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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-03-17 Commissioner Minutes TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2020 The Franklin County Commissioners met Tuesday, March 17, 2020, with the following members present: David S. Keller, John T. Flannery and Robert G. Ziobrowski. Chairman Keller presided and after calling the meeting to order, asking for prayer by Reverend Scott Bowerman, and the Pledge of Allegiance, proceeded with the business of the day. Chairman Keller asked to amend the agenda to include a Declaration of Disaster Emergency. Carrie Gray, County Administrator, explained that she is asking the Board to consider issuing a Declaration of Disaster Emergency in response to the COVID-19 to be able to recoup costs, provided documentation and funding are available, and suspend procurement procedures in the event we need to order supplies expeditiously. On a motion by Robert G. Ziobrowski; seconded by John T. Flannery; unanimously approved to adopt the amended agenda. John Patterson provided public comment and wanted to bring his concern that he feels is the largest public health threat to the county, the Franklin County Jail. He continued that criminal justice practices spend a lot of money on nonviolent crimes. With the large jail population and the possibility of the introduction of COVID-19, many inmates and jail staff could be impacted and require hospitalization. His mother is 94 years old and he would like to know if she would still have a bed if she would need it. He emailed the District Attorney and asked him to curtail the sentencing of people. Scott Bowerman from Greene Township provided public comment and that since fellowship hall if they would like to move future meetings there. The minutes of the March 10, 2020 and March 12, 2020 meetings were reviewed. These will be decided upon on Thursday, March 19, 2020. The Board reviewed Agreements, Contracts and Reports. John Hart, Project Manager, explained the first change order with Lobar for the New & Historic Courthouse Project is for a street excavation permit required for utility disconnection work and the second part of the change order is to add xypex to the concrete to make it more water resistant in the elevator pits. Both parts result in an additional cost of $6,457.77. He continued that the second change order with Lobar is for additional excavation at the Administration Building project as well as a credit for unused permit allowance for a total change order of $7,605.30. The third change order is for Stouffer Mechanical Contractors to add vent piping for sump basins at the New & Historic Courthouse project for an additional cost of $8,855.06. Mr. Hart stated that our change orders are still tracking at less than1% and that he will prepare a change order summary in the near future for the Board. The projects are on time and on budget. Commissioner Flannery said that usually utilities are marked and asked why it would take a change order and cost $4,000 to find them. Mr. Hart responded that some of the lines have been in the holes to find them. Commissioner Ziobrowski asked why in action #4, the quote from Tenex Software Solutions, we are spending money without local elections? Ms. Gray responded that we get many complaints from the public on challenges with browsers and clearing cache or cookies on our website with election results so this would help to resolve those issues. The items will be approved Thursday, March 19, 2020. Continued on page 2 - 19. Chairman Keller stated that Franklin County is committed to our mission of providing services which are responsive to the health, safety and general welfare needs of Franklin County residents especially during times of public health uncertainty as is with COVID-19. The Franklin County Board of Commissioners wants to reassure residents that we, along with our state and local emergency service and healthcare partners, surprise for us to get our first case. We are ready to address what needs to be done to safeguard our residents. Chairman Keller introduced everyone in attendance. Dr. Tirupathi representing Keystone Health spoke and said that Keystone is preparing diligently along with Federal and State authorities. He stated that patients and staff are paramount so they are doing everything they can to keep them safe. They are exploring innovative options of testing patients and they are getting better with testing. The most important part is trying to do as much as can through social media and radio shows to disseminate information. He continued that we can never be completely prepared for this but we are trying to get ahead of the curve. Commissioner Ziobrowski asked what testing they had managed to acquire and Dr. Tirupathi explained they are using the tests from the Department of Health and national labs. Sherri Stahl, Senior Vice President from WellSpan, said she appreciates the system. Ms. Stahl stated the following: there is an incident command center set up in Chambersburg, Waynesboro and some provider offices; they have three tents set up in Waynesboro, Chambersburg and building #2 on the Summit campus to address the testing issues and screenings; they need to make sure they have all the safety equipment needed for staff; they are limiting visitors in all acute care institutions; they are making sure they have active