by Rachel Heitzenrater
rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com

CANTON — The Canton Chamber of Commerce met via Teams on Thursday, April 1 at noon.

Present members included: Mary Ann Porter, Eric Schoonover, Crystal Salsman, Tami Bethune, Amy Seeley, Kim Bailey, Frank Watson, Robyn Cummings and Rachel Heitzenrater

Several upcoming events were the topic of the meeting, including a June 23 Golf Tournament for the Pregnancy Care Center, A virtual referral meeting Tami invited the group to on April 27, Frank’s event in the fall and the change of Wine and Cheese to a new festival.

Amy Seeley started the monthly reports on behalf the borough, stating that May 24 will be the borough’s spring cleanup. She also plans to get with Frank Watson and the Lions Club on their annual cleanup as well. Street sweeping has begun.

She also reported that Bishop Brother’s were the winning bid for the DCNR grant to help fix the tennis courts and basketball courts as well as internal work.

Frank Watson spoke about the Watson Diesel shops being busy.

Crystal Salsman reported about the two fundraisers coming up: Pound the Ground on May 29 and the golf tournament on June 23 at the country club.

Kim Bailey reported that Chemung Canal had to make a couple hires lately.  Masks are still required at the bank. She said they’ve seen a lot of stimulus check activity.

Mary Porter spoke about the Canton Fitness Center, saying things are going well and membership is increasing. She also noted they have started up with dry cleaning. She also reported some classes kicking in gear. The upstairs is open for rental: $100 deposit, $50 return for parties.

Tami Bethune spoke about a virtual event on April 22 called “Referral Topia.” She invited some of the chamber members to attend.

Bradford County Tourism and Promotion
Robyn Cummings reminded members of the three new guides that the agency has produced this year. She said they have all been well-received.

The Local Goods Guide is Bradford County only and features 40-50 producers and encourages shopping local. The recreation guide is for outdoor activities: hiking, biking and showcasing what all Bradford County has to offer outdoors. The travel guide is the final guide which highlights restaurants and more for tourists to view.

All guides are available for download at their website at: www.visitbradfordcounty.com.

Cummings also spoke on the progress of the mural, stating they are partially done with a panel. So far, she has had 56 volunteers help with the mural and plans to reach out to valley art teachers to get their classes involved. She plans to have a location set for the Troy/Canton area to help paint the mural as well. The agency is looking at a fall installation of the mural. This is partnered with the Regional Arts Council.

As we are approaching “events season,” Cummings reminded members to include her in their planning for Facebook live and promotions.

Mary Porter asked about the status on the “Rails to Trails.” Due to COVID, it’s unclear as to what the status is on that.

Building status
Amy reported 75 members total currently. The next Canton Chamber of Commerce meeting will be Thursday, May 6, at 8:30 a.m. with location still to be determined.

The new building purchase was the next topic. Amy reported that she had submitted the application the day prior to the meeting.

Eric thanked Amy for the time and effort she has put into putting the paperwork through, including a resume and dealing with some funding questions.

There was a second walk through of the building in March. Members discussed the future of the building.

Website
Tami Bethune spoke with members about the new chamber website. She says it’s a marketing piece to invite more membership and have new potential members learn about the chamber. The website will go live within the next couple weeks.

Tami said she thought it would also be beneficial for members to post the financials and meeting minutes on the new website as well, and possibly archive the previous ones.

Wine & Cheese update
Amy reported on behalf of the committee, stating that Wine & Cheese will not be Wine & Cheese anymore. However, the committee is planning a festival with the block dance down town. More details will be released at a later time.

Motorcycle event
Frank spoke about the status on the event he is planning in the fall.

The Canton Lions Club will be sponsoring the event. The fire department will also be doing a poker run with the event.
The schedule is planned and ready to be viewed on the website: Friday Evening - Registration and Motorcycle Show with Vendors and Entertainment; Saturday Ride - 150 Mile Ride including lunch; Sunday Ride - 50 Mile Ride including lunch; Registration Fee - $30 per day or $45 for both days. Your fee will benefit local charities.

