The contractor working on Route 11 through Berwick plans to continue the reconstruction of a portion of Front Street through the business district next week.

On Monday, April 29, Barletta Materials and Construction, Inc. will switch lanes and begin excavating the right lane of Front Street from near Dunkin Donuts to Market Street, place sub-base material, and place two of the three new layers of blacktop. This phase is expected to be completed by Wednesday, May 8, weather permitting.

The third and final layer of blacktop will be placed after the Celebrate Berwick Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 11.

Motorists are reminded that there will be no parking on either side of Front Street while this work is being completed but the sidewalks and businesses will remain open. One lane of traffic will be maintained throughout the work.

There will be several days where Mulberry Street will be closed while the excavation and paving work are completed.

Last Thursday, SEDA-COG hosted the first public meeting to discuss two projects which will protect major employers in the Town of Bloomsburg. When completed, the Autoneum North America and Windsor Foods facilities will have flood protection systems. Funding for the projects includes $15 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and $11.8 million from the PA Commonwealth Financing Authority. The companies are providing the remaining $3.2 million and are responsible for any cost overruns as well as for ongoing maintenance of their flood protection systems.

SEDA-COG will be coordinating the projects on behalf of the Columbia County Commissioners. The next step in the process is to select an engineering firm to design and coordinate construction of the flood protection systems. That selection process is expected to be completed by June. The design and permitting phase is expected to take a year, followed by two years of construction.

A logical question asked by a number of people in attendance at last week’s meeting was how much these structures might raise water levels in adjacent areas during future flooding. Engineering work to be completed will provide that data. SEDA-COG’s Bill Seigel stressed that, if there were to be any significant impact, it would have to be mitigated before construction could proceed. As additional data becomes available, subsequent meetings will be held to keep the public informed. A website has also been developed to provide project updates at: www.sedacog.org/site/BFPP.aspx.

The following comments were offered by Chamber President Fred Gaffney at the meeting.

The notification by the Army Corps of Engineers last June informing that the long-anticipated flood control project for the west end of Bloomsburg was no longer viable was demoralizing to say the least. For decades, the Town and County had been working towards this project and hundreds of residents and dozens of businesses were counting on it to protect their properties and left everyone asking the question, “What’s next?”.

For the two largest employers in this area, the choices were pretty straight forward, develop protection for their Bloomsburg facilities, or move those operations, and the jobs, to other facilities over time. In the flooding of 2011, direct losses to the two Bloomsburg operations were a combined 67 million dollars. As Autoneum provides flooring to a number of major automobile manufacturers, their shutdown had a significant ripple effect across the North American automotive industry. This followed flooding in 2006 and other losses every time the companies have to stop production to prepare for even the risk of flooding.

As these businesses compete in national and global markets, ongoing risk in Bloomsburg would not be an option. Locally, we knew that we had to move quickly to find solutions to keep these businesses, and the jobs they provide, here. If not, they would be lost not only to our area, but to Pennsylvania, and possibly the United States. This risk is recognized by the Commonwealth and Federal governments through their financial support of these projects.

It is important to  illustrate how valuable these two businesses are to our local economy. Autoneum is one of the largest private employers in Columbia County with 730 employees. According to the latest information from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, it is the largest private employer in the county, and second largest overall after Bloomsburg University. Combined, Autoneum and Windsor Foods employ about 880 people, with total payroll of 40 million dollars. More than half of those employees live in Columbia County and about 66% live in Columbia and Montour counties. These jobs have a multiplier effect on our area. For every three new jobs created at Autoneum, one job is created in the community. At Windsor Foods, a new job is created in the community for every two new jobs at the facility. Just as importantly, the opposite is true if those jobs go away.

Whether or not you or an immediate family member works at one of these two businesses, they benefit every taxpayer in Bloomsburg and Columbia County. The employees pay over 45 thousand dollars a year to the Town through the Municipal Services Tax, and the two businesses pay approximately 260 thousand dollars a year combined in property taxes. This does not take into account the local products and services purchased annually by the businesses. Autoneum alone paid over $4.5 million dollars last year just on utilities.

Consider also the support of community organizations and efforts. Autoneum and its employees contributed over 32 thousand dollars to last year’s United Way campaign.

And these companies are not average employers. The Autoneum facility has been in Bloomsburg for generations and won numerous automotive awards and manufacturing trophies over the years. Windsor Foods sells to Nestles, Stouffers, Olive Garden, Applebees and Perkins. Their operations bring national recognition to our area.

