Last Monday, April 6, we attended the Tremont Township supervisors' meeting. We learned that the township wasn't invited to the second meeting between Schuylkill County officials and DHS, and the township hadn't been involved in the "negotiations" with DHS. Although the township was
The New York Times published a story today on the proposed Tremont Township detention facility, and our March town hall is at the center of it. At Tuesday's Tremont Township Supervisors meeting, we learned of DEP's March 24 response to DHS's request for modifications
This past week, new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin ordered a pause on buying any more warehouses for the ICE Detention Reengineering Initiative. An anonymous DHS official said that DHS will also scrutinize recently-purchased warehouses, which includes the former Big Lots Distribution Center in Tremont Township. Coal Region Canary reached out
After careful reflection, we've decided to change how we plan to fight the detention mega-center in Tremont Township. Click here to learn more about No Skook Detention's new initiative
Last Wednesday's commissioners meeting was contentious, to say the least. We know tensions are high around nearly any discussion of DHS and ICE. Several people were concerned about safety and order at the town hall. We were urged to hire private security and to notify the state police
Governor Shapiro met with local officials from Schuylkill and Berks counties on February 26 and committed to stopping both facilities. On March 5, his administration followed through.
We're hosting a town hall on March 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Tremont Borough Building and we want you there. Join us to learn about the potential impacts of the DHS facility on our water, our taxes, and our emergency services. Learn what
The Schuylkill County Municipal Authority (SCMA), under emergency state permits, has been hauling water to Tremont to meet current demand for about 2,000 residents. DHS claims it has done due diligence and believes that the water and sewer system can handle the addition of a 7,500-bed detention facility.
Schuylkill County residents and the Commissioners gathered on Wednesday morning for another commissioners' meeting. Unsurprisingly, the topic of the Tremont warehouse dominated the meeting. But the Commissioners don't seem ready to commit to explicitly opposing the 7,500-bed DHS detention facility in Tremont. Read the recaps from
On Wednesday, Governor Shapiro sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem opposing both proposed detention facilities in Schuylkill and Berks counties. "If you press ahead, my Administration will aggressively pursue every option to prevent these facilities from opening." His letter laid out the infrastructure problems we'
Yesterday, Senator John Fetterman sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem expressing "deep concern and opposition" to the proposed detention facilities in Tremont and Upper Bern Township. "My constituents are concerned that DHS and ICE made the decision to purchase these facilities without any local input
On Wednesday, Commissioners Padora and Hess put Schuylkill County's concerns on the record. Here's what we know: * 7,500 beds in the proposed Tremont detention facility * $222,000 in lost annual revenue for the county * $555,000 lost for Pine Grove Area School District * $196,000
Today, we sent the following letter to Representative Meuser, Senator Fetterman, Senator McCormick, and Governor Shapiro. Schuylkill County residents deserve an explanation. To download the letter as a PDF, click the box below. February 3 LetterFebruary 3 Letter.pdf102 KBdownload-circle We deserve an explanation. And we deserve leaders who fight
Mere days after being told that “Everybody’s getting worked up and there’s no confirmation of this in any way, shape, or form” by our commissioner, the deal is done. The United States Federal Government paid $119,515,000 for the Big Lots warehouse in Tremont. And only a
The Tremont warehouse situation was brought up at the Schuylkill County Commissioners meeting last week. As reported by the Pottsville Republican, Schuylkill County Commissioner Chairman Larry Padora stated about the facility: "There is no confirmation whatsoever — no deeds recorded, no anything — that this facility is even being purchased."
No Skook Detention is a coalition of Schuylkill County residents, business owners, and families who are opposed to the 7,500-bed detention center proposed for the vacant Big Lots warehouse in Tremont, PA. It's bad for Tremont. It's bad for Schuylkill County. It's bad