Blair County commissioners approve consent agenda, accept $15,000 Norfolk Southern grant and advertise eminent domain for Bridge 33 parcel

Blair County commissioners met Nov. 20 and approved a slate of routine and project-specific actions, including acceptance of a $15,000 Norfolk Southern Safety First grant for the county emergency management drone program and authorization to advertise an ordinance initiating eminent domain for a 0.3-acre parcel needed for the Bridge 33 project.

The meeting opened at 10 a.m. with the pledge of allegiance. Commissioners approved the previous meeting minutes and a consent agenda read aloud by county staff, which included eight warrants and ratification of payroll dated Nov. 14, 2025, totaling $946,593.89. The consent package also listed budget transfers, permissions to use holiday courthouse lighting, and engineering invoices for bridge projects; the Bridge 33 invoice for final design was $46,410.45 and was described as 95% reimbursable from the Marcellus Shale legacy fund. Reappointments to the Board of Assessment of Appeals and seats on the Blair County Conservation District were announced and approved; one commissioner recorded an abstention on their own reappointment.

Court administration presented a proposal to consolidate individual interpreter contracts into a single umbrella contract aligned with AOPC interpreter certification classifications and rates. "This…