Manufacturing provides more jobs in Columbia County than any other industry by a large margin over retail trade and health care. This is even after the loss of 330 jobs in October, 2011 with the closing of R.R. Donnelley and the closing of Bloomsburg Mills in 2009 which resulted in 134 jobs lost. Replacing these higher quality jobs is a struggle. The largest new industry to come to Columbia County in a decade is the Dollar Tree Distribution Center in Briar Creek Township, which currently employs about 350 people.  The Chamber and other economic development groups in the County are constantly working to bring new jobs to our area, but we face competition from not only neighboring counties, but neighboring states.

Thirty million dollars for these two projects is a lot of money, but, this investment will pay off in just one flood. While we all hope that is a long way off, we know it’s only a matter of time.

These two businesses have continually invested in their Bloomsburg facilities. Autoneum has invested over 10 million in just the last three years as their employment has rebounded from the economic downturn in 2009. Windsor Foods capital expenditures in 2011 exceeded 3.1 million. In 2011, these two businesses made a commitment to rebuild in our community after the flooding. It is important that the community remain committed to these companies as well in supporting these projects.

Information on the Bloomsburg Flood Protection Project will be presented at a public meeting, Thursday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the banquet hall at the Bloomsburg Fire Department, 911 Market Street. The $30 million project essentially consists of two flood walls, the first protecting Autoneum North America, Inc., and the second located at Windsor Foods. Together, the companies employ approximately 900 people. Both companies are contributing funds to the project.   Design and engineering for the project is expected to take one year, with construction occurring within the following two years.

The County Commissioners will open the April 18th public meeting with an introduction to the project. A brief history of flooding in the Bloomsburg area will also be presented. Two years ago, Autoneum and Windsor Foods were struck by floods resulting from Tropical Storm Lee. The industries were initially impacted by flooding from Fishing Creek, and then again from the Susquehanna River. Autoneum, a manufacturer of automotive floor and auxiliary mat carpeting, sustained over $60 million in losses, while flood damage at Windsor, a manufacturer of pasta products, exceeded $7 million.

Information about the two companies and their economic impact on the Town and surrounding region will be presented by Fred Gaffney, President, Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce. Bloomsburg Mayor Dan Knorr will represent the Town, and the final speaker of the evening will be Glenda Ruch, Project Coordinator, SEDA-COG, providing an overview of the Flood Protection Project. Ms. Ruch’s presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

Berwick reconstruction narrative schedule As of April 3, 2013

Work Area:  Front Street from Dunkin Donuts to Market Street

April 1 to April 12

•Set up traffic control signing; mobilize equipment and saw cut to roadway in preparation for full depth reconstruction.

April 15 to April 24

•Excavate left side of roadway; place sub ase and pave to binder course.

• One lane of traffic will be maintained through the work area.

• There will be several days where Mulberry Street will be closed on the Subway side of Front Street for this work.

• No parking on either side Front Street from Dunkin Donuts to Market Street.

April 25 to May 6

•Excavate right side of roadway from the Mulberry intersection to Market Street. Reconstruction of the right side of the roadway from Dunkin Donuts to Mulberry Street was completed previously by the boroughs sewer project. This area will be milled and overlaid at the completion of the other work.

• One lane of traffic will be maintained through the work area.

• There will be several days where Mulberry Street will be closed on the Carpet store’s side of Front Street. Access to the municipal parking lot will be from the Market Street end.

• No parking on either side of Front Street from Dunkin Donuts to Market Street.

Work Area: Route 11 Southbound (Second Street) from Walnut Street to Market Street (includes a section of 11 NB from Chestnut to Walnut.

May 7 to May 14

•The contractor will perform remaining milling and overlay work on sections of route 11 Southbound from Walnut Street to Market Street. During this time, the final layer of wearing course will be placed on Front Street through the business district. The parking lines will be repainted immediately following the final paving.

• It is anticipated to complete the final wearing course on Front Street on May 13 and 14 after the festival.

• Traffic will be reduced to one lane for this work and controlled by flaggers as needed.

Work Area: Route 11 from Poplar Street to Arch Street

May 15 to May 31

• Complete remaining milling and overlay work on route 11 from Poplar Street (Kmart Plaza) to Auto Zone.

• Traffic will be reduced to one lane and controlled by flaggers.

Please note that in order to complete this work as fast as possible the working hours will vary from days to nights depending on the contractors’ recourses and any weather related issues.

Members have access to a low interest loan program through the Chamber. Loans of up to $10,000 are available at an interest rate of 3% for a maximum term of five years. A recent change to the program is that interest only payments are required for the first six months of the loan.

Loan applications are available by contacting Chamber President Fred Gaffney at 784-2522 or fgaffney@columbiamontourchamber.com. A loan committee reviews applications and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors. Funds will be awarded for business development projects.

