Administrators from public school districts, technical schools and area colleges came together on Monday at the Gunzburger Building to discuss how they can capitalize on the potential of high-speed internet service to further their educational mission. A major focus of the session — jointly sponsored by the Potter County Commissioners and the Potter County Education Council — was the need to bridge the “digital divide.” That’s the gap that separates the haves from the have-nots when it comes to technology.
Among the speakers were CEO Craig Eccher (shown) and Bill Gerski from Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative. REC will begin construction of its new $77 million high-speed internet service later this year. The fiber-optic network will extend across its entire seven-county service territory, starting with the townships surrounding Coudersport. It will eventually reach nearly 1,400 customers in Potter County — 830 residential, 540 seasonal, and 13 commercial.
Following the REC presentations, separate brainstorming sessions were held. Representatives of the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College and Mansfield University were among those gathering to discuss opportunities, challenges and issues for providers of post-secondary education. A similar session focused on K-12 education was held for representatives from area school districts, Seneca Highlands IU9 and the IU9 Career and Technical Center.
Potter County Education Center executive director Dr. Michele Moore closed the session with assurances that issues that were identified during the session will be analyzed and there will be follow-up workshops to help educational institutions address the digital divide.
Farmers across Pennsylvania face mounting pressure to sell their acreage for real estate development or other non-agricultural uses. The loss of a farm often creates a ripple effect with economic, environmental and social consequences. More than 1,300 acres in Potter County have been permanently preserved for agriculture under a state-sponsored program — with a county partnership — to purchase conservation easements, or “development rights.â€
Most recent addition is the 169-acre Wayne R. Baumann farm in Sweden Township. The development rights were purchased for $169,060. Potter County’s Farmland Preservation Program has now paid landowners more than $990,000 for easements on 1,305 acres spread out over eight farms. State funding for the program has been significantly cut in recent years, with the vast majority being committed to counties in the southeastern part of the state where development demands are strongest. Despite the state cuts, the Potter County Commissioners have maintained the county’s yearly contribution to the program.
There remains a waiting list for the program in Potter County. More than five years passed after the seventh acquisition, which encompassed 152 acres on the Harold and Delia McCutcheon farm in Harrison Township. Guidelines require that easements be at least 50 acres, although counties can elect to lower the requirement to 35 acres. The program is administered by the Potter County Conservation District and directed by a board appointed by the commissioners. Farms are chosen on the basis of quality as well as stewardship – use of conservation practices and best management practices of nutrient management, as well as erosion and sedimentation control, proximity to water, and extent and type of non-agricultural development nearby. Payments are determined by assessing the market value and agricultural value of the land. The difference between those two figures is the maximum value of the easement.
Other easements have been purchased from Galen and Helen Snowman in Sweden and Homer Townships; Albert and Erma Mitchell and Frank and Shirley Mitchell, both in West Branch Township; Charles and Bernita Douglass in Hector Township; Allen and Ruth Ann Long in Pleasant Valley and Roulette townships; and John and Karlene Peet in Hector Township. For more information, contact Potter County Conservation District office at 814-274-8411. Farmland Preservation Board members are Sara Gilliland (chair), Eugene Supplee, Bill Grandin, Bart Ianson and Jim Lane.
New state regulations to protect public drinking water supplies from contamination were discussed at this month’s meeting of the Triple Divide Watershed Coalition (TDWC). Boroughs, townships and other system operators are now required to conduct annual assessments of potential risks to water quality, including earth disturbance activities within their sourcewater zones. Mark Stephens, right, groundwater geologist with the regional Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection office in Williamsport, shared details and offered assistance to TDWC members. The coalition is comprised of representatives from the nine public water systems in Potter County who were pulled together in 2011 – a first for a Pennsylvania county. Stephens said the Safe Drinking Water Act updates included the mandatory assessment so that operators stay on top of developments that could degrade drinking water supplies. He said each system in Potter County already has in place a state-certified sourcewater protection plan, so the new regulations should not place much of a burden on TDWC members.
On a related note, Stephens reported that DEP is being asked to consider potential impacts on identified sourcewater protection zones any time the agency is reviewing a permit application for activities such as shale gas drilling. He said the provision has support from water system operators, as well as industry representatives who see it a safeguard for public drinking water sources. Stephens offers a summary of the importance of sourcewater protection in this video:Â https://vimeo.com/15991797
Also at this month’s meeting:
- Potter County Planning Director Will Hunt presented an update on the Northern Pennsylvania Tri-County Comprehensive Plan. He said the planning team is interested in soliciting input from system operators and the public on water quality protection issues that could be incorporated in the plan, which is expected to be completed by August.
- TDWC chair Charlie Tuttle reported that plans are moving forward for the coalition to host a drinking water and waste water system operator training course in Coudersport. There will outreach to local governments, schools and employment agencies to apprise them of the classes. Tuttle also updated members on issues related to the 24/7 monitors installed at most of the public drinking water supplies in Potter County through a TDWC initiative.
- Andrew Mickey, dirt, gravel and low-volume road specialist with the Potter County Conservation District, reported that several roads are slated to be stabilized this year, which will reduce contamination from run-off.
- Next TDWC meeting has tentatively been scheduled for 10 am on March 13 in Genesee.