DUBOIS – The DuBois City Council approved sending a letter of support to the DuBois American Red Cross chapter regarding not merging with with the St. Mary’s/Elk County chapter of the American Red Cross.
However City of DuBois Mayor John “Herm” Suplizio read letter allegedly sent by the DuBois chapter’s board of directors. The letter reads:
“We would like to thank the council and the community for the outpouring of comments and the commitment everyone feels to our local chapter. We are pleased to announce that the chapter will table any vote regarding this merger until further notice. We will be creating a new task force to explore both the feasibility of hiring a new executive director or a merger with our Elk/Cameron neighbor. The results of these studies will be shared with the community in the future.
“As a local board, we feel a strong commitment to our community and the people we serve. We will continue to look beyond our own interests and do what is best for our community and the Red Cross organization.
“Thank you for your continued support as we work to serve our community.”
The letter was signed by the Board of Directors of theDuBois Chapter of the American Red Cross
It was announced that the letter was sent by board member John Kness.
However, another board member present, Greg Donahue, said he board was unaware of this letter, and that he believed no decision had been made yet. According to Donahue, the board needs to meet before any action can be taken.
The board will meet Wednesday, Donahue said.
Before it was revealed that this letter may not have been sent on the board’s behalf, Suplizio was planned to send a letter to the board asking that the city’s fire chief and emergency management agency coordinator, as well as the assistant police chief sit in on the task force.