Johnstown Flood Museum to Open New Exhibit

A temporary exhibit focusing on the popular media of the Johnstown flood is set to open this April. The Johnstown Flood Museum will host "From Scholarship to Souvenirs: Telling the Story of the Johnstown Flood" which will include souvenirs, poetry, sheet music for flood songs, prints, and other artifacts.

Shelley Johansson, spokeswoman for the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, says the flood story has never ceased to fascinate. "It's got all the ingredients of an incredible story and I think the museum itself is very compelling, it's just the story of the flood stands on its own. I think this is another way of looking at the flood story that is very interesting, it's how people have depicted it, how people have remembered it, how people have chosen to commemorate it."

Johansson says the exhibit will also have a special section devoted to the 1989 Flood Centennial, a year long commemoration featuring events, concerts, films, and parades.

The exhibit is set to open April 30th on the third floor, originally used as a gym, and run for a year.

Johnstown Flood Museum Potential Makeover

The Johnstown Flood Museum is up for a renovation, but first administrators are looking for help from the local community and tourists. A public meeting is scheduled for March 4th at the museum, on Washington and Walnut Streets to discuss changes. The museum was originally built as a library after the 1889 flood with funding from Andrew Carnegie, but became the Flood Museum in 1973.

Richard Burkert, President of the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, says that there is so much that can be done to update the museum. "There's a lot of things that we couldn't do back twenty years ago that we might want to consider this time around, one of which is 3-D."

Burkert says that renovations are not only aimed at exhibits but also the museum's structure. He says the building system need to be replaced and there is discussion over whether the museum should be eco-friendly.

The museum has had more then 750,000 visitors since opening its doors. Anyone interested in attending the meeting is urged, but not obligated, to contact Gwen Hartnett by phone at 814-539-1889 ext. 301 or email at ghartnett@jaha.org.

Stone Bridge to get New Face and Lights Soon

Renovation of the more than 120 year-old Stone Bridge in Johnstown could begin soon. The Stone Bridge Project Committee has been raising funds to upgrade the bridge’s façade and install decorative and architectural lighting. The bridge is best know for the role it played in the Johnstown flood when debris piled up against it and caught fire. Johnstown area Heritage Association Executive Director Richard Burkert says the railroad has made structural repairs over the years but the work planed now “goes beyond the scope” of what the company would be expected to do. He says the bids for the work came in a bit higher than expected so the project has been split into two phases. The first phase will work on the cement façade of the structure to make it more aesthetically pleasing. That work will be paid for from private donations. Burkert says he expects it to cost about $80,000 plus the cost of hiring flagmen and other safety measures. The bridge spans the Conemaugh River, Iron Street and Route 65 and carries about 45 trains a day. Phase 2 will include the lighting of the bridge. Burkert says that bid came in much higher than expected but he feels a second bid will be much more reasonable. Penn DOT has offered to kick in $.5 million for the project. Private individuals have contributed more than $200,000. The fundraising effort is about 90% complete and Burkert says he thinks all the funding will be in place soon. The group is still taking donations. Work on the façade could begin in the coming weeks and Burkert says if all goes well the lighting could be done by the end of the year. The lighting (as seen in the artist’s rendering) both bathes the bridge in light and highlights aspects of the architecture using LED. Burkert says the work will, “turn this aesthetically challenged railroad bridge into something of an attraction for Johnstown.” The lights will be programmable and can change with the time of day or season, or can be programmed to help celebrate a special occasion. Burkert says the bridge can become part of the community’s life.

Critz Wins Special Election

The former district director for long-time Congressman John Murtha of Johnstown will succeed his former boss. Democrat Mark Critz of Johnstown defeated Republican Tim Burns of Eighty-Four, Washington County and Libertarian Demo Agoris of Houston, Washington County in the special election in the 12th Congressional District. Critz received 53% of the vote, Burns 45% and Agoris 2%. Critz will serve out the last 7 months of the term of John Murtha who died in February.
Critz said he was humbled and honored by the victory....."But most of all, I am proud to stand before you as the next Representative of Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District! The voters of this district won a great victory tonight. But it’s a bittersweet. Because we wouldn’t be here right now if Jack Murtha hadn’t left us too soon.
Throughout this campaign, I’ve thought about the many lessons Congressman Murtha taught me when I served as his director of economic development. He often said to me, “it’s about the work.” It is. And I’m going to work tirelessly every day in Congress for the families of Western Pennsylvania."

However, Critz is not done with Burns. There will be a rematch in the November General Election because Critz won the Democratic Primary and Burns the Republican Primary to seek a full 2-year term.

Johnstown Church Preservation Effort

The nonprofit groups Partners for Sacred Places and Save Our Steeples will begin searching for ways to best reuse three defunct churches.

