Carbon County clears up location confusion ahead of primary

May 15—JIM THORPE — Carbon County's Elections Office continues to receive absentee and mail-in ballots ahead of Tuesday's primary election, but some confusion exists with the temporary office location, the elections director said Thursday.

The elections office is temporarily at 410 Center St. in Jim Thorpe, as renovation work continues on the 44-76 Susquehanna St. project, Lisa Dart said.

People continue to go to the 76 Susquehanna St. building, where renovation work continues, to drop off mail-in ballots, she said.

Last election, the county had a drop-off box for ballots at the 76 building, but does not have one at the Center Street location, Dart said. She didn't believe a drop-off box was necessary, she said, as it was offered mainly to help folks with the presidential election.

People can still drop off ballots in person at the Center Street location, and must deliver their own ballot, as they verify people's identities, she said.

The office will accept ballots up until 8 p.m. on Tuesday when the polls close.

She noted that mail is still going to the 76 Susquehanna St. building, and asked people to use the office's Post Office box number (P.O. Box 170, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229) when mailing in materials.

A sign will be placed at the 76 Susquehanna St. building referring them to Center Street location. The elections office will move to neighboring 44 Susquehanna St. when renovations are complete later this year.

All the consolidated polling places from last year remain in place and the only poll change is in Palmerton, where balloting was moved from the fire company to the borough garage, Dart said.

The county has 43,470 registered voters for Tuesday's primary, Dart reported. The breakdown is 16,025 Democratic; 20,721, Republican; and 6,724, non-partisan, she said.

Numerous vacancies for local election officials have been filled, Dart said, and people have been in for training. Some local election boards are comprised of all new people.

Other

In other business, the county commissioners:

— Opened two new bank accounts with Mauch Chunk Trust Co. — the county COVID ARP Fund and the county Railroad-Economic Development Fund. The first fund is for the $12 million in COVID funds that the county must disburse through 2024, and the second is a fund from the sale of the railroad, which must be used for economic development.

— Appointed James G. Logue Jr. of Jim Thorpe to serve as the county's representative on the state Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (AMERICA250PA) to plan, encourage, develop and coordinate the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding the United States.

— Approved a service agreement with GeoComm Inc. of St. Cloud, Minnesota, for indoor mapping for county Communications/911 at a cost of $56,810, which was approved under a state grant.

— Approved agreements with ESCO Inc. of Ephrata for monitoring services for security camera and panic buttons at district court offices in Jim Thorpe and Palmerton at a cost of $160/visit and subsequent labor of $128 an hour in fractional hours. The annual monitoring fee is $208.

— Approved a 2021 Federal Emergency Management Performance Grant application for $64,297 to support salaries and benefits of the emergency management coordinator and administrative assistant.

— Ratified a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program Grant agreement with the state for $250,000 for the Emergency Operations & Fire Training Facility project through May 2026.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said that bids could be going out soon on the project.

— Ratified the State Facility Closure Transition Program grant with the state Department of Community and Economic Development for $138,494 for replacement of the main elevator in the courthouse.

— Ratified an agreement with General Healthcare Resources of Plymouth Meeting to provide personnel to the medical department at the county prison on a temporary basis. Weekday shifts are $57 an hour and crisis hourly rates are $85 an hour.

— Approved an amendment with Form Space Design of Bethlehem for professional services relative to the 44-76 Susquehanna St. project, increasing the agreement $71,600.

— Approved an award of $155,500 for new restrooms and paving improvements at Boat Launch B at Mauch Chunk Lake Park through a cooperative grant agreement with the state Fish and Boat and Game commissions.

— Honored William Drake III, of Boy Scout Troop 209, Palmerton, for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.

— Announced the COVID-19 Hospitality Grant program is closed. Some $700,000 in grants were awarded with amounts ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.

— Announced that the county is looking at repairs or paving for county parking lots including the 44-76 Susquehanna St. and Mauch Chunk Lake Park. The county hopes to put out bids before the end of the year.

, with work to start in early spring, ahead of the heavy tourist season.

Contact the writer: kmonitz@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3589