screeners at all facilities for patients, families and staff; they need to make sure they have open beds which also includes limiting elective procedures; they are curtailing public events sponsored by WellSpan; working from home for as many employees as they can; they are trying to protect healthcare professionals with social distancing and proper hygiene and that now is not the time for shaking hands. Ms. Stahl said they have a lot of respect for Dr. Tirupathi and rely on information from him in taking care of the community. Commissioner Ziobrowski asked how they are triaging - who gets tested? Ms. Stahl responded they have protocols and screening criteria in place. She stated that if patients have concerns they should call their primary care doctor first. Commissioner Flannery asked how many tests have they completed so far and how many positives they have received and Ms. Stahl said they have completed 400 over all of the WellSpan facilities but she cannot comment on positives because that has to come from the Department of Health. Jake Crider, Director of Emergency Services, thanked the Commissioners and County Administration for their support of the Department of Emergency Services at this time and throughout the year. He said they have been actively involved since the beginning of March when they were contacted by PEMA and started getting information. He explained that there are three levels of activation and right now we are at Level 1 where they have someone in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during normal business hours. Level 2 is ramped up where someone will be in the EOC around the clock and if we go to level 3, it will be all hands on deck. If resources are needed they will have someone around the clock to help. Mr. Crider explained they have a pandemic plan in place that has been updated and there is a protocol of questions that is asked when they receive a call. They have been working tirelessly with members of the community and municipalities and each has their own Emergency Coordinator. He said -evolving, there were three municipalities last night that have declared disaster emergencies. Commissioner because they have to reach certain thresholds to get costs reimbursed for the pandemic. Mr. Crider responded that it has been well received and they will receive federal monies -19 need to be tracked. Continued on page 3 Jason Stains, Waynesboro Borough Manager, said they have been working closely with the EOC and the County has been wonderful with disseminating information. The Borough has plans for water and sewer coverage and police and fire will continue. He continued that they have plans in place to screen at doors before going into homes but they will continue with business as usual. He stated that one concern is gowns and masks are running low and they have many things on back order. They are concerned that supplies could be depleted if this crisis continues. Carrie Gray, County Administrator, stated that Franklin County is taking every precaution to prioritize community and workforce health and well-being. Following the direction of public health officials from state and federal lead agencies, Franklin County is proactively taking a series of actions to help minimize the rate of transmission of the novel coronavirus. Currently Franklin County Senior Centers are closed until further notice, Franklin County Jail visitation is restricted, non-essential events will be postponed or canceled, and they are encouraging social distancing for essential gatherings. We have also adjusted workforce policies to restrict non-essential travel and We are working toward remote work for staff. Chairman Keller stated that public and workforce safety is our number one priority. Franklin County takes great care to assist our partners in maintaining public coronavirus in our county in order to maintain our public health to the fullest extent. During such an unprecedented time we want to remember--while many will be hunkering down at home, our nurses, physicians and healthcare workers are on the front lines prepared and ready to help. We thank them by doing our part to lessen the impact of coronavirus on the community, so please practice social distancing, stay home if and the best defense for coronavirus is to wash your hands. He continued that not only do these practices help us to keep safe, but they work to avoid overloading our healthcare facilities. Chairman Keller stated this is an unprecedented and evolving situation. We must be patient with others and also with ourselves, remembering that everyone reacts differently to stressful circumstances. We encourage all Franklin County residents to review tips on coping with stress found on the COVID-19 fact page www.franklincountypa.gov. We are in this together and we will overcome this together. On a motion by Robert G. Ziobrowski; seconded by John T. Flannery; unanimously approved the Declaration of Disaster Emergency that is attached and made a part of these minutes. The meeting was adjourned at 10:23 a.m. with a motion by Robert G. Ziobrowski; seconded by John T. Flannery. Carrie E. Gray County Administrator/Chief Clerk FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ____________________________________ David S. Keller, Chairman ____________________________________ John T. Flannery ___________________________________ Robert G. Ziobrowski