8 2022
community
NOVEMBER
p o t t e r m c k e a n
county
Austin • Coudersport • Crosby • Eldred • Kane • Lewis Run • Mt. Jewett Port Allegany • Roulette • Smethport • Turtlepoint
Photo provided The racetrack in Smethport at the McKean County Fairgrounds.
McKean County Fair Association seeks race promoter to lease track BY DANIELLA LANGIANESE
SMETHPORT — The annual fair has been a long-standing tradition in McKean County, dating back to 1905 when a group of individuals banded together, raised funds by selling livestock, and constructed the first buildings on the fairgrounds. In addition to the structures where farmers could display their produce and animals at the fair, a racetrack was also built. In October of that year, the first ever race took place on the newly constructed track, drawing in numerous spectators. While so much has changed over the last 117 years, one thing has remained the same — the racetrack located at McKean County Fairgrounds providing a popular venue for drivers and spectators alike. However, in 2022, the track sat empty with no races being held. “As a group,
we are extremely disappointed that we were not able to secure a lease contract this year,” said McKean County Fair Association President Tanya Okerlund. “With the amount of support that the races receive, we know that the community is disappointed as well.” The last race season, in 2021, was run by J&K Motorsport Promotions, who chose not to renew their lease. J&K Motorsports Promotions made a post on social media back in August which stated, “We posted some time ago that we had met with McKean County Fair board members after our last race in 2021 to educate them on the condition of the current racing surface. We had supplied them with some information on what it was going to take to resurface the speedway and fix drainage issues.” The fair association acknowledges the need for improvements to
the facility and has been actively seeking grant funds over the last year, without success. “Does the track need to be resurfaced? The short answer is yes, however depending on who you ask, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t functional,” explained McKean County Fair Association Treasurer Christy Burkhouse. “The current condition of the track is certainly not ideal and could impact the success of any promoter who chooses to lease it. However, based on conversations that we have had with various people throughout the racing community, there are plenty of other dirt tracks in the same or worse condition that are fully operational and successful.” Although no member of the McKean County Fair Association claims to be an expert in racing, they are hopeful, based on information
Homeless woman jailed for alleged meth sales
A homeless Bradford woman was sent to McKean County Jail on Friday following arraignment on allegations of selling methamphetamine. Suzette Musolino, 34, is charged in two cases with the same charges: possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, a felony; possession of
a controlled substance, a misdemeanor; and criminal use of a communication facility, a third-degree felony. According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 6, Musolino sold .89 grams of meth to a confidential informant of the McKean County Drug Task Force for $20 on Main Street, in front of the OYO Hotel. On Oct.
13, she sold .11 grams of meth to an informant on Main Street, also in front of the OYO Hotel. Musolino was arraigned Friday before District Judge Dom Cercone and jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail. Preliminary hearings in the cases are set for Nov. 3.
received from the community, that if others can make it work with tracks in similar or worse condition, there just might be some person or company who could do the same at the Fairgrounds racetrack. “The board fully acknowledges that the track is in need of resurfacing, and we absolutely want racing to continue at the fairgrounds. However, this isn’t something that we can remedy overnight. We have spent countless hours gathering information, discussing and researching various funding options, and trying to come up with a plan to tackle this huge undertaking,” explained Burkhouse. “What everything really comes down to at the end of the day is cost. The Fair Association is not currently able to fund these improvements with cash on hand, nor make a sizable monthly payment that would be required on
a loan. “We have been working to find grants that we are eligible for, but with the unique circumstance of a notfor-profit organization seeking funds to improve a facility that will then be leased to a for-profit organization, along with needing to meet all of the other qualifying criteria that most grants require, we have not yet had any success,” stated Burkhouse. The McKean County Fair Association is “continuing to apply for any qualifying grants that are available but are also in the beginning stages of planning a capital campaign to raise funds. This will obviously take an extended amount of time and we hate seeing the track sit empty,” Burkhouse said. The capital campaign “is something that we are still in the planning stages of and will entail a significant amount of time and effort even prior to
kick-off. We are hoping to come together with the racing community and work as a team to make the campaign a success, complete the improvements and breathe new life into racing at the fairgrounds.” As a side note, Burkhouse added, “any lease agreement that the Board has entered into previously for the track was in ‘as-is’ condition and any potential lessees are welcome to look it over prior to entering into an agreement.” The fair association is currently searching for a new race promoter to lease the track for the upcoming race season. All interested parties are encouraged to contact the McKean County Fair Association via phone at (814) 887-5361, email mckeancountyfair@ gmail.com or reach out to Okerlund directly at (814) 598-2919.