Tami Bethune has been working with Frank on a new website which can be found at: www.tourarmeniapa.org.
​
The next Canton Chamber of Commerce meeting will be Thursday, May 6, with location and time to be determined. For more information, go to www.cantonareachamberofcommerce.com.

by Rachel Heitzenrater
rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com

TROY — The Troy Chamber of Commerce discussed an upcoming job fair at their April 7 meeting at Vinnie’s II in Troy.

Darlene Wampole was the unofficial speaker at the lunch meeting and spoke about her plans on the job fair, which is set to take place at Alaparon Park this year in Troy.

The event will be Wednesday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 436 Gate #1 Lane. This will be a hiring event. All employers must have current job positions available and only job opportunities may be promoted at the job fair.

For more information on the event, contact Wampole, at 570-265-2171, ext. 545.

Bradford County Tourism and Promotion
Robyn Cummings reminded members of the three new guides that the agency has produced this year. She said they have all been well-received.

The Local Goods Guide is Bradford County only and features 40-50 producers and encourages shopping local. The recreation guide is for outdoor activities: hiking, biking and showcasing what all Bradford County has to offer outdoors. The travel guide is the final guide which highlights restaurants and more for tourists to view.

All guides are available for download at their website at: www.visitbradfordcounty.com.

Cummings also spoke on the progress of the mural, stating they are partially done with a panel. So far, she has had 56 volunteers help with the mural and plans to reach out to valley art teachers to get their classes involved. She plans to have a location set for the Troy/Canton area to help paint the mural as well. The agency is looking at a fall installation of the mural. This is partnered with the Regional Arts Council.

As we are approaching “events season,” Cummings reminded members to include her in their planning for Facebook live and promotions.

Committee Reports
The Events Committee met and discussed the idea of upcoming events. They planned to have the regular events, such as the Halloween parade. However, they discussed a new route in which it starts at the high school and ends at the elementary school.

They also discussed the possibility of an upcoming chamber mixer hopefully for the fall. A summer picnic with Canton Chamber of Commerce was also discussed. A chili cookoff was also discussed.

For the car show, the event will resume this spring in the First Citizens parking lot beginning May 25 until September.
Zachary Gates gave a shout out to Jeff Bower for helping out with putting Hometown Heroes banners back up after they fell down due to weather and other reasons.

For merchandise, Elizabeth Card reported that they are still seeking ideas for an ornament or building this year. A special event to commemorate would be a good idea for the dedication this year.

Announcements
Zach reported on behalf of Matt stating that they are working on a more formalized manner of “mini resumes” for students in the special education curriculum, who are looking for job opportunities.

The Troy Historical Society reported that they will be planning the annual Memorial Day parade this year. The parade will be shortened to help with social distancing. More details will be released at a later date. There will be a speaker and the band will participate. Those that ride floats will instead be asked to march.

Step off the Curb program will continue. He also noted that they plan to highlight local veterans with a booklet about each of them.

The Heritage Association reported that they are opening back up the first weekend in May through the end of October. The PA Heritage Festival is planned for Sept. 18 and 19. The monthly newsletter is now out as well. The Association participated in Maple Festival this year.
​
The next Troy Chamber meeting will be at noon on Wednesday, May 5, with location to be determined.

Canton Borough Council at their April 12 Council meeting established a sidewalk/curb revolving loan fund to assist residents/businesses in maintaining their sidewalks/curbs.

The loan amount will be capped at $5,200 plus interest of 1.5% with property owners having a corner property being eligible to receive an additional loan up to $10,000 total.  Property owners needing a tree removed in the sidewalk area are eligible to receive up to $1,000 additional funding.

Should the cost of the sidewalk repair exceed the loan amount, the property owner must pay the additional cost.

Pre-qualification forms are available at The John A. Mosser Canton Borough Municipal Building.  An Agreement between the property owner and Canton Borough will be executed after review and approval.

Property owners with corner properties will be required to repair the handicap ramp as part of the program.  Canton Borough will repair the handicap ramp portion with the property owner paying for materials only.

The individual property owner can hire an independent contractor and apply for the loan and/or Canton Borough can do the work if scheduling allows at the expense of the property owner.

