Latest News from the Borough

Mike Young is asking for assistance in decorating the veterans’ graves for the various cemeteries in the area.

The following are the dates/times for each cemetery:

Saturday, May 19, 2018 (Rain Date is Sunday, May 20, 2018)

9:00 am          Meyer Cemetery (326)
10:30 am        Jewish Cemetery (4)
10:45 am        Catholic Cemetery (377)
12:15 pm         Hublersburg (127)
1:00 pm          Snydertown (32)

Monday, May 21, 2018 (Rain Date is Wednesday, May 23, 2018)

5:00 pm          Union Cemetery (915)

If you have any questions, please contact Mike Young at (814) 360-1184.

Please note this newsletter correction: The Big Spring Festival is being held May 12…not May 19.

The Borough-wide yard sale is May 18 and May 19, 2018. Riff Raff Week is May 21-25, 2018, on your regularly scheduled trash pickup day. For more information about these two events, please go to our calendar on this home page (left side below “online services”), below the calendar click on “Click to view full calendar”, and go to the month of May. When you click on the event, information about the event will show.

Bellefonte Municipal Parking Lot A, behind First National Bank along Howard Street, will be closed effective Monday, April 16, for approximately six weeks. You can use the municipal Lot D by the Waffle Shop, municipal Lot H by CVS, or on-street parking. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Because the leaves were so late to fall from the trees last year, the Borough will be doing a spring leaf collection. The leaf collection truck will go around for one week, beginning April 9. They will follow the normal refuse pickup schedule.

Who is the Centre Area Cable Consortium?

The Centre Area Cable Consortium (CACC) was organized in 2004 with the purpose of negotiating a regional cable franchise. It includes the following municipalities – the Boroughs of Bellefonte and State College and the Townships of Benner, College, Ferguson, Halfmoon, Harris and Patton. The CACC Board is comprised of one elected official from each of the eight member municipalities. The costs for negotiating the cable franchise are split among the eight members by the percentage of Comcast subscribers in each municipality.

When was the last franchise adopted?

The last franchise was adopted in 2008. It was the first franchise with Comcast, who purchased the cable system from Adelphia after that company declared bankruptcy.

Why isn’t there competition in the area?

Comcast holds a franchise in all eight municipalities. Windstream holds a cable franchise in State College Borough and College and Ferguson Townships.

We are not opposed to having other cable companies serve our area. They would have to negotiate a franchise, similar to what both Comcast and Windstream have done. To date, we have not received interest from any other providers.

What items can be negotiated?

Under federal law, we are allowed to negotiate customer service standards, density and build out requirements, technical requirements for the cable system, use of our rights of way and provisions for public, educational and governmental access channels. We are not permitted to negotiate pricing structures. We are also not allowed to negotiate internet or phone service.

What are Public, Educational and Governmental Access Channels?

We are allowed under federal law to have access channels. C-Net is our educational (channel 98) and our governmental (channel 7) access channels. We have language in our franchise that provides for technical provisions for C-Net. C-Net also received a capital grant from Comcast the last time the franchise was negotiated.

We currently do not have a public access channel, though there is language the permits the addition of a third public, educational or governmental access channel when a programming threshold is met. There was interest in public access in 2008, but that interest has largely waned over the last 10 years.

Who oversees Comcast’s performance?

The CACC does have a provision that allows for a bi-annual review of the cable franchise in its current agreement. The last bi-annual review was completed in 2011. We did not identify any deficiencies with Comcast or its performance under the franchise.

What is the timeline for negotiations?

The CACC is in the beginning of the franchise negotiation process. Comments from the public hearing will be gathered and considered as we begin the process. We hope to have a new franchise in place by mid summer.

Can I submit additional comments after the hearing?

Written comments can be submitted by email to [email protected] or mailed to Amy Farkas, Harris Township, 224 East Main Street, Boalsburg, PA 16827, until March 12^th.

To review materials from the Feb 22^nd Public Input Session, including the conceptual trail alignment, please follow this link:

http://centrecountypa.gov/index.aspx?nid=860

There is no date as to when Purdue Mt. Road will reopen. Benner Township has stated with certainty that it will not be open this winter season.

Ash collection is currently done on Wednesdays; however, beginning January 1, 2018, ash will be collected with your trash. It can be mixed in with the rest of your trash. Please be sure that the ashes are cold and fully extinguished before placing them in your trash can. If you have any questions, please call the Borough office at 355-1501.