COUDERSPORT –– A festival will be added to the wealth of activities available to residents and visitors of Potter County.
At Wednesday’s commissioners’ meeting, area resident Bill Pekarski discussed efforts to launch the Eliot Ness Festival in honor of one of the county’s most-famous former residents, scheduled for July of 2018.
Ness, who rose to fame as a law enforcement officer during the Prohibition Era tasked with pursuing infamous gangster Al Capone, spent the last several years of his life in Coudersport, working at a printing shop and frequenting local establishments.
The festival will focus on all aspects of his life, from chasing Capone and other mobsters in Chicago, fighting corruption in Cleveland, to his later years in Washington, D.C., and Coudersport.
The Eliot Ness Festival is scheduled to be held July 20-22 in and around Coudersport. A variety of events and activities are being planned, including presentations and walking tours, a scavenger hunt and a speakeasy-themed party. A parade could take place as well.
Organizers are hoping to have 1930s-era cars along the streets, and are encouraging residents and visitors to dress in period costumes during the event.
Also at the meeting, commissioners announced that the county’s budget will be on public display beginning Dec. 1. The document is available by visiting the commissioners’ office in the Gunzburger Building.
The spending plan is expected to be adopted at the commissioners meeting scheduled Dec. 21.
In other business, the commissioners announced they attended the fall County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania conference.
Commissioner Paul Heimel participated in the criminal justice task force meeting. The group is engaging with judges, district attorneys and jail wardens to launch evidence-based criminal justice reforms that save money, improve public safety, and are proven to be more effective for people who have come in contact with the criminal justice system.
The Natural Gas Task Force also met, discussing the establishment of dozens of fueling stations for vehicles that will run on natural gas. The closest station to Potter County will be located in Bradford and is being constructed to fuel Area Transportation Authority vehicles.
This facility or others built in the region will likely be made available to privately owned vehicles.
Commissioner Susan Kefover attended an opioid crisis presentation featuring Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who addressed an effort to bring lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies.
Kefover said that county commissioners from across the country will again be invited to Washington, D.C., to meet with department heads and express concerns at the local level.
The next meeting of the county commissioners will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 7 at the Gunzburger Building.
