COUNTY LANDS TENANTS FOR GUNZBURGER BUILDING
By Travis Moshier Endeavor News

Leases with two new tenants of the F. W. Gunzburger County Office Building were approved by the Potter County Commissioners on Thursday.

A contract with the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit Nine covers 1,357 square feet of the building at $6,831 for a one-year period, retroactive to Aug. 20. IU9 has been using the space for an alternative education program without a contract.

Commissioners Doug Morley, Paul Heimel and Susan Kefover earlier stood by their decision to let IU9 start classes without the contract, saying it would eliminate students having to switch locations part way through the year.

Dickenson Mental Health Center is also moving to the Gunzburger Building. The three-year lease will provide space on the third floor, south wing and executive offices for $5,500 per month, through September 2011. The center had been located on the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital campus.

Also on Thursday, the commissioners hired David Knowles as buildings and grounds supervisor, a new position carrying a $38,000 salary plus benefits.

Under questioning, Chairman Morley said he had asked Knowles for his resume, the only one the board reviewed.

The commissioners stood behind their decision not to seek other applicants, pointing to Knowles' knowledge of Gunzburger Building and his performance as a private contractor for the county during office relocations to that building.

Heimel pointed out that Knowles' services would cost the county less as an employee than if he were continuing to work as a contractor.

At the commissioners' request, developer Michael Mulcahey of Port Allegany attended the meeting to answer questions about his plans to develop industrial wind turbines in Potter County to generate electricity.

Bob White, representing AES Corporation, a separate wind developer, was unable to attend but will be invited to a future meeting.

Mulcahey gave a short presentation, including financial information on lease agreements and a map with an example of how the county's proposed regulations would lessen the possibility of turbine development.

The map showed that the proposed setback distance for one proposed turbine in Sweden Township passed through 10-11 different property lines, making it difficult to gather waivers from all the property owners, Mulcahey said.

"If those setbacks were the law of the land for the county, then we would abandon ship," he added.

He also pointed out that the only way to get around the county's setbacks would be for individual townships to approve their own wind turbine ordinances.