Articles written by Thomas Schmitt
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SCSB Hears from Transportation on Bus Driver Shortage
Having adequate transportation to get all students to school effectively has been an issue of concern for the Spring Cove School District since the start of the 2022-23 school year. During the recognition of visitors portion of the board of...
Spring Cove School District Notes Gov. Wolf's Free Breakfast Program
Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker announced at the Spring Cove School District September Board of Directors Committee of the Whole meeting that the district, due to the Pa. Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) grant awarded it, would be able to...
H-burg Borough Council Discusses Fire Company Funds, Met with Opposition
The Phoenix Volunteer Fire Company was the subject of a great deal of discussion at the Hollidaysburg Borough Council August monthly meeting. The council voted to approve the request for the release of $27,590 to the fire company to cover loan...
Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership Discusses Marketing Campaigns
The Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership Board of Directors held its regular monthly meeting on Aug. 12 at the U.S. Hotel with the focus on activity with the marketing/program committee. The Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) is...
School Board Approves Reduced Meal Prices
With inflation hitting the current cost of food and the end of federal dollars that had been shelled out for free lunches during the pandemic, the Hollidaysburg School District found a way to recommend that the “paid portion” of reduced-priced...
Hollidaysburg Borough To Fill Police Chief Role
During the last borough meeting, Mayor Joe Dodson stated as a result of retirement of a police officer and one joining the state police force, Hollidaysburg Police Deptartment, now down to six officers, needed to hire two officers as soon as...
Spring Cove School District Sees Resignations, New Hires
Aug. 8, 2022 The Spring Cove School District Board of Directors met in a combined committee of the whole and regular Meeting on Monday, Aug. 8, with much of the focus being on personnel and staffing...
Sidewalk Repairs to Begin in Borough
During the mayor’s report at the July monthly Hollidaysburg Borough Council meeting, Mayor Joseph Dodson said with the retirement of another police officer, the force is down to six officers and needs to hire two officers as soon as possible....
ELF to Maintain Reiser House Museum
The Hollidaysburg Borough Council agreed to have Empowering Lives Foundation (ELF) owner John Seely handle staffing at the historic Reiser House Museum weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., except...
SCSD Grant Helps Libraries Purchase STEM Supplies
Following last week’s new state budget passage and the increase in funding to school districts, Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker announced Spring Cove School District would see a $247,204 increase in basic education funding, and a $84,342 increase...
HACP Looks to Fill Roles
The Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) wants to keep sharing the Story Walk, which began May 28 and will continue until Sept. 6. The partnership will give information on the walk to boardmember and Hollidaysburg Area School District...
Hollidaysburg Borough Council Discusses Multiple Road Issues
The June monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Borough Council resolved several issues that have been under discussion for several months. Borough Manager Jim Gehret suggested taking $50,000 from Capital Reserve funds to repair curbing and sidewalks...
School District Finalizes Tax Increase
Following three hours of back and forth discussion and disagreement among board members and dozens of speakers from the audience providing input on the upcoming budget, the Hollidaysburg School District Board of Directors approved a 1.25 percent tax...
SCSD Finalizes, Adopts 2022-23 Budget
The Spring Cove School District Board of Directors voted unanimously by an 8-0 vote to adopt the final 2022-23 General Fund Budget in the amount of $30,105,921, reflecting a 2 percent increase in tax millage, setting the final tax millage at 11.25...
Hometown Hero Banners to be Mounted for Memorial Day
At the May monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Borough Council, the council unanimously agreed to have the Cohen Group Law Firm handle the cable franchise work for the Borough in dealing with COMCAST Cable. Bids were opened on May 5 for the stone...
HACP Prepares for Story Walk
The May monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) Board of Directors was highlighted by the activities planned by the Marketing/Program Committees. The Third in the Burg had downtown businesses open late for the first...
HASD Discusses Budgeting
The Hollidaysburg Area School District Board of Directors monthly committee of the whole voting meeting started half an hour late and lasted three hours with no final decision made about the upcoming 2022-23 budget. The board was presented with...
