News – Page 60 – SEDA Council of Governments

Request for Proposal – West End Flood Mitigation Study

Posted on February 10, 2021April 28, 2021 by DNS Admin

The County of Columbia is seeking proposals from firms that wish to provide engineering services to undertake a flood mitigation study near, in and surrounding the known as the “West End” of the Town of Bloomsburg, Columbia County. This study should include an investigation of the existing conditions, as well as potential flood resiliency and mitigation projects that can take in and near the floodway. This project has been financed by grants
from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority and the Department of Community and Economic Development.

The County is working in cooperation with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) to solicit Professional Service Providers to undertake the study. The Request for Proposals (RFP) describes the project, the anticipated scope of services, the required consultant expertise and experience, and the information that must be included in the proposal. Failure to submit information in accordance with the RFP requirements and procedures may be cause for disqualification.

A mandatory preproposal meeting will be held at the Sawmill Road complex: Large Meeting Room, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. Entrance for the large meeting room is around the back of the building. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 2,2021, at 1 :00 PM, subject to COVID-19 restrictions. There is a limit of two (2) attendees from each firm to the in-person meeting and each attendee must follow all required COVID-19 protocols in place at the time of the meeting. You MUST register for the mandatory preproposal meeting by contacting Teri Provost via email at:
tprovost@seda-cog.org or by phone at 570-524-4491 ext 7253. If we are unable to conduct this meeting in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions, a link to attend a virtual meeting via RingCentral will be distributed to all registered applicants by email at least 7 days prior to the in-person meeting, announcing the change and including instructions on how to participate in the virtual session.

The County of Columbia will evaluate written proposals on the basis of thoroughness, completeness, content, experience, and capacity. The County and/or its Agent will likely conduct interviews with the top ranked proposers.

Proposals will be accepted until 12:00 PM. prevailing time on Thursday, March 18,2021.

The proposals will be opened at 2:00 PM prevailing time, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud at the regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting. Proposals shall be on the forms required, sealed and clearly marked on the outside, “Engineering Services Proposal- West End,” and submitted to Mr. David Witchey, Chief Clerk at 11 West Main Street, Main Street County Annex, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. If you are mailing a proposal via United States Postal Service (USPS), please mail to: Mr. David
Witchey, Chief Clerk, Columbia County, PO Box 380, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.

Proposals that are faxed or e-mailed cannot be accepted.

WEST-END-RFP-FINAL Download

Request for Proposal – Fishing Creek Flood Mitigation Study

Posted on February 10, 2021April 28, 2021 by DNS Admin

The County of Columbia is seeking proposals from firms that wish to provide engineering services to undertake a flood mitigation study for the Fishing Creek Watershed in Columbia County. This study should include an investigation of the existing conditions, as well as potential flood resiliency and mitigation projects in the watershed. This project has been financed by grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority and the Department of Community and Economic Development.

The County is working in cooperation with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) to solicit Professional Service Providers to undertake the study. The Request for Proposals (RFP) describes the project, the anticipated scope of services, the required consultant expertise and experience, and the information that must be included in the proposal. Failure to submit information in accordance with the RFP requirements and procedures may be cause for disqualification.

A mandatory preproposal meeting will be held at the Sawmill Road Complex: Large Meeting Room, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. Entrance for the large meeting room is around the back of the building. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at 2:00 PM, subject to COVID-19 restrictions. There is a limit of two (2) attendees from each firm to the in-person meeting and each attendee must follow all required COVID-19 protocols in place at the time of the meeting. You MUST register for the mandatory pre proposal meeting by contacting Teri Provost via email at:
tprovost@seda-cog.org or by phone at 570-524-4491 ext 7253. If we are unable to conduct this meeting in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions, a link to attend a virtual meeting via RingCentral will be distributed to all registered applicants by email at least 7 days prior to the in-person meeting, announcing the change and including instructions on how to participate in the virtual session.

The County of Columbia will evaluate written proposals on the basis of thoroughness, completeness, content, experience, and capacity. The County and/or its Agent will likely conduct interviews with the top ranked proposers.

Proposals will be accepted until 12:00 PM. prevailing time on Thursday, March 18,2021.

The proposals will be opened at 2:00 PM prevailing time on Thursday, March 18,2021, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud at the regularly scheduled Board of Commissioner’s meeting located at Sawmill Road complex: Large Meeting Room, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.

Proposals shall be on the forms required, sealed, and clearly marked on the outside, “Engineering Services Proposal- Fishing Creek,” and submitted to Mr. David Witchey at 11 West Main Street, Main Street County Annex, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. If you are mailing a proposal via United States Postal Service (USPS), please mail to: Mr. David Witchey, Chief Clerk, Columbia County, PO Box 380, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.

Proposals that are faxed or e-mailed cannot be accepted.

