First Posted: 4/10/2015
WEST PITTSTON — The Old School on Luzerne is getting a face lift.
The former West Pittston High School on Luzerne Avenue in West Pittston will soon be home to 22 senior apartments thanks to the work by United Neighborhood Community Development Corporation (UNCDC). The apartments will be called Old School on Luzerne.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday morning in front of the old main entrance to the school. As saws and hammers worked away in the background, UNCDC Chief Executive Officer Michael Hanley spoke to a group of approximately 30 people.
“This is a very welcoming community,” Hanley said. “This is a very solid building and we’re happy to be back here in West Pittston.”
The building will feature 22 apartments, including 15 one-bedroom units and seven two-bedroom units. It will be available to seniors aged 62 and older. The total cost of the project is $6.4 million and is expected to be completed by November of this year.
Several members of the community came out in support of the project, many of which attended the school when it was still in operation.
West Pittston Borough Council President Jim Rose, who attended the school in the early 1970s, thinks this is a great way to preserve the building, which opened in 1908. Rose said he learned to play saxophone in the building and remembers playing kickball in the gym.
“This is exciting now because when it was a school there were a lot of things going on,” he said. “This will be keeping with that function of the building. Now we will re-purpose it and I know it will be a vibrant part of this community.”
West Pittston Tax Collector and lifelong resident George Miller attended the school in the 1940s. He’s excited the UNCDC will be keeping the West Pittston High School sign on the front entrance of the building.
“That part is fantastic,” he said. “This is an asset to the town and it’s great they can keep it in the neighborhood. We’re proud to still have it in the neighborhood.”
Several key figures were on hand for the groundbreaking, including state Rep. Aaron Kauffer, former Exeter mayor and now Gov. Tom Wolf’s Northeast Regional Office Director Cassandra Coleman, Gov. Wolf’s Director of Government and External Affairs Joseph Meade and West Pittston Mayor Tony Denisco.
Although Denisco didn’t attend the school in his youth, he loves the fact that the old school will remain a key figure in the borough.
“It’s coming back to life,” Denisco said. “If it’s anything like the Hitchner it’s going to be a tremendous asset to the community of West Pittston.”
This is the second property in West Pittston that the UNCDC has turned into senior housing. The old Hitchner Biscuit Co. building on Exeter Avenue was transformed into 18 affordable housing units in November 2012. That building includes one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for seniors.
But the “Old School Project,” as the UNCDC calls it, will offer much more.
In conjunction with Scranton’s The Wright Center, the new residents will have supportive services such as case management, preventive health, 24/7 direct medical assistance, nutrition and referral to specialists. An on-site care coordinator will provide 12-15 hours of service weekly.
According to UNCDC, the Old School on Luzerne will serve as a nursing home prevention living arrangement to those who decided to reside at the property.
“This will be very different,” Hanley said. “They will be living independently, but have the option for medical care if they choose to.”
Construction on the school began in February and is being completed by Champion Builders from Kingston. It is expected to be finished in November.
