GAZETTE THE CENTRE COUNTY
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
Holiday Weekend
The unofficial start of summer features plenty of special events in Centre County. Boalsburg is widely recognized as the birthplace of Memorial Day. Find out where to go and what to do in the Gazette’s special section./Pages 17-24
May 26-June 1, 2016
Volume 8, Issue 21
FREE COPY
County eyes grant money to fund projects By G. KERRY WEBSTER news@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — Centre County may soon reap the benefits of a grant program sponsored by its liability insurance provider, the Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool. At the regular meeting of the Centre County Commissioners, the board heard from Krista Davis, risk manager and wellness coordinator. She said through the PCoRP Loss Prevention Grant Program, the county could be awarded $11,196.52 in funding for several projects, including: ■ $3,030 to replace outdoor lighting at the Willowbank Building with higher output LED lights; ■ $3,566.52 to purchase six new body armor vests for the sheriff deputies; ■ $3,957 for reimbursement for a recently purchased walk-through metal detector;
■ $243 for the purchase of “No Trespassing” signs at 10 of the 911 tower sites within the county; ■ $400 to purchase two pediatric packs for the county’s AED machines. In addition, Davis requested that the commissioners approve a contract renewal with PCoRP for the county’s property casualty insurance. The contract total is $255,625 from June 1 of this year to May 31, 2017. The commissioners placed the items on the consent agenda for approval at next week’s meeting. The Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool was created by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania as a result of the “hard market” in liability insurance in the mid-1980s. Many Pennsylvania counties could not obtain liability and other County, Page 5
THE BIG DIG
G. KERRY WEBSTER/For the Gazette
SPECIAL WEEK: The Centre County Board of Commissioners officially proclaimed May 23-29 as “The Week of the Young Child” in Centre County. Several representatives from the Nittany, State College and Bellefonte Kiwanis clubs attended Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting to receive the proclamation and discuss the importance of their role with early childhood issues within the county.
Trash to Treasure set for June 4 By ANTONIA JARAMILLO
correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
PATRICK MANSELL/Penn State University
AMY POISSANT, left, and Ashley Eggler excavate an area around the foundation of the Foster Farmstead, a 19th-century historic site located on the grounds of the Arboretum at Penn State. Both are majoring in bioanthropology at Penn State and are participating in the Department of Anthropology’s Archaeological Field School, where they are learning how to prepare a site, carefully excavate and catalog artifacts.
School board hires firms to consult on building plans By GEOFF RUSHTON StateCollege.com
STATE COLLEGE — The State College Area School Board on May 23 approved the contracts for Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates and Massaro Construction Management Services to be consultants for the school district’s updated facilities master plan. Police Blotter ..................... 2 Opinion ............................. 9
The two firms were selected largely because of their work developing the design and overseeing construction of the State High project. They will guide demographic analysis of the updated facilities plan — which has been accelerated to take advantage of possible state funding — and focus on
UNIVERSITY PARK — Trash to Treasure, an event that started in 2002, will be having its 15th annual sale Saturday, June 4, at Beaver Stadium. Starting 14 years ago, the idea came from Penn State as a way to keep unwanted items in the residence halls out of landfills and, instead, become a one-day yard sale for the Centre County community. “It first started as a housing operations initiative in order to divert useful things from the landfills,” said David Manos, assistant director of Penn State Housing. “But then it also became a sustainability initiative, and it’s also a way to give back to the community.” As the largest recycling event in the State College area, Trash to Treasure provides a way for community members to purchase various items at a discounted price. All proceeds go to Centre County United Way, a volunteer-driven organization, and its partner organizations. The event will start at 9 a.m. and will continue until 1 p.m., but for folks who would like to arrive earlier, there will be a pre-sale from 7:30 to 9 a.m. with a $5 entrance fee, said Beth Shaha, Centre County United Way special events coordinator. The usual items donated are primarily clothing and some sporting equipment such as bikes, but one can also find technological equipment or other toys, Manos said. “You can basically find anything you imagine.” At the sale, people will be given shopping bags to fill items they wish to purchase and each bag filled is $20, Shaha said. “(Trash to Treasure) is so important because it keeps items from going into the landfill, helps give folks things at a cheap price and the
IF YOU GO What: Trash to Treasure When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, June 4 Where: Beaver Stadium More info: www.trashtotreasure.psu.edu
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Health & Wellness ..... 10, 11 Community ................12-16
Memorial Day ............17-24 Sports ..........................25-28
Women’s Corner ........29-31 Around & In Town .......... 32
Gazette file photo
HIDDEN TREASURE: You never know what (or who) you’ll find at Trash to Treasure, which is scheduled for June 4 at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium.
proceeds benefit Centre County United Way,” Shaha said. With help from Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant and both student and Centre County United Way volunteers, the whole sale averages about 68 tons of donated items, helps Penn State save around $14,000 in labor and equipment costs, and brings in more than 500 volunteers and a couple thousand shoppers on the day of the event, according to the Trash to Treasure website. “Trash to Treasure works on so many levels,” Manos said. “It starts first with the students having the opportunity to give back to the community, then Centre County United Way receives all the proceeds, the people in the community get items at a good price and there is a sustainability component as well so everyone benefits and everyone wins.” Trash, Page 4
What’s Happening..... 32-34 Puzzles ............................. 35
Classified ................... 36, 37 Business...................... 38, 39