Shelter to be dedicated

Shelter to be dedicated

SHARON, Pa. — Joshua’s Haven City Mission, a new facility for homeless men, will be dedicated from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tours of the facility will follow.

Mission founder is Sherry Masotto Swetz, who three years ago formed a nonprofit corporation with a board. She was concerned with the lack of facilities here to help homeless men.

She said her long-term plan is to seek public and private funding to support the shelter, which will initially house six men, who will receive life-skills training and spiritual guidance.

Budget date is reset

MERCER, Pa. – Mercer County commissioners have moved final adoption of the 2009 county budget from Dec. 4 to Dec. 18 to allow more time to meet with department heads and try to cut costs.

The preliminary budget is available at the courthouse for public inspection.

In the meantime Fiscal Director John Logan is meeting with department heads to trim budget requests. Logan told commissioners Wednesday he hopes to cut some money out of requests to meet the anticipated increase of $219,000 in employee health costs next year.

Some of next year’s insurance rates will not be announced until next spring. But Logan based his figure on the 7.5 percent increase already announced from the insurance providers that cover about 40 percent of the employees.

Fire station celebration

BOARDMAN — The township fire department will have a reopening celebration from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at its fire station at 6169 South Ave.

The station, closed since late February, reopened Nov. 7 after voters last week passed a 2.2-mill police and fire levy.

Library head to speak

YOUNGSTOWN — Anne Liller, manager of the urban branches of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, is the speaker at 6:30 p.m. today at the Four Square Block Watch meeting at Friendship Baptist Church, 648 Lakewood Ave.

Liller will provide an update on the new Newport Branch library under construction at Market Street and Midlothian Boulevard.

Crisis center officers

YOUNGSTOWN — Kenneth M. Tkatch of Poland, a financial adviser with Range One Investors, was elected president of Help Hotline Crisis Center’s board of directors.

Other officers recently elected are vice president, Gary Walker of Struthers; secretary, Kate Huff of Youngstown; and treasurer, Robert E. Leipheimer of Columbiana. Tkatch replaces Anne Liller, of Poland.