From PA Chamber of Business & Industry House and Senate lawmakers finalized the state General Appropriations bill (H.B. 218) and sent it to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk on the constitutional deadline of June 30, just one day before the 2017-18 Fiscal Year began. House Bill 218 spends about two-tenths of one percent more than was spent in 2016-17. Notable components of the deal include a $100 million increase in basic education funding, with $8.8 million extra going to schools under the State System of Higher Education and state-related schools being flat-funded over the prior year; and a funding cut to the Department of Labor and industry of 13.3 percent (with a total spend of $10.5 million). Despite getting the General Appropriations bill completed, lawmakers will reconvene later this week after the 4th of July holiday to pass a number of bills related to the budget – including the Fiscal Code bill that will spell out how money should be appropriated across state departments. This week (lawmakers are projected to come back on Thursday), conversations will focus on where new revenue to close a $1.5 billion shortfall in the new fiscal year and about $700 million in new money to cover new spending for 2017-18 would come from. Options include gaming expansion, borrowing against future revenue from the Tobacco Settlement Fund or a combination of both. Broad-based tax increases remained off the table, and the idea of placing another tax on the state’s natural gas industry also appeared to be a non-starter. With disagreement between the House and Senate on the gaming bill, borrowing appears to be a likely scenario. Last week, the governor referred to the state’s cash shortfall as “a onetime gap,” adding that he was open to agreeing to a borrowing plan as long as Republicans could determine new recurring revenues from other sources that would help to avoid future deficits. “For that one time, I’m comfortable,” Wolf said, though he declined to give a firm dollar amount. Governor Wolf has until July 10 to take action on the bill.
Montour County has implemented a readdressing project for Montour County, Riverside Borough, and Rush Township, based on a consistent county-wide addressing scheme. This project is almost complete, and it has been done to allow for faster emergency response by fire, police, rescue, medical and any other emergency services and also to name streets with conflicting or duplicate names in order to provide more efficient emergency services.
New address notifications began to be rolled out on June 30. Some businesses and residents in Danville Borough will begin receiving their new address information early during the week of July 3. The second round of notifications will be sent on July 14 to the other half of Danville Borough and outlying townships. The post office will deliver to both old and new addresses for up to one year. For more, please call 570-387-4930 or visit montourco.org.
The Chamber expects to receive the updated address information once it is finalized and will be working to update member information on the website and for the 2017-18 Membership Directory. Members that already have that information are asked to provide it to the Chamber at pjones@columbiamontourchamber.com.
Thanks to the Danville Business Alliance for providing this update.
Kevin Lanciotti, Ronald McDonald House of Danville Board President; Gloria Gerrity, Vice President of the Women’s and Children’s Institute for Geisinger Health System; Thomas Sokola, Geisinger Central Hub Chief Administrative Officer; and Michael Turlis, Ronald McDonald House of Danville Executive Director, cut the ribbon on the new Ronald McDonald Family Room inside the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital on June 27. (Photo courtesy of the Daily Item)
The Ronald McDonald House of Danville (RMHD) officially cut the ribbon on its new Family Room, located inside the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville on Tuesday, June 27. The area was created as an extension of the RMHD, which is adjacent to but in a separate building from the hospital, and to give parents of critically injured or ill children a place to stay while they are being treated just steps away in the children’s hospital. The room took approximately 10 months to complete after a fundraising drive kicked off last summer.
The room is scheduled to open for families of patients in early July. However, volunteers are needed to help assist in getting the area ready to house guests. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact RMHD volunteer coordinator Joan Williams at 570-214-1792 or by email.
RMHD is in its 36th year of serving families in medical crises by providing them with a place to stay while their child is receiving care. It has served nearly 400,000 families in its nearly four decades. For more information, visit its website.
Chamber members that made the trip through the winding roads and around the detour to the southeastern portion of Columbia County were rewarded with a unique experience at the Business After Hours at the Pump House Bed & Breakfast on June 21. With perfect weather, members had a chance to leisurely stroll around the Pump House property, which consists of a handful of buildings including a reception hall, barn and bridal suite, as well as take in the view of Catawissa Creek, contributing to the rustic and tranquil atmosphere. Members took a tour of the Pump House’s grounds and networked throughout the property, both inside the barn as well as outside, while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, including catered food from fellow member The Blind Pig Kitchen, Pump House sangria and other beverages. For more information about the Pump House, visit its website or call 570-784-6730.
