Gazette The Centre County
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Tick, tock!
If you are still struggling to find the perfect gift for those on your holiday shopping list, have no fear! The Gazette has a guide to find last-minute gifts ... and you won’t even have to leave Centre County./Pages 20, 21
December 12-18, 2013
Volume 5, Issue 50
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Ice, ice baby: Plungers brave frigid waters
Some on council question need for tax increase By NATHAN PIPENBERG
By CHRIS MORELLI
correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — With only a week left before voting to pass next year’s budget, some members of the State College Borough council are questioning whether the budget should include a real estate tax hike. Council member Jim Rosenberger was most vocal, raising concerns that the hike might be unnecessary and harmful to State College’s reputation for affordability. “It’s good for the borough not to be seen as an excessively high-cost area in this climate,” he said. But Tom Fountaine, State College Borough manager, said that foregoing a tax increase would result in a “drastic cut in service and operational procedures.” As it stands, the 2014 budget will be settled by both some reserve spending and by raising taxes. The plan includes drawing $550,000 from savings and generating $600,000 through the tax increase. According to borough officials, the average homeowner’s tax payments will increase about $7 per month. Fountaine also said “IT’S GOOD for that the decision for the the borough not tax hike was influenced by the 2013 spending to be seen as an results. If current preexcessively high- dictions are accurate, 2013 fiscal year will cost area in this the end in the red, by about climate.” $600,000. Rosenberger said Jim Rosenberger he was not interested Council member in reworking other aspects of spending to settle the budget. Instead, he said, he would prefer to see the budget shortfall covered by drawing solely from reserve funds. Fountaine said that in his experience it would not be a good solution. To increase reserve fund spending even more, he said, could dry up savings and eventually result in an even more significant tax increase in 2015. Other council members said that with a vote on the budget arriving in just a week, the time has passed to ask borough staff to create a budget without a tax increase. “That would have been a reasonable question a month ago,” council member Peter Morris said. Rosenberger said it was not until Monday night’s meeting that he finally understood the budget. “It took that long to get a picture of the budget,” he said. Rosenberger said that he is willing to do the legwork. Tax increase, Page 4
editor@centrecountygazette.com
CHRIS MORELLI/The Gazette
BANKING ON IT: According to Carol Pioli, the executive director of the State College Area Food Bank, the Farmers to Food Bank program has been a great success.
Rotary Club effort feeds area hungry By MARJORIE S. MILLER mmiller@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — As the State College Downtown Rotary Club’s fifth Farmers to Food Bank came to a close last month, it reported 5,819 pounds of fresh food was donated to the State College Area Food Bank in 2013, bringing the project’s all-time total to more than 27,000 pounds of contributions. Roger Fetter, member and treasurer of the State College Downtown Rotary Club, said since 2008 Rotary volunteers have transported excess food from the Friday farmers’ market on Locust Lane to the food bank on Hamilton Avenue. In its first full year in 2009, 5,166 pounds of food was donated, he said. “It’s the generosity of the vendors,” Fetter said. “Without the vendors contributing … we wouldn’t have anything to transport.” The farmers’ market cycle is about 20 weeks long, he said, and runs from the beginning of May through mid-November. About 20 vendors in total participate. Farmers to Food Bank started after Fetter, a regular at the Friday
market, learned that unsold food from the market was being composted. “I said ‘we need to change this. We need to make this available to folks’,” he said. In 2010 5,466 pounds of food was donated. In 2011 that number was 3,936, and in 2012, donations reached 6,661 pounds, according to Fetter. “If you add these numbers up, the vendors have donated 27,048 pounds of fresh produce and baked goods to the food bank … that’s 13 (and) one-half tons,” he said. Estimating an average of $2.75 per pound, this equates to a value of about $75,000 over the last five years, Fetter said. Providing fresh produce and freshly baked goods to the food bank, rather than canned items, presents more nutritious options, he said. “It’s really been well embraced by the clients of the food bank, too,” Fetter said. Not only does Rotary plan to continue the project next year, Fetter Food bank, Page 3
HOWARD — Some wore swimsuits. Some dressed like superheroes. Some wore tutus. Their goal, however, was the same — brave the icy waters at Bald Eagle State Park for a good cause. The annual Polar Bear Plunge is a fundraiser for the Centre County YMCA’s Open Doors Program. Liz Toukonen, executive director of the Bellefonte YMCA branch, said that the Polar Bear Plunge continues to be one of the YMCA’s most popular fundraisers. “We had a very successful day,” Toukonen said. “We had around 145 plungers and we raised over $47,000, so we were real happy with that. It was a beautiful scene.” Temperatures were in the low 30s for the Polar Bear Plunge, which took place late in the morning on Dec. 7. “It was gorgeous out there,” Toukonen said with a laugh, “but I think the weather might have scared a few people away.” In addition to the plungers, there are always friends and family who come out just to see the spectacle. “There are always a lot of spectators that come out. It’s very unique to this area,” Toukonen said. “That’s why we started it 11 years ago … it was Plungers, Page 4
n For more photos from the Polar Bear Plunge, see Page 16
TIM WEIGHT/For The Gazette
POLAR EXPRESSIONS: Plungers braved the icy waters at Bald Eagle State Park on Saturday during the Polar Bear Plunge. Temperatures were in the 30s for the YMCA’s annual event.
Penn State students lend a hand at Jeans for Teens By CHRIS MORELLI
editor@centrecountygazette.com
CHRIS MORELLI/The Gazette
HELPING HANDS: Penn State students volunteered their time to wrap presents on Sunday afternoon at the annual Jeans For Teens event, which provides clothing to less fortunate children. Opinion ............................. 6 Education ....................... 7, 8
Health & Wellness ........ 9, 10 Community ................ 11-18
STATE COLLEGE — The community room at the Nittany Mall was, quite simply, bursting at the seams. Wrapping paper, ribbon and bows spilled onto the floor as volunteers worked at a breakneck pace to wrap presents as a part of the Jeans For Teens program. The Jeans For Teens program is a part of the Centre County Youth Service Bureau’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Every year, around Christmastime, Centre County youth are able to shop for clothes at no cost to them. The items are then wrapped and delivered to the children so they have something to open on Christmas morning. “It’s a total team effort,” said Denise McCann, division director of community based services at
Centre Spread ............ 20, 21 Sports .......................... 23-29
Skiing Guide .................... 30 Arts & Entertainment .31, 32
YSB. “It’s really heartwarming to see all of the students out helping, giving back to the community. Lots of kids are benefiting by having gifts to open on Christmas morning.” On a snowy Sunday afternoon, Penn State students turned out in droves to help wrap gifts. Children were given gift cards to shop at stores in the Nittany Mall and elsewhere. Presents were then transported back to the room and wrapped. Taylor Spencer was one of the Penn State students who gave up her Sunday afternoon to wrap gifts. “I think it’s really important to give everyone a chance to have a happy Christmas,” Spencer, a sophomore, said. “I decided, ‘why not give back?’ It’s easy and simple … we just come, take (the kids) around, help them pick out things so they Jeans, Page 4
What’s Happening ..... 33, 34 Group Meetings .............. 35
Business ...................... 37, 38 Classified ......................... 39