Susquehanna County Blog

OP-ED IN SCRANTON TIMES 

Finally, there is some notice in the regional media regarding the potential problems with fracing gas wells.  Here is the link:

http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2008/08/23/editorial/sc_times_trib.20080823.a.pg12.tt23edit1_s1.1892634_edi.txt

SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY RAILROAD AUTHORITY 

One fairly simple way to get rid of most of the frac water is to contract with an approved recycling plant (the nearest is in Western, PA) and send it out there in rail tank cars.  Certainly it would be much more efficient than using trucks and a whole lot more ecologically sound than building retention ponds or injection wells.  Shipping could occur from the proposed rail transload facility in the New Milford area.

 Oh wait, no it couldn’t either.  Our fine county commissioners have not seen fit (other than minimal lip service) to support the railroad authority at all.  Maybe the Central Bradford Progress Authority (the economic development arm of Susquehanna County) could work with them to get some funding for this project. 

No wait, that won’t happen either.  Anthony Ventello, the executive director of the Central Bradford Progress Authority was scheduled to attend a recent meeting of the railroad authority.  He never showed.  He was immediately called by a commissioner and made some lame excuse for not attending.  Over the past couple of years, both the current and past commissioners have directed Ventello to work with the railroad authority.  According so some current and past members, he won’t even respond to written correspondence sent him by the railroad authority.  Just remember, we taxpayers are paying for his services (or lack of same).  It is this same lack of action on the part of former commissioner Roberta Kelly and former and current commissioner MaryAnn Warren which caused the railroad authority to lose a $2.5 million release of funds to create a transload facility.   This has lead to the loss of  some needed infrastructure. 

As has been noted here previously, commissioner Michael Giangrieco has never supported the railroad authority - from the time when he was county solicitor and wrote this letter:

letter-from-michael-giangreco-4-8-2003-stating-no-muni-code-for-rr-authority.PDF

Obviously, there is no commitment to railroad related economic development in this county. 

GAS LEASES AND WELLS 

Going back to the op-ed piece, not knowing what will happen with your legislators regarding injection wells, etc., you may want to get a really good baseline water test on you private water well before a gas well is fraced in the area.  Also, it wouldn’t hurt to keep tabs on John Hanger, the next secretary of Environmental Protection in Pennsylvania. 

It has been said that Chesapeake and one or two others have stopped writing leases in Susquehanna County.  It is the understanding of this writer that Chesapeake does not have any drilling permits in the area.  So, are they just going to sell their existing leases (at a substantial profit of course) or just wait? 

Apparently the newest leases offered by some companies have finally gotten rid of the arbitration clause.  This is really a win for the landowners.  But don’t rush off to sign.  There are still the above noted environmental issues as well as the fact that there isn’t enough money or percentage offered yet. 

If you don’t NEED the money, don’t sign.  If you can wait, the numbers will only go up, especially after some of these wells are connected to the transmission line.

Here is the link to the map of gas wells, permits for wells and permits to connect to the Tennsessee Gas Transmission Pipeline in the area:

 http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=109081933932637779023.00044fb7409fbc47fd65d&ll=41.739297,-75.815449&spn=0.111183,0.243244&z=13

This map is updated on a regular basis.  By the way, it is not the product of the author of this blog or anyone associated with this blog.  So, thank the author, Railroad - RR,  for all the work it takes to keep this map updated. 

Your thoughts?

The Authority met March 14th.  There were two new members just appointed by the new commissioners.  Don Button, New Milford and Dave Darrow from Franklin Township took their place at the table.  An overview of the past of the Rail Committee and the Railroad Authority was given to the new members and those in attendance. 

 Secretary/Treasurer Tom Wooden indicated the finances of the Authority total about $50.00.   Actually, the financial picture is significantly worse as the last commissioners didn’t see fit to help fund the ongoing expenses of the Authority, 5 of the 7 members had to pony up $206 each last August to pay for Directors and Officers Insurance.  The other two members, Paul J. Amadio and Janet Haulton refused to contribute to the bill, so it was divided between 5 rather than 7. 

