2007 News
October 4, 2007
Commissioners Visit Bucks County Community College’s Sparkling Lower Bucks Campus
As students hustled through the brand-new halls of the Bucks County Community College’s Lower Bucks campus in Bristol Twp. Oct. 3, Bucks County Commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq. and Sandra A. Miller conducted their regular bi-monthly meeting in the facility’s magnificent atrium. While unanimously approving contract resolutions for six departments, the commissioners also issued proclamations declaring Oct. 7-13 “Fire Prevention Week” and the month of October “Fire Prevention Month” in Bucks.
“I’d like to commend the commissioners for acknowledging fire prevention year round,” Bucks County Fire Marshal Nick Rafferty told the board. “You have supported our junior firesetter program for the last 11 years. We need to protect our children.”
Rafferty, who was joined by members of the county firefighting community, also encouraged all county residents “to walk with us and inspect your home” to ensure working smoke alarms and identify escape routes. This year’s Fire Prevention Month national theme, as suggested by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) deals with that mission: “Practice Your Escape Plan.”
Another highlight of the meeting was the commissioners’ formal acceptance of the county’s BEGIN (Bucks Employees’ Green Initiative) Committee report. Presenting the report was BEGIN Co-Chair Michael Bannon – the county’s Consumer Protection director. “The report identifies realistic short term, medium term and long-term goals,” Bannon said. “It really gets us off the ground and running. It is very important to go green, and it has always been a passion of mine.”
Also speaking on behalf of the BEGIN Committee was Lynn Bush, executive director of the Bucks County Planning Commission and current vice-president of the Pennsylvania State Planners Association. Bush praised the interdepartmental nature of the BEGIN venture, noting that it focuses on five specific areas of green policy: continuing current practices such as open-space preservation and household hazardous waste and computer collection events; energy conservation in county facilities; recycling initiatives; greener building construction; and educational/institutional changes.
“We will constantly be looking for ways to implement green technologies through practical applications,” Commissioner Cawley noted, praising the BCCC Lower Bucks Campus for capitalizing on green building elements such as flushless toilets, motion sensors and geothermal energy.
Acting Director of Human Services Joe Funk praised the commissioners for hiring Kathy Forrest as the new Area Agency on Aging ombudsman. Ms. Forrest brings a wealth of credentials to the position, including coordination of the Montgomery County Ombudsman Program over the last three years. She will provide quality assurance, training and supervision in nursing homes and personal care residences.
During his bi-weekly report, Chief Operating Officer David Sanko touted a recent grant that installed laptops in police cruisers throughout the county. During a recent traffic stop, the new technology helped officers collar a wanted criminal, whose picture they accessed through the computer network. “I guess you caught me,” the fugitive said upon viewing his own picture on the screen.
“It’s not September, National Preparedness Month, anymore, but this is just another example of our commitment to making Bucks County safe 12 months a year,” Sanko noted.