Wayne commissioners award bids for prison

HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Commissioners approved a series of bids for the construction of the new county jail. The awarded companies and the bid amounts are:

General Construction - Charles W. Grimm Construction Company of Waymart for $8,656,374.

Plumbing Construction - Yanuzzi, Inc of Hazelton for $1,303,400.

HVAC Construction - Bognet, Inc. of Hazelton for $1,118,240.

Electrical Construction - G.G. Noto Electrical Construction, Inc. of Clarks Summit for $1,108,000.

Detention Equipment - G-S Company Wire & Iron Works of Baltimore, MD for $1,327,569.

Construction Testing Services - Quality Assurance Plus of Mechanicsburg for $122,774.

The total cost of construction will be $13,636,357.

Construction will begin as soon as possible, said Anthony Herzog, Chairman of the Wayne County Commissioners. The law requires that a construction that is bid out must be completed in 450 days, or one year and six months, from the day of approval.

Incentives raised for easements

REGION — On August 17, the President signed a pensions bill that includes new incentives for conservation easement donors. Specifically, the law raises the IRS deduction landowners can take for donating a conservation easement from 30 percent of their adjusted gross income in any year to 50 percent; allows qualifying farmers to deduct up to 100 percent of their income; and extends the carry-forward period for a donor to take tax deductions for a voluntary conservation easement from five to 15 years.

The new law only applies to easements donated in 2006 and 2007.

Rouis calls for IDA reform

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Sullivan County Legislature Vice Chairman Jonathan Rouis has asked county officials to explore the statutes for terms and term-limits on the IDA and Empire Zone boards. The request follows through on discussions of the issue at the August Planning Committee and Community Development Committee meetings. Rouis said, “Instituting terms and term limits will allow for change in the IDA and Empire Zone boards, bringing new ideas and visions to these very important economic development engines.”

New county manager eyes tax hikes, other budget measures

MONTICELLO, NY — In remarks made after his swearing-in ceremony, new Sullivan County Manager David Fanslau said that it may be necessary to raise property taxes in view of the county’s current fiscal crisis, despite the fact that they are “past the saturation point.” Like many legislators, he also favors adding .5 percent to the sales tax, especially important given the fact that much of county land is not on tax rolls. So far, State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and State Senator John Bonacic have not provided then needed support for the sales tax increase. The necessity of reducing staff was also addressed, which Fanslau said would require at least some layoffs as well as retirements.

Smoke without fire

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — Employees of the First National Bank of Jeffersonville were evacuated from the bank building on Main Street on Monday, September 11, when smoke started drifting into their offices. The Jeffersonville, Youngsville and White Sulphur Springs fire departments all came to the scene, and the Hortonville fire department was alerted.

The fire departments discovered no fire in the building. It was determined that residual fuel oil in a central heating/air conditioning unit that had been recently installed was responsible for the problem. Smoking oil is a common problem the first time such units are turned on, according to Jeffersonville Fire Department Chief David Bodenstein.

The bank reopened in a few hours.

House Majority Policy Committee sets hearings on gaming reform

HARRISBURG, PA — The House Majority Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Mario Civera (R-Delaware), will hold two hearings this month to examine oversight of expanded gaming in the commonwealth. Among the issues likely to be addressed during the hearings are increasing the authority of the state attorney general and state police over the gaming industry, and ensuring that board members and public officials have no financial interest in a gaming licensee, applicant or subsidiary. The “middleman” provision that requires Pennsylvania gaming facilities to purchase slot machines from in-state distributors will also be addressed.

The hearings will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, September 18 and at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 19, in the House Majority Caucus Room at the State Capitol.

Riverkeeper joins legal battle against foie gras farm

WASHINGTON, DC —The Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRKN) has joined the legal battle against Hudson Valley Foie Gras (HVFG) of Ferndale, NY. DRKN filed papers indicating an intent to bring a lawsuit against the company, if HVFG does not verify within 60 days that it has stopped violating the Clean Water Act. DRKN, along with the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) claimed that HVFG has violated its permit more than 500 times in the past five years, by improperly releasing contaminated water into the Middle Mongaup River, a tributary of the Delaware River.

The HSUS filed suit on September 6, seeking to force the farm’s owners to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines to the state. The group also filed a lawsuit two weeks ago in Albany to block a $420,000 state grant to the farm.

The operation has increasingly been targeted by environmental and animal rights groups because it involves the force-feeding of ducks through tubes in a process considered painful by activists. The force-feeding leads to an enlarged liver, considered a delicacy in many restaurants.

Izzy Yanay, one of the owners of the farm, has consistently said the lawsuit has nothing to do with the pollution in the river, which he claimed is well within permitted parameters. Instead, he said, the legal efforts are really an attempt to shut down the operation entirely.