Quite a slap in the face to the members of the Authority, who serve without any compensation and who we able to secure a $15,000 and $25,000 engineering grant along with a $4,000,000 capital budget line item. 

Both Commissioners Warren and Allen were in attendance.  Although both are very aware of the situation, no offer of help was forthcoming.  Instead, Commissioner Warren suggested another meeting with PennDot Rail Freight as soon as possible.   A tentative date of April 11 was chosen as it is the regular meeting date of the Authority.  Commissioner Warren indicated that PennDot would be receptive to a new application to use a portion of the $4,000,000 capital budget item for a second try to create a transload facility in the New Milford area. 

One member stated that it was good that there is a positive attitude from the Harrisburg crowd, but without the commissioners agreeing to guarantee the local match portion of the grant, the Authority would be no further ahead then they were before.  No offer of a guarantee was made by either commissioner at todays meeting.  Another member asked whether or not the land, targeted for the project was still available. 

 It seems that no matter how hard the Authority members work to make the transload project work, it still requires the cooperation of the commissioners.   So, while a meeting with the PennDot officials is a positive move, the commissioners need to step up to the plate very shortly if there is any hope of this project eventually succeeding. 

 Your thoughts? 

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According to published reports, Pittsburgh based JEC Technologies plans to build an assembly plant with just over one acre under roof in the Greater Forest City Industries Industrial Park.  For those who are not familiar, the GFCI Park is located at the extreme Southeastern corner of Susquehanna County, on the edge of Forest City. 

According to JEC Technologies website: “JEC Technologies is a US Government 8(a)/SDB Certified electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company “We provide world-class advanced electronic manufacturing solution and customized supply chain management to the Defense & Aerospace, the Industrial, and the Medical electronics industries. We offer our customers comprehensive and integrated design services, efficient manufacturing methodology, and quality assurance; from initial product design and printed circuit board layout to prototype, full production and test development.”

Apparently the plan is to construct the facility over an 8 month or so period and eventually create 260 jobs within 5 years.  CEO and Co-Founder Joey Ahia indicated the company would be hiring the semiskilled, technicians and engineers.  The average salary will be $41,000. 

Giving credit where it is due is important.  This company locating here is at least partially due to the efforts of the Central Bradford Progress Authority, the fact that the property is in a Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone (KOEZ) as well as an Enterprise Zone. 

While this project will, when completed have an obvious positive economic impact on the area, remember another important consideration.  Even if this company relocates from the area at the end of the economic incentives, the infrastructure will be in place to more easily attract another industry.  Further, after this plant is built and operational, it will give credibility to the area, making the area more attractive to other similar businesses. 

More information may be found about JEC Technologies on their website   http://www.jectechnologies.com

In this week’s  (2-20-2008) Susquehanna County Transcript, there was an interesting Letter to the Editor from a resident of Our Fair County.  The Letter primarily deals with economic development, notes some lost opportunities, several concerns, a few questions and more, all couched in some pretty dry humor. 

Although SusqcoBlog.com is not in the business of selling newspapers, this writer believes it would be worth your while to read this Letter to the Editor.  The letter writer “gets it” as I suspect a large percentage of the readers of this Blog and others do as well. 

 Your thoughts?

As long as the information from the Bureau for Labor Statistics regarding wages was posted, I thought it would be interesting to let you know a few other statistics about our Fair County.    After all, if you don’t know where you are, it’s tough to see if you have made any progress.  This information was gathered from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania website - www.ruralpa.org - and is quite interesting.  It becomes even more interesting when you start comparing Susquehanna County to other similar counties in the Commonwealth.