PPL Electric Utilities changed its generation service charge on March 1. The utility’s generation and transmission rates combined make up the “price to compare” for the purposes of shopping among alternative suppliers.

For residential customers, the new price to compare is now 7.237 cents per kilowatt-hour, down from 7.544 cents per kilowatt-hour.  The small decrease to the price to compare for residential customers for the March through May period is due to lower market prices for power supply.

PPL Electric Utilities does not profit on the generation portion of customers’ bills. It merely passes along the cost of that supply to customers without markup. PPL Electric Utilities’ primary focus is on electric delivery, billing and customer service. PPL Electric Utilities encourages its customers to seek opportunities to save on power supply costs by shopping for deals with competitive electric suppliers.

ChamberChoice now offers a  Residential Energy Program through OnDemand Energy available to Chamber member employees and their friends and family.  This is a great way to bring value to your employees without touching your bottom line.  The ChamberChoice price to compare off is 6.45 cents/kwh fixed until December 2014!

You can visit www.ondemandenergy.com to access this very low rate. If you would like a flyer promoting the Residential Program to highlight in your place of business please contact the Chamber office at 570-784-2522.

For small business customers, the new price to compare will increase to 10.814 cents per kilowatt-hour, up from 10.206 cents per kilowatt-hour currently. A full list of PPL Electric Utilities’ new rates for all rate classes can be found at www.pplelectric.com/choice.

More than 619,000 PPL Electric Utilities customers, or 43 percent of all customers, have already shopped and obtain their power from other suppliers. More than 74 percent of the total amount of energy delivered by PPL Electric Utilities comes from alternative suppliers, including almost all power used by large commercial and industrial customers.

Today, officials announced $15 million in Federal funding to help provide flood protection to two Bloomsburg businesses which employ a combined 900 people. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine and U.S. Representative Lou Barletta made the announcement this afternoon at Autoneum North America. The dollars will be combined with $12 million already committed by the Commonwealth and private funds to build flood protection systems around Autoneum and Windsor Foods.

Following the notification by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last June that the long anticipated flood protection system was not viable, local leaders began meeting with State and Federal officials to try to find solutions for two of the largest employers in Bloomsburg and Columbia County. Chamber President Fred Gaffney was part of the team that submitted a $12 million application to the Commonwealth for funding last fall. SEDA-COG coordinated the Federal application, and will be overseeing the two projects. With the Federal funding now secured, it is anticipated that construction can be completed in approximately four years.

Following the announcement, Chamber President Fred Gaffney participated in an economic roundtable discussion with the Assistant Secretary, Representative and local business and elected officials.

In addition to supporting these important projects, the Chamber continues to advocate for other flood protection efforts including relocation of United Water’s Bloomsburg treatment facility out of the floodplain. During the flooding in 2006 and 2011, the Bloomsburg service area lost water service for multiple days, hindering or shutting down hundreds of businesses throughout the area. In 2012, United Water conducted an engineering study on constructing a new treatment facility away from the bank of Fishing Creek. The company is currently evaluating the results of that study and expects to determine a course of action this year.

The 2013 Annual Dinner , sponsored by PPL Corporation, was held at the Rolling Pines Golf Course last Thursday, February 7th. This year’s event was the most highly attended Annual Dinner to date with 250 people in attendance.

The Chamber elected board members and honored the service of Rudy Singh, who has served on the board for 8 years. We also reviewed the activities of the past year and previewed the year ahead.

Each year the Chamber recognizes businesses and an individual that go above and beyond in the community. We presented 5 awards this year to deserving members of the Chamber:

Small Business of the Year, Old Forge Brewing Company

Business Longevity, Al’s Men’s Shop

Large Business of the Year, Berwick Offray LLC

Community Progress, Turkey Hill Brew Pub

Outstanding Citizen, Bette Grey of Columbia County Volunteers in Medicine

For more pictures of the Annual Dinner and Awards visit the Chamber’s Facebook Page.

Thank you again to all of those that attended this great event and if you weren’t able to make it we hope to see you next year!

A big thank you to the businesses that chose to sponsor the Annual Meeting and Awards.

EVENT SPONSOR:

PPL Corporation

AWARDS:

Outstanding Citizen of the Year- Berwick Industrial Development Association Small Business of the Year- First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. Large Business of the Year- Columbia Alliance for Economic Growth Community Progress- Berwick Hospital Center

HOSPITALITY:

United Water Pennsylvania , Philadelphia Federal Credit Union, InnoTek Computer Consulting, MetroCast Business Services, Geisinger Health Plan