A multipurpose emergency training facility that has been in the works for years was discussed by Carbon County officials recently.

During the county commissioners' meeting on Thursday, Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, who is on the committee working to build the facility, asked Commissioner Charles Getz if the comment he made recently about utilizing a portion of the 59-acre Packerton Yards site for a countywide emergency training facility was a valid option. The project calls for seven to 10 acres of land for training facilities, a burn building and more.Getz originally spoke of allowing the group to build on the portion of land that is on a floodplain, because the building would not be inhabited. But Nothstein said that option is not viable because a classroom facility would be included with the project.Commissioner William O'Gurek, chairman, said that the county would be open for discussion and suggested another solution could be using one of the non-floodplain lots on the property."Maybe it would be prudent to look at the six or seven lots (at the site)," O'Gurek said. "Maybe one of those lots is usable."He added that this option may be a wise investment for everyone involved.Nothstein seemed receptive to the idea, saying that as long as the land is not in the floodplain it may work.Getz then asked if it would be possible to use an acre or two of the land to park vehicles during the fall foliage weekends to alleviate the congestion the town experiences in October.Nothstein said no development designs have been created to date so he wasn't sure.Currently, emergency personnel, police, fire departments and county agencies utilize grounds at Baer Memorial Park in Lehighton and the training room at the Emergency Management Agency facility on top of the Broad Mountain in Nesquehoning for training sessions. The original proposal called for clearing up to 10 acres of land at the EMA site.Getz voiced concerns over that option because the cost of excavating the land and preparing it for a building would be close to $1 million."We would love to see this done, but the county cannot afford to bear the burden of even half that cost (to excavate the land)," he said, adding that that is why he suggested Packerton Yards, because not as much excavating would be required to prepare the site.The county will now discuss the proposal and see what the best option would be for the training facility.All were in agreement that they want to see this project come to fruition because it will help fire departments, police, emergency personnel, and county agencies better prepare for emergency situations.In other matters, the county rejected all bids received for LP Gas delivery and equipment services because one bid was misdelivered to the Recorder of Deeds office and opened before the meeting.O'Gurek said that the best thing to do is to reject the bids and send them back to the companies who submitted bids."We don't want to compromise the bidding process," he said.Michael Ozalas, county solicitor, concurred with O'Gurek, saying that the county's action preserves the integrity of the sealed bidding process because county code requires sealed bids be opened at a public meeting.The commissioners then voted to readvertise the project.The board also voted to accept the resignation of Jeffrey M. Kocher of Parryville, a part-time K-9 officer. This now leaves one part-time officer at the animal shelter in Nesquehoning.Randall Smith, county administrator, said that in addition to the one employee, there are five volunteers aiding, assisting and caring for the animals; and the county maintenance crew is cleaning kennels."It's business as usual, but it's tough times," he said.Officials said that they will be filling the position at a later time.A new animal warden, Kari M. Bauchspies of Lehighton, will also begin at the shelter on Nov. 7.