Schuylkill County commissioners approve transportation grants, contracts and supplemental budget adjustments

Schuylkill County commissioners on Feb. 4 approved a series of grant applications, contracts and supplemental budget appropriations across county departments.

The board approved a PennDOT Multimodal Transportation Fund application to rehabilitate and improve safety on Keystone Boulevard in the Highridge Business Park. Lisa Mahall, director of real estate and engineering, told commissioners the project is estimated at $1,126,264; the county requested up to $788,385 (70% funding), with a 30% match of $337,879 from SEDCO. Commissioner Larry Padora moved to approve the application; Commissioner Gary Hess seconded and the motion passed by roll call (Padora yes; Hess yes; Commissioner Barron Hetherington absent).

Mahall also presented a request to apply for Multimodal Transportation Fund assistance to replace County Bridge 6 (Bolich Road over Mahanoy Creek, Barry Township). The project estimate is $2,529,162, with a requested grant of about $600,000 (roughly 25%); Mahall said remaining funding is expected from liquid fuels and local-use funds. The motion to seek the grant carried on the same roll-call vote.

The meeting record shows approval of several county contracts: a one-year autopsy-services agreement with Dr. Wayne Ross at $2,800 per autopsy and an agreement with Dauphin County for use of its forensic facility at $500 per autopsy; a one-year licensing/support agreement with AHEAD, Inc. for vxRail hardware at $20,479.68 for 911 communications; and a $55,000 fixed-fee contract with EBA Engineering to develop a county resilience hub using BRIC grant money.

The Election Bureau, represented by Director Albert Gricoski, presented a planned replacement of backup batteries for voting machines (150 DS200 backup batteries at $185 each, 150 DS200 coin cell batteries at $11 each, and 150 ExpressVote backup batteries at $185 each), a total of 450 batteries and an anticipated cost of $57,150. Gricoski said the expenditure is in the 2026 budget and will be covered with Election Integrity grant funds.

Finance staff presented multiple prior-year budget adjustments and supplemental appropriations. Items recorded in the meeting packet included a $1,060 prior-year adjustment for Drug & Alcohol, $2,026 for the Prison, $3,833 for Domestic Relations (single-county audit), $20,000 for Human Resources contract invoices, and a $72,011 internal transfer for County Administration. The board approved supplemental appropriation resolutions listed in the record (including #2025-29, #2025-30, #2025-31 and #2026-02) by roll-call votes with the same 2–0 voting pattern and one absence.

County Administrator Gary Bender presented a designee-approved contracts list for January 2026 that the board ratified; the list included a range of professional-services and procurement items such as shredding, software support, expert witnesses, appraisal services and building maintenance contracts. The meeting record also documents personnel actions, appointments and reappointments (including a reappointment to the Schuylkill County Transportation Authority board) and an announcement about a countywide America 250 kick-off event.

All motions recorded in the meeting minutes show Commissioner Padora moving, Commissioner Hess seconding and roll-call tallies recorded as Padora yes; Hess yes; Hetherington absent. Where amounts were presented in the record they are noted here; when the record lists an estimate or identifies an item as "anticipated" the article notes that language rather than asserting a precise contractual commitment beyond the meeting record.

The commissioners adjourned with no further business recorded.