“This administration is trying
to catch up on a lot of things,” says
Bill Haas, Union County Commissioner.
And catching up can be difficult
with a county that Haas said,
has had more growth than Centre
County.
Aside from the new Union County
Government Center that went up,
the courthouse has also since
been remodeled. In the newer
version of the courthouse, the
sheriff has a new office, and
the warden for the jail has gotten
new space.
An overcrowded jail is one thing
Haas stresses. Since some of
Union County’s prisoners
are going to other counties,
the jail problem is one which
Haas plans to address, and the
remodeling of the courthouse
was the first step. “Overcrowded
jails are a problem throughout
PA,” he said.
Haas is addressing subjects like
this, which he says are at the
root of the problem. “One
quarter of our budget deals with
societal issues,” he said.
Haas also mentioned that many
of these issues are drug- and
alcohol-related. That is why
Haas speaks proudly about the
Union County Drug Prevention
Committee. “We have a lot
of professionals, a lot of people
from the medical community [on
the committee],” he said.
Haas also mentions how surrounding
counties are starting to work
with each other to help economic
growth. “Counties are coming
together; we’re breaking
down those boundaries,” he
says. ~PBC |
Making good
things better
By Bill Bradford
LEWISBURG – Seventh Street “…has
the potential to be a clean,
green connection between the
town and campus,” said
John Fernsler, president of
Lewisburg Neighborhoods Corp.,
when talking about the street
that lies between Bucknell
University and downtown Lewisburg.
The current improvement project,
which includes the enhancement
and construction of curbs,
crosswalks, parking, sidewalks,
signs, sitting areas, streetlights,
and utilities, is estimated
to cost about $1.1 million.
So far, $300,000 is being used
toward the project from the
borough’s Community Development
Block Grant funds and the state’s
Residential Reinvestment Grant
program.
The improvement group elected
to operate as a non-profit
organization. By doing so,
it can accept deductible donations
from individuals and foundations.
The corporation in charge of
the project includes Bucknell
University, businesses, residents,
and Lewisburg’s planning
commission, working together
to administer the corporation’s
funding, plans, and implementation.
“Seventh Street’s advantageous
location is one of its greatest
assets, offering opportunities
to reshape the status quo,
creating new environmental,
aesthetic, social, and economic
benefits,” says Fernsler.
Fernsler says that the corporation
is in a position to improve
downtown Lewisburg’s
marketability, and make it
a worthy competitor. The organization
in charge of housing, design,
and long range planning meets
the fourth Thursday of every
month at 7 p.m. and meetings
are open to the public.
“ We are putting great stress
on economic growth in the area,” said
Bill Haas, a Union County Commissioner.
The new Target distribution
center is an addition to the
growing economy in Union County,
which Haas said should provide
about 500 new jobs, not to
mention rumors of some new
Target retail stores being
constructed.
Haas also mentioned that since
the distribution center came
to Union County, smaller businesses
have taken an interest in the
area. Other big businesses
are coming to the county, as
well, including a new Super
Wal-Mart and an Applebee’s
restaurant just north of Lewisburg.
The Government Center is another
new addition to the county.
The building was purchased
from Omega Bank. A new commissioners
office and veterans’ affairs
office are among the several
additions to the building.
“We were extremely crowded in
our last building,” says
Haas.
Farming – a traditional
and productive economic aspect
of Union County is still growing.
Despite existing in a day and
age where farmlands are becoming
scarce, Union County’s
farming industry is still booming.
In fact, the county ranks very
high in the northeast for farming. “The
farm industry is in a good
stage…it’s an ideal
farming community,” said
Haas. ~PBC
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