Print Edition Highlights - January 26, 2023

Photo by Curt Werner

Midstaters charge toward the frigid waters of Pinchot Lake for the 20th annual Polar Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Capital Area.

For the rest of the story see the January 26, 2023 edition.

Fire company's future discussed

Carolyn Hoffman

Warrington Township supervisors were told that Wellsville Fire Co. was “doing a good jo with what they have, but what comes next and where to do we go from here?” Scott Ryno, who was hired to do a comprehensive audit of the fire company, warned supervisors that many of the apparatus have a 20-year lifespan and are soon up for replacement.

It’s now up to supervisors to decide how best to help fund the fire company in the coming years, a duty required of all municipalities for public safety. Ryno said that Wellsville’s finances are handled and reported properly. Pros and cons of several funding options were mentioned, including a “fire tax,” but nothing has yet been decided. Ryno told supervisors that volunteerism is declining, particularly during the daylight hours of weekdays, which makes responses to fires during those hours particularly challenging. Paid drivers appears to be a next step, but funding that is the difficulty.

One issue is that donation requests result in just 10% of those requests returned with donations. Last year Wellsville did $120,000 in building improvements, including a new roof and a heating system. Warrington’s proposed share of paying drivers is currently about $70,000, based on the township’s percentage of the fire company’s total fire calls.

Other municipalities in Wellsville’s coverage area will also be asked to increase their donations, and the fire company was given permission to share the full audit report and recommendations with them. Whatever funding decisions are ultimately made will likely be included in the 2024 budget. Wellsville’s biggest fundraiser is the annual carnival, which takes a huge amount of time to organize. Ryno, who lives in Lancaster County, reported helping out at the carnival this past summer to see first-hand some of the work that goes into it.

For the rest of the story see the January 26, 2023 edition.