2010 News

November 10, 2010

Commissioners Approve Purchase of 10,000 Flu Vaccine Doses In Advance of 5th Annual County Pandemic Flu Drill

From 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 13, the parking lot of the Sesame Place Amusement Park in Middletown Township will be transformed into a hubbub of public health preparedness. In advance of the county’s 5th Annual Pandemic Flu Drill – a drive-thru event for all residents ages 5 and up seeking an inoculation – Commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq. and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia unanimously approved the $109,249 purchase of 10,000 season flu doses from Sanofi Pasteur during today’s bi-monthly business meeting.

According to county Health Director Dr. David Damsker, the event will involve eight (8) large tents with two lanes each, for a total of 16 lanes. Health Department officials hope to inoculate 32 cars at a time in this “mega pod.” County officials have been working closely with both internal and external partners to firm up the drill’s logistics. These partners include the county Major Incident Response Team (MIRT), Sesame Place and Middletown Township. For a traffic diagram of the route to the flu drill site, please visit www.BucksCounty.org and click on the “5th Annual Pandemic Flu Drill” link in the middle of the home page.

The meeting opened with a round of congratulations for Commissioner Cawley, who was elected lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on November 2. “It is the state’s gain, and our loss,” Chairman Martin told attendees in the Courthouse Community Room.

During the business portion of the meeting, the commissioners’ board approved 53 contract resolutions involving 15 county departments. The county Agricultural Preservation program continued its steady beat of acquisitions through the approval of conservation easements for the 66-acre Harrington Farm and the 99.88-acre Huntzinger Farm. Both properties are located in Springfield Township, lifting the number of farms preserved in that scenic upper Bucks County township to 18. With the two most-recent preservations, the Agricultural Preservation program has now protected 144 farms totaling 12,269 acres, according to Agricultural Preservation Director Rich Harvey.

The board approved a sub-grant agreement through the EPA for the Borough of Bristol to clean up a former steel-treating facility, and also approved a recommendation by the Industrial Development Authority to apply for a loan for Gelest, Inc. of Morrisville under the Recovery Zone Bonds initiative.

For Community and Business Development, the board approved submission of a $1,000,000 grant on behalf of the Penrose Corporation for a 60-unit housing project for low- and moderate-income senior citizens in Bensalem Township. The project has been approved by the township, and will more create jobs while providing quality of life for residents. The construction project will commence during the first quarter of 2011, according to Pennrose Corporation officials.

While all 53 contract resolutions passed, Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia voted against three individual items – a $343,133 contract to provide foster care services through The Impact Project, Inc of Emmaus, PA; a $92,230 contract to provide electric and common area maintenance at the District Court on Bristol Rd. in Bensalem; and a lease addendum for a county property currently under rental in Jamison. County General Services Director Jerry Anderson told the commissioners he will look for more favorable rental conditions for the District Court in Bensalem.

The meeting featured a pair of proclamations. Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month recognizes the estimated 43,140 individuals who will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in United States this year, including 36,800 who will die from the disease (approximately 2,000 of whom are Pennsylvanians). Commissioner Cawley read the proclamation, which went to Anthony Conte of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia added her personal touch in proclaiming November “Family Caregiver Month,” noting that her father currently cares for her mother in such a capacity. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the National Family Caregiver Support Program. As Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia noted, “The need for family caregivers is growing during a time when medicine and technology have helped us live longer, and people over age 85 are the fastest growing segment of the older adult population.”

During his chief operating officer’s report, county COO Brian Hessenthaler thanked the county Board of Elections for its “Herculean effort” under stressful conditions while counting absentee and provisional ballots over the last week. He also expressed his appreciation to the county Solicitor, Glenn Hains, and the county Security department. He also reported on the unveiling of the county’s 2011 preliminary budget (scheduled for Nov. 24), and energy savings that will result from recent Purchasing and Finance department efforts. The county has taken steps that will save approximately $550,000 over the first half of 2011.

The next meeting of the Board of Bucks County Commissioners will take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 1, in the Bucks County Courthouse Community Room. For an audio account of the meeting, please visit the official county website, www.BucksCounty.org, and click on the commissioners’ meetings link.