Member News – February 6, 2019

• The February issue of Bloomsburg University’s community newsletter, On The Hill, is now available.

• AGAPE is in desperate need of warehouse and driver volunteers. Even if you might only be able to help one day per month, that would be of tremendous value to AGAPE as it works to ensure it serves those in need. If interested, or for questions, please contact AGAPE at 570-317-2210 or stop in their office at 19 East 7th St. in Bloomsburg and fill out an application.

• Geisinger HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital recently unveiled its new name and brand as part of its Company’s name change and rebranding initiative. As of Jan. 1, the inpatient rehabilitation hospital is now known as Geisinger Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital. It will continue to provide the same high-quality, post-acute care for patients overcoming a variety of major illnesses and injuries. To commemorate the new name and brand, the hospital will be hosting a open community celebration event tomorrow, Feb. 7, from 3-6 p.m. The event will be held in the hospital dining room, located at 64 Rehab Ln., Danville. Tours and photo booths will be available for event attendees, and hor d’oeuvres will be served. RSVP prior to the event to 570-271-6110 or by email. Birmingham, Ala.-based HealthSouth Corporation launched its new name and brand on Jan. 1, 2018 and has been transitioning its 130 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and 273 home health and hospice locations serving 36 states and Puerto Rico over the last year, which will continue through 2019. All of the Company’s post-acute care service locations in Pennsylvania will migrate to the Encompass Health name and brand on Jan. 1.

• The Berwick Elks Lodge 1138 will offer a free breakfast for veterans this Saturday, Feb. 9, from 8-10 a.m. at its location on 117 West 2nd St., Berwick. Scrambled eggs, french toast, bacon, sausage, homefries, juice, coffee and tea are on the menu. All veterans eat free, and all others are just $5.

• Koto visionary Yumi Kurosawa will be joined by world-renowned tabla player Anubrata Chatterjee for a performance that bridges the cultures of Japan and India on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. in the Weis Center Atrium. The performance is free and tickets are not required. The performance illuminates the deep-rooted similarities of their craft while highlighting their affinity and respect for one another as virtuosic performers. Kurosawa and Chatterjee spin mesmerizing musical tales as they enchant the audience and reinforce the powerful idea of music as a means to enhance the collaborative spirit of the global community.

• Beginning the week of Feb. 11 and running through April 4, the United Way of Columbia and Montour County will once again offer free basic tax help to low and moderate-income residents in the community. This program will be held Tuesdays and Wednesday from 2-6 p.m. and Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, located at 130 W. 3rd St., Bloomsburg (use the rear entrance). No appointments are necessary, only drop-offs and walk-ins will be accepted. For questions, call the United Way at 570-784-3134 or email, and see the flyer for additional information.

• Mexican folk music will be performed by Sonia De Los Santos and her multicultural band on Monday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. at theWeis Center. Note that this takes place on a school holiday, President’s Day. This performance is free and tickets are not required. It is suggested for ages 4 and older and the run time is 60 minutes, no intermission. Attendees are asked to bring a canned food item, which will be distributed to local families in need. This unique concert is filled with original songs, Latin American party tunes and new bilingual versions of American classics. De Los Santos has been hailed by Billboard as “one of the Latin children’s music artists you should know,” and her music has been featured on NBC’s Visiones, Sirius XM’s Kids Place Live and WXPN’s Kids Corner, among others.

• A free job fair will be held at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds on Feb. 21, 22 and 23 in the Industrial, Arts & Crafts and Educational buildings. Any business interested in booking a space should complete the one-page vendor application. For questions, please call Diane Considine at 570-479-0636 or Barb Belles at 570-387-4144.

• The Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit is seeking professionals in the business community to serve as judges in specific categories at its PA Media and Design Competition (formerly called the PA State Computer Fair). There will be separate regional competitions, one for middle school students on Monday, March 4, and one for high school students on Monday, March 25, both at CSIU #16 located at 90 Lawton Lane, Milton. If interested in participating in these events as a judge, please email Bill Herald by Feb. 22. For more information about the event, including a list of categories, visit the event’s website.

• Knoebels Amusement Resort will hold its annual job fair on Saturday, March 2, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the Elysburg Fire Department, located at 1 East Mill St., Elysburg. There are seasonal positions available in games, ride operations, food service, gift shops, grounds crew, security & first aid, admissions, crystal pool, campground, guest services, and more. If you have a particular interest or skill set, Knoebels has a job for you. Visit the Facebook event for more information. 

• Larson Design Group recently made a $500 contribution to Focus Central Pennsylvania to support regional economic growth by promoting the Region to attract new corporate investment. Larson Design Group is a nationally emerging, employee-owned architecture and survey firm that teams with clients to provide responsive, innovative solutions to facility, transportation, land development and environmental needs. Focus Central Pennsylvania is a non-profit dedicating 100 percent of its time and resources to attracting corporate investment in the region to create jobs. Focus currently serves seven contiguous counties in the central part of Pennsylvania, with a total population of 471,367, a total labor force of 226,048 and nearly 17,381 business establishments.

• Six employees of the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES) located outside Berwick recently celebrated a major career milestone.  Each achieved over 40 years of employment with the organization. Those reaching this milestone include:   

Walter C. Hess, Weatherly, currently serves as mechanical planning supervisor, planning/welding/code repair.  He joined SSES in 1979 as a laborer in the construction department.  He says that the best thing about his career at Susquehanna is the people he’s worked with. 

Senior Drafter Mechanical, Lou Miksits of Bloomsburg, started with the company in the automated graphics department producing milestone building schedules for Susquehanna prior to start-up.  During his tenure, he also participated in projects to convert Susquehanna’s piping and instrumentation diagrams into CAD based drawings.  Today, he serves as senior drafter, mechanical.  When asked what the best part of his career is, he said that he loves what he does.  “As a draftsman, I get to take what is in an engineers’ mind and translate it into a medium that craft workers can use to build from.  There is no better satisfaction than seeing what I have drawn installed in the plant the way it was originally intended.”

Brian Snyder of Bloomsburg currently serves as senior technology specialist.  He states that the people he has met over the years are the best part of his time at Susquehanna.  Snyder started his career with the company in August 1978 as a handyman at its Montour plant in Washingtonville, Pa, and transferred to SSES in May 1979.

Level II Instrument technician, Steven Schooley, Danville, also celebrated over 40 years with SSES.  He notes that throughout his career, which began in 1978 as an auxiliary systems operator, he was able to create many lasting relationships within the station’s “small nuclear family and community.”   His current responsibilities include calibrating and maintaining station instrumentation including the reactor manual control system, main turbine controls, radiation monitors and fire protection equipment.

Gerald Maertz, Bloomsburg, currently serves as branch manager – Engineering Fix-it-Now (EFIN) for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station.  During his tenure, he witnessed the construction of Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, getting a rare glimpse of parts of the station being built that are no longer easily accessible.  He participated in initial plant testing and start-up of both units and has played a role in numerous refueling outages and upgrades.  Maertz states, “I was proud to be part of an excellent team that has seen successful operation of both units.”  He also notes the valued friendships he’s made along the way. 

Paul Homnick, Jr., Shickshinny, became a licensed reactor operator for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station in 1984 and currently works as a plant control operator.  Prior to assuming his operator position, he played an active role in the station’s construction, pre-operational testing and start-up testing.