LEWISBURG - Three proposals have been received for a CareerLink site that will serve Northumberland and Snyder counties, Shannon Miller, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corp. (CPWDC), said Monday.
Miller said no decision has been made on which site will be selected, but noted the issue will be further discussed at a board meeting Friday in Lewisburg.
"We are still negotiating and working toward a solution that will meet the needs of job seekers and employers in the nine-county area that we provide services," she said.
The News-Item received a report from Northumberland County Commissioner Vinny Clausi that the Sunbury Municipal Building next to the county courthouse on Market Street had been selected as the new home for the CareerLink offices at a yearly cost of $110,000. The site would replace current CareerLink offices in Shamokin and Selinsgrove.
Miller would not confirm if the municipal building was among the three proposals received by CPWDC because of ongoing negotiations.
But Clausi insists the municipal building has been selected.
The other two proposed sites are reportedly the former Giant store at the Orchard Hills Plaza in Shamokin Dam and the Northumberland County Career and Arts Center at 2 E. Arch St., Shamokin - the latter being current site of the CareerLink. The county has apparently offered the existing site at a reduced rate.
Commissioners from Northumberland and Snyder counties and other public officials have repeatedly asked CPWDC to reconsider its decision to merge the Shamokin and Selinsgrove sites, but the corporation said it based its decision on sound business practices and is going ahead with plans to find a new site in the Sunbury area as it looks to make up for funding that is expected to fall from $7.4 million to $6.4 million.
The CareerLink lease at Shamokin expires June 30, while the lease in Selinsgrove expires Dec. 14.
Last week, Central Susquehanna Opportunities Inc. (CSO) signed a new five-year lease to remain in Shamokin, which will enable Northumberland County to receive enough rental money to operate its career and arts center without charging rent to tenant Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) despite CareerLink and its $111,000 rent being lost.
CSO has agreed to pay the county $58,557.24 per year under the lease agreement, which is the same amount currently being received by the county. The lease agreement takes effect July 1.
The new agreement is the same as the current lease, except that it doesn't contain an escalation clause, which prevents the county from raising the rent.
The county commissioners feared CSO and CareerLink, which partially funds CSO, were both going to relocate. But by securing a lease agreement with CSO, the county was able to avoid losing another tenant.
In 2010, the county received approximately $224,000 in lease payments for the center, which formerly served as Shamokin High School. The county also received a $14,000 donation from LCCC for security, which extended its income from the center to $238,000.
Without CareerLink's rent money, the county's income from the center would be reduced to $127,000. Clausi said it costs the county approximately $181,000 to operate the site, which includes bills for heating and lighting, payment for one security guard and cleaning services. The commissioner said the county will be able to pay the $54,000 difference to maintain the building.
CPWDC has been criticized for not seeking the input of elected state officials from the region and for paying a salary of $104,537 to Miller. CPWDC has adamantly defended its operation and Miller's salary and ability, and has noted the fact that local public officials are part of the board and its decision-making process.