SMETHPORT — Tuesday, the 143rd day of the year, was 1-4-3 day, explained Carol Duffy at the McKean County Commissioners meeting.
It’s in honor of Fred Rogers — better known as Mister Rogers —and 1-4-3 is the code he used to say “I love you.” It’s celebrated with demonstrations of kindness.
“Help us celebrate kindness,” Duffy said at the meeting. “Encourage everyone to be kind to neighbors, and also be kind to yourself.”
From that message of kindness, commissioner Cliff Lane remarked on the Memorial Day display being erected in front of the McKean County Courthouse to honor those whose lives were lost in service to their country.
“I want to remind people to remember the veterans and all the people who have passed,” Lane said.
Duffy mentioned that she attends the Memorial Day ceremony at the courthouse every year. “Each year the crowd is growing more and more,” she said.
Commissioner Chairman Tom Kreiner mentioned that this week is National EMS week, and thanked all emergency providers for all they do.
Lane said, “And thank you, Tom, for being an EMS person. You volunteer a lot of time and effort and you deserve to be recognized.”
The commissioners read a proclamation for Resource Care Month, and thanked foster parents for their years of dedication to the children in need.
Marcy Flickinger, resource care and adoption supervisor for the county’s Department of Human Services, thanked the commissioners for their support. She said there are 40 active foster parents in the county now. “We’re reaching out to more kinship, and putting more kids with families,” she said. “We’re seeing more reunifications lately. Staff are getting out there and putting services at the front end.”
Also at the meeting, the commissioners appointed Anita Holman to the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission’s comprehensive economic development strategy committee as an at-large representative, effective until Dec. 31.
The board tabled a COVID-19 recovery grant of $141,656 to the Bradford Regional Airport Authority for aviation safety equipment to purchase a polar aircraft deicer.
Tim Asingerwas appointed to the McKean County Industrial Development Authority as a board member, effective June 1 until Dec. 31, 2025. Alicia Dankesreiter, director of Bradford Regional Airport, was appointed president of the authority, to serve until Dec. 31, 2025.
Also approved was a 2023-24 PCORP insurance renewal in the amount of $185,350.
“In the public sector, insurance has gone up almost 15 percent,” Chief Clerk Shawn Hutchings said. “We went up seven percent.”
Kreiner said, “That’s one of the benefits of being in a (municipal group plan).”
The commissioners agreed to the annual contract for part-time use of a forensic pathologist from Erie County with a retainer of $5,000 a month from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023. Also approved was a service agreement with Potter County for use of the Children’s Advocacy Center of McKean County, conditional upon the Potter County commissioners signing it.
And the commissioners accepted a quote of $333,919.15 from Capital Area Communications for the McKean Songbird Site Microwave System. “This is the ATA site,” Kreiner said. “This is part of the radio system upgrade for 911.”
The next meeting of the commissioners is set for 10 a.m. June 13.
