Power outage at Cambria County building affects operations, internet at county offices

An underground wire in need of replacement has left multiple buildings in downtown Johnstown without power, including the Central Park Complex according to officials.

The outage is impacting not only that building which houses two magistrate judge offices among several other county offices, but also the county courthouse in Ebensburg. Officials say that is because servers in the Central Park Complex provide internet to some of the county’s main buildings.

Court proceedings at the Cambria County Courthouse continued as normal, according to the court administrator, despite the Johnstown judges being unable to operate. However, some courthouse offices experienced disruptions due to the internet issues.

Commissioner Keith Rager expressed concerns about the handling of the power outage, stating that county officials were often unaware of when power would be restored. A Penelec representative indicated that the issue is expected to be resolved Tuesday afternoon, though the specific cause remains unknown beyond the need to replace an underground wire.

Rager said, “My also concern is that none of our employees are in a bad situation that they don’t feel comfortable in, and the other thing is that our customers and the folks that rely on us as a county, they’re still getting their services. That’s the utmost importance.”

Rager noted that offices are prepared to reach out to clients and work from home or other locations if the issues persist. The internet problems are also affecting the county website.

Cambria County coroner Jeff Lees also notes that his office is in the Central Park complex. On Monday he asked the public to contact his office with information about the case involving baby remains in Gallitzin. Lees is asking the public to contact Cambria County non-emergency at (814) 472-2100 at this time.