CLEARFIELD – On Tuesday the Clearfield County Commissioners received good news regarding various county departments and some workers in those departments.
Clearfield County Emergency Management Agency Director Josh Quigley announced at Tuesday’s Clearfield County Commissioners meeting that two EMA employees recently received awards.
Deputy Director Jerry Pollock was recently awarded the Paul Beatty Award of Excellence. Quigley said this awarding was for reporting incidents in Clearfield County to the state. He went on to explain that only six people in the state receive this award. Pennsylvania is made up of three divisions.
“It’s a pretty good award,” said Quigley.
The commissioners praised Pollock for his efforts at Clearfield County EMA, and Commissioner Chair John Sobel shared a letter to Pollock from the DuBois Area School District. The letter was from Superintendant Tim Deluccia. In the letter Deluccia thanked Pollock for his efforts in the district’s flu vaccination efforts. He said that Pollock was “extremely helpful and cooperative.”
Nancy Rowles, who also works at the EMA, received advanced certification in emergency management. Sobel said he was proud of Rowles’ efforts, that her efforts made the 911 center much better.
“It’s very nice to see Nancy get recognition,” said Commissioner Mark McCracken. He said that most of her work occurs behind the scenes.
“Thank you,” said Rowles. “But it takes the whole staff out there.”
Commissioner Joan McMillen also announced that the county’s Children, Youth and Family Services department received nice comments from the Richard Gold, deputy director of the state’s Department of Welfare. McMillen explained that the county’s CYFS department had, in prior years, operated below acceptable state levels. She the county now operates below state average in out-of-home child cases, down from 114 to 85. She said that under new CYFS Director Jason Hamilton children are moved through the system more quickly. She said children are either placed back into their homes or found permanency.
McCracken said that in the past the Department of DPW had bee critical of the County’s CYFS department. He indicated that in his recent letter Gold spoke very highly of the department.
“This letter shows that there has been progress,” said McCracken. He and the other commissioners praised the workers at CYFS for the work they’ve done in turning the around the department.
The county’s Adult Probation Department also received praise. Sobel pointed to a letter the commissioners received from Clearfield County President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman. In the letter Ammerman pointed ou the $1,636,463 the department collected in 2009. According to Sobel that was the most ever collected in one year by the department. Prior to 2004 the previous high was $945,000.
“We want to congratulate that department,” said Sobel. “These funds pay for a lot of things tha would’ve been paid for through taxes.”
He added that these funds are from people paying fines and costs through the court.
McCracken said that when Ammerman became president judge in 2004, he and the Adult Probation Department took and active effort in going after delinquent cases.