The Daily Press http://www.punxsutawneyspirit.com http://www.punxsutawneyspirit.com/apfeed.xml--1 Copyright The Daily Press 2012-02-21T22:58:57-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39822012-02-21T22:58:57-05:002012-02-21T22:58:57-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney SpiritTuesday, during a hearing on the state Department of Revenue budget, Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Todd Rucci said that the lottery has pulled the plug on spokesgroundhog Gus, dubbed “The Second-Most Famous Groundhog in Pennsylvania.”Rucci said that the TV campaign featuring Gus ended this month, although Gus will still appear on the lottery’s Web site for a period of time.Bill Deeley, president of the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, said the lottery approached the club several years ago about Punxsutawney Phil as its spokesperson. “But the big thing was, they wanted a groundhog that spoke, and we said that Phil doesn’t speak,” he said.That was just prior to Gus’ 2004 debut. Looking back, however, Deeley acknowledged that even if the club had gone along with the lottery’s plan and sought only a small percentage of its profits, “That would have been enough to support Groundhog Day forever,” he said.In Gus’ initial promos, the Pennsylvania Lottery proclaimed him as “The Most Famous Groundhog in Pennsylvania.” That didn’t last long after the club took umbrage to that title, and hence Gus’ ever-after title, “The Second-Most Famous Groundhog in Pennsylvania.”Also, Deeley said, “We didn’t like the gambling end of it, but our major hang-up was the speaking. We were not comfortable with the gambling, but we could have lived with it.”Rucci told The Patriot-News that in March, lottery officials hope to unveil a new marketing campaign aimed at making people more aware of everything the lottery does.The Associated Press said Gus was created to help introduce new instant ticket games. But officials said they believe the campaign has now reached everyone it can, and they want to try to tap new market segments.To his credit, the Patriot News said Gus’ campaign was enough of a hit that past lottery directors had to expressly reject requests to convert him into a plush toy, another Gus-Phil aspect that sounds a bit familiar when examining Gus’ work as it shadows that of Punxsutawney Phil.At his imposed retirement, Gus is only about eight years old, while the ever-famous Punxsutawney Phil just made his 126th prognostication during Groundhog Day 20 days ago.“We’ve outlived them all,” Deeley said.Punxsutawney, PATom ChapinPa. Lottery scratches GusPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3982Change0Usable2012-02-21T22:58:57-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39812012-02-21T22:56:12-05:002012-02-21T22:56:12-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney Spirit“Through the state contract, a municipality tells COSTARS what its expected needs are, and the contract is flexible that they only have to purchase 60 percent of what it needs,” said Bruce Beardsley, manager of Marketing and Constituent Relations for COSTARS. COSTARS is administered by the state Department of General Services (DGS) Bureau of Procurement. There are several thousand registered members taking advantage of existing Commonwealth contracts, Beardsley said.“Our goal is to provide contracts with competitive pricing, while providing increased opportunities for suppliers and eligible participants,” he said.Joe Defelice, Punxsutawney Borough Public Works foreman, said Punxsy has already used more than 60 percent of its 475 tons. The borough is 140 percent over, but could still order more for delivery if it was needed for winter maintenance, he said.Punxsy public works crews have been out plowing only three times so far this winter, Defelice said.Mary Ann Redding, Young Township secretary-treasurer, said the township is about one-ton-and-a-half away from meeting its requirements — 60 percent of 250 tons of salt, which is 150 tons.Cheri Rowles, Bell Township secretary-treasurer, said the township has made its tonnage requirements — 60 percent of 300 tons of salt under COSTARs contract, or 180 tons.Paul F. Koza Jr., P.E., PennDOT Jefferson County manager, said PennDOT does not participate in COSTARS but has met its tonnage requirements of 75 percent.He said with the lack of snow removal his crews have been out trimming trees, cutting brush, doing bridge repair and filling pot holes.“The types of snowfalls we’ve had this year have been mostly nuisance snows, where we clear and treat the roads for an inch or two of snow, and then turn around and treat again later for an additional inch of snow,” Koza said.Due to storage issues, some municipalities haven’t met their 60 percent tonnage requirement.Beardsley said this year’s contract included storage provisions so that if a member is not able to take the minimum required quantities, the supplier will store the salt until Dec. 31. “This is one of the lightest snow seasons we’ve experienced in quite some time,” he said. “However, we still have another month of winter, in which we could receive some heavy snowfalls.”American Rock Salt Co. LLC was the low bidder for Jefferson County and will store salt if a member is unable to take the minimum required quantities at a cost of $10 per ton.The current contract runs Aug. 1 through July 30, and COSTAR members have until then to order salt under the current contract, he said.