As a result of the hail storm that affected parts of Montour County last Thursday, the County’s Department of Emergency Services is collecting information about the extent of uninsured damages that took place in the area. The intent of this data collection effort is to assess whether there is eligibility for the County to be included in a federal “Small Business Administration Disaster Declaration.” This program COULD result in the availability of low interest loans to assist affected businesses and homeowners.
Although the name of the program seems to suggest it is for businesses, in reality there is possible eligibility for private individuals also. Eligible applicants are those business or persons who suffered greater than 40% UNINSURED LOSSES.

These losses are able to be calculated in one of two ways, against personal property, or against real estate.

Personal Property – Estimate the pre-disaster value or fair replacement value (whichever is lower) of all owned property (clothing, appliances, vehicle, etc.). Then, determine if the UNINSURED loss is at least 40% of the total value.

Structure – Provide fair market value estimate of the home/business structure. Then, determine if the UNINSURED loss is at least 40% of the value.
If either of the above scenarios is true, it is recommended that the person(s) so affected complete an SBA Survey Sheet. Persons who do not have uninsured losses of at least 40% are asked to NOT submit a survey as they would not be eligible for assistance and these submittals will simply serve to add to the volume of paperwork that must be reviewed.

The survey sheet can be downloaded here, or a hard copy can be obtained at the Montour County Commissioners Office in the Courthouse.
This form should be completed and returned in one of three ways:

1. Faxed or hand delivered to the Montour County Commissioners Office, 29 Mill Street,Danville, PA 17821. Fax 570-271-3088

2. Scanned and emailed to wpeters@montourema.org.

3. Alternate Fax 570-271-3078

The form must be submitted no later than close of business June 6, 2014.

If a declaration is warranted, further information will be provided through the Chamber and local media outlets.

While this winter’s record cold temperatures have unfortunately resulted in huge increases in electricity bills for homeowners on variable rate pricing programs, the ChamberChoice Residential Program has provided residential consumers with some of the lowest fixed residential rates offered in Pennsylvania. Residential consumers, who have taken advantage of the low rate program from ChamberChoice, have continued to lock in savings during the cold weather and avoid the huge bill increases being reported across the State of Pennsylvania.

Any Pennsylvania residential customers that is currently on a variable price program can switch and take advantage of ChamberChoice ‘s low fixed rate Electricity Program to lock in savings regardless of weather extremes. Join with over 25,000 ChamberChoice’s residential customers that have already saved millions of dollars to be protected from the next Arctic Cold Spike. Simply visit OnDemandEnergy.com, click the Residential Button and apply for your fixed low rate. Or call OnDemand Energy at 866-699-9968 to speak to a program representative.

“ChamberChoice proudly partners with Pennsylvania Chambers to provide employee benefits, business insurance and energy solutions to Chamber Members,” said Sam Weber, President of the Chambers of Commerce Service Corporation. “We are pleased to extend our successful energy program to residents throughout the communities in which our Chamber Partners serve. We have designed our Residential Program to deliver the lowest overall costs in Pennsylvania while minimizing market risk that is associated with our competitors variable pricing offers.”

The ChamberChoice Residential Program is managed by OnDemand Energy Solutions and supplied by FirstEnergy Solutions.

On Thursday, March 13th, the Senate approved a bill passed earlier in the House of Representatives which reverses some reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program passed in 2012 and slows down rate increases for homeowners.

House Resolution 3370, the “Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013” emerged as the most popular reform package after months of discussion in Congress. This action is in response to reforms passed in 2012 to address the $25 billion deficit of the NFIP. The “Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012” resulted in premium increases of 25% per year for subsidized residential and commercial policy holders, affecting approximately 770 policies in Columbia and Montour counties. If a subsidized property was sold, the premium would increase to the full, actuarially-based rate immediately. Local insurance agents and lenders expressed concern that premium increases of 4x to as much as 10x the prior rates would result in properties becoming non-viable and abandoned.

This legislation, which the President is expected to sign, would repeal the property sales trigger for rate increases. Subsidized premiums could not be increased by FEMA above 15% per year for a certain class of residential properties and above 18% for most primary residence properties. Policyholders that overpaid would receive a refund from FEMA.

