Latest news with #CountyFair
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Somerset County seats committee to review disaster relief grant applications
SOMERSET, Pa. – Six residents from across Somerset County have been selected to review requests for help from a newly created disaster recovery fund. They all have reputations for serving their communities – in many cases, providing help in times of need, the Somerset County commissioners said. The list includes business leaders, longtime fire department volunteers, a pastor and two local emergency management coordinators. They will review grant applications to select residents and businesses eligible for flood recovery aid, the board said. The review board approved by the commissioners Tuesday includes: • David Berkey, of Jenner Township, is a Somerset County Fair board president who owns an excavating business and is active in Jenner Township Baptist Church. • Lance Bittner, of Berlin, is a local Boy Scouts of America leader who has spearheaded toy drives and assisted with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in South Carolina. • The Rev. Matthew Deal, of Somerset, is the pastor at St. Paul's United Church of Christ, serves on the United Way of the Southern Alleghenies board and previously served as president of the outreach group Somerset Area Ministries. • Gerald Parry, of Berlin, is a former fire chief in his hometown and a founding member of the county's hazardous materials team who serves as Berlin's local emergency management coordinator. • Robert Statler, of Windber, retired this month as fire chief with the city of Johnstown and is a longtime member of Windber's fire department. A longtime paramedic, he also serves on the Cambria County Swift Water Rescue Team. • Harvey Wetzler, of Addison, serves as emergency management coordinator for Addison Borough and the surrounding township. He is also a Somerset County Swift Water Rescue Team member, hazmat team member and Community Organizations Active in Disasters member. The county commissioners each selected one member, while Somerset County Emergency Management Agency officials selected the other three – Bittner, Statler and Wetzler. A history of community service 'was a key consideration for us. We wanted people who understand the need to support their community,' said Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes, who selected Deal to serve on the committee. Commissioner Irv Kimmel Jr., who nominated Berkey, said the goal was to get people involved from 'all ends of the county.' He described the committee as a 'great group of individuals.' The commissioners established the recovery fund to support southern Somerset County in the aftermath of a devastating May 13 flood – but said they wanted to leave the application review and award process to the community itself to manage. The six-member committee will work alongside the nonprofit Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, which is accepting donations and grant applications. The Community Foundation will also manage the fund as it continues to grow, the commissioners have said. As planned, committee members could begin reviewing requests for aid and issue awards in the next few weeks, the commissioners said. Municipal leaders in eight communities that have issued disaster declarations will be able to file applications on behalf of residents and businesses in their communities that sustained losses, the commissioners have said. Kimmel said there is no specific limit on the amount an entity can request – but the review committee is working with a limited amount of funds and will likely have a goal of supporting as many qualified people as possible. Now that the county has received approval for state and federal emergency loans and grants, including low-interest Small Business Administration loans, there are multiple levels of support available for properties that suffered damages and losses in the flood. Each government program has its own unique stipulations for how money can be spent – such as for home repairs or temporary housing assistance – and who is eligible. The state Disaster Relief Program, for example, has income eligibility requirements. But even with multiple sources of aid, in addition to property owners' insurance plans, the commissioners said they know there will be 'gaps' where people will have to absorb losses from the flood. 'There are going to be unmet needs,' Tokar-Ickes said, 'and that's what this fund is intended for.' As of Tuesday, Tokar-Ickes said approximately $40,000 was raised through the disaster recovery fund, including $10,000 from the CFA and a $10,000 pledge from Somerset County through hotel tax and Act 13 natural gas 'impact fee' revenues. The commissioners have designated the county's $10,000 contribution to municipal agencies – such as borough or township governments – in communities that are working to recover from the flood. The hope is that the relief fund's total will continue to grow, Kimmel, Tokar-Ickes and President Commissioner Brian Fochtman said. They said an annual fundraiser event is being considered to raise awareness and support for the fund, which will be ongoing to provide support after future disasters. 'Hopefully, there's never a 'next time', ' Kimmel said, 'but unfortunately, there probably will be.' Contributions to the Disaster Recovery Fund can be made at Tokar-Ickes said a link will also be posted online in the near future to apply for funds.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Chamberlain man pleads guilty to grand theft
Mar. 14—MITCHELL — A Chamberlain man who stole 45 bottles of liquor from County Fair over the course of a month has pleaded guilty to grand theft. Mitchell Old Lodge, 31, was sentenced on March 11, 2025, to two years in prison, with all time suspended, and placed on two years of probation. He was also sentenced to 10 days in jail and ordered to pay $1,939.45 in restitution for the stolen items. The thefts occurred between March 3 and March 27, 2024, with Old Lodge taking a couple of bottles at a time during different visits to the store. The crimes came to light when a stocker responsible for liquor at County Fair noticed bottles were missing and alerted a store employee. After reviewing security footage, the employee saw Old Lodge slipping a 750 mL bottle of Crown Royal Peach and a bottle of Hennessy Cognac into his coat pockets before walking out without paying. Further review of the footage revealed that Old Lodge had repeatedly stolen liquor over the course of several weeks, taking bottles of Hennessy, Ciroc Summer Citrus, Casamigos Tequila, Fireball, and Crown Royal, among others. In total, he stole 45 bottles valued at $1,939.45. After seeing a flier in the store office, a County Fair employee identified Old Lodge as the thief. The footage and the identification led to his arrest.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Del Mar Fairgrounds once again debating affordable housing units
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Now that the train tracks will not likely be going into a tunnel under the Del Mar Fairgrounds — it appears the people who run the place are once again open to talking about 'affordable housing' somewhere on the property. 'It's not just any tunnel, that is a trench. That is a cut and cover trench. Before you cover, you have to cut, and that means cutting from the surface,' said Tristan Hallman, Del Mar Fairgrounds. 'I think that has maybe been lost in this discussion, it's not just burrowing under and nobody notices. It's digging from the surface through a wide expanse, and leaving us unable to host the events and activities that we've hosted here since 1936.' Del Mar Fairgrounds affordable housing proposal questioned by developer While there's been talk of housing on the fairgrounds for years, that talk was shut down last month after the City of Del Mar openly supported a rail alignment that could have gone under the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds' board saw that as a betrayal, and put a pause on any talks about housing. 'The position that Del Mar took was anything that harmed the fairgrounds they were against. Obviously, you heard the mayor of Del Mar taking a position counter to that. We also heard them taking a position to ask for a delay of this fully funded, long planned project, that the only reason for delaying that project is because they wanted to keep the tunnel in play,' said Hallman. But now that SANDAG has voted to eliminate the tunnel under the fairgrounds, at least for now, it appears the City of Del Mar and the fairgrounds board could be working together again on a housing plan. New affordable housing units could be coming to Del Mar Fairgrounds A housing plan that's required by state law for every city in California. Even though the Del Mar Fairgrounds is home to dozens of events year round — including the County Fair and world class Horse Racing — there is a lot of land, 340-acres. There was a real fear that building a tunnel would directly impact business. 'That means no fair, no horse racing, no events. No business,' said Hallman. Along with a potential for low income housing, the fairgrounds board sees this as another opportunity. When and if the tracks are ever moved off the coast, they're hoping to build a 'seasonal platform' on the fairgrounds during peak times. Not under the fairgrounds, but on the surface. 'The platform will be right at the edge of our property. That would allow people to come straight to the San Diego County Fair, straight to horse racing, straight to other events. It would be special events only, it's not going to stop there all the time,' said Hallman. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
