Mar. 19, 2024

 
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Growth Happening at Victaulic Company



Since the first patent came out in 1919, now known as the Victaulic coupling, Victaulic has been hard at work with over 4,000 patents, over 5,500 employees, and 50-plus locations worldwide. This is a beautiful rich history of an American made, built, sustained, and led company that brings innovative solutions to the world's most complex piping challenges faced by engineers, site owners, contractors and distributors. The privately owned Victaulic Company is a proud part of Lawrenceville, Tioga County. The company, originally known as The Victory Pipe Joint Company, was renamed Victaulic, which combined the words “VICtory” and “hydraulic.”

The moment you enter the security check in, professionalism and a warm welcome is immediately noted. Safety is their number one priority. Sending each employee home from the Victaulic family to their home family after every shift is the goal. The pride of every employee in their work, team and employer is evident among over 175 people who know one another's names, work hard and celebrate harder. People in our area want to work there. And Victaulic wants good employees so they are staying right here in Tioga County! Executives shared that the best workforce in an operation comes from their Lawrenceville location. They believe in the people here so much so that they are launching their expansion of the Lawrenceville facility, which will open up another 200 jobs over the next couple years. I am so thankful the Victaulic Company recognizes an area in the nation that offers hard-working, dedicated and talented people, right here in Tioga County. This is a win for all of us!

I would like to thank the Lawrenceville Victaulic employees for always hosting me with a warm welcome and providing awesome tours. There is truly nothing like watching liquid metal being poured, shaped, cut, grinded, fully manufactured and prepared for shipment to customers all over the world by proud employees. It was equally enjoyable to sit down for a mid-day meal together, all 200 of us, devouring the 70 dozen homemade cookies by one of your colleagues. This is a family of employees who should be proud of what they do, how they do it, and where they are. Here’s looking forward to the groundbreaking day for the expansion and then the complete operation of the growth that is to come!
   
 
Connecting with Constituents Across the County



To gather around with a cup of coffee and an early morning breakfast allows for a lot of connecting and conversation with constituents! It was a pleasure to have met with members of the Rotary Club of Troy last week at Tina's IRON Skillet, in Sylvania, Bradford County. It was a time to share happenings in our district and Harrisburg, and an opportunity to answer some questions and hear about what is on the hearts and minds of our community residents. Top of mind for many of the constituents is the integrity of PA voting practices, holding uniform elections across the counties, which I stand by. As the PA Constitution states, "All laws regulating the holding of elections by the citizens, or for the registration of electors, shall be uniform throughout the State." It was encouraging to hear Club members passion for our schools and students, and the desire to support drivers education, permit and road testing within the schools. I am thankful for organizations and clubs such as the Rotary Club of Troy that remain active, supportive, and serve our communities where help is needed. Thank you for the many acts of service, volunteering, fundraising and support that the Rotary Club of Troy gives back to the community and Commonwealth.
   
 
Future Farmers of America, Cowanesque



What a wonderful dinner and awards ceremony held at Cowanesque Valley High School last week with the next generation of leaders! Congratulations to all our FFA students and a huge thank you to all the family, friends, teachers and advisors who make programs like this such a huge success!

It takes time, patience and sometimes a sacrifice to mentor others, to help build our future. It takes just a moment to say thank you to those who have mentored you. I am thankful for our FFA students, who grow in leadership, develop in character, and have a passion to improve our community through farming, agriculture, horticulture and veterinary industries.

Accomplishments by these future leaders have been made, awards have been presented and the work continues. It is never too early to mentor and never too late to be mentored. Take time to build one another up, plant the seeds, share the knowledge, advise with wisdom and grow our future together.

Thank you to the FFA of Cowanesque for hosting such a fantastic ceremony and allowing me the opportunity to encourage our future leaders and say a very deep thank you to all those important mentors in their lives. I wish you all the best in the growth of your future endeavors.
   
 
Innovation Challenge District 3 Winners



Congratulations to this great team of Wellsboro Area School District students upon being chosen as the District 3 winner for PennDOT’s seventh Innovations Challenge!

Pictured from left, Carter Knowlton, Natalie Cleveland and Ian Hoose took up the challenge of creating an implementable plan for redeveloping a stretch of roadway that, when constructed, separated an existing neighborhood, requiring people and businesses to relocate. Plans were required to address the needs of the community, including accommodating bicycle and pedestrian traffic, connecting the separated neighborhood, allowing for new business development and ensuring the smooth flow of traffic. The students were mentored by Mr. Francis Novak.

Mr. Novak shares how this opportunity for these students to compete in an Innovations Challenge builds character and impact their future: , “This challenge was a great opportunity for the students to step outside their traditional student roles and work on a real project with real stakeholders. Presenting their design to a panel of engineers, managers and supervisors, really increased the stress level and they did a great job. Public speaking is an essential skill in almost any job, so getting out there and doing it for real grew them. In addition, they were able to learn about all the career opportunities available to them that PennDOT has to offer in a variety of different fields.”