Commercial policyholders would not see any relief as a result of H.R. 3370. Premiums would continue to increase 25% per year to the actuarially-based rate for commercial and secondary residence policies. Additionally, to help pay for the more gradual increases in premiums, a $250 annual surcharge would be implemented for these properties. The surcharge for primary residential policies would be $25 annually.

Representative Lou Barletta and Senators Casey and Toomey voted in favor of H.R. 3370. The Chamber has been in communications with the offices of each of these legislators to discuss the implications of rate increases on local communities and to express disappointment that commercial policyholders would be unfairly burdened through this legislation due to the disparity in rate increases and surcharges. Long-term solutions for communities need to include mitigation planning and assistance from the Federal government.

FEMA would be required to complete an affordability study within two years of the bill becoming law and minimize the number of policies with annual premiums that exceed one percent of the total coverage provided by the policy.

Join local the local community and give a big welcome home to 2014 Winter Olympics Men’s Luge competitor and Berwick native, Jayson Terdiman.

A welcome home parade for Jayson is scheduled for 1:00 pm on March 1, 2014 in Berwick. Defender Fire Trucks will depart from Fuel Fitness, escorting Jayson and his family through town and up Front Street. 

Line the sidewalks, wave the flag, and cheer him on as he travels to the Berwick High School Gymnasium where he will speak, answer questions, and be honored by the Borough and State.

The Chamber would also like to recognize our Program Director, Amy Shortlidge, and Chamber Board member, Team Terdiman sponsor, and owner of Fuel Fitness, Marc Nespoli, for devoting their time to help organize the pep-rally last week and for assisting with the welcome home parade.

Other Chamber members who sponsored the pep-rally: First Keystone Community Bank, Knorr Hauling and Nespoli Jewelers.

For more photos, information and event posts, visit the Team Terdiman Facebook Page. Congratulations to Jayson and all who showed their support!

The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce and Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau are moving forward with plans to combine the operations of the two organizations in order to increase the value of membership and improve service to the communities in the two counties.

While the Chamber and Visitors Bureau will continue to exist, a new organization will be created. The staffs, operational resources and memberships will be combined within this new organization. The partnership will represent approximately 600 area businesses and organizations with the hope of attracting additional members as well as other partner organizations with similar missions.

The two organizations have been examining ways to work together more effectively since February, 2011. An early outcome was the establishment of a Joint Governmental Affairs Committee (JGA); an advocacy-focused partnership. Via a model grassroots advocacy process the JGA seeks to influence decision-makers and prompt actions that contribute to the benefit of their collective membership and the communities they serve.  Events the JGA has sponsored include candidate forums and an annual breakfast with Congressman Lou Barletta and the Commonwealth’s Revenue Secretary.

In the fall of 2012, members of each organization as well as Commissioners from Columbia and Montour counties were asked for their input on a potential partnership through a series of focus groups and surveys. “Our members made it very clear that they value the missions and individual brands of the Visitors Bureau and Chamber,” said David “Otto” Kurecian, Executive Director of the Visitors Bureau. “This partnership structure will ensure that our missions are not lost or diluted, while enhancing value to members and allowing us to more effectively serve the region.” The Visitors Bureau will retain control of the room tax revenue for the purposes of tourism enhancement while both boards will continue to meet to identify and oversee strategic priorities.

The partnership will maintain office locations in Berwick, Bloomsburg and Danville, with the possibility of adding customer service locations. The two main offices of the organizations will be consolidated into one facility to be identified. This new location will allow for operational efficiencies and provide space for future growth.

The formal proposal was unveiled to members in the Fall of 2013 with a series of Town Hall meetings held followed by a poll of both memberships to gather member feedback. The positive response to the poll exceeded 93 percent, according to Fred Gaffney, Chamber President. After reviewing the poll results, the boards of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau voted in January to move the process forward. A task force will be working with staff and sub-committees to formalize the operational details of the partnership with the hope that the final plan will be approved by members in mid-2014.

This process has been facilitated by Heather Feldhaus, Ph.D., with Bloomsburg University’s Center for Community Research and Consulting, and Chuck Laudermilch, retired Bloomsburg University professor.