“We recommend members order relatively early to be on the safe side,” Beardsley said.He said COSTARS doesn’t make recommendations to its members on how much material to purchase.Punxsutawney, PALarry McGuireLight winter, light salt use by crewsPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3981Change0Usable2012-02-21T22:56:12-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39802012-02-21T22:49:26-05:002012-02-21T22:49:26-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney Spirit“I walked through the park, and it’s in bad shape,” said Stan Derise, chairman of the council’s Park Committee.He said there was only one swing left on the sets, and the rest of the chains are wrapped around the cross bar at the top.“It’s not viable to put swings out there anymore,” Derise said, adding that there’s an old park bench that should be removed.He said council should purchase yellow corrugated PVC pipe to be placed over the top of the outfield fence on the ballfield. Council agreed for Derise to purchase the pipe for the fence.Derise made a motion to hire Wood’s Landscaping to mow the ballfield at Veterans’ Park for $100 on an as-needed basis, an increase of $10 from last year’s rate.He said the contractor will need to begin mowing early this year since the field should’ve been mowed last season one last time.In other business:• Tax Collector Laura Lantz said she sent letters to six businesses in the borough that have not paid their local services tax.She said all six have until March 2 to pay their 2011 taxes.• Providing several sample ordinances from other boroughs, council member John Niver said he wants council to consider passing a mandatory garbage collection ordinance to help eliminate burning barrels in the borough.Council President Nick Lantz said he didn’t believe that mandatory garbage collection would eliminate residents from burning garbage in a barrel, and that 262 households in the borough have garbage pickup.“I’ve seen people put bags of garbage out for pick-up and then go and burn more garbage in a burn barrel that same day,” he said.Council agreed to continue discussions at next month’s meeting.• Derise, who is also the chief of the Big Run Area Volunteer Fire Company, said it will no longer use Veterans’ Park for emergency medical helicopter landings in the borough, but that Doug Brocious will permit use of his property for a landing zone. That will be easier since the ballfield requires a key to open the gate for fire truck access.• Council member Larry Lambert said the drains are fixed in the War Memorial kitchen, and that electrician Wayne McKee will install a receptacle for the garbage disposal to be installed in the kitchen sink.Niver said the light at the top of the War Memorial in the rear needs to be replaced.Derise said the fire department can bring a ladder over to investigate if it’s the bulb or the fixture that needs to be replaced.• Niver said the roof on the refreshment stand at Veterans’ Park is in need of replacement. But council member John Smeal said the roof replacement was shot down last year.Derise said if a roof is needed it should be a steel roof.• Lantz said Niver should research costs for surveillance cameras at Veterans’ Park in order to stop the vandalism.Also Monday, council:• Approved donating $200 toward mowing the Veterans’ Park ballfield for the over-40 league to use the ball diamond Monday through Thursday from the end of June until September.• Approved the use of the War Memorial by the Big Run Betas April 28 for their annual banquet and variety show.• Approved the use of Veterans’ Park ballfield by Youth Baseball for practice. The borough donated $600 for the league to maintain Centennial Field where the teams play its games.• Approved a motion to remove the basketball hoops and the chin-up bars in the War Memorial gym, since they are no longer used.• Approved March 18 for the Peepers Banquet at the War Memorial.• Approved April 14 for the Rob Charles wedding at the War Memorial.• Approved April 24 primary election agreement for use of War Memorial.• Approved June 16 for Danielle Chenoga to rent the War Memorial.• Approved Michelle Smeal to research history of Big Run during the borough’s regular business hours.The next council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 19, at the War Memorial.Punxsutawney, PALarry McGuireBig Run council looks at Veterans’ Field, late taxes in the boroughPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3980Change0Usable2012-02-21T22:49:26-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39772012-02-20T23:06:09-05:002012-02-20T23:06:09-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney Spirit“I was reluctant to take the position,” said Larry Mallory, of Glen Campbell, who added that his biggest issue has always been the distance from Glen Campbell to New York City. But he realized being president of a prestigious art association is not something that happens every day, so he accepted.Since 2009, Mallory has been president of the New York-based American Artists Professional League (AAPL), an organization that promotes traditional American art and protects artists’ interests. The AAPL was formed in 1928, when a meeting was called by 15 members of the Salmagundi Club in New York City. Since its creation, the AAPL has made numerous improvements to the art scene in the United States, including seeing that all portraits paid for with taxpayers’ dollars are painted by American Artists; improving the chemical and physical purity of artists’ pigments; and establishing the U.S. Bureau of Standards original set of government-sponsored standards for artists’ colors. The AAPL has also held a Grand National Exhibition for more than 70 years that attracts artists from all over the world to showcase their talents in oil, watermedia, sculpture, and pastel and graphics.Mallory, a graduate of PAHS, has been drawing since a very young age.