The Bradford Area School District has finalized agreements with
all four of the local bargaining groups after the Teamsters’ and
AFSCME contracts were ratified at Monday’s school board
meeting.

Both contracts, which will go into effect July 1 and expire June
30, 2013, were passed with seven “yes” votes and one “no.” Board
member Keith Hatch raised concerns on the Teamsters’ contract,
noting he had reservations that the board had not had sufficient
time to look over the contract in depth and discuss any concerns.
His was the “no” vote in both cases.

There were no details available regarding the contracts as of
Monday night. The Teamsters represent the janitorial staff and
AFSCME represents the bus drivers and mechanics.

Also approved at the meeting was a motion to budget 7.13 percent
beginning in budget year 2008-09 for the state retirement rate.

Any excess after the payment of the actual rates will be
transferred to the newly-created Retirement Rate Stabilization
fund. This motion was approved with eight “yeses” and one member
absent.

The fund is being created to help the district prepare for any
sharp spikes in the rate the district pays into the fund, as a
spike is predicted for 2013.

In other business, the board approved extending the exemption of
several area commercial properties from the tax rolls through the
Keystone Opportunity Zone program, in hopes of allowing property
improvements and/or attracting tenants.

Betty Cochran, economic development coordinator for the Bradford
Office of Economic and Community Development, explained the
properties will be approved for seven years off the rolls,
beginning Jan. 1, 2010.

Among those approved were the Lafferty Hollow Industrial Park,
Bradford Regional Airport and 21 Kennedy St. The property of 5
Jackson Ave., where the Third Ward School previously stood, was not
approved, as the school boarded voted 4-4.

Resolutions were also passed to extend the exemptions of the
former clay pits in Lewis Run, currently owned by John Kohler, and
two vacant parcels of land on Bolivar Drive owned by American
Refining Group.

Harvey Golubock, president and chief operating officer at ARG,
was present at the meeting to explain that ARG plans to complete
environmental remediation on the parcel on Bolivar Drive,
previously owned by Pennzoil, and hopes to use the property as the
site of an alternative energy plant that would convert biomass into
a coal-like substance. The “green coal” would help reduce the use
of coal at ARG and would also reduce the emission of greenhouse
gases.

Golubock reported the plant has received a ,1 million grant for
the project and would aim to start construction of the plant in
2010. It would take a year to get the plant fully operational, and
the place could mean the addition of 30 jobs for the area.

The vote on the ARG resolution was 7-0, with one member absent
and Rita Dincher abstaining as she is employed by ARG.

“Adding this property to the KOZ would help us bring in a new
processing plant and to remediate property not usable in the
current condition,” Golubock said. “We are looking to the long run,
and the things we are trying to accomplish will benefit the city,
county and community for years to come.”

Kohler also noted the vote to exempt his property in Lewis Run,
a total of 129 acres, to the KOZ would help him put money into the
area to make it “developable” and attract businesses to the
area.

The vote on the resolution for the Lewis Run property was
approved 8-0.

Also approved at the meeting was a collaboration agreement
between the school district and Intermediate Unit Nine for students
to attend the Bradford Vocation Program if enrollment allows and
also for Bradford students to attend the Port Allegany Vocational
Program if enrollment allows.

Superintendent Sandra Romanowski reported three students
currently are enrolled in the Bradford High Oil Production program
from other school districts and one Bradford student is enrolled in
the Culinary Arts Program in Port Allegany’s Vocational
Program.