Indiana County's commissioners Wednesday appointed a new warden for the county jail.
The county prison board unanimously recommended Sam Buzzinotti, 50, out of 13 applicants.
The commissioners said Buzzinotti stood out among the applicants for his 28-year career at the Indiana County Jail.
"We had a lot of people apply for this job from other places. People say the grass is always greener. Well, not in Indiana County," Commissioners Chairman Rod Ruddock said.
Buzzinotti takes over for interim Prison Warden Mike Kuhar on Oct. 1. Kuhar succeeded former Warden Carol Hummel, who retired earlier this year.
"It's going to be a change," Buzzinotti said. "But I think I'm ready for it."
The commissioners also approved a new camera system for the jail at a cost of nearly $240,000.
Ruddock said money was set aside in the general budget for capital improvements to the jail. That money, combined with a $10,000 grant, will cover the cost, Ruddock said.
Forty new stationary, digital cameras will replace analog, spinning cameras that prison officials said rarely capture incidents. When an incident is recorded, it can take hours to find the footage, Kuhar said.
Additional cameras will be installed in the booking and kitchen areas of the jail.
"I think if there's a weakness out there (at the jail), it's the camera system," Kuhar told commissioners. "In the long run, this will be a savings. Everyone knows in a correctional facility these days, there's a fair amount of litigation. We can protect ourselves."
It will take 90 to 100 days to get the new system up and running, Kuhar said.
The commissioners also approved an additional $46,000 in loan money to go to the Indiana County Jimmy Stewart Airport's runway expansion project. Unanticipated costs in the $1.2 million project will be covered in part by an additional $46,000 from the state Bureau of Aviation, which required the county to match the contribution, airport authority Chairman Ron Anderson said.
Meanwhile, Prothonotary Randy Degenkolb is still searching for an additional $40,000 to update the county's civil court system software.
Degenkolb said the Windows-based software will make it easier to manage civil cases.
The commissioners approved a $40,000 loan to be paid for through the Office of the Prothonotary, but that covers half the cost of the software provided by Teleosoft Inc. of York.
To repay the loan, Degenkolb said a court costs fee increase will likely be needed starting Jan. 1.
In other news:
• Indiana County was named one of the 100 best communities in the country for young people by America's Promise Alliance.
• Commissioners approved the final comprehensive plan for Indiana County to replace the former plan that was approved in 1968.
• Annual contracts were awarded to the Cambria County Emergency Shelter Care for Children Youth Services and the probation department at a cost of $215 each. Annual contracts were also approved for the probation department with the Cambria County Detention Center, at a cost of $225. and Westmoreland County Detention Center, at a cost of $275.