“As a child, I always liked to draw animals, horses and things of that nature, but when I was in college, I learned that I liked everything: Drawing, watercolor, oils, graphics, print making and jewelry,” he said. An IUP graduate who earned a degree in art education, Mallory admired many of his instructors at IUP, as he gives them credit for much of his artistic talent. After graduation, Mallory worked as an art teacher at Moshannon Valley in grades K-6 until 2006, retiring after 34 years of teaching.Mallory said it’s a challenge to describe what exactly inspires him as an artist.“When you get into the aspect of aesthetics, how do you put into words what motivates a person?” he said. “How does one describe beauty, that which is striking, eye catching?”Sometimes, Mallory sees an image in nature or on a street that catches his eye. He’ll then sketch the location, as he prefers not to draw from photographs. “A lot of times, when I would go hunting, I would see places that I liked and enjoyed,” he said. “Then I would go back maybe on a Sunday afternoon and sketch it and draw it. So inspiration is always very personal.” Mallory does cite inspiration from other artists works as well, most notably from shows he has judged. He has judged six shows in Pennsylvania and three in New York, as well as fair shows in Ebensburg and Johnstown. In New York, he was a member of the the judges’ panel for a Salmagundi non-members show, as well as judging two AAPL shows. Over the years, Mallory has competed in many shows and received numerous awards for his paintings. His watercolor painting of a rusted steam shovel, titled “Retired Marion,” won him four awards from different shows, including the Terri Arguably, Mallory’s finest work, “Times Past,” a drawing of a Bellefonte antique shop, has won him his most coveted award: The Newington Award in 2001.“This sort of opened doors for me,” he said. The Newington Award is the best painting in show of any medium at the AAPL Grand National Exhibition. “Times Past,” stood out because it is a dry brush drawing, which made it black and white. Dry brush is a technique infrequently used by artists, as it is very time consuming. “Times Past” took Mallory more than 1,000 hours to complete.Mallory became a member of the AAPL in 1970 and became a board member after the attention he received from “Times Past.”Having been a dedicated board member for many years and having gained some clout in the art community, Mallory was an ideal candidate for the AAPL presidency position when it opened up in 2009. Serving as AAPL president is no easy task, as Mallory is in charge of establishing contracts for shows; finding locations; setting dates and times; conducting all aspects of board meetings; securing contracts with different organizations; general overview of finances; getting perspectives put together to advertise for shows; selecting judges for shows; and many other tasks.Mallory gives credit to God for all he has accomplished. Punxsutawney, PADan LongGlen Campbell man’s talent leads to presidency of national artists’ groupPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3977Change0Usable2012-02-20T23:06:09-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39762012-02-20T23:04:06-05:002012-02-20T23:04:06-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney SpiritBrian Lyons, a former Sykesville and Summerville police officer who also served as a police chief of a regional police department, said he’s been following council’s discussions about hiring a police officer for the borough.He also proposed a solution: With available grant funds, the cost of any officer for Big Run would be $97 per year per taxpayer. If combining with Gaskill Township, it would cost $45 per taxpayer per year.Lyons said if Big Run combined with both Gaskill and Henderson Township, the cost would fall to $19 per year per taxpayer.Mayor Joe Buterbaugh, who oversees any police department in the borough, said the problem with having any type of police coverage in Big Run is it will require grant funding or other outside funds.“We’re going to have to rescind (Ordinance No. 144) to take away the police department,” he said. “You’re talking over $60,000 per officer for four days a week per year, and we are at a standstill until we can obtain any kind of outside funding.”Buterbaugh said Lyons’ idea would depend on persuading the other two municipalities to join forces with Big Run.“Each member of council has the information, and can review it and form their own opinions on the matter,” he said.“A lot of things have to happen before the police department can come into effect,” Buterbaugh said, asking for Lyons to keep in contact with council.Lyons said in 1974, council passed ordinance No. 144, which created the police officer position in the borough.“Even though there hasn’t been a borough officer in recent memory, council would not have to re-create the position because it sill exists,” even though it has been inactive,” he said.Lyons said in 1994, the county hired Bob Shaffer, Clarion Borough Polic chief, to perform a feasibility study about the possible creation of a regional police force.