Submitted photo
Pictured are Sonya Nace, Penn State Extension educator/nutrition links supervisor and Jeff Hackenberg, client relationship manager for Penn State Extension Juniata County.

MIFFLINTOWN — Penn State Extension Client Relationship Manager Jeff Hackenberg attended the Juniata County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday to introduce a new staff member on his team.

Sonya Nace serves as the extension educator and nutrition links supervisor for Juniata County.

Nace is based in Dauphin County, but recently had the opportunity to add other areas, including Juniata to her agenda.

Nace works in mental health, offering programs like mental health first aid classes. These classes are for individuals and groups interested in learning about mental health and supporting others in the community.

She also offers a suicide prevention program known as QPR classes.

“Question, Persuade, Refer teaches you to recognize the warning signs of suicide, how to offer hope to someone in need, and how to get help,” shared Nace.

This two-hour training is designed for anyone concerned about helping others with mental health and substance use challenges, regardless of their background, Nace said. QPR is an emergency mental health intervention for persons considering suicide. Participants will learn to identify and intervene in a crisis and direct someone to appropriate care.

Penn State Extension also offers a ServSafe class which Nace shared will be starting back up again in the fall.

The ServSafe Food Safety Program is for individuals serving as managers or in supervisory roles that require certification. Upon completion, participants will receive the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certificate. This training meets the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture requirements for the Food Employee Certification Act.

“One significant event to look forward to is the Juniata County Ag Safety Day, scheduled for April 25 at the Port Royal Fairgrounds. We are partnering with the Friendship Fire Company and other organizations involved in agriculture in Juniata County.”

Nace shared that she will bring more information on this event to a Commissioner meeting closer to the event date.

Commissioners also heard from Melissa Stewart, Director of Mifflin Juniata Human Services regarding a project modification request for the Juniata County Indigent Defense Grant Subgrant Award.

Stewart shares that this is year three of having this grant.

“It is our public defender grant which allows us to add staffing to the public defender’s office and provide more adequate defense for those in need of that service,” said Stewart.

Like with any grant, some estimations weren’t accurate, she said.

Due to space constraints, there was a delay in hiring positions originally approved for the grant which resulted in needing to reallocate some of the funds.

It was decided to add a second contracted assistant public defender.

“Having additional attorneys employed by the public defender’s office increases internal case-handling capacity therefore decreasing the frequency with which court-appointed conflict counsel must be retained,” added Stewart.

In other news, commissioners:

•Ratified the CDBG-IDIS check submitted by the Juniata County Planning and Community Development Department in the amount of $1046.50 for CP Engineers;

•Approved tax exonerations for Spruce Hill Township;

•Approved annual wage increases for nonunion positions for the fiscal year 2026 in separate salary boards for elected officials who are available. If approved, the wage increases will be retroactive to Jan. 1.