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.