“At that time, I worked in both Sykesville and Summerville, which was actually a regional police department, even though they hadn’t gone through the formalities to do so. Their patrols covered four different municipalities,” Lyons said. “In the mid-90s, Sykesville talked about regional police coverage with Troutville to be paid for with federal grants, but police officers could not be contracted out at that time.”Punxsutawney, PALarry McGuireBig Run still seeks way to create policePunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3976Change0Usable2012-02-20T23:04:06-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39662012-02-19T22:15:46-05:002012-02-19T22:15:46-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney SpiritPublic schools, which had to absorb about $860 million in spending cuts for the 2011-12 school year, will see their basic subsidies rise about $45 million to $5.4 billion, but could lose $100 million in grants that helped fund full-day kindergarten and other programs, such as dual enrollment."I was worried last year and somewhat naive about how much funding was going to be cut by the state for this school year," said Dr. Keith Wolfe, Punxsutawney Area School District superintendent.Wolfe said he was afraid the loss of the accountability block grant educational Assistance Program (EAP) would put a serious dent in all-day kindergarten."However, the EAP did come back, and we were able to fund all-day kindergarten for another year." Wolfe said, adding that he's a believer in all-day kindergarten.He said expectations are high for kindergarten students."Kindergarten students now have higher expectations than years ago and are not able to complete all of their work in half a day," Wolfe said.Susan H. Robertson, district business manager, said the entire staff pitched in to help save money in its departments this past year and for next year, too."We've kept an open dialogue with our department heads," she said. "We also requested more information regarding budgets for athletics and technology."Robertson said the district has yet to use its fund balance.The school board has passed a resolution to not use it, she said.Wolfe said during the 2009-10 school year, the district received $1,847,000 in state funding.In 2010-11, it was $1,073,000, and for 2011-12 it was $1,706,000, he said."It's supposed to remain the same for next year, so the state funding has dropped and has now leveled off," Wolfe said, adding that the Student Achievement Education Block Grant has seen an increase of $22 million from the governor's budget.However, there's no money at all for the accountability block grant or for dual enrollment, he said.Wolfe said there were a few dozen students who participated in the dual enrollment program when it was mostly paid for with grant funds. Under the program, a student attends high school classes in the morning and college classes in the afternoon at one of the area colleges.Because of the grant money being eliminated, Wolfe said the number of students who participated in dual enrollment is down to just three or four.One of the biggest budget issues the district faces is the funding for students who attend charter or cyber schools, Wolfe said.He said state law requires public schools to pay 80 percent of their per-pupil costs as tuition for students registered in their districts and enrolled in online charter schools. "Cyber or charter schools can charge whatever they want for tuition, and the district has to pay for it," he said. "The legislature is discussing the possibility for a formula of $18,000 to $20,000 per student."Cyber schools don't have the expenses that the school district does, since they don't have buildings or transportation expenses, and (they have) fewer employees," Wolfe said. "I'm not opposed to cyber schools. Since our district has its own, I'd like to see students use ours and our curriculum."Wolfe said many cyber schools take attendance just by a student logging onto the Web site."I think cyber schools should have compulsory attendance, where the student has accountability to the school," Wolfe said.He said cyber school and home schooling are two completely different things."Home-schooled children never cost the district a penny, because the parents paid for the curriculum," Wolfe said. "Cyber schools cost the district anywhere from $8,000 to $18,000 per student."This school year, the district is paying $675,000 for cyber school students, he said.Robertson said the district has saved money by not replacing an employee when he or she retires."We try to eliminate that position when someone retires and have other employees double up and take over some of those duties," she said. "Our staff works hard; it's a team effort to save money wherever we can."Wolfe said when it comes to the budget, a department head is asked if the request is a need or a want."If it's a want, the department head will take it off the table," he said.There are a few areas where the district can save money: Cut staff; have larger classes, cut programs, cut extracurriculars, reduce elective courses or put off building improvements, Wolfe said.But such cuts are not always best in the long run, he said."You have to explore every avenue, such as closing a building, or cut out some maintenance