FISHING-CREEK-RFP-FINAL Download

Public Notice – Union County CDBG Budget Modification

Posted on February 5, 2021 by DNS Admin

RUN DATE: February 5, 2021
CONTACT: Rachel Radel, (570) 524-4491 ext. 7236

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Union County Commissioners intend to submit a budget modification for the FFY 2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED). The Union County Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the budget modification on February 18, 2021, at 11:00 AM. Keeping with federal and state guidelines regarding COVID 19, this hearing will take place as a virtual video web and tele conference. The public is invited to observe and participate in the hearing as follows:

To access via web video, type the link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/8383951780. To access via telephone dial +1 (470) 869-2200 and enter Meeting ID: 838 395 1780. The hearing will be recorded. The hearing platform is accessible to persons with disabilities. If accommodations are needed for those with special needs related to language, sight, or hearing, please call (570) 524-4491 at least five days in advance. As an alternative, Union County will accept written comments on the proposed modification until 12:00 PM. on Monday, March 1, 2021. Written comments can be emailed to mgallagherlong@seda-cog.org or mailed to SEDA-COG at 201 Furnace Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837. The Union County Commissioners will then consider the approval of the modification request during their regularly scheduled meeting on March 2, 2021 at 2 PM.

The modified budget is as follows:

FFY 2019
Limestone (Bull) Run Area Flood Resiliency:
Current Budget – $89,707; Modification $(89,707); Modified Budget $0

Emergency Notification:
Current Budget – $0; Modification $89,707 ; Modified Budget $89,707

The Union County Commissioners will accept written public comments on the budget modification until Monday, March 1, 2021 at 12:00 PM. Union County will make every effort to make all programs and activities accessible to the learning, mobility, vision, hearing, and language-impaired persons. Therefore, if you are a person with a disability or limited English proficiency, and require an auxiliary aid, service, or accommodations to participate please contact Rachel Radel at SEDA-COG, 201 Furnace Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837, rradel@seda-cog.org, (570) 524-4491, or 1-800-332-6701, 1-800-654-5984 TTY, 1-800-654-5988 TDD to discuss how Union County can best accommodate your needs. Translators will be available upon request.

Any complaints should be written and submitted to Mitzi Gallagher-Long, at SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG), mgallagherlong@seda-cog.org. Written responses will be addressed within fifteen (15) working days, when practicable.

Übersetzer sind für die öffentliche Sitzung auf Anfrage erhältlich.

Traductores estarán disponibles en las reunions públicas por petición.

Cabinetry business expedites adding 150 jobs with SEDA-COG loan

Posted on February 4, 2021 by DNS Admin

FREEBURG – William Penn Cabinetry is ramping up production and will be hiring 150 employees sooner than expected thanks to a $500,000 loan from SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG).

With the SEDA-COG EDA COVID-19 loan, owner Maurice Brubaker expects to hire the employees over the next several months. They currently have 30 employees at their 401 E. Front St. plant.

“This loan allows us to get the company the resources it needs to further ramp up our production much more quickly than our original estimate of a year. If it wasn’t for this loan, we wouldn’t be able to hire people as fast,” Brubaker said.

He expects to add a second shift in the next six to eight weeks.

The loan will fund inventory, equipment, rent, payroll, utilities, benefits, payroll taxes, and purchases.

Brubaker said working with SEDA-COG’s staff met an urgent need just when he needed it.

“The SEDA-COG staff understood the need and urgency for this. Everybody really pulled together to facilitate that. The attitude of all the staff was above expectations – they are very friendly and a delight to work with. I would recommend anybody to work with SEDA-COG,” Brubaker said.

Brubaker also is expanding to open a company storefront in the next few months. They currently have a designer who works one-on-one with homeowners in their houses to design their cabinetry products. The regionally located showroom will be owned by the company which Brubaker plans to make “a destination” by hosting wine tastings and special events all while creating a homey feel. Other showrooms will be located throughout the country but independently owned by dealers.

RATHER THAN RETREAT, MARCH FORWARD

Brubaker formed and registered William Penn Cabinetry LLC in July 2019 after he saw the abrupt closure of Wood-Mode. His company started production last March.

“It was hardworking people who lost everything in the blink of an eye. I felt it was our duty to help the community and help these people to get back to work. I think it’s good to have manufacturing in the area and those are normally good-paying jobs with benefits,” Brubaker said. “I understood the trickle-down effect of 900-plus people being out of work and possibly losing homes, not putting food on the table.”

Out of 30 total staff, 15 are former Wood-Mode employees.

He was glad when Wood-Mode reopened and said that this gives the region multiple manufacturing options.

Only days after opening, however, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, and the company had to close from March 19 to May 8 last year due to the statewide business shutdown.

“Rather than retreat, we marched forward – we hired a vice president of sales and a sales director. We took this as an opportunity to grow,” he said. “It was to help out the region; it gives manufacturing jobs. We have a benefits package that’s extremely competitive and it’s to help the area.”

While they haven’t been able to scale as they first wanted to, SEDA-COG’s loan helps put them in a better position to do so.

“We do what we have to do to put the employees first,” Brubaker said.

As a professional accountant based in Lewisburg, he has no prior experience in the cabinetry business – but he did apply a wise lesson: “Hire people who are smarter than I am. That’s what we did – hired the best people, and they have a lot of freedom. I trust them implicitly,” Brubaker said.

William Penn Cabinetry manufactures cabinets for residential and commercial businesses. The plant consists of cutting rooms, sanding rooms, finish rooms, assembly rooms and a warehouse.

What sets their company and product apart? “We have a well-made product and very good employees. We’ve all come together to make our company a success,” he said, adding that they also have antibacterial cabinetry that inhibits bacterial growth.

For more information about the company, visit williampenncabinetry.com. For more information about SEDA-COG’s loans, contact Mike Morrison at mmorrison@seda-cog.org.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.