Appropriate permits must be obtained for any sidewalk program.

Council President Michael Shultz wants residents to know that this program is there to offer help to both homeowners and businesses but that it’s not the only means of getting money to fix a sidewalk.  He hopeful that the Borough can turn the conditions of the sidewalks in the Borough around for the better and hopes this process will help make that easier.
​
For information on the program, please call the office at 570-673-5700, e-mail cbadmin@frontiernet.net or stop in at 4 North Center Street.

​by Matt Jennings
Correspondent

CANTON — The Canton Borough Water Authority has stayed busy in recent weeks. At the monthly meeting on April 13, Manager Ryan Machmer reported selling 362,000 gallons of bulk water worth $4,353 in the month of March. 

Stormwater collected in March was valued at $2,454. Bradford County Collections also sent its monthly $600 restitution check from Brenda Mott for the month of March. 

The Water Authority pumped 360,000 gallons of water per day in the month of March, with about ½ of that being leaks. Water service employees have been inspecting service lines looking for leaks. While there are listening devices that can be used to detect leaks, their effectiveness is limited in newer plastic water lines than in older metal ones. The Water Authority will likely look to go street-by-street shutting off lines to find and repair the leaks in the coming months.

The plant effluent has been testing higher than acceptable standards in Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS). This is due to the sludge tank being full. With sludge being spread the test values are likely to stabilize. Related soil samples have been taken and sent to Penn State Ag Labs in order for the sludge spreading to maintain environmental compliance. 

The Water Authority will soon conduct a final inspection and amortization to pay its contractor and formally close out the Sewer Upgrade Project. The Project has cost $11,671,326.97 to date.

Machmer has been searching for different contractors to build a sign for the front of the Water Treatment Plant. It was suggested that rather than go through an outside catalog, Machmer contact the high school wood shop teacher and see if the students could build a sign as a project. 

In regards to the proposed Troy Street water line upgrade, Machmer, along with authority members Neil Nelsen and Frank Watson met with Britt Bassett of Bassett Engineering as a preliminary meeting to discuss the project. Bassett answered questions regarding location of lines and timeframe of the project. There was discussion on whether to actually run the new line on the East or West side of Troy Street. While the East was the originally proposed side, the west side of the road has less existing units that would have to be worked around. Further discussion will be held in future meetings. 
​
The water authority plans to meet next month at the water treatment plant office May 11th at 6:30.

Sale of Arnot Medical Center is pending to North Penn Comprehensive Health Services

by Rachel Heitzenrater
rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com

TROY — Troy Township Supervisors hosted a public hearing for the sale of the Arnot Medical Center on Thursday, April 15. The buyer is North Penn Comprehensive Health Services (AKA Laurel Health Centers), a company which is based out of Tioga County.

“We are excited about getting a branch into Bradford County,” said President and CEO of North Penn Comprehensive Services James Nobles. “We already have a couple hundred patients from this area and we want to help provide closer access to our facilities.”

The $3.2 million purchase is set to take place as soon as possible, after the acceptance from Troy Township supervisors as well as Sayre Borough. The Healthcare Facilities Authority of Sayre will be involved in the financial aspect of the sale, which is why Sayre Borough needs to approve. 

“It’s a vehicle for non-profits to obtain tax-free money for appropriate purposes,” said Ronald M. Gilbert, Jr., the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. 

The estimated goal time is the end of May, with the name changed over by June 1, should the transaction go according to plan. Current patients will not see a lapse in coverage.

The funding is planned just to buy the building, not necessarily to add onto it. However, Nobles, says the company is planning to keep the building’s current staff, which will switch over to NPCHS. 

NPCHS is a “primary care business,” which means the primary care provider, or PCP, is the patient’s first stop for health care. Currently, they employ 135 people and have 35 providers in 10 different facilities situated throughout Tioga County. NPCHS works with UPMC Susquehanna, however, they are separate entities and bill insurances separately. 

The goal of the 501c3 company is to see patients, regardless of their ability to pay. This means they can offer visits at a reduced rate, called their “sliding scale fee,” which bases a co-pay off of income of the patient.

