TimesLeader.com

June 29

BMT Community Partnership goes public

Newly-formed organization holds first meeting at Misericordia’s Insalaco Hall.

By Rebecca Bria rbria@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

The Back Mountain Community Partnership officially went public with its first meeting on Thursday, June 18, at Insalaco Hall on the campus of Misericordia University.

The partnership is the idea of Senator Lisa Baker (R-Lehman Township) and Misericordia University President Michael MacDowell, who initially invited Back Mountain communities to meet about forming an inter-municipal alliance last November.

The municipalities have been meeting monthly ever since to form the partnership which will allow them to work on various projects and possibly secure more grant money in the Back Mountain. Each community has the ability to opt in or out of a project. A budget will be set up for each project and projected expenses are being compiled for the next 18 months.

NEPA Alliance, a regional community and economic development organization, assisted in the formation of the partnership and will continue to provide help and has agreed to cover legal expenses.

Participating municipalities include Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston and Lehman townships and Dallas Borough.

Representatives from the six municipalities elected officers for the partnership at the meeting through the end of 2010. They are Al Fox, chairman; Jim Reino, vice-chairman; Patricia Peiffer, secretary/treasurer; Tracey Carr, recording secretary; Attorney Jeffrey Malak, legal consult; and NEPA Alliance, administrative agency.

“This is a historic moment for the Back Mountain area…the cooperation that started here I think is going to be a contagious event,” Reino said.

Members of the partnership are already planning to apply for a Department of Environmental Protection Energy Conservation Grant through the PA Conservation Works Recovery Grant Program.

It is beneficial for several municipalities to apply jointly for the grant because they would not be required to match any percentage of the funding as an individual municipality must do. The competitive grant will be capped at a $500,000 maximum.

The partnership must submit projects to be funded by the grant that would increase energy efficiency by at least 25 percent and reduce energy consumption and energy costs through efficiency improvements. Kingston, Jackson and Lehman townships and Dallas Borough plan to participate in the grant.

A second project planned is the replacement of old street signs. According to Fox, the project is necessary because the state is mandating the replacement of worn street signs by the end of 2011. John “Jay” Wilkes, who was not at the meeting, has volunteered to put together a list of street names and coordinate with the townships.

Yet another project in the works by the partnership is the creation of a Back Mountain community map that would show municipality borders. NEPA Alliance drafted a preliminary map as a rough idea and the partnership intends to get sponsors for the map to pay for any associated costs.

Joseph Chacke and Alan Baranski of NEPA Alliance gave a special presentation about their organization to members of the partnership. Fox says he hopes to bring in a different group each month for a presentation regarding matters that deal with the municipalities.

The partnership is inviting the Back Mountain Business Association to attend the July meeting.

“It’s just a great thing to see how all of this is coming together to benefit the community,” said Rep. Karen Boback (R-Harveys Lake) who attended the meeting.

Other issues discussed at the meeting include natural gas drilling and the passing of Act 32, which will make the collection of earned income tax countywide.

Jackson Township resident Ed Chesnovitch attended the meeting and commended the partnership officials for working together. He also inquired about solutions to multiple streets with the same name throughout Back Mountain municipalities.

Fox said that the county E-911 standardized addressing project will look at such an issue.