DAUPHIN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
WORKSHOP MEETING
JANUARY 16, 200810:00 A.M.

MEMBERS PRESENT

Jeff Haste, Chairman
Dominic D. DiFrancesco, II, Vice Chairman
George P. Hartwick, III, Secretary

STAFF PRESENT

Chad Saylor, Chief Clerk; Marie E. Rebuck, Controller; Janis Creason, Treasurer; William Tully, Esq., Solicitor; Randy Baratucci, Director of Purchasing; Dave Schreiber, Personnel; Brooke Beard, Personnel; Amy Richards, Commissioners' Office; Jena Wolgemuth, Commissioners' Office; Fred Lighty, Esq., Human Services Director's Office; Bruce Foreman, Esq., Solicitor's Office; Gary Serhan, Deputy Controller; Robert Hawley, Deputy Court Administrator (MDJ); Leila McAdoo, Solicitor's Office; Mitch Baylarian, Solicitor's Office; J. Scott Burford, Deputy Chief Clerk; MDJ Joseph Lindsey; Diane McNaughton, Commissioners' Office; Carolyn Thompson, Court Administrator; Hector Ortiz, Human Services Director's Office; Faye Fisher, Personnel; Greg Schneider, Budget & Finance; Edgar Cohen, Director of Facilities Maintenance; Kacey Truax, Commissioners' Office; Brenda Hoffer, Commissioners' Office and Richie-Ann Martz, Assistant Chief Clerk

GUESTS PRESENT

Garry Lenton, Margie Markowski, Mike Markowski, Evelyn Hunt, D.J. Poligone; Aaron Wilson; Ken Park; Anthony Hill; Andre Campbell; Kyle Blockson; Dashawn Beecher, Jordan Smith, Jordan Perry, Dionte Willis, William Rozman, Kenny Smith, Chris Chilton, Justin Williams, Stephen Williams, Kyle Slesser, Jeremiah Young, Jordan Hill, Melvin Tootle, Lloyd Hill, Jack Dougherty, Glabe George, Delmonte Davis, James Wilbern, Jeff Davis, Mike Albert, Jonathan Marencic, Tirique Williams, Eric Smith, Matt Martinez, Anthony Baez, Seth Pogasic, Rod Deibler, Kevin Yarnevich and Stewart Young, Sr.

MINUTES

CALL TO ORDER

Mr. Haste, Chairman of the Board, called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

Everyone observed a moment of silence.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Mr. Haste: We have five sets of meeting minutes that we will take up at next week's meeting.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Mr. Haste: We are at the point in time in the meeting for public participation. Is there anyone in the audience that would like to address the Board at this time? (There was none.)

1. DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS/GUESTS
2. Commissioners
   1. Proclamation - Mike Markowski - Aviation Hall of Fame
   2. Proclamation - Steel-High Football Team - State Champions

Mr. DiFrancesco: There are many opportunities for us, as we sit up here and serve the community, to highlight examples in our community of people who have done amazing things in their life. This morning we have the opportunity to read a Proclamation. The Proclamation was actually given a little bit earlier. We are doing a little catch-up here in the formal meeting. I think it is important for us to take the time and do this presentation ceremony simply because of the message behind the Proclamation. I'll be reading the Proclamation, but again here is an example of where somebody from our community has overcome difficult circumstances within their own life to achieve great things. Again, it is a message that we constantly want to put out to our young people that regardless of the situation that you are in if you work hard and get a good solid education your life is yours. You will define it by your actions.

Mr. DiFrancesco read the following Proclamation.