Nobles says they are a federally-qualified health system, which means they have access to funding from the government to provide care to all patients. They are a subset of the Department of Health and Human Services as well. 

“Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve by offering access to rural-class care in a compassionate and patient-centered environment,” he said. He noted that they plant to “replicate” the human services they use in Tioga County. 

NPCHS also offers behavioral health, pediatrics, chiropractic care, dental services, diabetes education, nutrition counseling and women’s health on top of their family medicine and specialty care.

NPCHS is looking into urgent care, but like the “open access model” they currently provide at their facilities. 

“This means, a patient will see their own provider on a day they are sick,” said Nobles. “Usually, if a patient calls in the day of an appointment and asks to be seen, they don’t necessarily get their personal provider.”

They also are looking into re-expanding services for more convenience for local patients.

“I would like to see some specialists in some of the part of the building that is not currently being used,” said Nobles. “We are trying to make sure care is accessible,” he said. 

When asked if they plan to use some of the extra space on a methadone clinic, Nobles said that they do not currently have the system for that. Instead, they offer behavioral health counseling on addictions.

Chiropractic and dental care services are planned for that building. 

After the transition, NPCHS plans to encourage local community members to join the Board of Directors and help them assess the needs of the area. 

NPCHS has a patient portal to access and schedule appointments and can also help set up insurance for their patients. If you need assistance finding affordable health insurance, please stop into a health center or call their Certified Application Counselor directly at 570-723-3424 to schedule an appointment.

The patient portal can be accessed at https://myupmc.upmc.com.
​
For more information on North Penn Comprehensive Health Services, go to www.laurelhc.org or to make an appointment, call 833-528-7354.​

by Rachel Heitzenrater
rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com

CANTON — Once a senior completes high school, they expect to receive a high school diploma. For Canton Area High School’s Carmya Martell, she will not only receive her high school diploma this spring, but her Associate’s Degree as well!

Martell is the daughter of Amy and Gary Martell, both whom are local educators of Bradford County.

It all began with Martell’s tenth grade summer. While most of her classmates may have been enjoying the summer off, Martell began online college courses through Lackawanna College, using the Level Up Program for high schoolers, offered by Lackawanna.

“My parents are very involved in education and we knew a lot about the college and what classes to take,” said Martell.

The Level Up program at Lackawanna College was created in response to the national crisis related to the rising cost of higher education, the increased time that students spend in college before completing their degree, and the need for students to graduate from their secondary experience prepared to succeed in a major program of their choice.

Because of this option, it helps to reduce or eliminate barriers to enrollment in higher education, boost student retention and completion rates, and link early educational pipelines with family-sustaining careers for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, according to the website.

When asked what was the hardest in juggling both high school and college courses, Martell said “It was a lot of sacrifice. There were events I couldn’t attend,” referring to events with her friends.

Not only has she been doubling her homework the past two years, but Martell has also worked at the Shining Stars Daycare, played varsity and travelling volleyball, softball and track.

As a junior and senior, she spent most of her spring semesters in quarantine due to COVID. However, the lack of in-person instruction did not deter her from her classes. She said that because she is disciplined from the routine of online classes already, the school district moving to online a couple times during the school year, she was prepared and ready to complete her schoolwork and still managed both the high school and online classes smoothly.

On May 16, Martell will receive her Associate’s Degree for professional studies, a little less than three weeks until she receives her high school diploma from Canton Area High School.

“I’ve learned that working hard can present itself,” she said. “I’ve been involved in  so many things. My activities list is two pages long.”

In her spare time, Martell likes to travel, play volleyball and play guitar.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that most of this college work was behind the scenes, but it helped me become a better leader and push myself,” she said.

Throughout the process, Martell completed her Associate’s Degree credits that will transfer to wherever she decides to go. Just recently, she announced she was continuing her education through Penn State and will be joining the Nittany Lions in the fall.

She will major in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education.

She hopes that one day, she ends up with her Doctoral degree and teaching at the college level. Martell will be the third generation educator in her family.

During the summer, Martell plans to work at A&A Country Mart and wait for her fall classes to begin.

