26 2022
community
JULY
p o t t e r m c k e a n
county
Austin • Coudersport • Crosby • Eldred • Gifford • Kane • Lewis Run • Mt. Jewett • Otto Eldred • Port Allegany Ridgway • Roulette • Smethport • Turtlepoint
Era photo by Jeff Uveino Upgrades, to the tune of over $30 million, coming to the Bradford plant. The investment will fund new equipment to modernize the plant’s operations and replace some of the older equipment.
Georgia-Pacific investing more than $30 million in Bradford plant BY MARCIE SHELLHAMMER
More than $34 million in upgrades are coming to the GeorgiaPacific corrugated plant in Bradford. The investment will fund new equipment to modernize the plant’s operations and replace some of the older equipment. A release from the company stated, “The upgrades include a new corrugator and two new converting lines, as well as upgrades to the shipping
department, which will help the plant operate more efficiently. Newer converting equipment will give the plant improved throughput and print capability to better meet customer needs.” Earl Wright, area general manager, said this upgrade has been a work in progress for many years. “We wanted to be responsive to customer needs and provide the best long-term solution for Georgia-Pacific to allow us to grow as a
PennDOT to close Glen Hazel Road in Elk County Aug. 1 CLEARFIELD — The Pennsylvania Department of Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n announced that its Elk County Maintenance Division is closing Route 1001 (Glen Hazel Road) between Haney’s Hill and Bendigo Road and implementing a detour on Aug. 1. Maintenance crews are closing the road to replace a trio of stormwater drainage pipes and prepare the roadway for a future improvement project. PennDOT hopes to limit this closure to daylight hours for a period not to exceed two weeks, but all work is weather and schedule
dependent. While the closure is in place, traffic will follow a detour using Route 1002 (Taft Road), Route 255, Route 219, Route 1009 (Center Street) and Route 1004 (Glen Avenue). PennDOT will open Glen Hazel Road for the weekends. The detour will not be in place Saturdays or Sundays. Crews will finish work before the 202223 school year begins. School bus routes will be unaffected. PennDOT’s Elk County Maintenance Division will complete all work associated with this project.
preferred partner with our customers,” he said. “The equipment we selected will meet the needs of our customers across Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, western/ central New York, and eastern New Jersey for many years to come.” The plant team will begin preparing the facility for installation in the coming months, with the first equipment expected to be installed in the first quarter of 2023. “We have a great team here and
Georgia-Pacific’s Bradford plant is a solid performer,” said Joe Roulo Jr., director of operations. “Our employees have tremendous pride in the quality packaging they make for our customers and are excited for the opportunity to operate new state-ofthe-art machines that will improve service and delivery for our customers.” It will take approximately 12-14 months to complete all of the upgrades.
Kelly Ferguson, senior director of public affairs and communications for GP, answered a few additional questions. “The plant will continue to operate during most of the upgrades with only some minimal downtime for certain parts of the project,” she said. The upgrades will be made within the existing plant, so expansion of the building itself will not take place. While there
will be some temporary construction jobs while the project is underway, Ferguson said the project will not increase the number of employees at the plant. The Bradford plant has been in operation for 87 years, employs approximately 125 people and has been operated by GeorgiaPacific since 1990. The last major project at the plant was an upgrade of about $1 million in 2020.
Nittany MinitMart raises record amount for local volunteer fire companies Nittany MinitMart announced today it raised a record $117,549.70 through its “Help Us Help Them” campaign that benefits local volunteer fire companies. Hamlin Township Volunteer Fire Department, Mount Jewett Volunteer Fire Department, and Smethport Fire Company in McKean County will all directly receive funding assistance through this program. “We want to thank everyone who contributed to our third annual fundraiser,” said Jim Martin, Nittany MinitMart CEO. “We are pleased to be able to step up and help these organizations that we all depend on in so many ways especially during this time of high inflation. Nittany MinitMart
is a family-owned business, and we believe it is part of our responsibility to communities to help those who help us.” The funds went to 35 volunteer fire departments in 11 counties within Nittany MinitMart communities. The funding will go toward firefighter training, equipment and much needed supplies, Martin added. “We have great community support and I felt we could double last year’s total of $56,000, and the response was overwhelming,” said Nicole Masullo, Nittany MinitMart Division Manager. “The fundraiser beat all expectations and will make great things possible.” Pennsylvania ranks in
the top five states in the country with the highest percentage of volunteer fire departments. More communities throughout the state are served by volunteers than by career firefighters. Nittany MinitMart partnered once again with Pennsylvania Skill, operator of skill games, to help meet the challenges local volunteer fire companies face daily. Nittany Energy donated a penny per gallon of gas sold at Nittany MinitMart convenience stores, April 1 through the end of May, with Pennsylvania Skill matching Nittany Energy’s donation. “We are thrilled to be part of this great effort with Nittany MinitMart,” said Jeff Millay on behalf of Pennsylvania Skill.
“Volunteer firefighters are the backbone of our communities and deserve our financial support.” In the past, Nittany MinitMart held its “Help Us Help Them” fundraiser during May. This year it expanded the timeframe to April and May. Patrons of the stores could purchase paper firefighter helmets for $1 or fire trucks for $5 that were displayed in the stores. Other promotional merchandise was sold with profits going directly to fire companies. Donations also came from Nittany MinitMart vendors, including Pepsi Co., Coca Cola, Yuengling, McAneny, Hershey, Herrs, Mars, JTM, DelGrosso Foods and Patties Foods.