Office of County Commissioner
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Proclamation

We, the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners, are delighted to honor the legendary Michael A. Markowski for his tireless innovation and countless contributions to the aviation industry, which culminated in his recent induction into the Experimental Aircraft Association's Hall of Fame - a truly laudable achievement;

Whereas, ever since his first ride in an airplane at the tender age of ten, this highly respected author aspired to a career in aviation, leading him to always reach for the stars and inspiring others to do the same;

Whereas, his scientific prowess became evident at a young age: while at Central Dauphin East High School, he won a scholarship at the Capital Area Science Fair, and at Penn State, he earned a degree in aerospace engineering in an impressive three years;

Whereas, Mike turned his passion for aeronautics into an illustrious career, working for Douglas Aircraft Company, Sikorsky Company and NASA, and eventually leading him to create the first hang glider production company on the East Coast and found Aeronautical Publishers, a firm which has produced more than 35 books, eight of which Mike himself authored;

Whereas, as a long-time resident of South Hanover Township, Mike continues to exert a tremendous influence over the evolution of aviation, contributing two major works - The Hang Glider's Bible and the Encyclopedia of Homebuilt Aircraft— as well as inspiring generations of youth with his adventurous spirit and dogged determination;

Therefore, we join the 253,300 residents of Dauphin County in honoring Michael A. Markowski for his vision, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his contributions to aeronautics; we congratulate him most warmly on his richly-deserved induction into the Hall of Fame; and in grateful tribute and recognition thereof, we do hereby proudly proclaim the month of December 2007 as "Michael A. Markowski Month" in Dauphin County.

(Applause was given.)

Mr. DiFrancesco: This was actually presented earlier. So you did have this in time to enjoy your month being named for you, but we wanted to read this into the record. This morning, again I just want to highlight the issue and it seems so appropriate now that our students have joined us that we profile a true success story from Dauphin County, because we have so many other success stories sitting in the room today. Like Mr. Markowski, it took a lot of hard work on their part to be successful in life. At this time if you could come forward, we want to do the presentation of the Proclamation. I would also like to invite you to make some brief remarks about what it took to achieve the things that you have achieved. I think it would be great for the young people to hear it.

Mr. Markowski: Good morning! How are you all doing? Are you fired up? First thing that I want to say is congratulations to you guys. That is awesome! I never played sports. When I was growing up, and in fact I was born in Steelton, I lived with my parents, grandparents and two uncles, because nobody had any money. My grandfather worked in the Bethlehem Steel Mill and he was paralyzed in an accident. He couldn't walk and he couldn't talk for the rest of his life. It happened when he was 59. He lived until he was 85. Every Sunday we spent at nursing homes and hospitals. I had my Granddaddy taken aware from me in reality. He did one thing on my fifth birthday. He gave me a little model airplane that flew. It just blew me away. That set the stage for my life. As Nick said I became an Aerospace Engineer. The road wasn't easy. The one message I have is you have a dream, hang onto it with everything you got. Don't let go. Be like a bulldog on a mailman. Don't let him go. It doesn't matter what anybody says. I keep threatening that one of the next books my wife and I are going to do is "What other people think about me is none of my business". How do you like that? It is none of my business. People are going to think what they think no matter what you do. You might as well do what you are going to do. Do what seed God planted in you to do and don't quit. As hard as it seems, hey I felt like quitting a lot of times. It is okay to feel like quitting, but you don't quit because you have that character in you that says I don't quit. Some of you guys probably want to go on and play in the NFL, keep going, don't quit. One thing that I always do is look back at my high school days. When I started in 10th grade at CD East I was nobody and I didn't like that. When I was a little boy I always thought I was going to do something great. I really did. That is not an arrogant thing. It is something that I just had inside of me. My Mom used to encourage me and my Dad used to say yeah you can do it. We all need somebody to tell us that we can do it. If you don't have anybody else to tell you read positive books, listen to audios, but if you can find a mentor, somebody that is older than you and has been through it, latch onto that person. Did any of you see the movie "Rudy"?

Audience: Yes.