Central Cove FFA Banquet Honors Seniors, Members, Advisors
The 2022 Central Cove Future Farmers of America (FFA) Parent-Member banquet was held Friday, May 20, at Central High School. The banquet was held for all members in the Central High School cafeteria,...
Spring Cove School District Prepares for 2022-23 School Year
The motion to adopt the proposed General Fund Budget for the school year ending June 30, 2023, in the amount of $29,948,421 was approved unanimously by the Spring Cove School District Board of Directors at its May monthly regular board meeting. The...
National Police Week Ceremony Held in Hollidaysburg
Korb Freeman of Roaring Spring, with Empowering Lives Foundation (ELF), put on the Second Annual Honor and Remembrance Ceremony, marking the 2022 National Police Week salute on Saturday, May 14, at...
Spring Cove School District Considers Real Estate Tax Increase
At the May 9 committee of the whole working meeting of the Spring Cove School District Board of Directors, Business Manager Kathy Hazenstab recommended a two-percent increase in tax millage to the board for the 2022-23 school year. The increase...
HASD Board Looks at Enrollment, Staffing
The Hollidaysburg Area School District Board of Directors Committee of the Whole/Voting meeting was held Wednesday, April 13, at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High Library at 7 p.m. Vice President Manny Nichols introduced his idea of a new board...
HACP Discusses New Websites in Use
The April monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Community Partnership (HACP) was highlighted by the introduction of new board member Mandy Bowman and the Marketing/Program Committee’s announcements of planned upcoming events in the bo...
Hollidaysburg Borough Council Discusses Summer Activities
The April monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Borough Council was held at council chambers beginning with staff reports. Borough Manager James Gehret reported the audit from 2021 was completed and the borough did well. Planning, Zoning, and Code...
Spring Cove School Board Discusses Possibility of Musical Production or Play
At the April Spring Cove School District combined committee of the whole and regular board of directors meeting, Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker announced that the district has only had one COVID case reported in the last two months. She said,...
Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership Discusses Summer Activities
The highlight of the March monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) was the report of upcoming major events in which the HACP would be involved. A discussion held by the Marketing and Program Committee led to the idea...
Hollidaysburg Borough Council Suggests Ways to Improve Sidewalk Issues
The March Hollidaysburg Borough Council meeting was highlighted by problems present in a number of borough sidewalks, which Lara Zeak addressed during the public comment period. Zeak stated that for wheelchair-bound or handicapped residents uptown...
HASD Addresses 'Inappropriate Books' Being Available to Students
Hollidaysburg Area School District School Board Vice President Manny Nichols made a unique proposal to the board at the end of the March monthly school board Committee of the Whole/Voting meeting. Nichols proposed a focus group to look at residents...
SCSD Baseball Field Catches Professional Eyes
Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker started the Regular Monthly Meeting of the Board of Directors of Spring Cove School District by bringing positive news, saying, “With the total number of COVID cases in Blair County declining by 43.48 percent in the...
Spring Cove Prepares for Personal Finance Festival
Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker announced at the March Spring Cove School District School Board committee of the whole meeting that the district, through the support of the Dragon Pride Foundation, will hold its fourth annual Personal Finance...
'No Compliance Concerns' Found in SC Lunch Service Audit
After Spring Cove School District Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker announced that COVID-19 cases continue to trend downward in the school district, with five straight days without a school COVID case, the district board of directors voted unanimously...
Complaints Stop Ordinance From Changing Major Traffic Patterns, Parking
At the February Hollidaysburg Borough Council meeting, the primary topic of interest was an ordinance the borough was looking to pass that would change some major traffic patterns and general parking regulation. Ordinance discussion One of the major...
School Board Meeting Ends In Vote to Eliminate Masking, Contact Tracing
In a four-hour marathon meeting, the Hollidaysburg Area School District Board of Directors decided to end all masking in the district and contact tracing, effective Wednesday, Feb. 23. The motion to eliminate masking and contact tracing was made by...
Community Partnership Plans Events Through the Year
The highlight of the February Board of Directors meeting for the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) came from the Program and Development Committee, which reviewed upcoming events planned to promote the Borough of Hollidaysburg. An...
