Local Government TV

Thursday, April 09, 2020

Two NorCo Capital Projects Moving Forward Despite Shutdown


Forensic Center
Governor Tom Wolf has ordered a statewide shutdown of all non-life-sustaining businesses, and that includes construction. As a result, most contractors have been idled during some of the mildest weather in recent history. Even those who wish to make small improvements to their homes are unable to obtain the necessary permits. So it's no surprise that the 104-car Wolf Avenue Parking Lot at the former Milides Building, along with a life-sustaining crosswalk, has been delayed. So has a roof replacement for the lower section of the new courthouse. All the materials sit along the eastern side of the building. It remains to be seen whether these delays will result in cost overruns.

Grist Mill
I know of two county projects that are moving forward. The new forensic center, located at the Gracedale campus, is well underway. The steel beams are going up, and this project actually looks like it will be finished well before September.

The other project is the bridge at the Grist Mill in Tatamy. The poor business owner there has basically been unable to function, but it appears that her nightmare may soon be over.

The contractors doing these work likely sought and obtained waivers

I do see road and utility repairs here and there, which are obviously life-sustaining. But that's about it.

29 comments:

  1. Committee reports or oversight by council is non existent at this point

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  2. Human services is on its own.

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  3. Forensic center literally just resumed yesterday. It had been sitting idle out there for a long time. We thought they had supply chain issues perhaps with materials?

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  4. The was an article the other day in SpotlightPA mentioning Governor Wolf’s handling of a quick Waiver to building contractors who were specifically working on a new casino complex in Philadelphia. Area contractors who work the SAME tasks (but NOT at the casino) raised complaints. Supposedly, the Waiver for the Philadelphia Casino was rescinded. In the meantime, Governor Wolf is refusing to provide a list of who was given a waiver, and who was not.

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  5. There is no reason that outdoor construction work can not be going on. Building, excavating, black topping, tree work, landscaping can all be done with social distancing. It just that some people cannot THINK. the objective is to keep people apart, not stop all business. That is supposed to be the objective anyway.

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  6. All construction should resume immediately. Connected contractors get indulgences from Wolf while the unconnected starve and lose their businesses. Follow the money to find exemptions granted to campaign donors. While Wolf has proven to be a deadly incompetent in the virus mess, he's proven to be a rather adept political crook. He's a soulless waste of human tissue who'll go down as the single worst governor in PA history. He makes Milton Shapp look like Lincoln.

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  7. " Governor Wolf is refusing to provide a list of who was given a waiver, and who was not."

    He's not refusing. According to Spotlight, he has agreed to provide a list, but let me explain how this works. A government like his will delay and delay, and due to coronavirus, he has a perfect excuse to delay or even deny RTK requests. Then, when the public has forgotten about the matter, a list is released.

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  8. "Forensic center literally just resumed yesterday. It had been sitting idle out there for a long time. We thought they had supply chain issues perhaps with materials?"

    Wow! I do know that Kriger has been at the Grist Mill bridge for a few weeks bc I go by it when exercising. Though I live closer to Gracedale, I rarely head that way and was there yesterday specifically to see if work had resumed. I am surprised that yesterday was the first day back. They likely do have supply chain issues. My observations regarding courthouse construction were made on Tuesday.

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  9. Maybe if you had a trout stream running through your construction project you could get a permit to build your garage. There are about 3/4 million fisherman and many of them vote, but your garage project only involves two or three carpenters. you get the message.

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  10. Bernie (7:09) - I completely understand how too many politicians work their “magic.” The deception part, any way.

    Governor Wolf is in hiding. But, the citizenry is “on” to him. Would he be up for re-election, if not for Philadelphia, he’d be tossed out. Here’s another example of how he’s been handling this. I know it isn’t construction-related, although quite revealing.

