Commissioners seek historic listings / By Martha Knight

SMETHPORT—The McKean County Commissions and the county Office of Economic Development are seeking to have two venerable county-owned buildings placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The commissioners adopted an enabling measure at their meeting Tuesday morning.

Commissioner chairman Joe DeMott said that he knows of no other Smethport buildings on the national register, although others would be eligible. Commissioner Al Pingie mentioned the Historic District in Bradford and buildings there with historic status.

It was pointed out that buildings so listed are expected to be maintained in authentic condition, but that a review board considers plans for repairs and changes on a case-by-case basis.

The historic places listings entitle owners to apply for certain kinds of funding for historic preservation projects, when funds are available.

The Old Jail is utilized by the McKean County Historical Society as a museum, but still owned by the county.

Another building in the area listed on the national register is Lynn Hall, on Route 6 near Port Allegany. It is privately owned, and currently undergoing extensive restoration.

The commissioners revisited the allocation of funds in the 2013 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), shifting $75,000 from the Hamlin Township Low-Middle Income (LMI) sewer lateral installation project to the  Keating Township housing rehabilitation project for its 2012 HOME program.

Originally $91,000 had been allotted to the Hamlin Township LMI hook-on program, based on the number of households estimated to fall within income guidelines. However, only three eligible applications had been received, and only $16,000 had been used.

The commissioners approved a letter from them to Rodger Kephart Jr., PennDOT’s local bridge coordinator, requesting that PennDOT advertise for a consulting engineering firm to continue the inspections of bridges within the county.

The letter states that the request is being made on behalf of the 22 municipalities within the county, as well. The inspections are a safety measure, and provide the basis for prioritizing the repairs and replacements of bridges under the county’s Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).

Commissioners also approved two service provider agreements, as requested by the Department of Human Services.