BELLEFONTE — Centre County Commissioners on Tueday took action to proclaim Lunar New Year, highlight grant funding for hazardous waste education, and to support local transportation infrastructure.
Feb. 17 was recognized as the Lunar New Year. The holiday is observed by thousands of residents in the County with ties to Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Singaporean, Malaysian, and Filipino traditions. Traditional Lunar New Year celebrations center on honoring ancestors, reinforcing communal bonds, and celebrating a hopeful future.
Vicki Fong and Thilini Rupasinghe joined the commissioners as representatives of the local
Pan Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Circle, which serves as a liaison and advocate for the APIDA community in Centre County.
The date marks the transition from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse, which is symbolized by energy, perseverance, resilience, and forward momentum. Commissioners wished the Centre County APIDA community a prosperous new year and encouraged the community to join in the celebrations.
Throughout Centre County, there have been exhibits and events to usher in the Lunar New
Year. For example, the Penn State School of Music and Schlow Library have hosted Lunar New Year events. Bellefonte Art Museum will also house an exhibit by Korean-American artist Taylor Moon Castagnari. The exhibit, called Identity Playgrounds, will be on display from May 1 until June 28.
The Pan APIDA Circle will be hosting the annual Spring Festival on April 18 from noon to 5 p.m. at MLK Plaza in State College. Food, music, art, and entertainment will be present at the festival, with performers from various APIDA backgrounds, such as Sri Lanka, India, China, and Korea.
Grant funds
Commissioners also approved the acceptance of grant funds to support the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority’s hazardous waste education efforts.
Each year, CCRRA hosts education sessions and drop-off events to promote safe disposal of hazardous household waste. According to CCRRA representatives Mimi Cooper and Amy Schirf, the authority collected over 19 tons of waste and 1,600 tires from their 2026 hazardous waste and tire collection events, respectively. These two events alone served over 1,000 Centre County residents, keeping harmful waste and materials from entering the watershed.
The state Dept. of Environmental Protection’s 901B Municipal Waste Planning Grant will contribute $75,000 toward the Authority’s $84,375 total education project costs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2027. The remaining balance — $9,375 — will be covered by CCRRA.
The board also issued a letter of support for College Township’s application for the state Dept. of Transportation Multimodal Transportation Funds. If awarded, the funds would help improve the infrastructure along Shiloh Road in both College and Benner Townships.
College Township proposed a project that would include a series of upgrades along the Shiloh Road corridor, such as intersection improvements, traffic control enhancements, and access upgrades.
These improvements will address safety concerns and improve operations while also bolstering the area’s infrastructure to support continued residential and commercial growth.
Commissioners unanimously approved the letter of support, hoping to secure funds that can realize the potential of one of the County’s fastest-growing corridors without sacrificing safety.
