We like consolidation idea

(Dennis Yablonsky is secretary of the Pa. Dept. of Community and Economic Development and addresses his comments to all borough and township officials as they prepare for Monday night's vote on the Cameron County home rule charter).

I am writing to express not only the continued interest of Governor Rendell's administration in supporting this effort, but also our readiness to provide needed financial support for projects that would grow out of a consolidation into a single municipal government.

Representatives from the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection, the Pa. Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources and PennVEST have visited the county or reviewed with their staffs ways in which Commonwealth funds could be used to support activities of a consolidated Cameron County government.

At a meeting held here at DCED on July 16, we developed the following list of priority projects that our various departments are prepared to support in the event a consolidated government needs and requests this assistance.

--Construction of a Southern Cameron County Public Facility for delivery of municipal services to residents of the southern portion of the county.

--Development of a new plan to make the Mid-County (Cameron) Authority the owner and operator of sewage treatment facilities throughout the county, thereby coordinating sewage treatment in all locations of the county.

--Funding the county to develop its own Open Space and Greenways plan.

Of course, there are other projects that will continue to be evaluated on their merits, regardless of the county's form of municipal organization, but even for those projects a consolidated county government will communicate more effectively to Commonwealth government the county's needs and priorities.

For example, as part of our review of needs related to the proposed consolidation, we have been informed of the need to renovate the Cameron County IDA multi-tenant facility (former PSM BrownCo site).

We are prepared to provide funding of up to $1 million of costs for eligible site preparation, infrastructure and building renovations at the facility, pending completion of an application and the project meeting requirements of the Infrastructure Development Program.

I hope this letter conveys the very real sense of excitement we in Harrisburg have about your efforts to move Cameron County forward as the first consolidated county government in Pennsylvania.