Gazette The Centre County
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
’Tis the season
Students from Mount Nittany Elementary School contributed artwork for this week’s Centre Spread. Their efforts show us “The Holidays Through the Eyes of a Child.” Pages 16, 17
December 18-23, 2014
Volume 6, Issue 51
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Pension crisis top priority, CBICC says
Commissioners approve new spending plan By BRITTANY SVOBODA
By HARRY ZIMBLER
bsvoboda@centrecountygazette.com
correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — The Centre County board of commissioners approved the 2015 county budget in the amount of $80,890,246 at its Dec. 16 meeting. The spending plan includes no tax increase. The tentative budget was passed on Nov. 18. Since then, according to Denise Elbell, director of financial management, nothing in next year’s budget has changed. The operating budget will total $73,390,246 and $7.5 million will be used for capital reserve, which can be spent as needed to improve county buildings and other infrastructure. Phase two of the Temple Court Building project will be funded through this reserve. The commissioners had originally planned to award a bid for phase two of the Temple Court project at the meeting, but pushed that back one week so they and project architect Al Drobka can further review the nine bids, which range from $3.1 million to $3.9 million. Also approved was the allocation of $155,000 from Act 13 to be used as match money to fund the replacement of five county bridges. The bridges are located in Worth Township, which will receive $50,000; Curtin Township, $25,000; Howard Borough, $25,000; Gregg Township, $25,000; and Snow Shoe Township, $30,000. Act 13 was established in 2012 and sets aside funds from natural gas drilling in the county to be used by the municipalities as needed, said Robert Johnson, director of the planning commission. “Different sets of money were set aside within that Act 13 legislation, and one of those was for local municipalities and counties to provide funding to repair local bridges,” he said. The commissioners, Jacobs said, referred the five bridges in these Townships as the ones to be replaced. He described them as “structurally deficient.” Jacobs also said that these five bridges have a
UNIVERSITY PARK — The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County held its annual “Vision Luncheon” at the Nittany Lion Inn on Dec. 16. The event attracted several hundred CBICC members, as well as many county and regional political and economic development leaders. The highlight of the event was a question-and-answer dialogue between Vern Squier, CBICC president and CEO, and Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry president and CEO Gene Barr. Barr discussed what he and the state chamber view as the key issues facing the state’s business community in the coming year. “In my view, there is no more important issue facing the commonwealth than the pension issue,” Barr said. “We owe $50 billion in unfunded mandates. If we don’t fix the pension situation, nothing else matters.”
Budget, Page 6
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
BIGS AND LITTLES: Bellefonte Area High School students Sierra Rider and Jordan Corman work with Pleasant Gap Elementary students Dakota Markle and Shane Corry through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
High-schoolers take big role as youth mentors By CHRIS MORELLI editor@centrecountygazette.com
PLEASANT GAP — It’s Tuesday afternoon at Pleasant Gap Elementary School. At first glance inside the school’s library, it looks like any other school day. Some children are reading books, some are doing arts and crafts, some are playing games. Look closer. It turns out that some of the students are well beyond fifth grade. They’re students, for sure, but they’re much older. They’re actually students from Bellefonte Area High School who are taking part in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, mentoring students at Pleasant Gap Elementary. According to Pleasant Gap principal Tammie Burnaford, the program has been a rousing success. “We have elementary students who need a positive role model and the high school students have been able to fulfill
that role,” Burnaford said. “They come, they have a great time working together. It’s been a wonderful, wonderful program for our students and the high school students as well.” Big Brothers Big Sisters is part of the Centre County Youth Service Bureau. The program started at the school at the end of last year. “We did a little bit of a pilot program for the last few months of school last year,” Burnaford explained. “It went so well that we tried to kick off at the beginning of this (school) year. It took us about a month to get things up and running.” The program is pretty simple — but successful. Students at the high school volunteer to be “bigs.” Once they are interviewed and cleared to take part in the program, they’re matched with a “little.” High school students come to the elementary school twice a month to spend a few hours with their littles. Mentors, Page 5
CBICC, Page 4
HARRY ZIMBLER/For the Gazette
MEETING OF THE MINDS: Ted McDowell, chairman of the CBICC board, left, and Vern Squier, president and CEO of CBICC, spoke at the chamber’s Vision Luncheon, which was held on Dec. 16 at the Nittany Lion Inn.
Thousands flock to Bellefonte for Victorian Christmas By CHRIS MORELLI editor@centrecountygazette.com
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
VISITING SANTA: Julia Weiser, Megan Weiser, Taylor King and Abigail Weiser stopped to visit Santa Claus at the Santa House in downtown Bellefonte during Victorian Christmas. Opinion ...................................... 7 Health & Wellness .................. 8, 9
Education ................................. 10 Community ........................ 11-15
Holiday Worship Directory 18-20 Sports .................................. 21-24
BELLEFONTE — There was no snow on the ground, but that didn’t seem to dampen the Christmas spirit in Bellefonte over the weekend. The annual Victorian Christmas went off without a hitch on Dec. 12, 13 and 14. Thousands flocked to downtown Bellefonte to visit Santa, shop, check out the festivities and see some of their favorite Dickens’ characters, who were walking the streets all weekend long. According to event co-chair Sally Houser, the event was a huge success. “Overall, the event was the best that it has ever been. Each year, this event amazes us as a committee, as everything comes together even when there are last-minute issues. And, this year was no exception. From decorating the town to the days of the event and the final community choir concert, it could not have been better.” Houser said that the pleasant weather brought in people from out of town. “We were very pleased with attendance. The (bed-and-breakfasts) were filled, as well as the hotels, and we even had a Conestoga tour bus from Lancaster. The crowd was a good mixture of locals and out-ofGazette Picks ............................ 22 Arts & Entertainment ........ 25, 26
town visitors. The venues were very well attended and the downtown shops and restaurants were continually full,” Houser said. There were plenty of events going on during Bellefonte’s Victorian Christmas. As usual, the carriage rides through town were a popular destination for families. Sharon Kline, of Cresson, said that Victorian Christmas has become a tradition of sorts for her and her family. “We try to get here every year,” Kline explained. “We don’t have anything quite like this where we live, so we make a day of it. As long as the weather is decent, we’re here. It’s a really good time and there’s enough to keep everyone busy, even the little ones.” That’s a key to the success of Victorian Christmas, Houser said. “The event is always fun and the fact that we have something for everyone, regardless of their economic background, makes it even more fun. I love walking the town and the venues, seeing the smiles on the faces of the children and adults,” Houser said. Kline and her family planned on taking a carriage ride through town, doing some Bellefonte, Page 4
What’s Happening ................... 27 Puzzles ...................................... 28
Business .............................. 29, 30 Classified .................................. 31