SCSD Board of Directors Discuss Adjusting Health and Safety Plan
Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker made several major announcements regarding school policies at the Spring Cove School District Board of Directors February monthly committee of the whole meeting. Dr. Baker will be looking to amend the district’s...
HACP Welcomes New Marketing Director, Board Member
The January monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP), under the direction of new President Jessica Sorge, found the marketing director they had been seeking over the past several months. Boardmember Pam Jones, made a...
Hollidaysburg Borough Council Appoints New Members, Positions
The initial meeting of the Hollidaysburg Borough Council for 2022 was held in council chambers on Monday, Jan. 3, at the Hollidaysburg Municipal Building. Mayor Joe Dodson began the meeting by swearing in new councilmembers Brady Leahey and Jeff...
Hollidaysburg School District Updates Isolation, Quarantine Guidelines
Last month’s Hollidaysburg Area School District Committee of the Whole/Voting meeting tabled the elimination of quarantining and contact tracing, but it surfaced very quickly during the January meeting’s public comment section. Tony Luther, a...
SCSD Applauds Employees for Efforts During Pandemic
At the January meeting of the Spring Cove School District Board of Directors, Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker gave a COVID update and expressed her appreciation to the Spring Cove School District Board and district employees for all of their efforts...
Spring Cove School District Sticks With Health, Safety Plan
Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker gave an update of the District Health and Safety Plan at the Monday, Jan. 10, Spring Cove School District Board of Directors Committee of the Whole meeting. Baker said that the COVID Pandemic Planning Team met last week...
Hollidaysburg Borough Council Finalizes Budget
At its Dec. 9 monthly meeting, the Hollidaysburg Borough Council unanimously approved the 2022 annual budget. Total property tax millage will remain the same at 3.55 total mills, which included 2.06 mills for the general fund, 0.16 mills for the stre...
Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership Outlines 2022 Goals
The December monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) was highlighted by the outlining of their 2022 goals. The HACP Goals were outlined as follows: 1) A Marketing Director needs to be hired as soon as possible 2) Must...
Hollidaysburg School Board Split on Masking Decision
What was set to make a very simple meeting became an extended one with a great deal of controversy which split the Hollidaysburg School Board. The plea made by Michael Eardley during the public comment sector of the Wednesday, Dec. 8, Committee of...
SCSD Board of Directors Fills Two-Year Seat
Magisterial District Judge Andrew Blattenberger administered the oath of office to the newly elected board members: Amy Acker-Knisely, John Biddle, Charles Gojmerac and Linda Smith at the Monday,...
Spring Cove School District Board Regular Meeting Draws Large Crowd
Although the Monday, Nov. 15 Spring Cove School District Board of Directors Regular Meeting was just the voting meeting for matters discussed last week at the Committee of the Whole Meeting, it drew a crowd that overflowed the Administrative Board...
SCSD Board Addresses Mask Update
The November monthly Spring Cove School District Board of Directors committee of the whole meeting began with Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker informing the board and public in her report that Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the mask order is expected to...
Capitol Hotel in Hollidaysburg Closing For Now Due to COVID-19
Brian Laratonda and his family have owned the Capitol Hotel since 1970. Laratonda has worked in the business for 40 years, but the devastating economic effects of COVID-19 have made Laratonda decide to close the coffee shop/restaurant for now....
SCSD Mask Discussion Continues; Board Members Presented with Awards
The Monday, Oct. 18, Spring Cove School District Board of Directors regular meeting opened with school Board Member John Biddle and President James Butler receiving recognition from the Pa. School Board Association (PSBA) Representative Andrea...
SCSD School Board Hears from New Alliance
The administrative office board room of the Spring Cove School District was crowded with parents and public wanting to express their views on masking once again at the Monday, Oct. 11, committee of the whole meeting for the district. With about 20 me...
SCSD Votes to Follow Mask Mandate, Inciting Anger From Parents, A Plea From Student For No Virtual School
The regular voting meeting of the Spring Cove District Board of Directors was held Monday, Sept. 20, at the Spring Cove Elementary School with a packed gymnasium waiting to address the school board....
