FERGUSON TOWNSHIP — A proclamation recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month and an update on the township’s ongoing manager search highlighted the Ferguson Township Supervisors meeting Tuesday, April 7.
Supervisors unanimously approved a proclamation designating April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, joining Center Safe in raising awareness and supporting survivors.
Jennifer Pencek, executive director of Center Safe, told the board the organization continues to see significant demand for services across the county.
“On average, we support around 900 domestic violence survivors every single year,” Pencek said. “Add to that another 200 or so sexual assault survivors, another 200 individuals and families needing emergency shelter and housing, and 1,200 to 1,500 hotline calls.”
Pencek said Center Safe, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year, provides services ranging from emergency shelter and counseling to legal advocacy and hospital accompaniment for survivors.
“We’re not going to shy away from it,” she said. “We’re going to say the words out loud. Because the more we don’t talk about it, that’s when abusers win.”
Supervisors and staff thanked Center Safe for its work with multiple members emphasizing the importance of moving beyond awareness to action.
The board also announced progress in its search for a new township manager, confirming it has already conducted initial interviews.
Supervisors met in executive session March 31 and April 1 to discuss personnel matters related to the search and interviewed candidates virtually. Additional executive session discussions were held April 7.
Chairman Jeremie Thompson said the township expects to invite selected candidates for in-person interviews in the coming weeks.
Beyond those two focal points, supervisors approved several additional proclamations and discussed ongoing township business.
The board recognized April 18 as the 30th annual Watershed Cleanup Day, organized by Clearwater Conservancy. Last year’s effort included 664 volunteers who removed more than 12,800 pounds of trash from local waterways.
Supervisors also proclaimed April 25 as Arbor Day in the township and recognized April 12–18 as Rural Road Safety Week, emphasizing increased agricultural traffic and the need for caution on local roads.
During reports, officials noted the township is beginning preliminary work on its 2026–27 budget, including participation in upcoming Centre Area Transportation Authority discussions.
Police also provided an update following a recent cyber-related system disruption that temporarily forced officers to revert to paper reporting. Chief Matthew Wilson said approximately 156 incidents were manually reentered once systems were restored with no data lost.
“We had to wait for the CAD to download it into our records management system. Once we saw that, we were able to match it up to everything that we had done by hand and we were spot on,” Wilson said.
Supervisors also discussed a planned solar feasibility study for township facilities. The study, expected later this spring, will evaluate potential installation options and funding opportunities.
Supervisors also reviewed changes to how liquor license transfers are handled following a policy shift by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
Township Manager Tom King said the board previously approved a 2025 resolution supporting the transfer of a liquor license to the Rutter’s location on Blue Course Drive with several conditions attached. However, the PLCB has since changed its policy and no longer accepts conditional approvals from municipalities.
“They want to have either an approval or a denial of the transfer, but not under certain conditions,” King said.
To address the change, township officials discussed shifting to a private agreement between the municipality and the applicant which would allow the township to retain similar conditions outside of the state approval process. Under that approach, any violations would be enforced locally through the Centre County Court of Common Pleas rather than the PLCB.
King said the process would require two steps: negotiating a private agreement with the applicant and then adopting a new resolution either approving or denying the transfer based on that agreement.
Supervisors generally supported the approach but debated whether all previously proposed conditions were necessary. Some members questioned whether certain requirements duplicated existing state regulations or standard business practices.
“I think very few things on this list are truly necessary,” Supervisor Omari Patterson said, noting that some conditions, such as employee training and financial safeguards, are already expected under state law or industry norms.
The meeting included a reminder that April also includes National Volunteer Month, Autism Awareness Month and Earth Day on April 22.
