Glimmers of hope
Companies inquire about Coudersport call center

At least three companies have expressed an interest in locating a call center in Coudersport once Time Warner Cable (TWC) pulls out of town.

Although the inquiries are now merely in the talking stages, they do offer glimmers of hope for more than 500 TWC employees whose jobs will vanish in just over two weeks. Time Warner's departure, coupled with the termination of dozens of positions with the Adelphia estate, will leave upwards of 600 people without jobs by the end of February.

Many of the affected employees will qualify for severance pay from Time Warner and be eligible for unemployment compensation benefits from the state for up to 26 weeks.

State Assemblyman Martin Causer chaired a meeting of public officials held last week to streamline the recruitment of industries to take advantage of the pool of skilled workers who will soon be available.

A Pittsburgh consulting firm, Renaissance Partners LLC, is working with the Potter County Redevelopment Authority to tie together the recruitment activities. The Redevelopment Authority, in turn, is the designated liaison with TWC.

Unconfirmed reports have been circulating in recent weeks that Time Warner is willing to part with its Coudersport properties at a low price, presumably because TWC would be able to benefit from tax deductions.

At the same time, the Potter County Board of Commissioners will back off on efforts to obtain the former Coudersport Elementary School for use as a county office building. Local leaders see the refurbished school, currently owned by Time Warner, as a building that could instead be attractive to prospective employers.

Renaissance Partners was hired by Northcentral Pa. Regional Planning and Development Commission, as part of that organization's economic development program. Anyone who has suggestions on potential employer leads or other information that might help Renaissance Partners promote the area is asked to contact Joe Pagano of the Redevelopment Authority at 274-7031.

Not all Time Warner jobs in Coudersport will vanish. The company will continue to operate the multi-million-dollar Data Center, employing about 75 people.