The Indiana County Board of Commissioners approved four proclamations Wednesday.
- On the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist bombings, one proclamation designated Indiana County as a Green Light for Veterans county, honoring “the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform who have transitioned or will transition from active service.”
Indiana County’s new Director of Veterans Affairs Jessica Walker said 9/11 “ultimately changed the course of this country, changed my life and changed my husband’s life.” She said 5,000 veterans now live in Indiana County.
Commissioner Sherene Hess said a cousin in Centre County, Adam Hartswick, “is now a mentor to others,” after losing his legs in the explosion of an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2013. “He was barely over 18,” Hess said. “He came back to join a program where he would mentor others.”
- On the eve of an annual “Walk for a Wonderful Life,” a proclamation was approved marking Sept. 8-14 as Suicide Prevention Week, recognizing “suicide as a public health problem, and suicide prevention as a community responsibility.”
The week ends with the 12th annual Walk for a Wonderful Life Sunday in Mack Park, a fund-raising event which Indiana County Suicide Task Force Co-Chair Chelsey Baroni said is being expanded this year, beyond advertising now run on the radio, billboards and masks.
- Another proclamation marked National Transportation Demand Management week, marking how strategies are used “to inform and encourage travelers to maximize the efficiency of a transportation system leading to improved mobility, reduced congestion and lower vehicle emissions.”
Receiving the proclamation was Ronda Craig, public involvement coordinator for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a regional organization that helps local governments access state and federal funding for transportation and economic development projects in 10 counties around Pittsburgh, including Indiana, Armstrong and Westmoreland.
- A fourth proclamation marked Constitution Week from Sept. 17 to 23, including Sept. 17 which is the 237th anniversary of the framing of the Constitution of the United States, “the guardian of our liberties,” which “embodies the principles of limited government in a republic dedicated to rule by law.”
Receiving the proclamation were Indiana County Daughters of the American Revolution Regent Debbie Bier and Past Regent Darla Mechling.
Bier said the DAR campaigned for a week marking the Constitution in the 1956, when a law marking Constitution Week was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Bier said work has been going on for more than a year on a plaque that will honor patriots buried in Indiana County. She said 141 patriots have been found so far.
In other business Wednesday, the commissioners approved reappointment of John Somonick and John German to the board of Indiana County Parks & Trails for terms to expire in August 2019.
They also approved the reappointments of Indiana County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Hilliard, Wright-Knox Motor Lines President Gladys Knox and Nelson & Associates Insurance Director of Operations Jack Nelson to the Tri-County Workforce Development Board for terms expiring in September 2027.
They authorized an application on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office for the 2025 Rights and Services Act Grant, seeking $71,151, most of which will cover salary and benefits for a full-time victim witness coordinator, as well as $641 for training for a victim service staff and $1,213 for office supplies.
And they approved multiple requests for Indiana County Children and Youth Services, including a 2024-25 non-placement listing for Justice Works Youthcare in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, to be facilitator and host for Act 33 child fatality/near fatality review meetings at a rate of $450 per meeting.
Also for CYS, 2024-25 foster care placement listing renewals were approved for:
- Family Cares for Children and Youth in Milton, Northumberland County.
- LifeSpan Family Services in Punxsutawney.
- Professional Family Care Services Inc. in Johnstown.
Also approved were group home placements for 2024-25 with:
- Pentz Run Youth Services Inc. in DuBois for its Supervised Independent Living and Transitional Living programs.
- George Junior Republic in Pennsylvania, in Grove City, for males ages 10-21.
Also approved for CYS was a new contract for 2024-25 with Altior Healthcare-Innercept of Los Angeles, Calif., providing a residential setting for drug and alcohol and mental health treatment for teenage youth at a location in Idaho.
View the full article at indianagazette.com.