Commissioners back Center Wisp BEAD bid, adopt Toys for Tots proclamation and approve courthouse repairs; several contracts advanced

The Centre County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday adopted a proclamation recognizing the 77th anniversary of Marine Toys for Tots and the 38th anniversary of the Nittany Leathernecks Detachment Marine Corps League, voted to back a Center Wisp broadband proposal for the state BEAD grant round, and approved advertising and change orders for courthouse building-envelope repairs.

The proclamation honored local Toys for Tots volunteers and presented a certificate to local organizers. Bob Johnson, paymaster for the local Toys for Tots effort, described the program’s recent scale and support: he said the campaign received $42,000 in supplemental toys from the national foundation and that the local effort distributed “about 17,000 items” last year. Donna, a long-time volunteer with the Leathernecks, told commissioners the program also aids families after fires and other crises and said, “I can't thank Centre County for being such a supportive … people around here just bend over backwards to help this program.” Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt Proclamation No. 3 recognizing the anniversaries.

The board then heard from Liz of the Centre County Planning Department about the county’s request-for-proposals process for BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) funding. Liz said two proposals were received and that staff recommended supporting Center Wisp’s application because it offers fiber-to-the-premises service packages that meet or exceed the county’s broadband definition and targets a high-priority Zone 1 area in southeastern Centre County (Penns Valley). Liz told the commissioners Center Wisp initially identified roughly 457 locations in its proposal — about 361 homes, 81 businesses and roughly 15 other rural/agricultural sites — and that BEAD requires a 25% match. The board voted to submit a financial-commitment letter to…