Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority How We Operate

The Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority was created to fill a need for a limited liability organization of local government to assume responsibility for ownership and remediation of acid mine drainage sites in Cambria County.

The Authority operates with a county contribution for administrative work. 15 Board members are appointed from all regions of the county. Board members are unpaid. Board members meet once a month to handle authority business and committees of the board meet more often to provide reports on the status of various projects. Early on a consensus was arrived at that if the County waterways are being returned to a condition that will permit public use, then public use should be secured and facilitated. Now all water quality projects consider public use and many trails are planned or under construction. Local government response to the trail program has been very positive.

The County also names the Authority as an additional insured under its general liability insurance policy. This coverage is currently obtained at no additional cost to the county and represents a substantial benefit to the authority.

The authority currently operates with an Executive Director, a solicitor and an administrative assistant. Substantial additional assistance is provided by the Cambria County Conservation District.
 
 

The Authority's initial succes owes much to the commitment that our three County Commissioners place on the activities as a way to improve the general quality of life and make the county a more attractive location ofr new businesses. County Commissioner Fred Soisson is shown here discussing the Mainline Trail with former Members Kathy Proudfit of Lilly Borough and Vince Kitchik of Summerhill Borough.

Board member Tom Stoy of Patton Borough discusses current project status with Conservation District Manager, Rob Piper and special consultant Harold Jenkins.

In order to reduce administrative overhead, the authority utilizes a system memorialized by seperate agreement on each grant, where all grant payments and reciepts are turned over to the county in dedicated funds. This way, the existing County controllers staff handles issues of documentation and payment. This allows advance payment of expenses on projects which have signed binding grant agreements.  The Authority recieves a general appropriation from the County Commissioners every January on which it draws and deposits in its own account to pay certain administrative procedures.  On a monthly basis the Authority approves an "Officer's Warrant" containing a list of checks to be drawn by the County Controller.

    Mrs. Columbus can be reached via email thorugh the at cccra@penn.com

The Cambria County Conservation District provides technical expertise and assistance on Authority projects.
They can be contacted at:
phone: 814-472-2120
or by e-mail at  cccd@co.cambria.pa.us 
Contact Rob Piper, District Manager,
or Jaqueline Ritko, County Geologist

The County Commissioners recently created a Department of Community and Economic Developement to provide oversight and liason between county agencies providing services in those areas and the Commissioners. In the few months since its creation the Department has substantial success in identifying needs and establishing more cooperation between countywide organizations with overlapping or complimentary missions. This link is under construction.
 
 

	Stonycreek Conemaugh River Improvment Project Home Page for a more comprehensive explanation of the acid mine drainage problem in the Upper Conemaugh River watershed.