Commissioners make straight forward decision and save the county thousands

SHANKSVILLE — Sometimes linear is the best move.

Somerset County Commissioners decided during their first on-the-road evening meeting, this one in Shanksville, to spend $55,000 for the Croner property between Garrett and Berlin boroughs. That purchase allows for the September 11th National Memorial Trail to move on a forward path to the Flight 93 memorial site.

This is the last piece we needed to acquire (for the national trail going through a portion of the county)," according to Somerset County Commissioner Brian Fochtman.

"This is the most direct route and the most cost-efficient," he added.

There was another way around that property that did not include buying the Croner property and meant following a former railroad bed. The trail, however, would have to transverse a marshy area. Building there would cost around three times as much as buying the Croner property, Fochtman said in an office at the Shanksville Fire Hall after the public meeting.

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The board's decision allows the project to continue at a faster pace and gives bird watchers something to look forward to on the trail.

"He (Croner) has fantastic bird-watching" situations and "they (trailblazers) are looking to retain those," Fochtman said.

Other: Visitors attend 'first view' of a sacred space at Flight 93 National Memorial

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, united the nation when terrorists used three airplanes as weapons to bring down the World Trade Center in New York City and damage the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked plane, believed heading to the U.S. Capitol, didn’t make it to its destination as the passengers aboard United Flight 93 fought back and the aircraft crashed in a reclaimed strip mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

The Sept. 11th National Memorial Trail will unite these three sites for visitors who want to pay their respects while traveling by bike or hiking. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources designated the trail as a Statewide Major Greenway, opening the door to grant funding for the project. In October 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation that federally designated the September 11th National Memorial Trail Route.

Takeaway from energy savings contract

Commissioners approved a "guaranteed energy savings contract" at the Shanksville meeting last week from the Request for Proposal on Qualifications issued June 20, 2023, with Harrisburg-based McClure Co. for approximately $5.5 million.

The projects include work at the county-owned annex, jail and water treatment plant (infiltration system).

"These projects are taking on in a way that there is savings over time," said Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes.

"Putting all of these jobs together, we didn't really know what we were actually able to afford," she said. "We were presently surprised."

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The money was already earmarked by the county for the projects, the commissioners explained.

Why these projects were needed varied.

"The controls in the system itself (annex and jail) are outdated and obsolete. We can't get parts for it anymore," Commissioner Irvin Kimmel Jr. said.

Fochtman added that all the actuators, devices that controls such action as opening and closing of vents, are obsolete without available replacements.

One example is the work to be performed on the west side of the annex building. The sun hits it throughout the day and "from 11 o'clock on it just gets so scorching on that side of the building," said Kimmel.

Thus, putting on a window a film will reflect the heat, he said.

"We put on a window film in Rockwood (schools). It reflected the heat and was shattered-proof. You couldn't see in, but you can see out just fine," Kimmel said.

"We call it the new county office building, but it is 25 years old," Tokar-Ickes said. At that age, it has some things that have worn out and need addressed, she said. "So, we are there" for replacements, Tokar-Ickes said.

Some other projects involve lighting and items like water heaters and bathroom updates. All the jobs have the goal: Savings through energy efficiency, commissioners said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Commissioners make straight forward decision and save the county thousands