Five Catholic churches once stood in the town’s Cambria City neighborhood, but last summer the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese announced a merger would put three of those to disuse.

Save Our Steeples has since been raising money to save the churches from becoming warehouses – or parking lots, like the former St. Emerich church building.

But S.O.S. cofounder Marie Mock says her organization scored a victory earlier this year, when the Greater Johnstown Regional Partnership granted it $10,000.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘Well gee, if you’re going to put all that money into a study, why don’t you just do something with it yourself?’ Well, none of us are capable of doing this,” says Mock. “We’re not in the business of marketing these kind of buildings, and to do it properly, we’re going to have to spend money to make money.”

Mock says these buildings are works of art built by European immigrants, but they have uses beyond worship. She says the group held a successful concert in Immaculate Conception Church in February and plan another fundraiser for May 23.

For more information, visit Save Our Steeples' website.

Johnstown Airport Receives Four Bids for Commuter Flights

The Johnstown Airport has seen an upswing in interest in providing service. Four airlines have put in bids to provide federally subsidized commuter service at the airport. The contract with Colgan Air expires June 30th. That airline is bidding to continue but Gulfstream International of Orlando, Charter Air Transport of Cleveland and Sovereign Air of North Dakota are also bidding under the Essential Air Service Subsidies Program.
Scott Voelker, Johnstown Airport Operations Director, says this is a process that is done biannually. It began with a request for proposal, and the bids that were received last week will be evaluated by the Department of Transportation and the Johnstown Airport Authority.
The companies bid by offering a menu of flights and then suggest how large of a federal subsidy they require. The subsidy requests range from $1.1 million to $3.9 million.
The last time the airport had a request for proposal in 2008, only two air carriers applied. He says it’s good to have more competition. Voelker says there is a public comment period during which passengers can make suggestions to the Department of Transportation.

Republican's Nominate Candidate For Murtha's Congressional Seat

Republican businessman Tim Burns has received his party's nomination in the congressional primary race for the seat of late Congressman John Murtha. Burns, a native of Johnstown, beat out challenger Bill Russell for the nomination. Russell, a former army officer challenged Murtha for his seat in 2008 but was unsuccessful. Burns won the nomination by a vote of 85 to 46 at a party meeting held at St. Vincent College. Burns will is also running in the special election to serve out the remaining 8 months of the late congressman's term. Burn will be running against Democrat Mark Critz, who was Murtha's former district director.

Allegheny Institute Studies Johnstown's Act 47

The Allegheny Institute For Public Policy says after 18 years of being under the control of act 47, Johnstown may be getting closer to bankruptcy than it is to being able to get out from under the provisions of the Act. Johnstown entered into act 47 in 1992 and is on its fourth amended recovery plan. The Institute looked at the city’s 2007 finances (the most recent DCED audited numbers) and then compared them to nine other similarly sized cities. Policy analyst Eric Montarti says Johnstown lead the way in many negative categories including low wage and real estate taxes, high employee count, high pension and debt costs and a heavy reliance on state and federal funding. State and federal funding accounted for a quarter of the city’s 2007 budget and Montarti wonders if the percentage grew with the addition of federal stimulus dollars. The only bright spot was Johnston’s low police department costs. The Institute launched the study when Johnstown passed a budget this year that cut the number of employee and raised property taxes. Montarti says at the time, the council noted that it was better to make those moves than to enter into chapter nine bankruptcy. Montarti says, “Johnstown is now in negotiations with its major unions on new labor contracts that might decide whether the Council's prognostication comes true.” He says he wonders why those higher personnel costs and legacy costs were not dealt with much sooner.
Montarti says this study may point to flaws in Act 47 or the way Act 47 coordinators approach their jobs. He says the coordinators must know their limitations and at some point admit, “we cannot solve this problem, we need to go to some sort of bankruptcy, debt reorganization, because what we have in terms of our tools just do not work.” Montarti says another problem may be the clash between powers given to municipal unions and the power of Act 47 coordinators. He says those unions do not have the ability to go on strike but they do have the right to binding arbitration and if the arbitrator does not heed the needs of the coordinators it may leave the municipalities in the same situation they where in when they entered Act 47. Very few of the municipalities that have entered Act 47 since it was enacted in 1987 have emerged. Montarti says maybe this report will serve as a wake-up call for coordinators to allow their municipalities to move into bankruptcy and alow a judge to right some of the problems they have not been able to address. “Something has to happen to right this financial ship, and soon,” says Montarti.
The full report is available at the Allegheny Institute's website.

John Murtha Laid To Rest

U.S.Representative John Murtha's funeral service was held Tuesday morning at Westmont Presbyterian Church just outside of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, his hometown. He represented the area since 1974.