Business After Hours provide regular opportunities to build business relationships while learning about the services offered by other Chamber members. Please join us at our next Business After Hours on Wednesday, July 19 at the Columbia County Traveling Library, located at 702 Sawmill Rd., Bloomsburg, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Member News
Danville Child Development Center Earns National NAEYC Accreditation
Danville Child Development Center has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) — the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.
NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments. DCDC serves over 400 children annually in its non-profit early-learning program and is a community based organization dedicated to giving children a strong foundation for lifelong success by providing supports to families and high quality early learning experiences in safe, nurturing and engaging environments. The program is the only NAEYC accredited program in Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties. In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely-recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC. Fewer than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition and approximately seven percent in Pennsylvania.
Hamilton Dental Care to Host Open House at New Office Location
Hamilton Dental Care will celebrate the recent opening of its new location at 2 Audubon Court, Bloomsburg, with an Open House on Thursday, July 13 from 4:30-8 p.m. The public is invited to bring the family for a fun night of food and prizes. Attendees can tour the new office and meet the friendly staff. Kids will enjoy face painting and balloons by The Balloon Man, Lanny Lee. Adults can register to win a variety of prizes and baskets. All new patients that schedule during this event will receive a 50% savings off their new patient exam. A door prize of free whitening will also be given away to one lucky winner.
In an effort to best assist local organizations with airline service, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) is exploring different opportunities for new routes, including from/to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI). To get the best possible opportunity for our local companies/organizations, however, AVP needs some feedback from our members.
Please be assured that the information provided will remain confidential. The results from individual companies/organizations would be grouped with other companies/organizations’ data to help AVP potentially retain air service between AVP/PIT and AVP/BWI, as well as other potential markets.
This survey will take approximately one minute to complete. Please take a moment and fill out the brief survey to assist AVP in this effort. The survey will be available until July 7. AVP thanks Chamber members for their time.
More than 500 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and our region. Increased membership allows us to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities. The Chamber welcomes its newest member, LIFE Geisinger, to help us fulfill our mission.
A part of Geisinger Health, LIFE Geisinger is a unique and innovative program for eligible older adults designed to give them the support they need to live independently and remain in their homes. It is an all-inclusive program, meaning all of a participant’s healthcare needs are taken care of through the program, with the exception of emergency care. LIFE Geisinger also offers a separate adult day care service that is open to anyone, regardless of their eligibility for the all-inclusive program. Located at 1100 Spruce St., Kulpmont, LIFE Geisinger serves portions of Columbia, Montour, Northumberland and Schuylkill Counties, including the following zip codes in Columbia and Montour Counties: 17814, 17815, 17820, 17821, 17822, 17824, 17846, 17858, 17859, 17888, 17920, 18603 and 18631. For more information on LIFE Geisinger’s programs and eligibility, contact outreach and enrollment coordinator Wendy Rishel at 570-373-2100 or email.
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry
With only a few days left in the 2016-17 Fiscal Year, lawmakers are scheduled to be in session through June 30, the state’s constitutional budget deadline. More session days may be scheduled as necessary.
Legislative leaders remain engaged in conversations over what the next year’s budget plan will look like, and details are scarce. There continue to be questions over what the Senate’s version of H.B. 271 – the gaming expansion bill – will contain, and based on a conversation that Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, had last week with Capitolwire, they are a long way off in reaching agreement. “My experience with gaming in the Senate Republican caucus I can boil down real simply,” Scarnati told the media outlet. “We have a third of the members of the Senate Republican caucus that are opposed to gaming because they oppose gaming. We have a third of them that have gaming interests in their district so they are somewhat not in favor of competition for casinos. Although casino games are frowned upon , other games like Minecraft, etc are most welcome. To play the game, choose one from many options available on the Minecraft Server List. We’ve got a third of the members in the caucus that, you know, could be influenced possibly one way or the other to vote for something. But there is no strong consensus. And when you start out with two-thirds of your caucus that principally are either against it or certainly economically opposed to something, it’s difficult. That’s why we’re where we are at.” Meanwhile, the House remains ready to go “all in” on gaming expansion as a way to generate up to $270 million in annual recurring revenue, with its version of the bill containing sweeping changes and allowing for video gaming terminals in bars, taverns and the like. The fortnite aimbot can prove to be useful for the ones that want to explore the game more by using hacks.