    Yesterday, he decided to make the same announcement as Governor Cuomo made a week ago. That being, Wolf stating he will seize ventilators from around Pennsylvania, if needed. Cuomo failed to convince anyone because it was proven New York City was already under-reporting it’s true amount of ventilators. Now, Wolf is allowing himself to be boxed-in, like Cuomo was.

    Wolf finally is demanding to know how many ventilators he has in each County. His Health Officials should ALREADY KNOW. So, why is Wolf making such a request?

    Simple. The Federal government has been asking for EXISTING numbers for each state, BEFORE handing out whatever a Governor requests. The Press Conferences stress “Some Governors can handle this and some can’t.”

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  11. FISH ON MY FREINDS we must feed our family!

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  12. Per Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA): $22.90 buys you a fishing license and a pass to ignore all shelter in place orders. I wouldn't call it extortion. I'd call it "extortiony." But it's a pretty low price to tell all the Karens who are busy minding your business to go straight to hell. I know. I know. We're on the verge of losing hundredths of one percent of PA citizens and I should just follow orders. Thanks Karen.

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  13. bridge building Club rd

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  14. Depressions also take a toll in human lives. The cure we chose will be worse than the affliction.

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  15. 9;58 AM, I agree the cure, being a radical lockdown on the American Economy, is taking a bigger toll on human lives than the virus. There is significant evidence to show this virus is being presented in the form of a MANUFACTURED CRISIS. Thankfully, the ‘Players’ and their playbooks are being exposed more each day.

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  16. Scarecrow Cuomo wailed about not enough ventilators, not enough beds, blah,blah,blah. He threw shade at the feds for not giving him their entire stockpile of ventilators. Now the Javit Center 1,000 bed COVID19 hospital sits idle. Ventilators sit in warehouses. Cuomo is a drama queen who loves his daily briefings.

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  17. Speaking of ventilators and "the cure worse than the disease."

    https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/08/doctors-say-ventilators-overused-for-covid-19/

    A "nuanced" article that I'm sure word miners can pick through to find support for their own beliefs, but I wonder how many know this.

    "The first batch of evidence relates to how often the machines fail to help. “Contrary to the impression that if extremely ill patients with Covid-19 are treated with ventilators they will live and if they are not, they will die, the reality is far different,” said geriatric and palliative care physician Muriel Gillick of Harvard Medical School."

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  18. In support of your post, 11:07AM, I encourage everyone to view the 6 minute video (YouTube) video of Dr. Cameron Kyle-Slidell, a New York City Hospital. Well worth a look. His point is COVID-19 IS NOT WHAT THEY SAY IT IS. He goes on to states he can’t believe what he is seeing, and confirms (According to his knowledge, of course) the use of ventilators is doing more harm than good. He finishes by encouraging other Critical Care Specialists to come forward, as he is.

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  19. And if that’s not enough, Dr. Birx is a member of the Board of the GATES FOUNDATION.

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  20. What is the goal? If it is to practice social distancing, ok, lets do it. We should be able to conduct all business that can conform to social distancing. If the goal is to hamstring and impoverish the most people, then complete shutdowns make sense.

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  21. The goal? There are many similarities to other failed attempts to “fundamentally change America.” This one uses the Cloward-Piven Strategy.
    Like the others, this one is falling apart by the day.

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  22. This was never a ventilator virus. Piles of ventilators are going unused. Oxygen is needed, but not pressure. We're going to see fewer deaths than a bad flu season. We have all been had. Who knew it would be this easy to bring us to our knees?

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  23. The commenters here form the greatest batch of old-fart know-it-alls in recorded history!

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  24. 3:44 PM

    And then there are those who think "Recorded History" is only since Sponge Bob debuted.

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  25. Leave Sponge Bob out of this.

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  26. With no money exchanged and social distancing respected can a business that is closed do to Wolf's order give their products away?

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  27. Yes. Just leave it on my front porch, please.

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  28. I'm just happy that Gov. Wolf has acted to protect us.

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  29. Well, we are going to need a bigger forensic parlor soon

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