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EBENSBURG -- Local residents may soon notice logging operations at Duman Lake County Park after Cambria County Commissioners approved an agreement to remove trees causing safety issues.
According to the agreement, Sikora Logging will remove any hazardous or fallen trees from the park within the next 60 days. The logging business will keep the timber removed in lieu of payment, according to Melissa Kestermont, the commissioners' executive assistant.
Joe Sikora said the trees are already down, but he's not sure how much timber needs to be transported out of the county-owned park.
The park is open from May 15 to Sept. 15, according to the county's website. Kestermont said county officials want the timber removed "sooner rather than later."
"We told him anything that was already down and anything that looks like it's a hazard" is OK to remove, she said.
Commissioner Tom Chernisky said the trees came down last fall and have piled up, causing a safety issue within the park.
"Getting that out is good for our community and region," he said. "It's a safety issue."
Johnstown resident John DeBartola criticized the commissioners during the public comment portion of the meeting for failing to bring "any kind of stability to the county" within their first 100 days as a board -- a milestone they reached earlier this week.
Commissioners Keith Rager and Scott Hunt took exception to DeBartola's comments.
Rager pointed out the commissioners hired Alex Ashcom as the county's chief clerk -- a position left vacant for almost a year -- and the county's S&P Global Ratings bond rating increased from A- to an A, "which in these days is a very good thing," he said.
"The three of us are working in tandem," Rager said. "There were positions in accounting that we looked at and didn't need, so we're trimming and we're doing what needs to be done."
Hunt said over the last 100 days, the commissioners also met with inner departments, boards and authorities to get "a better understanding of what they need from us."
"I think that the first 100 days have been successful. I think we're moving in the right direction," he said. "We're working together for the betterment of the county."
During the meeting, commissioners approved a subrecipient agreement with the Redevelopment Authority of Cambria County to disburse funds from the 2022 Community Development Block Grant.
Renee Daly, the redevelopment authority's executive director, said the county received $330,754 for paving projects in Croyle Township, Middle Taylor Township and South Fork Borough; Adams Township received $114,023 for a stormwater project at Mine 42; Cambria Township received $114,713 and Jackson Township received $97,149 for single family housing rehabilitation projects.
They also approved an agreement between Breaking the Barriers, a nonprofit organization in Johnstown that aims to assist people with behavioral health challenges, and the Cambria County Department of Emergency Services with regard to sharing information on compliance issues.
According to the agreement, the county "will interact collaboratively to ensure that services and interventions are provided to mutual individuals."