By NATASHA BRENNEMAN
Staff writer
A public meeting about the county hazard mitigation plan was approved by Clarion County commissioners during their meeting Tuesday.
The public meeting will be held June 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Limestone Fire Department, at 9790 Route 66. The plan will be available for public viewing, and comments and questions will be taken.
Copies of the current plan are available for public view at the commissioners office in the administration building, 330 Main St., Clarion.
County Office of Emergency Service has started the 14-month process of updating the hazard mitigation plan to identify actions to protect life, safety and property.
Commissioners also approved a 36-month rental agreement for OES use of the St. Petersburg emergency communication tower.
Commissioner Ted Tharan said the tower will allow easier emergency communication, and will help communication between Clarion and Venango counties for emergency purposes. Tharan credited the negotiation of the rental agreement to OES Director Ron Wolbert.
Also at the meeting, Tharan said renovation of the Goodwill building will begin soon, and county crews are finishing work on the courthouse. No specific date for work on the Goodwill building was set. It was dependent on how much longer the courthouse work will take.
The county purchased the old retail store as a cost-saving measure. Plans are to turn the building into office space, saving the county an estimated $80,000 to $100,000 per year, according to commissioners’ earlier estimations.
The building has 8,400 square feet and an open layout from its former use as a retail outlet for Goodwill. Before that, the building was a grocery store.
Commissioners also approved the treatment of the four ash trees in Memorial Park. The trees will be sprayed with pesticide to ward off emerald ash borer.
Tharan said trees will die quickly if they aren’t treated.