Mr. Markowski: That is awesome. Like he did, he had that guy at that college at Notre Dame to keep him from quitting. Who would have thought that I would have been in this Hall of Fame? I had no idea. I was just doing what I wanted to do, what was in me to do. When I was a little boy I used to dream of my sled or bicycle going down a hill and putting wings on it and flying. That was my dream and I made that happen. I just went and did it. Most kids have dreams and they quit. They end up watching the NFL on Sunday night. Do you want to watch it or do you want to play in the game? You have to answer that question for yourself. I never ever wanted to be a spectator in the game of life. I wanted to be a participant. It is okay to watch the game to get ideas for yourself, but you don't want to sit there like a dunce in the crowd with 100,000 other people. You want to be on the field. Isn't that what it is all about? You want to be on the field doing your thing. I hope that helps. All I can tell you is just don't quit, hang onto the dream and you will get to where you are supposed to go. Follow the dream. Your dream may be one thing now and the dream may change. It may change, but you know it is like a mountain. You have a mountain in front of you. You can't see what is beyond that mountain until you climb that first mountain. It is peak-to-peak. Climb that first mountain. You might get a new vision when you get to the top of that mountain; like some of these guys turn into sportscasters. They played football and now they are sportscasters. Who knows, but just hang onto your dream. That is the message that I have today for you guys and congratulations again.

(Applause was given and pictures were taken.)

Mr. Hartwick: In true Steelton fashion I guess we showed up right on time. It gives me great honor and it's not the first time to be able to recognize some great student athletes from Steelton-Highspire High School. You guys have given me great thrills this year in watching you. I came to a large majority of the games. Even with the losses that you had, I thought you might start pointing fingers at each other during those two losses and I had to explain myself to my friends from Trinity, Camp Hill and a number of other places—you ultimately did what all champions do. Adversity and problems they don't define your character. It shows what a team is made of to be able to come back in the way that you guys did at the end of the season. It was probably even more rewarding for Steelton fans and Steelton people than any other way that you could have won. Oftentimes as a community we face all kinds of odds. We face challenges and nothing ever comes easy. Having to work twice as hard this year and having to come back from where you guys came from I was damn proud of this team this year. The records are set. Our town needed a boost. There have been some struggles in Steelton lately and to be able to rally along sports, athletics and kids who are unbelievable and complete efforts on the field gives everybody a reason to be proud. We heard from Michael today and we joked up here I don't know how many times we go around and it seems like everybody in the entire Central Pennsylvania has been born in Steelton. If they haven't they have been associated or directly connected to people that are from Steelton. That pride that people want to be associated with the town that you guys gave initially and an additional opportunity for people to say yeah Steel-High still has it. Another thing that really impressed me with this group is that we often take a knock in Steelton for our academic side. We got kids who are star athletes on this team that get it right in the classroom. They understand that the biggest responsibility in order to get to that other level instead of sitting in Steelton and talking about the glory days and it was great when, hey everything was good when, but you never made it to that next level. As a matter of fact you shoulda, woulda, coulda, but because you concentrated on the academic side you will have an opportunity to use your athletic ability to be able to move forward and have a successful career, whether it is in football, playing on Sunday or whether it is figuring out a way to become the next commissioner, mayor of Steelton, doctor or lawyer. These things will carry you through life and you will be able to raise and sustain a family. Those are the things that are going to carry you through no matter what. I'm proud of the individual leaders in this team, because they have chosen to focus on their academic side, not just their athletic side. I'm proud of all of you that are sitting here.

Mr. Hartwick read the following Proclamation.

Office of County Commissioner
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Proclamation

We, the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners, are truly honored to congratulate Steelton-Highspire High School and its multi-talented 2007 football team on an awe-inspiring, record-breaking season that culminated in the PIAA Class A state championship, further enhancing this proud community's long-standing history of outstanding athletic achievements;

Whereas, the Rollers football team, coached by Rob Deibler, who has amassed more wins than any football coach in Steel-High's history, had an impressive winning season of 13 - 3, scoring a total of 262 points in one season, a school record, ending with Steel-High's state championship victory over the previously undefeated Serra Catholic with a score of 34 - 15, bringing honor and recognition to themselves, their school, their community, and this very grateful county of Dauphin;

Whereas, the incredible achievements and evident character of these talented young men have carried on Steel-High's proud tradition of athletic prowess, which includes six previous state championships in football since 1924, and the legacy of the boys basketball team, who emerged victorious as AAA State Champions in 1998, 2000, and 2005;

Whereas, the 2007 Rollers team includes junior tailback Jeremiah Young, who had 45 carries, 292 rushing yards, and 4 touchdowns— all Class A championship game records— in the state championship game, in addition to breaking records during district championship games and holding the career rushing record at Steel-High;

