MOUNT PLEASANT MILLS -- A recycling center in Mount Pleasant Mills has closed and two others in western Snyder County are in danger of the same because of a lack of funding.
The Mount Pleasant Mills recycling center at Shaner Energy, Route 104, took in about two tons of recyclables in the four-hour span it was open once a month. "It was one of our busiest recycling centers," Snyder County recycling coordinator Debbie Wolfe said Tuesday.
She said the center closed because the company the county contracts with to pick up the recyclables could no longer afford to provide the service at the same fee due to high gas prices. The contract between the provider, Cocolamus Creek Disposal, and the county ended this month.
That also will affect other recycling centers in the western end of the county, including McClure and Beavertown, which also may be forced to close without a pickup contractor, Wolfe said.
Recycling services in the eastern part of the county remain the same because they're provided through Lycoming County Resource Management Services. Lycoming does not charge a fee, Wolfe said. Its payoff is keeping the recyclables it collects.
The county's biggest dilemma in providing recycling services hinges on a lack of funding. In June, the Snyder County Waste Management Authority's general budget had dwindled to $4,000. In previous years, the authority depended on a tipping fee charged for pounds of collected waste as its main source of revenue. That fee was banned following a lawsuit the county lost.
In June, Wolfe said the authority looked to local government to provide financial support for the recycling effort. The county commissioners applied for a 902 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection for more than $500,000 to purchase a recycling truck and build a county recycling center near the county jail.
Commissioners Chairman Joe Kantz said Tuesday the application has a 50-50 chance of being approved. If approved, he said the commissioners are looking into fencing in the facility and employing prison inmates. The application could take up to 18 months to be approved. Until then, he said the best hope for residents who want recycling is to urge their state representatives to support House Bill 934, which would permit counties to collect an administration fee on county-generated waste.
"If there's anything people want to do, they have to get a hold of their representatives to pass this bill," Kantz said.
News
Money woes close recycling center
Two more in danger in western Snyder County
- News
-
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
Superintendent Mark DiRocco told the Lewisburg school board Thursday night that a proposed block grant system of school budget funding will run the district short of cash that will have to be made up through personnel and program cuts.
-
Mom: Keller's response left her cold
Like many people, Elise Nicol is concerned about Marcellus Shale and the industry's effects on Pennsylvania's environment. The Lewisburg mother of two cares about it enough that she sent an email to state Rep. Fred Keller, R-85 of Kreamer, asking him to oppose House Bill 1950, which passed the General Assembly on Wednesday.
-
Point Township authority concerned by sewer plant violations
Point Township Sewer Authority members Thursday night expressed concerns about a Feb. 3 letter sent to the Northumberland Sewer Authority by the state's Department of Environmental Protection saying that the borough authority has violated the Clean Streams Act.
-
Persing truck fee idea stalls
While Pennsylvania has passed legislation allowing communities to collect impact fees in 35 counties, Northumberland County is not one of them, and business leaders and lawmakers do not think Sunbury Mayor David Persing's plan to try to do his own version of an impact fee will pass muster.
-
Barber draws a crowd
The talk can be spirited at times, ranging from hunting to sports to home repairs. "You hear all kinds of stories," Gene Koehler, of Riverside, said Thursday as he waited for a haircut at The Masters barbershop, 209 Mill St.
-
State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
VALLEY FORGE — A casino resort scheduled to open this spring in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge has been approved for table games.
-
Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise
ATLANTA — A new study shows more and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get off their duffs and exercise. A government survey found nearly 33 percent of adults who saw a doctor in the previous year said they were told to exercise. That was up from about 23 percent in 2000.
-
Former Northumberland County judge and three others die in Florida crash
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. -- A former Northumberland County judge was one of four people killed Wednesday afternoon when their car collided with a van at an intersection, according to the Naples News. The victims were identified as James J. Rosini, 66, William J. Rosini, 68, Patricia C. Rosini, 65, all of Coal Township, Pa., and Deborah A. Korbich, 59, of Elysburg, Pa.
-
Warden demotes four bosses
SUNBURY -- Northumberland County Prison Warden Roy Johnson was able to trim about $135,000 in expenses by demoting four supervisors. He said Wednesday that he found a way to cut costs without laying off any staff. "I cut out 120 hours of supervisors' pay each week, but I need to fill the correction officer positions," Johnson said.
-
DJ pumps up audience
Every Tuesday evening, Richard Grogg can be found spinning tunes at possibly the most well-attended dance in Snyder County. A resident at the Selinsgrove Center since 1988, the 57-year-old said the thing he likes most about selecting and playing music is "making people happy." "Some people come up and ask for requests," he said.
-
Agency closes adult center
PENNS CREEK -- Union and Snyder County caregivers have had to look farther and wider for another program that can offer respite because the Agency on Aging can no longer afford to provide the service. The adult daily living center at the Penns Creek Adult Resource Center was a helpful program each week to about eight adults from the area dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia. But it closed Dec. 30.
-
New Berlin pushes to acquire school
NEW BERLIN -- The Borough Council sold the property where the New Berlin Elementary School is to the precursor of the Mifflinburg Area School District for $1 back in 1950. It was deeded to the district for construction of a school.
- More News Headlines
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