items — however, you still have to perform some maintenance, or the buildings will go into disrepair, and it will cost you even more money," he said. "No matter how you look at it, if there's no staff reduction, you're not saving any money."Wolfe said one area the district has no control over is the unfunded mandates that come down from the state, such as all day kindergarten."No Child Left Behind is another area where we are required to meet our Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals through the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests," Wolfe said, adding that districts such as Punxsy, which makes AYP, are punished because the districts that don't make it receive more funding.Robertson said funding may level off from the state, but expenses don't stay level."We are in the beginning stages of our budget meetings and cutting everything down to the bare bones," she said. "We also eliminated summer employees and hope to use our e-academy for summer school to save money by not having to hire as many summer school teachers and have one teacher take care of two classes at once."Robertson said district tax payers need to fill out the Homestead Farmstead forms so they can become eligible for the reduction, which is due March 1.The Homestead Act in Pennsylvania, more commonly referred to as the Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion (Act 50), reduces the property tax on permanent residences for individuals who reside in participating municipalities, Robertson said, adding that it is good for three years and is subsidized through the state's gaming money that comes into the district.She said on average, the district received $1.1 million in gaming funds, which is returned to the tax payers in the form of property tax reductions if they choose to sign up for Homestead Farmstead.Wolfe said he and Robertson have met with all of the departments concerning its budgets with the exception of technology.Robertson said she will continue to present budget updates as the administration continues to work toward a preliminary budget, which is usually presented in May.Wolfe said the district will continue to save money wherever it is able to.This year's budget was approximately $38 million.Punxsutawney, PALarry McGuirePASD officials navigating budget crunchPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3966Change0Usable2012-02-19T22:15:46-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39652012-02-19T21:52:16-05:002012-02-19T21:52:16-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney SpiritLocal Intelligence(April 29, 1896)John K. CoxsonJohn K. Coxson, for more than fifteen years, an employee of this office, died last Sunday in the fortieth year of his life. For the past two years he had been in ill health, but he remained at his post of duty as foreman of the Spirit office until about two months ago. By that time he had developed unmistakable symptoms of tuberculosis, and grew gradually worse until he died.….A wife and three children, his mother, three sisters and a brother, survive him. A home and an insurance of $3,000 in the Royal Arcanum, places his wife and children above the immediate reach of want.The deceased was a son of the late John K. Coxson, who is remembered by our older inhabitants as a man of remarkable talents. Although possessing no advantages in early life he became locally distinguished as an orator, artist, editor, and poet.His son John, although making no pretensions to eloquence or art, possessed a mind of more than ordinary strength and acuteness. Modest and unassuming, he pursued the even tenor or his way, having no other ambition than to be a good printer, and to lead a quiet, modest life. In this he was successful, being a thorough master of the art of printing, competent and trustworthy in every department of the newspaper business. He was an excellent job printer and a clear and concise writer.He was for a time editor of the St. Mary's Gazette, and on several occasions, for brief periods, edited the Spirit. He learned his trade on the Mahoning Argus, a paper published by his father, and worked for a time in Reynoldsville and in Pittsburg. He was careful, painstaking, and faithful, and was recognized amongst the craft as a superior workman.John Coxson was a man of sterling qualities. He was true to his convictions and consciencious in all his dealing with his fellow men. His nature was frank and absolutely without guile. He never did anything for the sake of policy. It is right, and is it true was all he desired to know before reaching a conclusion. He was honest, not only in his relations with others, but with himself.Punxsutawney, PANo author availableWay Back WhenPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3965Change0Usable2012-02-19T21:52:16-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39612012-02-17T23:24:03-05:002012-02-17T23:08:37-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney SpiritAs far as anyone familiar with fire department history can confirm, Grove is the first female fire chief in the history of Jefferson County.Grove said she first became interested in joining the Perry Township Fire Company after having served as one of the fire hall cleaners."The reason I first joined was because I have a passion to help people," she said. "I believe when someone needs help, you help them."Grove has held various offices in the fire company and is an interior firefighter, which