Child Safety Seat checkpoint The Pennsylvania State Police Coudersport Barracks in conjunction with the Coudersport V o l u n t e e r A m b u l a n c e Association will be sponsoring a child passenger safety seat checkpoint at the Coudersport V o l u n t e e r
Ambulance Hall, East 2nd Street, Coudersport from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday November 20. The goal of the campaign is to increase safety belt/ child safety seat use rates throughout the Commonwealth. Participants should bring the
child safety seat, vehicle manual, and child safety seat instructions. The check should take approximately 30 minutes per seat. For directions to the checkpoint or to make arrangements for a check on another day, call the State Police Barracks at (814) 274-8690.
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NOVEMBER 8, 2022
Wildlife expert Gary Alt paid a price for healthier Pa. deer herd, but he says it was worth it BY JIM ECKSTROM
In the 1990s, wildlife biologist Gary Alt was something of a celebrity because of his work on black bear research in Pennsylvania. Even non-hunters knew who Alt was, in large part because of PBS specials and magazine articles showing amazingly cute baby bears in their dens as researchers on Alt’s team collected blood samples and studied the health of bear mothers. By the latter part of that decade, Alt admits he felt a little uneasy with the fame and accolades he received over the resurgence of the black bear population in the Keystone State. Numbers had increased from about 2,500 bears in the 1970s to 15,000 in recent years, a result perhaps more about increased habitat for bears than actual management efforts on the part of Alt and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. But a visit with his friend John Dzemyan in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania would change the arc of Alt’s professional life and put him in the eye of a storm that would be whitetail deer management. Dzemyan, then a lands manager with the PGC based in Smethport, showed Alt areas that had been clearcut and then plots fenced to keep out deer. The difference of the plots — the fenced-in areas lush with thick and diverse new growth while the unfenced areas were cropped down to the dirt by too-high populations of deer — stunned Alt. “I was shocked at what I saw,” he told an audience Sunday during the Deer Season Kickoff hosted by the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC) at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. “It was just so clear the difference between the two sides of the fence.” If he was shocked by the results of the simple fencing demonstration, Alt, a lifetime deer hunter who plans his entire fall around the Pennsylvania archery and gun seasons, was also galvanized to use his training and expertise to steer Pennsylvania toward management practices that would be more sustaining — not only for the deer herd but for all plants and wildlife. But, oh, the controversy. “Deer hunting in Pennsylvania is more than just a sport,” Alt said. “It’s more like a religion … it’s so core
to us and we don’t want to change it.” The change Alt and his team would push for was a better overall balance in deer numbers for the habitat that was there to sustain them. What that meant was harvesting more antlerless deer than ever before — almost a blasphemy to many in the hunting culture of Pennsylvania — while also reaching a greater balance in the number of bucks taken versus the number of antlerless deer. The pushback from hunters and their advocacy groups was intense, which meant the pushback soon crept into the Capitol in Harrisburg. Even the commissioners of the PGC were leery of changes made to the traditions of Pennsylvania deer hunting. The lobbying and political aspects of the effort eventually soured Alt on his work for the PGC — but he believes it was worth it in the end. “I knew I would pay a price for it,” he said. “But what was most important was a healthy deer herd. There came to be so much criticism and anger in my life … but I would do it again in a minute.” The critical changes were increased antlerless permits, running the socalled “doe season” in tandem with the two-week firearms season and, perhaps the most controversial, the antler restriction — three points to a side in most parts of the state. Alt said research showed that if 1½-year-old bucks were given just one more year to live, they would reach the next gun season almost assuredly as a small eight-point — the kind of deer that in the past would have been a trophy to many a Pennsylvania hunter. “And if they grow another year they are a wide eight-point, and another year after that they might be a 10-point,” Alt said. “It’s just as simple as that.” Despite the opposition to the antler restriction and the assertion by many hunters that they would “shoot first and count points later,” Alt said he and game officials were surprised that, for the most part, hunters followed the rules. In a few years, many were admitting that they were seeing bigger bucks. Alt believes the proliferation of trail cameras also helped in the effort to change the culture of decimating young spikes and four-points. Hunters
