Schuylkill County commissioners approve contracts, election battery replacement and park master-plan RFP
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Summary
The Schuylkill County Board of Commissioners approved multiple contracts including autopsy services, an adult probation psychological-testing contract, a $57,150 battery replacement for voting equipment covered by grant funds, a $55,000 resilience-hub contract funded by BRIC, and authorized an RFP for master site plans for county parks.
The Schuylkill County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 11 approved a series of contracts, equipment purchases, appointments and planning steps, voting unanimously among commissioners in attendance (Padora—aye; Hess—aye; Hetherington—absent).
Key approvals included a one-year contract with Joseph Sheris, Ph.D., to provide psychological testing for Adult Probation in accordance with Pennsylvania Act 235 at $350 per evaluation for the period Feb. 16, 2026–Feb. 16, 2027. The board also approved coroner-related agreements: a one-year autopsy services agreement with Dr. Wayne Ross at $2,800 per autopsy, and a contract with the Dauphin County Office of the Coroner for use of the Dauphin County Forensic Center at $500 per autopsy; both contracts run Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2026.
The board approved payment of $57,150 to Election Systems & Software (ES&S) to replace batteries for voting equipment (150 DS200 backup batteries, 150 DS200 coin cell batteries and 150 ExpressVote backup batteries). County staff noted the batteries have a recommended five-year lifespan and are now in year seven; the expense will be covered by Election Integrity Grant funds.
Planning and zoning approved a fixed-fee $55,000 contract with EBA Engineering to develop and implement a county resilience hub using the county’s GIS, funded through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant. The board also authorized release of a request for proposals (RFP) to prepare a master site plan for Sweet Arrow Lake Park and Frog Hollow Park under a Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and immediately approved the required study-committee appointments.
Other actions included authorizing a one-year licensing support agreement with Ahead, Inc. for three VXRAIL hardware components at $20,479.68; approving an advertisement for a demolition project in the Borough of Minersville; authorizing bids for cleaning and solid-waste pickup for county buildings (bid deadline March 23, 2026); approving appointments and reappointments to the Board of Appeals and Auxiliary Board of Appeals with specified hourly rates; and endorsing two 2025 budget adjustments for informational purposes (a $2,500 increase in mental-health budgetary authority and a $12,000 adjustment for human-resources contract invoices).
Appointments and personnel actions recorded at the meeting included reappointment of Edward Barket to the Schuylkill County Transportation Authority for a five-year term, and Human Resources Director Anthony Kern reporting an appointment of Shelly Hoban to a Secretary I, Court Related I position effective Feb. 17, 2026, pending drug test and physical; salary and position actions are pending Salary Board approval.
Votes at a glance: the motions listed above were moved by Commissioner Larry Padora and seconded by Commissioner Gary Hess and were adopted with recorded votes Padora—aye, Hess—aye, Hetherington—absent.
The meeting concluded with no further business and adjournment.