 POPULATION

Starting with the basics: Susquehanna County has about 823 square miles.  The estimated population as of 2006 was 41,889 or 51 people per square mile.  The population appears to have declined by roughly eight tenths of a percent (0.8%)  since the 2000 census. 

Of these 41,889 citizens, the average age in 2006 was 41.4.  22.3% or about 9,431 were under 18.  Remember that number, you will see it again soon.  61.9% or about 25,929 are between the ages of 18 and 64.  Roughly 15.8% or 6,618 are over 65.  Due to rounding, there is one missing citizen, sorry.

INCOME

There were 16,529 households which had a median household income in 2004 of $36,104, the latest year available on this site.  By the way, this was reduction in household income from 2002 by 0.4%.  In 2005, the average annual wage was $24,487, which was an increase of 5.4%from 1995.   If you check the inflation rate for this 10 year period, I am sure you will find it greatly exceeds 5.4%.  By the way, the $24,487 annual figure works out to be just under $471 per week.  This is in line with the information posted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report for 1st Quarter, 2007.

POVERTY

The estimated poverty rate increased from 10.6% to 11.5% from 2002 to 2004, again, the most recent years available on this site.  The estimated poverty rate for children under 18 increased from 15.6% to 17.6% for the same time period.  Remember the statistic above which said there are 9,431 under 18?  This works out to about 1,644 children under 18 who live in Susquehanna County who included in the estimated poverty rate.  THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. 

 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE

The percentage of the population receiving Cash Assistance declined from 1.6% to 1.2% betweeen June, 2005 and June, 2007.  This means that of the 41,889 citizens, as of June, 2007, about 502 were receiving cash assistance.

The percentage of the population eligible for Medical Assistance also decreased from 16.2% to 16% or 6,702 who were eligible as of June, 2007.

The population participating in the Food Stamp Program for the same time period increased from 7.5% to 8.2%, or 3,435 as of June, 2007.

Finally, the population participating in the WIC program declined from June, 2005 to June, 2007 from 2.5% to 2.3% or about 963.

LABOR FORCE

There were 8,964 total employees in the second quarter of 2006.  Of these, 7.8% worked in the manufacturing sector; 17.7% worked in the wholesale and retail trade sectors; mining, construction, utilities & transportation & warehousing comprised of 11.9%; information, finance, insurance, real estate & rental & leasingwere 4.3%; education services, professional, scientific & technical services accounted for another 2.2%; while health care and social assistance made up 14.9%; and other sectors accounted for 41.2%. 

In 2000, there were 19,072 employed persons who were 16 or older.  26.3% were employed in professional or management jobs.  Another 22.5% were employed in “white collar” jobs.  Service jobs accounted for 14% of the total.  37.3% were employed with “Blue Collar” jobs. 

UNEMPLOYMENT

The Unemployment Rate has steadily dropped from 2002 through 2006, the latest year available on this site.  Starting in 2002 - 6.3%; 2003 - 6.1%; 2004 - 5.7%, 2005 - 5.1%; 2006 - 4.8%. 

Enough numbers for one day.  The purpose here is to acquaint you who may not be aware of the general health of Susquehanna County.   Later, there will be more statistics, but for now, you have been acquainted with the population, wages, employment and poverty in out county. 

The parting thought for the day is this -  What government or non-government solution can you come up with to deal with the Under 18 group of who live in poverty here as well as other countries?

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics press release dated November 13, 2007, the average weekly wage in Pennsylvania was $849, which is $36 below the nationwide level.  The release includes information that in all 48 smaller counties, (those with employment below 75,000) Sullivan County reported the lowest wage level, at $452.  The highest wage among the 48 smaller counties was Montour County at $847, followed by Greene County at $803.

When all 67 counties in Pennsylvania were considered, three - Sullivan, Susquehanna and Perry - had wages below $500. 

