2025 will be a year of beginnings and endings in Clarion County.
“One the biggest things is the completion of the courthouse project,” Clarion County Commissioner Wayne Brosius said. “We hope to have it completed and everyone moved back in by the end of October 2025.”
The county chose to self-fund the renovations at the Clarion County Courthouse instead of borrowing the money. The county also received matching grants for the project.
At an earlier meeting Commissioner Ted Tharan said the county’s share of the funding came from money the county had saved for the past five or six years. “We did not expect to be doing as much as we are doing,” he said during an October meeting.
The contractor, Tharan recently said, is currently working on the heating and ventilation system and in the basement of the courthouse.
An appropriation of $1.8 million that Braxton White had said had been arranged by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has yet to be completed. The money would be used to install four new restrooms, accessible parking, new sewer lines and re-wiring of the entire building.
Tharan said in October that because the basement floor was deemed to be of historical value, a new sewer system had to be devised for the entire building. “We couldn’t use any of the lines under the building because the floor tile was historic; so we had to route every thing down to Liberty.”
According to Brosius the final cost will be about $6 million.
“The employees seem to have adjusted pretty well to the complex building, but I’m sure they will be gad to get back into the courthouse,” he said.
According to White, the move to the complex, which was done with trailers by maintenance staff to save money, “went very well.”
Brosius said there are some projects in the county with which the commissioners don’t have to directly deal.
“There are several new businesses opening in 2025, like the new UK Travel Plaza at the Strattanville exit at Exit 70,” Brosius said. “That has been closed for about 20 years; so it is great to see that open again. There is a new Sheetz plaza going in at exit 62 (Clarion).
“The new Foxburg Riverstone Estate will be transformed into a 77-room wellness resort that will create many new jobs. That isn’t due to be open until 2028, but construction will start in 2025.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation also is doing several projects in the county.
“There is the road expansion project between Aldi and Trout Run to make it three lanes in Clarion,” Brosius said. “There will also be sidewalks installed. This is not a county project. We are not responsible for the headaches people are going to experience. People are going to need a lot of patience for the next year. Once it is done, people will appreciate it.”
In addtion, he said, “The I-80 bridge replacement project will be with us for several years.”
Aviation event
Brosius said the county will be hosting the second Appalachian Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) event at Clarion County Airport in August. About 14 pilots participated last year, including the current champion.
Woodfest
Clarion County celebrated its lumber heritage with the first annual Woodfest in March.
The event included an indoor marketplace and vendor show the Clarion Mall, crafters, artisans and kids games. The Lumber Heritage Region and the Allegheny Hardwoods Utilization Group’s educational displays will be on hand again this year.
The Pennsylvania Woodmobile, a 34-foot-long trailer that provides an interactive experience educating visitors about Pennsylvania’s forests, also was at the mall. Chainsaw carvers were at Veterans Memorial Park in Clarion.
Governor’s Cup
This year, the Governor’s Cup golf tournament will be held at Foxburg Country Club. “Gov. Josh Shapiro visited the golf course and I guess he liked it well enough to hold the tournament there this year,” Brosius said.
The Foxburg course was started in 1887 and is the oldest continuously operating golf course in the nation.
Brady’s Bend Overlook
Brosius said the county plans to do some work at the Brady’s Bend Overlook. The trees and brush need to be trimmed back, and the hopes is to secure a grant to update some of the fencing.
The overlook provides a 1,500-foot panoramic view of the magnificent bend in the Allegheny River. Brady’s Bend was named after Samuel Brady (1756-1795), the legendary frontiersman from Shippensburg who traveled throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
“This is part of our effort to enhance our tourist promotion efforts,” Brosius said. He noted hanggliding is no longer permitted at the overlook.
Jail enhancements
Brosius said there is a possibility of hosting out-of-county inmates in the Clarion County Jail. “We have the space for additional inmates and it won’t cost that much extra. We will charge a daily rate for housing the inmates. That will help the bottom line.”
The county also has employed a re-entry Coordinator through an agreement with the Clarion, Armstrong, Indiana Drug and Alcohol Commission. The commission will pay the counselor from the opioid settlement fund. The re-entry specialist will help the person being released from jail with housing, medical information and appointments.
Mental health
Clarion County President Judge Sara Seidle-Patton initiated the Clarion County Mental Health Judicial Task Force. “It started mainly with county people like the public defender, district attorney, commissioners and others to see what could be done to tackle the mental health crisis through the court system,” Brosius said. “We are still pulling that board together.”
White said the criminal justice system has become “a catch-all” for some people with mental health issues. “If you have someone in a mental health crisis, an ambulance or a police car may not be the right choice for them. We don’t have another tool for them right now. Finding another solution for them in a rural county will be a challenge.”
Reassessment
Although the physical reassessment has been completed, the company that conducts the reassessments is not finished. “We have the appeals process to go through,” Brosius said. “When people get their cards in the mail, they can call the Assessment Office and state their grievances.”
Tourism
The county recently completed the Clarion River Access Study that outlines numerous projects for access to the Clarion River. Funding is an issue.
“I am not certain at this time where the money would come from at this point,” Brosius said. “The county doesn’t have a lot of extra cash sitting around to build piers and boat ramps. It will depend on what grants we can obtain.”
White said part of the plan was the creation of an advisory board. “It will work better if the recommendations come from a group of stakeholders rather than us.”
Emergency medical services
White said the state Legislature “doesn’t seem to be interested in creating new avenues to raise revenue for emergency medical services. Since we haven’t done an assessment since 1975 in the county, we can’t go beyond a half-mill, which doesn’t raise a lot of scratch.
“It has to be more than money. There are staffing issues. We shouldn’t be comfortable with people waiting 45 minutes to an hour for an ambulance. It is a matter of life and death.”
He said the Clarion County Task Force has put in for a study; at the end of which “there should be some sort of plan. After that, it would be up to the municipalities to implement that plan.”
In the wake of the first county real estate tax increase in more than a decade, the county is watching expenses closely.
“My top priority has always been running the county government as efficiently as possible,” Brosius said.