The three student participants share what they most enjoyed about the challenge, and how this grew them through participating in this opportunity.

Natalie: “I enjoyed working on the visual portion of our project. Working on the Minecraft representation of our design for nine hours was all worth it to see our idea come to life. This opportunity has helped me grow and work on important skills like teamwork and problem solving.”

Carter: “I enjoyed the presentation part of our project. I enjoyed going to PennDOT to present our idea altogether. The entire experience really helped me, especially the public speaking.”

Ian: “I enjoyed many things that came with the challenge, but my favorite part was listening to Dave Wise talk about PennDOT's huge highway project. I never knew I had all that much interest in engineering, but it is really an exciting career.”

Please congratulate these students on their stellar accomplishment!

Press Release: Wellsboro Area School District Team Named PennDOT Regional Innovations Challenge Winner
   
 
Don’t Get Fooled; Get the Tools – Sign Up Today



They take your identity, then ultimately bankrupt you. The devastation of having your lifetime of earnings stolen right out from under you by a scam would be horrific. From phone calls to emails, they all sound and appear professional and legitimate, but they are not. Can you identify a scam? How can you protect yourself?

Arm yourself with knowledge; that is power. Join me for a free one-hour event that will teach you about scammers’ commonly used tactics, what to look for and how to avoid these traps.

The event, hosted in conjunction with the B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging will be held on Thursday, April 4, from 10-11 a.m. at the Tioga County Fairgrounds, 2258 Charleston Road, Wellsboro.

The presentation will be led by George Dillman from the PA Department of Banking and Securities. Please register here or call our office 570-724-1390 to reserve your seat.
 
 
Is Your License Plate Hard to Read? Pre-Register Now!



Have you noticed your PA license plate fading, falling apart? Is it difficult to read? Those hard-to-read PA license plates could cost you a ticket of $100! We are offering you a simple way to have your plate replaced at no charge.

A registration plate is deemed illegible when one or more numbers or letters cannot be recognized from 50 feet or if the registration plate shows any blistering, peeling, discoloration or loss of reflectivity.

We will be holding two separate drive through events to be held on Thursday, April 11, at the Troy Sale Barn, 50 Ballard St. in Troy, and on Friday, April 12, at the Wellsboro Fire Company Annex, 21 East Ave. in Wellsboro. Both events will run from 4-7 p.m. Please be sure to pre-register here for your fastest drive through option. Or to make an appointment, call 570-724-1390.

For additional information on PennDOT license plate reissuances, click here for frequently asked questions.
   
 
House Returns to Session…Finally!


The state House returns to voting session Monday, March 18, for the first time since mid-December. It’s been a frustrating three months, as we have much to do on behalf of the people of this Commonwealth.

Why the delay? Majority House Democrats, who set the schedule, announced in early December the need to repair a significant water leak in the area above the chamber. They could have made other arrangements to allow us to do this very important part of our jobs during that repair, but they chose not to.

Of course, we still have been working on the issues that matter to you. The House convened for a non-voting session in the Main Rotunda in early February for the governor’s budget address, and the House Appropriations Committee subsequently held three weeks of hearings about the governor’s $48.3 billion plan, though we are still lacking quite a few details about his proposal. The House Republican Policy Committee also has been holding hearings in several communities, highlighting public safety, economic development, permitting reform and more.

For more information, including live streams of voting session and committee meetings, visit www.PAHouseGOP.com.
 
 
Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund Reopened


The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) today announced the Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund (PAHAF) has reopened on Monday, March 18, to homeowners struggling as a result of pandemic-related financial hardships.

The program provides financial assistance to eligible homeowners for mortgage and housing-related expenses to address delinquency and avoid default, foreclosure or displacement from their homes. It was paused last year as the agency processed a backlog of applications. The agency is now accepting new applications until the remaining funds are exhausted. So far, more than 15,500 households have received more than $205 million of the $350 million awarded to the Commonwealth through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants with priority given to homeowners facing an imminent adverse action (IAA) such as a notice of foreclosure, sheriff sale or utility shut-off notice. Applicants should understand that submitting an application does not guarantee funding.

More information about the program, eligibility and how to apply is available at www.pahaf.org. If homeowners have questions, they can contact the dedicated PAHAF Call Center at 888-987-2423, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
 
 
Honoring Our Women Veterans License Plate


In recognition of Women's History Month in March, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) is reminding drivers that purchasing an “Honoring Our Women Veterans” license plate both recognizes the importance of women who served and supports programs assisting the nearly 64,000 women veterans in Pennsylvania.

Each plate costs $40, with $15 going directly to the Pennsylvania Veterans' Trust Fund (VTF). The VTF regularly issues grants to statewide charitable organizations assisting veterans service organizations and county directors of veterans affairs. The grants are used to aid veterans in need of shelter, essential goods and other services.

The plate is available for passenger cars or trucks with a registered gross weight of not more than 14,000 pounds.

To learn more about how to purchase plates honoring women veterans, or other veterans, visit www.vtf.pa.gov.
 
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