Letters: A public servant to be proud of; Help for displaced tenants

A public servant to be proud of

It was one of the great pleasures of my life to work with Amber Concepcion in my service to the State College Area School District.

Amber sets the bar for what it means to be a public servant. I hope with all my heart that this community understands how lucky it is to have her. In the truest sense, Amber is a public servant we should be proud of.

She has been tireless in her efforts to see that our students, teachers, staff and administrators were well served by the work of the board.

The list of traits that make Amber so effective could go on and on. Here are just a few:

First, Amber is brilliant and curious. Her insatiable appetite for scientifically based information and her desire to achieve understanding on complex topics made her a valued voice in curriculum, student learning and well-being, finance, working with teachers and staff, and yes, pandemic response.

Next, Amber is a diplomat and community builder. She understands that differences of opinion are important for good deliberation and decision-making, always adhering to and reminding us of the facts that should be at the heart of those deliberations.

Finally, she is genuine, kind and authentic. Amber is simply one of the loveliest people you could know. She is an amazing mom, colleague and friend. I am so happy for the bright future that awaits her and all of Centre County as she begins her new position.

Thank you for everything, Amber.

Help for displaced tenants

Bierly-Gerber Associates wishes to thank the following organizations for their invaluable service when our building, at 720 W. Water St. in Bellefonte, was destroyed by fire on Friday night, Dec. 30: Logan, Undine, Pleasant Gap, Alpha, Boalsburg, Miles Township, Centre Hall, Milesburg, and Howard Fire Departments; the Lock Haven and Lewistown Fire Departments called in to stand by for possible other fires, the Bellefonte and state police, all responding EMTs and the American Red Cross.

We are thankful that all of our tenants were able to escape the fire safely, however nearly all of their possessions have been destroyed. Without the quick response of the firemen, and the aid of the Red Cross in finding placement for our tenants, their plight could have been much worse. We are grateful for notification of the fire by a nearby neighbor.

We were disappointed to learn that two nearby fire hydrants were dry. The firemen were required to tap a hydrant some distance away for an adequate water supply.

If you wish to make a donation to our displaced tenants, please use these GoFundMe sites to do so. They are: gofundme.com/f/mhy5g-colpetzer-family, gofundme.com/f/Tashoi, and gofundme.com/f/those-who-lost-everything-in-the-bellefonte-fire.

SCASD unprepared on snowy day

I don’t think the SCASD administration was prepared on Dec. 22, 2022 for the heavy snow. More snow and ice fell than was predicted. As a resident of Fieldstone, I live in the subdivision in front of the Mount Nittany schools and was shocked that only the children’s pick up area had been plowed. At 3:15 p.m. none of the teachers parking between the rows of cars had been plowed. I felt bad for the teachers so I got in my truck with a shovel and car scraper to help teachers dig their cars out of the snow. Teachers have a hard enough job without having to worry about getting to and from their vehicles.