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Hamilton appointed youth services director
Commissioners reinstated a county jail correctional officer.
MERCER, Pa. — Mercer County commissioners have appointed Jason Hamilton as director of Mercer County Children and Youth Services. Hamilton has served as assistant CYS director for 21‚Ñ2 years.
Hamilton graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in social work in 2001. He replaces Mary Ann Daniels, who recently resigned. Hamilton will be paid $50,960 annually.
Commissioners later agreed at their Thursday meeting to pay Gannett Fleming Inc., Mercer, $15,756 to do a geo-technical study for land the county purchased some time ago at Interstate 80 and Pa. Route 19 as part of the Strategies 1000 development initiative. The land will be tested to determine what would be the most suitable use for it.
Commissioner John Lechner said the acreage is prime development land and that recent development in Springfield Township as well as the planned racetrack in Lawrence County make the land “that much more desirable.”
The necessary studies must be done so that “we will be ready when applicants knock on our door,” he said.
The money for the study will come out of the county’s capital reserve fund. The study is a professional service and does not have to be bid, commissioners said.
Also, county Engineer Mark Miller announced that replacement of the bridge on McCartney Road in Fairview Township is expected to start July 28 and conclude by Oct. 20.
The project will use 80 percent state and 20 percent local funds. Commissioners authorized advertising for the work as well as for superstructure replacement of a bridge on Clay Furnace Road in Jefferson Township. No timeline is available yet for the Clay Furnace Road project, which will be funded with liquid-fuels money.
In personnel actions, Walter Weir Jr. was reinstated with back pay as a full-time sergeant correctional officer at the county jail.
Weir won his job back after a two-year fight after his June 2005 dismissal over his reporting of an incident in which an inmate stole tobacco out of another guard’s jacket pocket. Tobacco is considered contraband in the jail.
Weir is a member of Teamster’s Local 250, which appealed the decision to an arbitrator, who ruled in correctional officer’s favor. The county prison board then appealed to common pleas court, which ruled against Weir. Weir then appealed to Commonwealth Court, which upheld the arbitrator’s decision.
Commissioners also approved a one-year lease agreement with Mercer County Juvenile Advisory Council for two rooms on the second floor of the Citizen’s Bank Building on North Diamond Street. The county recently bought the building. The council will pay $325 per month.