There are also said to be conversations about other forms of revenue to fill a $1.2 billion budget hole in the coming Fiscal Year, including borrowing and/or using money from the state’s share of the nationwide Tobacco Settlement Fund. In speaking with reporters last week, the governor didn’t outright oppose these ideas, but voiced concerns. The Associated Press has said that while Wolf is counting on an extra $250 million in money from new forms of gaming, the Department of Revenue has said doing so could lead to losses from the Pennsylvania Lottery and at casinos. “I want real revenue, and I want net revenue,'” Wolf told the press. “I don’t want anything that we do in gaming or gambling to interfere with the revenues that are already in place. If it just cannibalizes and takes from one bucket called gambling to another, the commonwealth isn’t doing anything more than it has in the past.”
Adequate infrastructure is critical to the health and growth of communities. In addition to good roads, water, and electricity, reliable telecommunications is essential for resident safety and business operations. Unfortunately, telecommunications service, especially broadband internet, is either limited or nonexistent in significant portions of Montour and Columbia counties. The Columbia Montour Chamber recently joined with municipalities in northern Montour County in asking state legislators to work with potential providers to improve telecommunications infrastructure.
In underserved areas, cellular technology could be a viable option for homes and smaller businesses. However, many of these same areas also lack adequate cellular coverage. While speeds and network coverage in more populated areas are being improved, the carriers do not appear to be investing significantly in our rural areas to expand coverage.
From a regulatory standpoint, only the public utilities are compelled to provide a basic level of service. Today’s telecommunications marketplace offers other potential vendors. The Chamber is suggesting that funding policies should be modernized to provide incentives and assistance to these companies that is currently only available to the regulated utilities. This deficiency not only puts public safety as risk, but may cost our area job creating opportunities.
“Membership in the Columbia Montour Chamber has allowed for the opportunity to learn about other small businesses and share ideas from one small business owner to another. It has also generated sales through networking at Chamber events.”
– Dan Carr, owner, Carr’s Sawmill.
Carr’s Sawmill was added to the family farming operation in 1983 by Dan Carr as a way to be more self-sufficient. Having a sawmill on the farm and sawing the family’s own logs into lumber makes work for when the weather is not suitable for field operations. It also serves to provide a local market method for forest products. The business operates a historic 100-year-old Frick sawmill manufactured in Waynesboro, Pa. Unlike larger commercial mills, Carr’s Sawmill stocks a large inventory of quality hardwood for retail sales to local woodworkers. For woodworkers that want their own logs milled to lumber, Carr’s can provide pickup service for the logs and return delivery of the lumber.
Products and services offered by Carr’s include live edge hardwood slabs, framing lumber up to 2”x 8”-16’ (full dimension), and air dried native Pennsylvania woods including oak, ash, cherry, walnut, maple, pine and many other lesser species. Planning services are also available with lumber sales. Carr’s Sawmill has also donated lumber to numerous local non-profit projects over the years, and is active with the Central Susquehanna Woodland Owners Association (CSWOA), a local trade group.
Being part of a family farm operation, Carr’s does not maintain regular business hours, but rather is open by appointment at customers’ request any time of day or day of the week. Located at 308 Dahl Road in Bloomsburg, it can be contacted at 570-204-0673. For more information about Carr’s Sawmill, visit its Facebook page, which includes several photos of the mill and its operations, as well as a few videos of explosive log splitting like the one below.
Member spotlights are chosen via a random drawing from members that submit their business cards at a Business After Hours event. The next Business After Hours is scheduled for July 19 at the Columbia County Traveling Library, located at 702 Sawmill Rd., Bloomsburg.