A piece of advice she has for the underclassmen of Canton Area School District is: “Education is evolving,” she said, “People are wanting to do and become more. This is a good opportunity for kids to be able to do more if they want to.”
​
For more information about the Level Up Program for high school students, visit Lackawanna’s website at www.lackawanna.edu/offices-and-departments/admissions/level-up.

by Rachel Heitzenrater
rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com

CANTON — Logan Route is busy working hard to make his dreams come true.

Route recently auditioned for ARTS International, which stands for Applause Rising Talent Showcase.

For more than 25 years, the agency helps adults and youth aspiring to be actors, models, dancers, and singers cut through all of the red-tape in the industry to find healthy success, according to its website.

“We find Agents, Castings, Managers, and Producers that we trust and have a long-lasting relationship with to help launch the careers of our talented participants,” it reads online. “Twice a year, we bring these top industry decision makers out to an event featuring our participants in a fully produced international talent showcase. The ARTS team and family is there every step of the way from auditions to the show, offering direction and education to prepare our participants for the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Usually I feel very nervous but I was very confident in this audition and I felt very good about it,” said Route.

He auditioned at the Holiday Inn in Williamsport last Friday evening, April 16.

“Then I got a callback and went to Scranton Sunday,” said Route. “They said I’d get results in 24 hours but I ended up getting the results that night! I was freaking out.”

After his informational callback in Scranton, Route found out he was flying to Los Angeles to continue this path for a five-day workshop with the agency.

The trip will be from Dec. 15-19, which will be five days of workshops, performances, interviews in front of agents from all over the country.

“It’s for singing, acting,  modeling, and dancing,” said Route, “I’m going to pursue the singing and acting portion.”

The trip is going to cost roughly $3,000 to finance.

“So, I am planning on doing some sort of raffle and I am going to ask if any local businesses or places I’ve performed want to donate something like a gift card to raise money for my arts international trip to Los Angeles in December,” said Route.

For more information on how to donate to Route’s trip, email him at Routelogan@gmail.com.

For more information on ARTS, go to https://artstalent.com.
​
All summer, Route has gigs planned throughout the area. Stay tuned to see him at a live show before he heads across the country this winter. You can find an updated schedule of shows on his Facebook page.

photo provided
The Canton Area High School Drama Club is in preparation for their spring performance, which is set to show on Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8. Pictured above are students who are staring in the production. Top row: Michael Asbury, Chayton Wesneski, Isaac Fleury; Second row; Xavierra Preston, Samantha Morgan; Taran Bellows, Aurora Groover; Third Row: Heidi Halbfoerster, Sarah Begg, Kylee Kilmer; Forth row: Marissa Hess, Melanie Kropf. For more information on the production, see the ‘school news’ page on page 12. ​

by Rachel Heitzenrater
rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com

TROY — Troy Township Supervisors announced a public hearing for this Thursday, April 15, at their monthly meeting Monday.

A public hearing will be held on Thursday, April 15, at the Troy Township building on Gulf Road at noon concerning the proposed issuance of a revenue note by the Health Care Facilities Authority of Sayre.

At the hearing, the company will go over the costs and expenses of purchasing the Arnot Center at 45 Mud Creek Road. The purchase will be made by North Penn Comprehensive Health Services (AKA North Penn). A more detailed description of the nature of the project and proposed plan of financing will be presented to the public.

The hearing is held on behalf of the supervisors and Sayre borough.

Other news
Supervisors chose a bid for the Cease Road sluice project. Dean Construction won the bid with $60,500.

Supervisors also discussed spring road work and plan to purchase dust oil at $1.75/gallon. Tar and chipping will be done as well at $2.35/gallon. The work will be done on various  township blacktop roads starting at Tennessee Gas Road toward the east to the township building.

Supervisors also motioned to buy an excavator for township work at a cost of $61,000. They plan to buy a Link-Belt Takeuchi from Warner’s.

For the Alparon Park update, it was noted that Maple Festival will be next weekend, the 24th and 25th.

Supervisors also reviewed two subdivisions, for the Cummings property and the Jones Property. They had no adverse comments about the subdivisions.
​
The next Troy Township Supervisors meeting will be Monday, May 10, at noon at the township building on Gulf Road.