Centre County Puts Focus on Domestic Violence Awareness

The Centre County Board of Commissioners officially proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Centre County at the regular meeting of the board Sept. 27.

Dawn McKee, STOP grant coordinator with the Centre County Women’s Resource Center, attended the meeting and offered a brief presentation to the commissioners.

‘Too many times, when we talk about domestic violence, we talk about the victims and the perpetrators,’ McKee said. ‘This year, we want to shift that focus a little bit and focus more on the other people or animals that are in the home when these acts of domestic violence turn up. Our theme this year is, ‘Every Family Member Deserves a Peaceful Home.”

McKee said abuse of animals ties in directly with child abuse, as well as domestic violence.

‘We want to raise awareness that domestic violence affects more than just the people involved in those violent acts,’ she said. ‘It affects everyone in the home.’

According to McKee, the Women’s Resource Center will hold an awareness event Thursday, Oct. 6, at noon on the steps of the courthouse in Bellefonte. Centre County Common Pleas Judge Pamela Ruest and Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller are expected to speak at the event.

In other business, the commissioners:

■ Proclaimed Oct. 7 as Manufacturing Day in Centre County.

■ Approved a liquid fuels payment in the amount of $35,000 to Penn Township for seal coating of various township roads.

■ Re-appointed Joel C. Myers, Carl Homan and Thomas Boldin to the Centre County Agricultural Land Preservation Board through Aug. 31, 2019.

■ Approved a STOP Violence Against Women continuation grant between the county and the state Commission on Crime and Delinquency to enhance the capacity of local communities to develop and strengthen effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving violent crime against women. The grant total is $145,000.

■ Approved an amendment to a lease between the county and Fred and Denise Wood-Together Investments for the Centre Region magisterial district justice office located at 1524 W. College Ave., State College. The lease total is $56,883.72 annually.

■ Renewed a contract between the county and Stenograph for maintenance of a steno machine. The contract total is $369.

■ Approved an in-kind purchase from Penn State University of two 2012 Chevrolet Malibu sedans. One car has 37,729 miles and cost $11,000 and the other has 21,267 miles and cost $11,660.