Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Ground was broken this morning for the new visitor center at Kinzua Bridge State Park, and Senator Joe Scarnati says the center is an important cog in the machine that’s putting this part of the state back together. He said to say the northwest region of the state has suffered economically recently would be an understatement. “It’s been a tough time,” Scarnati said, “but it’s all of these great attractions that is only going to enhance” the area by bringing in more visitors, more business for local shopkeepers, and the opportunity for more jobs. “This state park is a crown jewel in our state park system,” he said. Scarnati also said having a year round visitor center was the right way to go. During the ceremony before the groundbreaking, several people talked about their memories of the bridge before a tornado toppled part of it in 2003. State Rep. Kathy Rapp said her grandfather used to take her to the bridge when she was a little g...

County Commissioner Al Pingie confirms to WESB that Brad Mason has resigned as warden at the McKean County Jail. His resignation is effective Thursday, July 10. The commissioners oversee Mason in his role as warden. However his sheriff's position is an elected position. Pingie says he has not seen the resignation letter yet because he and commissioner Cliff Lane were out of town today, but Commissioner Joe DeMott informed them of Mason’s plans to resign. Speculation has been rampant as to why Mason took an extended vacation and leave of absence but Pingie says, as far as he knows, none of that was addressed in the letter. We’ll bring you more on this developing story later this evening.

Former McKean County Commissioner Cliff Lane has ousted incumbent Judy Church. According to unofficial results Lane garnered 2,552 votes to Church’s 2,276. The top two vote-getters were Joe DeMott with 3,519 and Al Pingie with 3,283.

Harrisburg- Transportation Secretary Barry J. Schoch, P.E., today delivered the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission (TFAC) final report on long-term transportation funding options to Governor Tom Corbett. The commission, on which McKean County Commissioner Joe DeMott serves, presented multiple funding ideas to the governor, who will decide what course of action will balance the best interests of Pennsylvania consumers and the need for state transportation funding over the next several years. “I want to thank the commission members for their expert analysis and dedication in serving on this important volunteer panel,” Schoch said. “The commission has produced a report that considers the transportation needs and realities of 12 million Pennsylvanians who expect and deserve to have a safe and efficient transportation infrastructure.” TFAC, formed by the governor’s executive order in April, was tasked with finding an additional $2 billion to $2.5 billion annually for the state’s tra...

McKean County’s Economic Development Director says a daylong meeting hosted by the Seneca Nation could be the beginning of looking at this part of the Twin Tiers as a “Mega Region.” Mike Roche and Commissioner Joe DeMott represented McKean County. Other counties represented were Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Warren, Erie (New York), Allegany and Niagara. Roche said the representatives gave a 20-minute overview of their county. He and DeMott focused on how McKean County’s partnerships are essential to the success of economic development. He mentioned the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, various municipalities and other entities. “Today was about those partnerships and how they yield the best possible outcomes for the future of our county and region,” Roche said in an e-mail. “It was nice to tear down the borders and talk about the difficulties in attracting new business as well as the difficulties in growing our existing industries. “ He added that...

Joe DeMott and Al Pingie have kept their seats as McKean County Commissioners, staving off a challenge by former commissioner John Egbert. DeMott picked up nearly 38 percent of the vote while Pingie gathered nearly 37 percent. On the Democratic side, incumbent Judy Church garnered 45 percent of the vote while former commissioner Cliff Lane got 32 percent.

McKean County Commissioner Joe DeMott has been named to the newly created Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. Governor Corbett announced the formation of the commission today. Its goal is to develop innovative solutions to Pennsylvania’s mounting transportation funding challenges. “We need a comprehensive, strategic blueprint for how we pay for years of underinvestment in our roads, bridges, and mass transit systems, and I have directed PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch to lead the commission to explore our financial options,” Corbett said. “Pennsylvanians expect and deserve to have a transportation system that improves not just their safety, but their overall quality of life. The time has come to put a financial plan in place that not only addresses our transportation needs but also takes into account our nation’s energy objectives and realities.” The governor tasked the group to make its recommendations by Aug. 1. The panel’s first meeting will be on April 25. Named to the commi...