were capturing images of more high and wide eight-points — or even bigger bucks — and the mood was changing. Dzemyan, the coordinator of the KQDC who also spoke Sunday, said that 20 years later the positive effects of the shift in deer management are obvious, and he believes most hunters recognize the benefits. “The deer herd is so much healthier today,” he said. “But it’s not just about the deer, it’s also about the habitat for all wildlife. And it’s not just about bigger bucks, it’s about a better environment for healthier does that can support twin fawns instead of one.” The KQDC, started in 2000, is a partnership of forest landowners, forest managers, biologists, hunters and local businesses developed the program, which relies on hunters to manage deer density on a representative forested area. The KQDC is almost 75,000 acres of public and private lands managed to improve deer populations and habitat. The land is west of Bradford and north of Kane in McKean County. Partners include the Allegheny National Forest, the Bradford Municipal Water Authority, Kane H a rd w o o d - C o l l i n s Pine Company, and RAM Forest Products.
National Fuel plans utility rate actions
ERIE — National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. is planning a pair of utility rate actions, a small decrease now and an increase at the end of next summer. On Friday, National Fuel announced that for the first time in 15 years, it has filed a request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to increase base delivery rates, raising the bill of an average residential customer using 84 hundred cubic feet (ccf) of gas by $9.74 per month. If approved, the proposed base rate increase is expected to take effect on Aug. 1, 2023. As it is permitted every three months, National Fuel will submit to the PUC an adjustment to gas supply charges. This quarterly adjustment will decrease the monthly bill of an average residential customer using 84 ccf of gas by $2.29 per month and will take effect on Nov. 1. Concerning the base delivery rate increase, National Fuel is seeking an increase in its annual base rate delivery revenues of $28.1 million, or 9.2% on a total revenue basis. An increase in delivery rates, which recover the costs of operating National Fuel’s pipeline distribution system, requires PUC authorization after a formal regulatory process. National Fuel maintains 4,850 miles of pipelines and related facilities across northwest Pennsylvania, a system designed to safely and reliably deliver natural gas to approximately 214,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers. If approved by the PUC, this would be National Fuel’s first base delivery rate increase in Pennsylvania since
2007. Rising costs coupled with the need to continue investing in the modernization and safety of National Fuel’s distribution system have reached a level where an increase in base delivery rates is now necessary. According to the company’s President Donna DeCarolis, National Fuel has not increased delivery service charges in Pennsylvania since 2007 as a result of diligent cost-containment efforts and efficient management of its utility system. “We are proud of our long-standing record as a low-cost service provider, delivering safe, reliable and critical energy to more than 214,000 Pennsylvania customers,” DeCarolis said. “While additional investments are required to enhance our system and service, National Fuel customers will continue to benefit from having the lowest delivery rates and access to highly affordable natural gas supplies being produced across the Commonwealth.” The Pennsylvania PUC 2022 Rate Comparison Report issued in April 2022 illustrates that National Fuel has the lowest total monthly bills and the lowest customer and distribution charges in Pennsylvania among large gas utilities. Additionally, a review of 2020 residential natural gas sales price data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that National Fuel has the lowest rates in Pennsylvania. National Fuel’s residential heating customers will continue to have the lowest average total bill and lowest average delivery charges in
Pennsylvania, even with this proposed rate increase. National Fuel’s proposal will undergo a thorough review process by the PUC that typically lasts up to nine months. As part of the review process, the PUC can accept, reject or modify the company’s proposal. If approved, new delivery rates likely would take effect Aug. 1, 2023. National Fuel also submitted to the PUC a quarterly adjustment to decrease its gas supply charges to become effective Nov. 1. The 2.8% decrease from the rates implemented on Aug. 1, 2022, is due primarily to lower market prices for natural gas. Gas supply costs are passed along to customers without mark-up or profit to National Fuel. Pennsylvania utility companies are permitted to update gas supply charges on a quarterly basis to reflect changes in the market price of natural gas. The next opportunity to adjust gas supply charges will be Feb. 1, 2023. LIHEAP, the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, opens Nov. 1 for eligible customers. Grant amounts vary from $300 to $1,000 and are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. A family of four with an annual income of $41,625 or less may qualify for a grant. Eligibility is based on income guidelines and household size. Crisis grants also are available for customers with an overdue balance or who do not currently have gas service. For more information, visit www.LIHEAPhelps. com or contact 1 (877) 443-2743.
