Cameron County will get money for bridge inspections

Cameron County got a boost from the federal government for bridge inspections the county is required to conduct.

Commissioners Tony Moscato, Glen Fiebig and Pat Rodgers this week approved a five-year contract which will provide $170,000 in federal funds, covering 80 percent of the total expense. The county is responsible for the remaining $42,000 of the $212,000 plan.

Cameron County's share will come from a portion of the liquid fuels tax collected by the state and funneled to the county government. The tax is imposed on sales of gas, oil and aviation fuels.

P. Joseph Lehman, currently the county engineer, will be conducting the inspections unless the new board of commissioners decides to contract through another firm.

Fifteen bridges will be inspected. Five are countyowned, four owned by Grove Township, four owned by Shippen Township and two owned by Lumber Township. State- and privately-owned bridges will not be included. PennDT is responsible for inspecting state-owned bridges.

Every bridge in the nation that is over 20 feet long is required by law to be inspected at least every two years. Those found to be in need of rehabilitation or replacement may be eligible for up to 95 percent federal funding.

In other business at this week's meeting, the commissioners agreed to continue a software agreement with Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. (ESRI) for continued maintenance and software updates for the county's 9-1-1 mapping system.

The plan will cost the county $800 for services throughout 2008. Cameron County has been signing yearly contracts with ESRI for several years, the commissioners said. ESRI designs and develops geographic information system technology. The work is coordinated through the Cameron County Emergency Management Agency.

Commissioners reported on a recent meeting held to develop operations agreements for the Industrial Technological Education Center (ITEC) in Renovo. Commissioners from Cameron, Elk and Jefferson counties met to discuss the possibility of selling or leasing the building to Precision Manufacturing Institute of Meadville. No decisions were reached. Commissioners are hopeful that ITEC will begin enrolling students as early as next fall.

Requests for the appointment of a county engineer for 2008 and approval of a contract with Schreiber Reporting Services were tabled by the board. The action will be picked up by the incoming board of commissioners, comprised of Fiebig, JoAnn Smith and Phil Jones.

Robert Lininger, who lives along the Driftwood Branch of Sinnemahoning Creek, expressed concerns over the allotment of settlement money from the Norfolk Southern train derailment of June 2006. Lininger said he believed projects affecting water quality, erosion and streambank stabilization should be high priorities.

He was assured that the stakeholders' committee helping to decide how the settlement is spent has a broad cross-section of members, many of whom are supportive of environmental conservation causes.