The six candidates for McKean County commissioner participated in a forum Monday night at the Bradford Senior Center, hosted by the McKean County Chapter of Tea Party. You can hear it here One of the issues discussed was the Bradford Regional Airport and the federal Essential Air Service Program, which some lawmakers in Washington are trying to cut out of the budget. Current commissioner, and Bradford Airport Authority Chairman Joe DeMott, said, “Without the EAS program we would not have commercial air service (and) commercial air service is vital to our economic future.” “People who come here to buy lumber, to buy the products that our local manufactures make – those people fly in here,” he said. “When you’re bringing somebody in with a new industry, they’re flying in to Bradford. It’s very important that we have that service. It’s a long way to Buffalo, particularly in the winter.” Without the $1.3 million subsidy, the airport would lose commercial air service, he added. “People look...

McKean County Commissioners Joe DeMott, Al Pingie and Judy Church attended Tuesday's Bradford City Council meeting. DeMott thanked council for helping to change the organizational structure of Bradford Regional Airport. You can listen to DeMott's comments here . Mayor Tom Riel thanked the Department of Public Works for keeping the city's roads ice-free during last Friday morning's brief ice storm. He said of the six accidents reported, none were on city-maintained roads. Riel also talked about the pothole situation in the city. You can listen to his comments here . Topics that residents brought up during the council meeting were: ~~ Having the city resume collection of county taxes ~~ Having utility companies -- or companies that damage roads -- pay for the repairs ~~ The last report from Delta Consultants about the city's financial picture ~~ Recycling You can listen to the meeting here .

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Most of the oil and gas drilling companies working in the county have been cooperative in fixing the roads they damage, according to McKean County Commissioners. Commissioners Joe DeMott, Al Pingie and Judy Church attended Monday’s Foster Township Supervisors meeting as part of their effort to attend meetings in every municipality in the county. So far, in three months, they’ve visited 20 of 22 municipalities. Seaward Avenue resident Tom Perry asked who’s responsible for making sure the companies adhere to weight limits, and take care of damaged roads. Pingie said it’s up to the municipalities to make sure the companies are following the rules and regulations. “So far … they’ve been very good about taking care of the roads,” Church said. “They replaced a road in Norwich Township.” She said supervisors met with the drilling company, got an estimate for road repairs and company paid it. DeMott added that the companies have been cooperative. “Most ...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The site of the former Third Ward School is going back onto the tax rolls. Bradford City Council on Tuesday agreed to sell the .85-acre site to local businessman Todd Hennard for $25,000. Hennard plans to build three or four market-priced single-family homes on the site. The Office of Economic and Community Development bought the site from A Partnership in Housing in April of 2008 as part of its effort to improve the quality of the city’s housing stock and to increase the tax base by building new housing units. Also Tuesday, council accepted quotes from Tom Vickery to demolish blighted properties at 13 and 17 Howard Street. Vickery’s quotes were $2,954 for 13 Howard and $2,54 for 17 Howard. Both quotes include demolition, clearing the structure and transporting the construction debris to the McKean County Landfill. Both quotes were the lowest of five received for each site. The cost will be paid from the city’s 2009 Community Development Block G...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director US Senator Bob Casey says he wants rural northwestern Pennsylvania to get the money it needs to spur economic development and job growth. “The worst thing we could do is have a recovery and get out of the hole, and move down the road … and then go back into the ditch because we didn't invest, we didn't build a strong foundation or we made other mistakes,” Casey told a panel of local leaders via video conference Monday morning at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Casey said the main focus of the gathering was to hear the concerns of local industries and governments, but he also wants to see “what’s in the pipeline now that we can move more quickly.” He said that although Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is improving "numbers don't mean a heck of a lot to real people." It doesn't matter to unemployed people in Pennsylvania that Michigan's jobless numbers are double what Pennsylvania's are, he said. But...