– T W a b v r i C
fi
p t d r s s t v
t d f h w b i i o
NOVEMBER 8, 2022
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City officials seeking help cleaning up abandoned homeless camp BY MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER
Era file photo Bradford Regional Medical Center’s emergency room will be transitioning between service providers, but officials say the change should be seamless for patients.
Upper Allegheny making changes in service management BY MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER
Some behindthe-scenes changes are underway in Upper Allegheny Health System, which are geared toward improving the care of patients at both Bradford and Olean, N.Y., hospitals. “Leadership has been executing some great initiatives over the past few months that are finally reaching completion,” said Joe Fuglewicz, spokesman for UAHS. “These initiatives include changing the management structure within several service lines of Upper Allegheny Health System.” He continued, explaining the plans by the health system’s leadership were taking shape as early as September. “In September, UAHS assumed management of the Intensive Care Unit physicians and transitioned our intensivists to be managed directly by the hospital,” Fuglewicz said. “This is in contrast to the previous structure of management through the third-party company, Keystone Health Partners, which managed the physicians in the ICU, the emergency
department and staffed the hospitalists throughout the system. “The transition has brought an increase in alignment between the hospital and our physicians and, as a result, the care to our patients is improving in our ICU.” More changes are planned, he added, explaining changes to the hospitalists and emergency department will be made in December in a second phase. Hospitalist services at BRMC and OGH “will transition directly under the UAHS umbrella” rather than being provided by an outside service. “UAHS leadership is confident that this enhanced relationship will also work to improve the care of hospitalized patients at both campuses,” he said. There will be a transition of service providers in the emergency departments of both hospitals as well. Fuglewicz explained Keystone Health Partners currently operates the departments. “The emergency departments will transition from Keystone Health Partners to a new company that will
be taking over ED operations on December 1st,” he explained. Patients shouldn’t notice a difference. “Although the company will change, we’re anticipating that all of the current physicians and providers in the emergency department will make the conversion to the new thirdparty company and the transition will be seamless,” Fuglewicz said. Hospital leadership expects improved communication and enhanced coordination to result from the changes. “We’re excited to continue to reach towards our goal of creating an overall better patient experience and improving care while being fiscally responsible,” he said. The spokesman reiterated that patients will not see changes or disruptions in service. And, he added, in contrast to recent rumors, “Bradford Regional Medical Center emergency room will continue to be staffed by a boardcertified physician and will be providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”
DeFoor releases audit for Germania VFRA
HARRISBURG – Auditor General Timothy DeFoor on Wednesday announced an audit reports has been released for the volunteer firefighters’ relief association (VFRA) in Germania, Potter County. There were no findings in the audit. “Relief associations provide vital support to Pennsylvania’s dedicated first responders,” DeFoor said. “Our audits make sure state aid is used to equip and protect volunteer firefighters.” The Department of the Auditor General distributes state aid for VFRAs and audits how they use the funds, which are generated by a 2% tax on fire insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania by outof-state companies. In
2021, $54 million went to 2,517 municipalities for distribution to VFRAs to provide training,
purchase equipment and insurance, and pay for death benefits for volunteer firefighters.