When you are a county who is next to last in weekly wages earned in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - and you have an interstate highway system running through the county connecting to the East Coast both directly North and South of the county, a strip which begs to be developed with municipal sewage running through it, two class one railroads, cheap (relatively speaking) land, good internet service and obviously cheap labor; you would think something would have happened by now.  My Friends, you would think we would be marketing ourselves to the moon. 

You would think…..

We have two new Commissioners and one returning Commissioner as of today.  Let’s encourage them to do the right thing.  Move this county forward so we aren’t earning the second lowest average weekly wages in Pennsylvania. 

Where is the economic development board in all this???  If you see a member, ask.  Their responses should be interesting. 

The BLS website  www.bls.gov/ro3/  has a lot of good information if you have the time to review it. 

Oh yes, you may see some of this information in one of the local papers this week or next.  Just remember, you saw it here first.

If you scroll down the page a little, you will see a post which is titled ” Should Susquehanna County’s Economic Development Department Continue to be Outsourced?“  You may find this and the various replies interesting.  Please feel free to log in and comment.  You have to be registered to comment. 

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For those who don’t know, the two outgoing commissioners (Kelly (R) and Loomis (R) ) voted to terminate Justin Taylor (D), the popular and effective head of the Economic Development Department in Susquehanna County.  Freshman (now returning) Commissioner Warren (D) stating at the time that she was not going to be a part of the “Old Boy Network” voted against the termination.  The department was taken over for a short time by Elizabeth Janoski, who was Taylor’s secretary.  After her departure, the commissioners decided to employ the Central Bradford Progress Authority.

 As the name implies, the Central Bradford Progress Authority is not based in Susquehanna County.  It has its offices in Towanda, very near Senator Roger Madigan’s (R) office.  Currently, the contract with Susquehanna County ends around December 31, 2007.  The outgoing commissioners extended the initial term of the contract to coincide with their term in office.  The executive director of this organization is Anthony Ventello who does not reside in Susquehanna County, nor does he have any allegiance to this county other than his paycheck as the results of his tenure show.  Recently, there was another photo-op which indicated a nice sized grant for Susquehanna County.  Make no mistake, this was to pay a portion of Central Bradford’s expenses, rather than Susquehanna County. 

Oh yes, earlier this year, the Economic Development office, which was located at 31 Public Avenue in Montrose was CLOSED.  Thus, if you want to discuss economic development with someone, you need to call a toll free number to reach the Central Bradford Progress Authority in Towanda.  It would be interesting to note whether it was the commissioners’ decision and/or Mr. Ventello of Central Bradford for this ridiculous event to occur.   It certainly does not seem that the present (outgoing) commissioners actually support economic development in this county despite 4 years of glad-handing and photo-ops to the contrary.   

In any event, the incoming commissioners Warren (D), Allen (D) and Giangrieco (R) are now faced with the decision to continue with the outsourcing of the economic future of this county or take the initiative bring this department back to Susquehanna County and find a staff who actually cares about more about the future of this county rather than a paycheck.

To be fair, it is noted here that Mr. Taylor, at the time of his departure was Mayor elect of Carbondale.  A mostly ceremonial position at the time which paid about $1,800 per year.  Mr. Taylor used his expertise and has obtained grant after grant to further the City.  If he had not been terminated, would he have done the same thing here?  Although we will never know the definitive answer to that question, common sense says that Economic Development would be a whole lot further ahead had he remained, even for another year. 

If the readers of this blog have any concern about the economic future of this county, you should be letting the incoming commissioners know that this crucial department should be returned to Susquehanna County, not handed off to an adjoining county who is competing for the same dollars and clients. 

Suggestions as to who could best fill that post are completely open for discussion, although one person stated that even the Scranton Chamber of Commerce would do a better job than the Central Bradford Progress Authority.

And one final note on this subject, the entire economic development board should be replaced.  They are a puppet board who have no real sense of direction.  Not only are they accomplishing nothing, they are standing in the way (possibly deliberately) of meaningful progress.  You should attend a meeting to see this for yourself.