The McKean County commissioners awarded a bid Friday for bell tower work at the McKean County Courthouse, Commissioner John Egbert explained Friday night.

Egbert said a bid for about $17,000 for the restoration work was awarded to Daniel Ross of Bradford, contingent on the specifications being correct.

Interim County Administrator Michele Alfieri also explained by phone Friday night that the architect for the project, who is based in Warren, is checking over the bid to make sure the specifications match up. She said if the bid conforms to the specifications, Ross will then be awarded the contract.

Alfieri also said the bid has the main work cost at just over $14,000, with an additional cost of a few thousand dollars for lighting.

The bell tower work will include selective minor demolition and sheet metal repair, as well as mortar repointing, masonry cleaning and joint sealing. The installation of new decorative fabrications-ornaments will also be included.

The commissioners also approved a resolution Friday to provide support for the Bradford Regional Airport Authority's $2,350,000 multi-tenant center building. The commissioners will co-sign a $500,000 loan from a private lender, dropping the interest rate.

Egbert said the loan would allow the authority to pay the loan back with no risk. He said other funding for the project comes from an Economic Development Administration Public Work Grant in the amount of $1,050,000, an Appalachian Regional Commission Area Development Grant in the amount of $250,000, funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of Aviation in the amount of $500,000, and with the airport providing $50,000 of its own money.

Also, according to Egbert, the commissioners passed a resolution to enter into a license agreement with the Smethport Borough to place and maintain fiber optic cables on the borough's telephone poles for an optical fiber cable project between the courthouse, Children and Youth Services-911 complex and prison.

There will be a license agreement with Verizon and a subcontractor to install the cable. Officials have said when finally in place, the project will make it easier for the court, district attorney and public defender to communicate with prison officials. Egbert said the system will cut down on transportation for courthouse officials, inmates and prison officials since a video conference can be set up between them on the system.

The commissioners also approved a resolution for a reallocation of a Community Block Grant for the Borough of Kane for its sewer system. Egbert said when the deal was finished, it was under the estimated allocated amount of funding, and the funding was reallocated to help in other areas.

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