, and agricultural engineer and dairy specialist.

“These will continue,” Dunkle said. “Administration from the top will be much less. This comes less than a year from Penn State’s decision to close the Lewistown Learning Center. I’m disappointed in Penn State. In my opinion, it’s not being the good neighbor it should be. I look at what it’s not doing and it’s very disappointing to me.”

In other business Thursday, Emergency Services Director Phil Lucas reported the county’s 911 center was recently notified it has been awarded $1.2 million as part of a 911 statewide interconnectivity grant.

The local grant is part of a larger regional effort in the north-central region of the state. The project includes connecting Bedford, Clinton, Lycoming, Mifflin, Snyder, Tioga and Union Counties with a total award of $5.4 million.

Lucas said the project includes upgrades to various microwave links and other fiber connectivity between the counties. It will result in each of the participating counties having the ability to share redundant emergency 911 telephone systems rather than working with individual isolated systems.

He said the project will allow counties to save on the costs of maintaining independent systems, and allow several back-ups for 911 calls to be sent to each 911 center.

Also as part of the project, Lucas said Mifflin County will be expanding its current radio system by adding two additional 911 radio towers, one in the New Lancaster Valley area of Armagh Township and one in Wayne Township, which will better serve township residents as well as Kistler and Newtown Hamilton boroughs.

Grant funding and savings over a five-year period will cover the cost of the new towers, Lucas said, adding that both projects are anticipated to be completed by fall of this year.

In other business Thursday, the commissioners:

¯ Approved a contract with LSI of West Chester, PA to upgrade the county’s telephone system at a cost of $3,694.94 a month for a 60-month period. That cost includes the leasing of new telephones;

¯ Approved a project modification request for the Probation Department’s intermediate punishment grant to pay for additional hours and benefits in the amount of $12,627. Chief Probation Officer Todd Harpster said the department was notified by the state that additional funding was available and will aid the salaries and benefits for two years;

¯ Approved a professional services agreement between the county, McVeytown Borough Authority and Gwin, Dobson and Foreman Inc. to provide engineering services for the McVeytown sewer project in the amount of $125,000;

¯ Approved contract amendments with the EADS Group Inc. for the Jack’s Creek and Chestnut Street Extended bridge projects to move funds from one survey line to the right-of-way line;

¯ Approved the receipt of the annual CSBG Sub-Recipient Contract with the Union-Snyder Community Action Agency and the county in the amount of $109,012. Human Services Director Allison Fisher said signing the contract allows the department to receive its annual allocation of CSBG dollars;

¯ Approved the appointment of Tracy Reesman to the Juniata Valley Behavioral and Developmental Services Citizens Advisory Board for a three-year term;

¯ Approved the hiring of Robin Werner as a communication specialist in the human services department effective Feb. 6;

¯ Approved the hiring of Tina Harpster as a temporary employee in the assessment office effective Jan. 24.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $3.92/week.

Subscribe Today