Among those in the packed church were Former President Bill Clinton, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who led a Congressional delegation of fifty. She spoke of his years of service, his support of veterans and scientific research and the twinkle in his eye. His daughter Donna Murtha delivered a tearful eulogy where she spoke of her father's love of family and his love of nature. Rev. Douglas Stevens said Murtha showed the same courage in his work as he did on the battlefield.

Murtha died on February 8 after complications from gallbladder surgery. He was 77 years old.

He was the head of the House appropriations defense committee, the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress, the longest serving member of the House in Pennsylvania history. He was an outspoken critic of the Iraq war.

DEP Pushing for High-Hazard Dam Signs

The state Department of Environmental Protection has increased efforts to alert residents about dams designated as "high-hazard" in areas where potential flooding dangers exist.

DEP spokesperson Helen Humphreys says the signs are posted by the dam owners in hopes of saving lives should flooding occurs. The signs mean in case flooding occurs it would endanger high populations of people downstream.

It is the dam owner's responsibility to provide signs although the inspections are done by the DEP. DEP regulates dams that have a maximum water depth of greater than 15 feet, a maximum storage capacity of fifty acre-feet or greater and impound water from a drainage area of greater than 100 acres.

In 1977 there was a flood in Johnstown where dam failure caused 85 deaths.

Johnstown Offers Job

At its December 31st meeting, the Johnstown City Council made a decision on the position of city manager, but the mayor says the successful candidate has not yet accepted or rejected the offer.

Mayor Thomas Trigona expects the acting City Manager, whose job as assistant has been eliminated, to stay on for a transitional period to help the new manager.

The balanced budget approved at the last meeting includes some additional layoffs and belt-tightening, but he’s hopeful that next year, the city will be able to improve services and recall furloughed workers by increasing the city’s income. Avenues he will explore include bringing in new businesses and improving the collection of taxes, along with parking and garbage fees. Trigona says most cities across the nation are struggling with budgets in the current economy, and Johnstown is relatively well off.

The next council meeting is January 13th.

Donated Blood Shortages in Some of Region

Blood donations are critical during the holiday season, with donated blood at or below a two-day supply in the some parts of Pennsylvania.
There are several factors that have caused shortages. Marianne Spampinato, regional communications manager for the Greater Alleghenies Region Red Cross Blood Center in Johnstown, says this time of year is usually not good for receiving blood donations. She cites schools being out of session, where the center brings in more than 25 percent of its blood donations, regular donors being on vacation and inclement weather like snow or ice that cancel blood drives.
The Greater Alleghenies Regional Red Cross Blood Center serves more than 100 hospitals in parts of six states, including many southwestern and central Pennsylvania counties. They do not serve Allegheny or Washington counties.
On the other hand, Lisa Cassidy, a spokeswoman from the Pittsburgh Central Blood Bank, says they are not facing inventory shortages at this time. She says although the holiday season bring in fewer donations, there is not an urgent need for blood there.

Johnstown Budget Goes to Wire

Johnstown council members decided last night to delay voting on a 2010 budget with the hope that some solution can be found to reduce a $1.5 million deficit. To close the gap the council is looking at increasing property taxes by 42%, cutting 17 jobs or some mix of those two options. 17 workers represent more that 10% of the city’s workforce. As many as seven police officers and seven parks employees could be among those losing their jobs. Acting City Manager Bruce Haselrig says during last night’s meeting representative from the police and fire fighter unions came forward and offered to talk about concessions. He says the city will meet with them as soon as possible. He says it is unclear what can be saved but he has heard that the fire fighters may be willing to give up their 3% raise. Council is expected to vote on a final budget Wednesday. Any budget must sit for ten days after being approved by the council for public review and a public hearing before a final vote is cast. The Act 47 team must also approve the deal. Haselrig says no mater what the final budget looks like, the citizens of Johnstown will feel the impact of the cuts and tax hikes. He says they will see services being cut and bigger property tax bills. He says seniors on fixed incomes may be the hardest hit.

Incumbent Wins Johnstown Mayoral Race

In Johnstown, Democrat Tom Trigona has won his reelection for mayor against Republican Sharyn Spinelli. He lead the race by approximately 7 percent. He's celebrating at a local social club in Johnstown with 200 supporters and friends. In an unofficial count, the votes came in 1,833 to 1,595.

He's happy with the results, and he'll be back to work focusing on the things he cares about most, which is fighting blight and making Johnstown a better place by talking with the city manager and citizens

Trigona says there is a possibility that he and Spinelli may work together in the future. After conceding, she told Trigona that she'll 'be around'.

Unlike in Pittsburgh, the mayor in Johnstown acts as another member of city council, with a few other minor responsibilities.

