Articles written by Thomas Schmitt
Sorted by date Results 1 - 50 of 124
HACP to Update Website Platform
The initial meeting for 2023 of the Board of Directors for the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) was held at the Hollidaysburg Public Library on Jan. 11. All officers and the marketing director plan to meet Fridays (virtually) before...
Hollidaysburg School Board Tables Policy Vote
During the monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg School Board of Directors Committee of the Whole/Voting Meeting, the hot topic was the second vote of Policy 321 and the decision by the majority of the board to table any vote on it. Policy 321, which...
New 'Upscale Dining' Coming to Hollidaysburg
Brian and Jennifer Buffone announced at the monthly Hollidaysburg Borough Council meeting that they would be bringing a new business to enhance downtown Hollidaysburg. Brian said they were creating...
Central Awarded Complimentary 'Footloose' Licensing
During the January regular meeting of the Spring Cove School District Board of Directors a number of donations, grants, and awards were announced by Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker. Baker offered congr...
SCSB Questions Ban on Board Participation at Committee Meetings
Longtime Spring Cove School District School Board Member John Biddle expressed his concerns about school board members and committees at Monday evening's meeting. According to Biddle, if a board membe...
Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership Facebook Page Grows
The December Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) monthly meeting began with an update from the new Director of Marketing Alyssa Barilar. Barilar reported that the downtown merchant holiday window decorating contest had 29 participants....
HASD Board Fields Further Questions On Book Debate
The December meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area School District Board of Directors was a re-organizational meeting and reexamined the Amendment to Policy 824 and introduced Policy 321. In election of new board officers, current Vice President Manny...
Hollidaysburg Borough Hears from Public on Police, Fire Comp. Concerns
The final budget for 2023 for the Hollidaysburg Borough was approved unanimously by council members with no tax increase in the upcoming year and a $6 surplus showing. The budget was available for 30 days for public inspection and no changes were...
SCSB Fills Vacancy, Votes in New President
The Spring Cove School District filled an open school board vacancy and elected a new board president at its Monday, Dec. 5 reorganization and regular meeting. The vacancy occurred when board...
HACP Hires New Marketing Director
The Marketing Committee of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) was active in the month of November, hiring Alyssa Barilar as the marketing director for the Partnership. Barilar attended the monthly board meeting. Her first assignment...
Borough Updates on Stormwater
The Hollidaysburg Borough Council November monthly meeting focused on two primary issues: the final budget for 2023 and options for dealing with the severe stormwater run off. The proposed 2023 budget revealed by Borough Manager James Gehret...
Long Discussion of Gender Identity in School Continues at HASD
The Hollidaysburg Area School District Board of Directors encountered a combined attendance of nearly 600 people and 6 hours of discussion over two meetings regarding gender identity and preferred pronouns in the current school policy. Spark of the i...
Spring Cove School Board President Resigns
After serving 17 years on the Spring Cove School District School, Board President James Butler resigned at the board's regular monthly meeting on Monday, Nov. 14. Butler first joined the board in...
HACP Discusses Promotional Video for Hollidaysburg
The Marketing and Program Committee of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) discussed a number of ways to promote Hollidaysburg businesses and the area at its October monthly Board of Directors meeting. The pumpkin carving contest for...
Hollidaysburg Area School District Approves Donations
Hollidaysburg Area School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Gildea presented the annual plan containing goals and anticipated outcomes by the district for the 2022-23 school year. The planning committee consisted of teachers, administrators,...
Hollidaysburg Borough Fills Police Chief Role After Year-Long Absence
Retired State Police Major Christopher Storm was sworn in as the Chief of Police by Hollidaysburg Mayor Joe Dodson at the last Borough Council Meeting on Oct. 13. Storm's career has come full circle,...
SCSD: Interim Middle School Principal Appointed
The Spring Cove School District Board of Directors needed to call a special meeting to fill the position of Spring Cove Middle School principal on an interim basis as its newly hired principal Dr....
Grant Allows Musical to Return to Spring Cove in 2023
The Spring Cove School District took major steps in bringing back its annual high school musical at the regular monthly Board of Directors meeting for October. There was unanimous approval for appointing Rachel Wagner as head musical director for the...
SCSD Purchasing Police Car From Borough
Security will be heightened in the Spring Cove School District after directors moved forward with a purchase agreement with Martinsburg Borough for the purchase of an additional police car. Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker stated in her report,...
HACP Discusses Pumpkin-, Winterfest
The September monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area Community Partnership (HACP) was held at the U.S. Hotel with the focus on marketing and programming events. The Aug. 13 Family Fun Day was reported as a huge success with over 800 people...
Gender Identity Questions Raised at HASD Meeting
The September monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg School District Board of Directors committee of the whole/voting meeting was highlighted by a spirited discussion over establishment of a gender identity policy. School board member Carmen Bilek...
Borough Hears from Citizens Concerns About Flooding
A number of issues were discussed in unfinished business at the Hollidaysburg Borough Council monthly September meeting, but stormwater runoff and resulting flooding was the one given primary attention. Trina Illig was in attendance to discuss the...
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...