is a firefighter who fights the fire on the inside."You have to respect the fire, especially when you battle the flames on the inside," Grove said, adding that protecting yourself and your partners is job No. 1 on the inside."When the fire is ‘rockin,’ it can be intimidating when you first go inside; that's where you rely on your training," she said. "It's not like on television and the movies with little fires burning. You can't see your hand in front of your face because of the thick, black smoke."Grove said the most helpless feeling she had was at a fatal fire that occurred Feb. 18, 2002."I watched them pull the victim out, (and) I asked myself, why couldn't we get there faster to save her?" Grove said, adding that it's strange when an emergency involves someone from your family.She said during one incident, the fire company was called to a medical emergency for a male with severe breathing issues — whom she later discovered was her father-in-law.Grove said it wasn't until she arrived at the scene that she knew the patient was a relative, and she stayed with him and waited for EMS to arrive."My brother was in an auto accident — even though you're related to the victim as a first responder, you have to stay in control," Grove said, adding the most difficult emergency scene is when children are involved.She said the fire company carries stuffed animals to give to children in order to comfort them.As a member of the volunteer fire company, she has gone on numerous medical calls over the years, Grove said."It can be anything from a stroke patient, cardiac arrest, a stubbed toe, upset stomach or broken limbs," she said. "As a first responder, we're the mediators between the victim and the ambulance."Grove said the craziest call she responded to was when the Perry Township fire hall was on fire."Most of the fire department line officers were at a training class in Clearfield when they heard about the call," she said. "It was a long drive back from there until we got to the scene of the fire at our fire hall."Grove said when they got back it was chaos, the inside was soaked with water, and the furnace room was charred from the blaze.Despite the fact that she's constantly busy while working at Walker Auto Parts, Grove also has a 90-acre farm to tend to that she lives on with her husband, Glenn, and two daughters, Heather and Brook.Grove said in her opinion, the time to rest is when one is six feet under."When I was offered the chief's position by the members of the fire company, I first asked my family what they thought," she said. "They all said to 'go for it,' so I said I would do it."She said the only way she would accept the position is if Tim "Elfie" Fetterhoff would continue as the assistant chief."I want to thank all of the prior chiefs for all they've accomplished over the years," Grove said. "It's not just me, it's an entire team effort, which is why I wanted other members of the team in the picture with me."When those who are avid fire and police scanner listeners hear the words "Chief 12 is en route,” they’ll know that Grove is on her way to another emergency, along with the other members of the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Company.Grove's term is for two years.Punxsutawney, PALarry McGuireCounty’s first female fire chief leads Perry Township departmentPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3961Change0Usable2012-02-17T23:08:37-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39542012-02-16T23:14:26-05:002012-02-16T23:14:26-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney SpiritLast month, 11 4-H students from Jefferson and Clearfield counties began building a robot to compete in a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) — marking the first time 4-H members in the area became involved in this national project.“It’s coming along,” team member Matt Vipond said. “We’re going to be going right up to the buzzer here, but I think we’ll make it.”Tuesday, the team members must cease work on their robot, which they will take to a regional competition next month.“It’s coming together,” Susan Alexander, Penn State Cooperative Extension educator, said. “We’ve got a robot that’s moving and doing things. It’s all working together.”Alexander first heard about FRC last year and knew she wanted to bring the opportunity to Jefferson County 4-H members.Thousands of teams across the nation take part in FRC, and because this is Jefferson County’s first try at it, Alexander is proud of how far her team has come.She and her team received the kit Jan. 7, and after a week of brainstorming, began to build it.The team’s robot is almost complete, and once finished, will have the capability to pick up and shoot a basketball.All teams across the country receive the same kit, which includes, screws, bolts, electrical components, joy sticks, a netbook computer and basketballs. But what each individual team does with the kit is up to its discretion.“Each team robot is going to look a little different because each team sees different things,” Alexander said.March 8-10, the team will compete at the regional competition in Pittsburgh against more than 40 other teams.The team will be judged for awards in design, creativity, innovation and culture-changing behavior.If the team does well enough, it will move to the national level to compete in the FIRST Championship in St. Louis.And Vipond, a junior at Brockway Area High School, thinks his team’s robot will be a contender.