Johnstown Housing Program Gets Grant

Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV) has been awarded over $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor for a program that gives high school dropouts and “at risk” young people another chance to work and to learn. An additional $288,000 is expected through June 2012.

GICV is the lead agency in a collaboration of 13 organizations from the Johnstown area that comprise YouthBuild Johnstown. The program gives people ages 16 to 24 a chance to earn their GED while earning paid construction experience. The Greater Johnstown Housing Authority and the Urban Redevelopment Authority supply the materials and GICV organizes the instruction. Students get $7.25 per hour for skills training and onsite construction. The houses are made for local low-income families.

The federal grant will go towards payment of instructors and students, says GICV President and CEO Phyllis Bandstra. She says the 11-month program is part of the YouthBuild USA program, which has received $114 million in grants to 183 different outlets. Bandstra says the last grant they received was in October 2007, for about the same amount.

Johnstown to Learn About Watershed

The Greater Johnstown Water Authority has begun an effort to make area citizens and municipal governments “more aware” of the regions watershed. Over a year’s work has resulted in the identification of 487 potential sources of pollutants. Authority General Manager Mike Kukura says his group will even reach out to area schools to spread the word of the water. “We actually have a – it’s called a WREN grant – Water Resource Education Network Grant that we have obtained through the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters, and we are using that for our school education program,” says Kukura. He says the effort will have DEP oversight and a department representative will attend ongoing yearly meetings.

Questions Raised at Defense Contractor Show

A Pennsylania defense contractor to whom Congressman John Murtha of Johnstown had directed millions of dollars in "earmarks," has been blocked from doing business with the Navy amid allegations of fraud. Word of the suspension came during Murtha's 19th annual defense contractor trade show in Johnstown. At a brief news conference, Murth rebuffed questions about the suspension of Kuchera Defense Systems. That Windber firm and its officials have contributed $60,000 to Murtha's campaigns and political action committee since 2002. When asked about Kuchera, Murtha responded "What do you think, I oversee these companies?"
Federal investigators raided the offices and homes of the comapany owners Ron and Bill Kuchera in January.
At today's trade show, Murtha announced that $110 million in defense contracts had been awarded to three area firms. C-T-C received 2 contracts totalling $66 million for a Marine Corps data program and for services to the Department of Defense; JWD Defense Systems got a $24 million contract to assemble military vehicles; and, Martin-Baker America received a $20 million dollar deal for ejection seats for the Air Force.

Memorial Medical Center Cuts 47 Employees

Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown laid off 47 employees yesterday, blaming the weak economy for the job cuts. The 47 employees make up about 1 percent of the hospital’s 3,700 person staff. The layoffs consist primarily of support positions and do not include hospital nursing staff.
The affected employees have been offered generous severance packages and will be provided with career counseling and job placement assistance with some of the employees being offered internal job opportunities.
Memorial Medical President Steve Tucker says through a press release, “Careful planning went into this process and our goal was to maintain as many jobs as possible while meeting our fiscal responsibilities in this unprecedented economic environment.”
On a statewide scale, many hospitals are feeling similar effects from the economic downturn. 50 percent of Pennsylvania hospitals have reported a moderate to significant decrease in admissions, particularly elective procedures.
Similarly, hospitals across the state have also reported a moderate to significant increase in patients without insurance. Conemaugh Health System provides over $34 million in uncompensated care each year, in addition to over $2 million in charity care.
This could lead to other cost-cutting measures for Memorial Medical Center including adjustments to employee benefit packages and a possible salary-based tiered health care program sources say.
“These are really challenging times,” adds Tucker, “and this current national economic challenge does not change our commitment to continue to grow and excel!”
Historically, hospitals have depended on profit from investments to offset a decline in income. However, 83 percent of PA hospitals have seen an investment decline.

Penn Highlands to Offer Free College to Dislocated Workers

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, located in Richland in Cambria County, will offer 12 free credits to any laid-off worker. The move aims at re-educating displaced workers so they can return to the job market. College President Walter Asonevich says hopefully the free school will prompt people to continue their education. Enrollment to for the spring semester continues through Jan. 14 and classes begin Jan. 20. The worker-displacement program is open to any Cambria County resident who lost a job during 2008.

Johnstown Garage to be Demolished

Johnstown’s city manager says he will be choosing a company to teardown the Washington Street parking garage Friday. Portions of the garage are second and third floors collapsed early Tuesday. No one was hurt but there were about 20 cars inside the structure. Beginnings Inc. and Blaine Boring’s Chocolates remain closed because of their proximity to the unstable structure. The demolition project is expected to take about a month. The top three floors of the garage have been closed since 2003 when inspectors found sagging floors and failing concrete.