York County officials approve prison repairs, 30-day burn ban

York County officials are moving forward with $300,000 worth of repairs to York County Prison mandated by state inspectors.

The county commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Dillsburg-based Lobar Associates to repair shower floors, ceilings and walls in six housing units. Those were areas cited by an inspection from the state Department of Corrections. At a Prison Board of Inspectors meeting April 12, Warden Adam Ogle said the building was aging.

“We knew ahead of time; we were waiting on bids to come back,” he said at that meeting. “I reached out to the Department of Corrections to get an extension.”

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The county also approved several other motions relating to York County Prison, including:

• An official memorandum of understanding with the YWCA to provide free victim services to inmates who have suffered violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. The memorandum began April 19 and runs through April 19, 2024.
• $16,248 to Williams Service Co., of York, to repair a broken dishwasher.
• $25,770 to SSM Industries Inc., of New Cumberland, for a new mixing valve in the boiler room. According to Commissioner Doug Hoke, who serves as president of the prison board, that valve controls water temperature.
• $12,867 to ESCO Security, of Ephrata, for camera licensing from April 24, 2023, to April 24, 2024.

The county also approved a renewal agreement between the county's Children, Youth and Families office and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The agreement will cost $170 on a case-by-case basis.

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Clair Doll, executive director of human services, said the contract was for expert opinions on injuries to children.

"It's really about due diligence in our investigations," Doll said. "So let's say a case comes in: They have a broken arm, the caregiver says 'They tripped over a toy or fell off a step.' What we can do is send it to them and they can say 'Yes, that's an injury that's consistent with that type of explanation' or 'Hey, there's something more going on.'"

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The county also officially approved a 30-day burn ban on any and all open burning. President Commissioner Julie Wheeler said the ban came as a result of advice from fire chiefs across York County and would be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.

To watch the full York County Board of Commissioners meeting, visit the county's YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@yorkcountypa1749_Commissioners/streams.

— Reach Matt Enright via email at menright@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @Matthew_Enright.