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There’s a strip of woods off Elm Street, bordering the Tunungwant Creek and visible from U.S. Route 219. It stands out for all the wrong reasons. A debris field about the length of a football field remains from a homeless encampment that was found to have been used over the summer. Videos and photos have been circulating on social media. Bradford City Police Chief Mike Ward, on Monday, said, “We would ask anybody to stay out of there. “There were signs of drug use at this particular camp,” the chief said. “One of the city officers went down there and collected all of the drug items that could be seen to remove the immediate hazard.” The strip of property where the debris is belongs to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Last week, Ward, PennDOT supervisor Scott Majot and Chip Comilla, director of Public Works, met down there to walk through the area. “The city, in cooperation with PennDOT, is planning a cleanup within the next few weeks,” Ward said, adding he’s asking for volunteers to help. The date for clean-up will be
announced. “PennDOT is making arrangements for dumpsters and equipment to be brought to the site, at which time city personnel and volunteer groups are planning to coordinate a cleanup on a specific date yet to be determined,” Ward said. Some detractors have already said that if it’s PennDOT’s property, why not leave the cleanup to them? “Because we recognize that it is a hazard and it’s honestly for the protection of the Bradford community,” the chief said. “It’s an entranceway to our city.” What about the people who made the mess? “The persons responsible are known and are being charged accordingly with scattering rubbish and charges associated with leaving debris at the campsite,” Ward said. “We’ll be seeking restitution from those people.” Is this just piling more problems on the backs of people who are already down on their luck? “We are continuously offering local services to these homeless individuals,” Ward said. “Those that will accept our help, we help. “Those who do not, have been cited
accordingly for the damage and the scattering rubbish,” he added. “We continuously strive to help homeless people return to their families, whether it be locally or out of town.” Councilman Tom Riel, one of the city officials behind the move to clean up the debris, said efforts were made to help the people involved. “I’ve reached out to a few of these people and most of them don’t want any help other than money. The majority of them are suffering from one form of addiction or another. “They can’t drink or do drugs in a shelter,” the councilman said. “Some of these people have already been kicked out of shelters. There’s a list of more than 100 people who are banned from OYO Hotel. Almost everybody we had encountered was on that list.” It’s not a city government problem, Riel said, it’s a community problem. “We have received reports and photos of several camps on the hill above South Avenue and West Corydon Street more recently. If the property owners don’t want to do anything about it, there’s nothing the city can do.”
NOVEMBER 8, 2022
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Interesting facts about Veterans Day Each November, individuals across the United States gather to remember and honor the brave men and women who devoted their lives to maintaining the freedoms U.S. residents continue to enjoy. Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 and pays tribute to all American veterans — including the living and deceased — but especially thanks the living veterans who served honorably during war or peacetime, according to History.com. Veterans Day originally was known as Armistice Day, which was established to commemorate the end of World War I. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day in an effort to recognize all veterans. That name change is just one of many interesting facts about Veterans Day. • November 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of the “war to end all wars,” even though the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I, was signed roughly seven months later on June 28, 1919. • While Veterans Day is an
Saluting Their Supreme Sacrifice Coudersport American Legion Potter Post 192 Coudersport, PA Thank you veterans for your service!
American holiday, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and France also honor the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th. Canada celebrates Remembrance Day, while Britain observes Remembrance Sunday each year on the second Sunday of November. • Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs says there are around 19 million U.S. veterans as of 2021. • Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C., holds an annual memorial service on both Memorial Day and Veterans Day. That cemetery is home to the graves of more than 400,000 people, most of whom served in the military. • Gulf War-era veterans now account for the largest percentage of all U.S. veterans, surpassing the number of Vietnam War-era veterans by almost two million, according to the VA. • Memorial Day is a time to remember those who died in battle or from wounds suffered in battle. However, Veterans Day honors all of the people who served their country, including both living and deceased
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veterans. • The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates women make up approximately 10 percent of the veteran population. By 2025, that number is expected to climb to 12 percent. • In 2016, President Barack Obama signed the Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act. At 3:11 p.m. (Atlantic Standard Time) on Veterans Day, a moment of silence is observed and continues for 120 seconds. • The last living American WWI veteran died in 2011. His name was Frank Buckles. • In 2021, 37 percent of veterans were age 70 and older, according to Pew Research. An additional 36 percent of veterans were between the ages of 50 and 69. • The U.S. Census Bureau indicates the percentage of the American population with military experience is on the decline. In 2018, about 7 percent of U.S. adults were veterans, down from 18 percent in 1980.
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