The year 2019 had its moments. Today the Sun-Gazette continues a daily offering of news highlights from the year.
Following are the stories that made front-page news during February:
• Feb. 1 — Bowman Field scoreboard bids of between $525,000 to $675,000 were rejected by City Council. Six specifications for the board were not met by the bidders, said William E. Nichols Jr., city finance director.
• Feb. 2 — More than 100 city employees taking an online survey distributed by officials at City Hall said they don’t want to be required to live in the city. With 102 employees responding, about 42 percent of city workers took part in the survey, said Megan Dayhoff, city human resources director.
• Feb. 3 — The new city police administration said it wants people of Williamsport to focus more on their officers. “It’s your police department,” said Damon Hagan, city police chief as of Jan. 14. His counterpart, Aaron LeVan, assistant chief, has a similar philosophy. “We want our officers to get out of cars and meet people.”
• Feb. 4 — As a polar vortex leaves the city and region, its residents can expect much warmer weather throughout the majority of the week. A 60 degree change is in order, according to the National Weather Service in State College forecast.
• Feb. 5 — Construction on the city’s first “Nature Play,” and the resurfacing of tennis courts — both at Brandon Park — was expected to begin in early spring. Several companies bid more than $500,000 in improvements at the park.
• Feb. 6 — Homeowners with properties in the floodplain could end up saving big on flood insurance. The Lycoming County planning department said properties that are elevated may see reduced insurance costs.
• Feb. 7 — Costly storm sewer permits for South Williamsport and DuBoistown Williamsport and DuBoistown must be funded with mandates on municipalities to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act.
• Feb. 8 — UPMC Susquehanna Divine Providence and Soldiers and Sailors cancer centers joined the UPMC Hillman Cancer Centers network. The network is affiliated with 60 cancer centers and named one of 49 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers.
• Feb. 9 — More than one mile of Third Street will be evaluated in the spring. The inspection by city and state officials matters to residents, business owners, motorists and pedestrians who may have to pay for any repairs or replacements to sidewalks, said Joseph Gerardi, city codes administrator.
• Feb. 10 — Many business people perceive downtown Williamsport as a thriving community with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, art galleries, entertainment venues, and hotels. Merchants who’ve decided to locate or chosen to stay in center city are quick to count off its positive aspects.
• Feb. 11 — Men at the Polish Club donned dresses and wore makeup for a couple of hours as the civic organization held a beauty contest at the Polish Club, in Newberry, Sunday. More than $700 was raised to aid those afflicted with cancer.
• Feb. 12 — Cancer specialists will bring their skills from Pittsburgh to patients in Williamsport, according to Dr. Swaytha Ganesh, medical director, UPMC Living Donor Program at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Pittsburgh.
• Feb. 13 — Jessie Novinger, city recreation director, said she is going to redouble its efforts to schedule a Christmas parade after residents’ disappointment in its cancellation in 2018. Novinger and the city recreation commission have vowed to start to develop a game plan on how a parade can be funded and happen.
• Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day was a time Williamsporters went to stores and checked into restaurants. A day before, a jeweler, men’s clothing store owners and candy makers said were preparing for the crowds.
• Feb. 15 — City Council holds off on approving a scoreboard purchase and contract as it needs to find the right answers from finance officials on how the city will pay for a $600,000 matching grant to cover the expense.
• Feb. 16 — Mayor Gabriel J. Campana said the $600,000 scoreboard and upgrades at Bowman Field may have to wait for several more seasons due to problems with bidding and costs to fund it.
• Feb. 17 — No clear policy on surveillance cameras exists, as the city administration promised about two years ago. “We have not seen a written report on cameras,” said Councilman Randall J. Allison. The mayor agreed. But, it was Mayor Gabriel J. Campana who vowed council would see a policy put in place. Nothing has happening in writing.
• Feb. 18 — Award-winning Broadway star Lindsay Mendez wowed residents of the Susquehanna Valley and beyond at the Community Theatre League. Mendez graced the mainstage for the CTL’s third “Evening with a Star” event, their signature annual fundraising event.
• Feb. 19 –Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright will be the keynote speaker at Bucknell University’s 169th Commencement May 19. Albright served as the 64th Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001. Albright is the first female to serve in that position.
• Feb. 20 — The Lycoming County commissioners unanimously accepted a $327,284 Growing Greener grant through the state Department of Environmental Protection. The funds will help Hughesville Borough repair the bank along Muncy Creek near a pump house at the end of Fourth Street in Wolf Township.
• Feb. 21 –Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, a retailer of closeout merchandise and excess inventory, plans to open in the former Toys ‘R’ Us building, said Gwen Pidcoe, Muncy Township office manager.
• Feb. 22 –A Wisconsin-based company that presented the low bid for a scoreboard at Bowman Field alleged a “conflict of interest” may have occurred in the original bidding process for the $600,000 video system. Bob Masewicz, CEO of Visua, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, told city officials this week of the need to rebid the scoreboard project.
• Feb. 23 — Count bail officers Harry Rogers and Ron Poust, are credited with saving the life of a man who didn’t appear for a hearing. He was found “slumped over the steering wheel” of a vehicle, breathing but unresponsive. Rogers called Poust for aid and the two were able to get the client to a responsive state.
• Feb. 24 — The Field House at the Pennsylvania College of Technology was buzzing throughout the day as students from area schools were able to see science, technology, engineering and math at work as part of the annual Science Festival held by the college.
• Feb. 25 –Strong winds tore through the city and region and caused numerous power outages, tree parts to fly apart and limbs and branches to fall down and litter yards across. The high winds gusted at times up to 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service in State College.
• Feb. 26 –The Route 220 safety corridor project, spanning from the Fourth Street interchange in Williamsport to Route 287 in Jersey Shore, will begin in the summer, state Department of Transportation officials said. The $37.6 million project is meant to make travel safer on the seven mile corridor.
• Feb. 27 — Contractors began removing trees from alongside West Fourth Street in Newberry between Route 15 and Arch Street for the street reconstruction and paving project that could take up to two years, state Department of Transportation officials said.
• Feb. 28 — The Williamsport Sun-Gazette and The (Lock Haven) Express newspapers partner to bring the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors to downtown Williamsport the evening of March 12 for a free concert.