Whereas, each one of these exceptional young men confronted victory with the essence of good sportsmanship, team unity and personal character, demonstrating that they are truly winners in every sense of the word, focusing not only on playing a sport to the best of their ability, but on their academic achievement, and therefore exemplifying the essence of the well-rounded student-athlete;

Therefore, we join the 253,300 residents of Dauphin County in hailing Steel-High's much-admired 2007 Rollers football team and wishing them continued success in life; we thank them for providing fans with not only the thrill of competition and the glimmer of trophies, but, more importantly, with enhanced unity, school pride and enduring hope; and, in honor of their state championship and extraordinary accomplishments, both on and off the field, we do hereby proudly declare January 16, 2008 to be "Steel-High Rollers Day" in Dauphin County.

(Applause was given.)

Mr. DiFrancesco: I have to add to Commissioner Hartwick's comments. It is an honor to sit here with you guys today. I think most people understand exactly what it means to win a State championship. They don't know what it takes to win a State championship, but they know what it means. That is a distinct honor that only a select few young people will ever experience in their life and you guys should be mighty proud for what you have done up until this time. Important lessons, not only have you achieved the State championship, not only will you be able to go back and say that we did something very few people can do, but in the process you learned an important lesson. That is what I'm going to talk to you about today and Commissioner Hartwick mentioned it. How many teams do you see every year that lose games and completely fall apart? You guys didn't do that. You guys rallied. That is an important life lesson in and of itself. You guys knew how to stick together, come together and you kept your eyes focused on the game. Don't let your life be a glory day life. Don't let your life be looking back at that State championship. Take what you learned from this experience and move on and carry it forward, because every single person sitting in this room can achieve any goal that they want to. You've learned that lesson already. You know what hard work means. It took a lot of hard work to win that State title and you should take pride in that. The other lesson, how many of you saw "300", the movie? How did the Spartans win? They stuck side-by-side, right? They looked out for the guy to the left and right of them. That is what it takes to win a State championship. You guys learned how to look out for each other. Don't let that end. Stay together, cover each others' backs. You know the most glorious thing that could come out of that State championship is 20 years from now when they write an article and call you back out on the field to acknowledge the State championship team 20 years ago they can look at every single one of you and say look what these guys achieved in their lives. They learned a lesson and they looked out for each other, paid attention to their fellow students and they followed careers through, whether that takes you to the NFL, doctor or whatever it is in your life, never stop looking out for each other. You guys came together in a special bond this year and you share something that very few people will share - carry that with you for the rest of your life. Take that lesson with you, be successful the rest of your life, because every single one of you can achieve whatever it is that you define as your goals - stay focused and keep moving. We are so proud of you for what you accomplished. Keep making us proud.

(Applause was given.)

Mr. Haste: I'll just add a few comments. I don't want to belabor what my two colleagues said, but I was sitting here thinking and for anybody who played sports when you think back you are going to sit here someday at our age some of the best times in your life are going to be that teamwork that you learned to do. The fact that you guys were down and came back is going to mean something a lot more than if in fact you were undefeated and ended up losing the last game. The way that you did it is going to be extremely special to you 20 years from now. Not only did you make Steelton and Steel-High proud, you actually made Dauphin County and Central Pennsylvania proud, because I think you guys know it as you made that drive and you started going through there your fan base continued to grow and that is what we do as a Board of Commissioners try to talk about the pride of this region, not of just one community. We often sit here and talk about the quality of our youth athletes in Central Pennsylvania. You guys showed the rest of the Commonwealth just what we are talking about. The level of competition, work ethic of our athletes now and the work ethics of our future citizens and leaders is second to none in the State of Pennsylvania. You guys showed that, we are proud of you. I heard a rumor and I just wanted to make sure it is true - Lloyd are you really the Mayor of Steelton? We are extremely proud of you. It is our honor to have you here today and to honor you.

(Applause was given and pictures were taken.)

SALARY BOARD

A complete set of Salary Board Meeting Minutes are on file in the Commissioners' Office.