“Our robot is going to be very competitive,” he said. “We’re trying to be optimistic.”In addition to the 11 team members, FRC requires each team to be mentored by professional adults. Matt Vipond’s father, Henry Vipond, is a retired electrical engineer who believes the team has already accomplished so much.“I think it’s an overwhelming task that they’re working on,” he said. “Even if they weren’t successful in finishing the robot, they’ve already learned how to think about ideas and how to brainstorm ... that in itself is an accomplishment.”Vipond calls it a “creativity building” activity.“From my experience, when you think about things that are challenging, you create new abilities in yourself, and kids are able to do that even more,” he said.Alexander considers the decision to take part in FRC beneficial to not only the 11 team members, but also to the entire 4-H program as a whole.She said Jefferson County started at the top of the line, where building the robot is the last step. But in the near future, Alexander plans to involve younger 4-H members at earlier stages, by first learning to build with Legos.“Some of the younger kids said, ‘Yes, let’s do that,’ so I think getting the kids more excited about science, technology, engineering and math is good,” she said. “And we’re going to do that. The overall 4-H program is going to grow from it.”4-H members who are not interested in the robot-building aspect of the competition, can be involved in other ways. FRC requires a team to write essays and design a Web page and promotional materials.It’s also important for a team to show that it’s sustainable — that it will go on from year to year, and grow.A majority of the team plans to come back next year.Punxsutawney, PANatalie BruzdaCounty 4-H’ers explore roboticsPunxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3954Change0Usable2012-02-16T23:14:26-05:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:39532012-02-16T23:11:45-05:002012-02-16T23:11:45-05:00Copyright 2010 Punxsutawney SpiritBut Monday, Solicitor Jay Lundy said council is obligated to approve the ordinance or risk losing flood insurance.With a 5-2 vote, council approved a motion to advertise Ordinance No. 1115, with council members Eric Story and Toby Santik voting no.Story said he read the new ordinance handed down by FEMA, which he said is word-for-word the same as the borough’s current ordinance, with the exception of two parts.Story said the one change is council must appoint a flood plain administrator, who would be the code enforcement officer. The second change in the ordinance is the borough must conform to the unified building code set by the state, he said.“I don’t see how we can get out of this,” Story said. “My problem is the letter that FEMA sent along with the new ordinance, threatening us to enact the new ordinance by March 15 or the people in Punxsy will lose their flood insurance. I think it’s wrong that the state and federal government can extort a borough or township into passing a new ordinance.”Story said he didn’t want to see anyone lose his or her flood insurance because of this, and that these changes are the result of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.Council member William Spencer said not too many people in Punxsutawney have flood insurance, and that following Punxsy’s 1996 flood, he fixed all 13 of his properties without flood insurance.Santik asked if the borough would not receive flood insurance for the sewage treatment plant if the new ordinance wasn’t passed. Borough Secretary Mary Neal said the sewage treatment plant already has flood insurance.But Santik said if the new ordinance isn’t passed, the sewage plant would lose its flood insurance.Story said 20 years ago, the borough was held hostage by a government agency and had to rebuild the sewage treatment plant to its specifications.“If it does flood, the sewage plant is the first place to get hit, since it’s so close to the creek,” he said. Spencer replied that the sewage plant floods any time there’s high water because it’s at the lowest point.“We’ll have to pass the ordinance, but we don’t have to like it,” Spencer said.Santik said once again it was big government telling the little guys what to do.Also at Monday’s meeting, council:• Approved a motion to advertise for a part-time borough parks employee for the purpose of park maintenance during the spring and summer.• Approved a motion to have the borough’s sewer-vactor truck refurbished by the manufacturer.Borough Manager Ben White said the truck will be out of service for four to six weeks.If an emergency arises, the borough has made an arrangement with the Sandy Township sewage department to use its truck.• Approved a motion to appoint Russ Braun as Punxsutawney Borough Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) and Rich Palm as the alternate.• Approved a motion to adopt a certificate of insurance requirements.• Approved a motion to adopt Resolution 2012-2, the borough’s emergency operations plan and promulgation.• Approved a motion for the borough to participate in the COSTARS salt contract through the state effective August through July 2013.The borough is required to purchase at least 60 percent of the tonnage requirements.Punxsutawney, PALarry McGuireCouncil members say flood ordinance bullies ‘the little guys’Punxsutawney Spiriturn:publicid:dailypress.com:3953Change0Usable2012-02-16T23:11:45-05:00