“We have been following a very deliberate process to engage members and ensure that a partnership will meet our intended goals,” said Gaffney. “We thank all who have participated in this process thus far, and while we still have many details to work out over the coming months, it is very exciting that we are in the final stages of making the partnership a reality.”

The Task Force that has been working on this proposal is seeking the expertise of members to work on specific areas the partnership. Volunteer engagement is critical to finalizing the plan in a timely manner. Individuals are needed to help research and recommend a consolidated office location. Those with human resource experience are being asked to assist with combining the two staffs. And member input is being sought on how to best combine and execute the many programs, events and other benefits offered by the two organizations. Members interested in lending their skills to this process over the next few months should contact Fred Gaffney at the Chamber at 570-784-2522 or fgaffney@columbiamontourchamber.com, or Otto Kurecian at the Visitors Bureau at 570-784-8279 or kurecian@cmvb.com.

By Fred Gaffney, Chamber President

The following op-ed was published in the Friday, January 10th edition of Press Enterprise.

This winter has already seen a number of weather-related school closings, delays and early dismissals in the area. School superintendents have the difficult and unenviable responsibility of making these scheduling decisions. Attempting to reach the appropriate balance between the continuity of the school year and the physical safety of students is further complicated by the potential wrath of parents, including the ever-increasing threat of legal action against the districts. The backlash from the parents seems to have more influence than Mother Nature in taking a “better safe than sorry” approach.

The negative impacts of suspending the normal schedule go beyond disruption of the learning process and the inconvenience to parents and caregivers. Cancelling school for cold weather or even the threat of snow suggests to impressionable young people that it is acceptable, if not the norm, to put off one’s obligations for the sake of personal comfort and convenience. The manifestation of this cultural belief is as clear as it is disheartening and frustrating to job providers. As President of the Chamber of Commerce, I have the opportunity to speak with area employers of all sizes. A common challenge is a deteriorating work ethic, particularly in younger generations. Employees think nothing of calling off work or not even bothering to contact their employers ahead of time due to personal issues that should not warrant them missing work. This practice harms business productivity and employee relations and further deteriorates personal responsibility and accountability.

Further, the nature and tone of response from some parents when difficult decisions are made encourages a lack of respect for those in leadership positions. In the workforce, decisions and direction, while not always universally agreed upon, need to be carried out. Demonstrating to young people that it’s ok to yell, disrespect and even disregard a decision that requires a compromise on the part of the individual will hinder that person’s ability to be productive in group situations throughout their life including family and the workplace.

Developing personal ethics is most critical at young ages. The Chamber’s Foundation works with area schools to promote positive work habits in our youth. Taking personal responsibility and meeting obligations in order to be successful often requires individual sacrifices and discomfort. Parents and all adults should be sensitive to the importance of these traits in how we convey them to our youth.

Chamber member employees, friends and family members have access to a residential energy program to save money on home electric bills. Through the Chamber’s partnership with ChamberChoice and OnDemand Energy, a low, fixed rate on home electric generation is available. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to save money on your electric bill while also having a chance to win a year of free electric generation.

Through this special offer, you and your friends and family members can enroll with FirstEnergy Solutions to receive an exclusive price on your electric generation, which can lead to savings on your monthly electric bills. And anyone who enrolls in this offer between now and December 31, 2013, will be entered into a drawing to win free electric generation for a year.

Just like at your business, residents can choose their electricity supplier. PPL is still responsible for the distribution of electricity to homes and businesses including restoring power during an outage. The Chamber’s energy program with OnDemand was developed to help businesses and residents save money without a lot of hassle by finding the best rate among dozens of suppliers serving Pennsylvania.

Currently, the PPL price to compare is 8.37 cents per kilowatt hour. The price being offered through this promotion is 7.45 cents per kilowatt hour through June of 2016. It is easy to enroll online at www.fes.com/PAChamberChoice or by calling 1-866-699-9968 and asking for the ChamberChoice Friends and Family Program. The new rates will take effect in approximately 45 days.

The website also has a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the program. One of the most common questions is about cancellation fees. There are no fees if you move. However, if you choose to leave the program early for any other reason, there is a $25 cancellation fee. The average home will realize this amount in savings in a month or two.

Don’t miss out on this great rate and the chance to get a year of free electric generation. Sign up online today and share the information with your employees, family and friends.