From staff reports
A rally to save Polk Center and prevent its closure will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday in front of the Venango County Courthouse in Franklin.
The rally is being coordinated by AFSCME Council 85 that represents 646 of the 744 employees of Polk Center. Other supporting organizations, including area Chambers of Commerce, have also signed on.
The call for a public rally was prompted by an Aug. 14 announcement by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that Polk Center and White Haven State Center in Luzerne County would be shut down within the next three years.
Both facilities serve individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Polk Center, a complex that includes eight buildings on a 2,000-acre tract, is home to 194 residents.