PERSONNEL

Ms. Beard: There are no changes to the Personnel Packet. I would just like to draw your attention to #5 and #7 for approval today.

Mr. Hartwick: I met with Brooke beforehand. I had some questions related to #8 and #9 on the specific math that is going to be used. I'm going to wait until Kay gets back since she was so involved in trying to work that out before next week and will get back to you.

Mr. DiFrancesco: So you are saying?

Mr. Hartwick: We are not pulling anything. This is just a Workshop. It is #8 and #9 that I had some concerns about.

Mr. DiFrancesco: The ones that you are asking to be approved are #5 and #7.

Ms. Beard: Correct.

Mr. Saylor: I did talk to the Sheriff with regard to that position. He has two new clerks coming on. Apparently some of his existing staff, as I recall, one is going on maternity leave if not already and another is leaving. He is a little down in clerks and he asked if we would consider this one early.

Mr. Haste: I spoke to him some time in the last week.

It was moved by Mr. Hartwick and seconded by Mr. DiFrancesco that the Board approve Items #5 and #7 of the Personnel Packet; motion carried.

PURCHASE ORDERS

Mr. Baratucci: You should have all received your Purchase Order Packet yesterday. There are a few minor budget adjustments. I direct your attention to Page 2. We have an item on there for the Treasurer's Office that we held from last week. It is all the items there under Environmental Interiors. Janis informed me before the meeting that she would like to just pull that. She is going to go in a different direction. We will have something new down the road. For next week for the approval, we are going to take out everything on Page 2 except for the bar code scanners. They will still be there. Are there any questions? Mostly it is beginning of the year items.

Mr. Hartwick: Page 19, I just don't know about that. Jeff may know more about the open space study for Parks and Recreation.

Mr. Haste: That is being paid for by a grant. They got a DCNR grant. It has been hanging for about two years and we are now moving forward.

Mr. Hartwick: How are we going to handle Page 23, just future requests from D&A? Is it just a matter of not having any allocation numbers?

Mr. Baratucci: Exactly, Mike said that they haven't gotten an official budget yet. This was an expense that came out of Tom Guenther's office. He said that he felt they needed about a six month period to work with the current vendor that they have used down there for the support services and hopefully they won't have to use all of this. This is an estimate for six months. Mike did tell me I think Charles Udit is working on a budget and the numbers haven't been presented to him yet. That is why there is a zero there. He doesn't know if it will be done by next week or not, but they are actively working on getting a budget together.

Mr. Hartwick: I saw a tentative one yesterday.

Mr. Baratucci: Maybe it will get done by next week.

TRAINING PACKET

Mr. Saylor: There appears to be nothing that needs action today.

ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION

Mr. Haste: We have Items for Discussion that we will take up at next week's meeting even though Item C says a vote is requested today. We will vote on that next week. Is there any discussion that we need to have on those? (There was none.)

1. Change in IRS issued mileage rates for expense reimbursement. Effective January 1, 2008 rate will adjust from 48.5 cents per mile to 50.5 cents per mile.
2. Tax Refunds:
   1. Refund of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Real Estate Taxes, Parcel #63-014-022, Robert & Carol Spagnolo - $650.74.
   2. Refund of 2007 Real Estate Taxes, Parcel #44-009-013, Robert Boyer, Jr. - $111.65.
3. Letter Agreement with HACC Wildwood Conference Center. (***A VOTE IS REQUESTED 1/16/08***)

REPORT FROM SOLICITOR - WILLIAM TULLY, ESQ.

Mr. Tully: Nothing to add, happy to answer any questions.

REPORT FROM CHIEF CLERK/CHIEF OF STAFF - CHAD SAYLOR

Mr. Saylor: Likewise, I have nothing unless there are any questions of me. (There was none.)

COMMISSIONERS' COMMENTS

(There was none.)

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Mr. Haste: We are again at the point in time in the meeting for public participation. Is there anyone in the audience that would like to address the Board? (There was none.)

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, it was moved by Mr. Hartwick and seconded by Mr. DiFrancesco that the Board adjourn.