Schuylkill County residents who do not speak English will be able to get the information they need.

Commissioners on Wednesday adopted a Language Access Plan. The plan is to ensure that people who have limited English-speaking ability have access to important programs and receive the benefits they are eligible for.The plan brings the county into compliance with government laws, said Gary Bender of the county Office of Community Development and Central Services."The purpose of this Language Access Plan is to identify how Schuylkill County will ensure its methods of administration of its programs serving the public will not have the effect of subjecting limited English proficient persons to misinformation because of their national origin, and to ensure that (they) have full access to programs and services," he said.The government rules apply to those agencies receiving federal funding, such as Schuylkill County Community Action, Schuylkill Women In Crisis, Schuylkill County Housing Authority, and the county itself through Community Development Block Grants and Emergency Solutions Grant funds, Bender said."For instance, this year we had to advertise for CDBG in both English and Spanish. If we were to get a complaint or question, we would reach out to providers to provide translation services," he said.His office, as well and the Children and Youth services Agency and others have contracts in place for interpreters.It's unclear how much the plan will cost; Bender said publishing notices would run to several thousand dollars.In other matters, commissioners agreed to submit an application with the Department of Community and Economic Development for the 2015 Community Development Block Grant program in the amount of $1,083,862.They also agreed to submit an application to upgrade of the traffic signal at the intersection of Route 61 and Manheim Road in Schuylkill Haven. The busy intersection, near the entrance to Penn State University's Schuylkill campus, includes a Sheetz gas station/convenience store, a McDonald's restaurant, and entries to a Redner's Warehouse Market and two industrial sites.The upgrades will consist of installing backplates with retro-reflective borders, revise the left-turn phasing, replace pedestrian signals with countdown type, replace signs and pavement markings, update clearance interval timings, and re-time.The upgrades are a part of the Pennsylvania Department's Intersection Safety Improvement Program.The state will shoulder the bulk of the cost.