Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman, fourth from left, is congratulated following Tuesday’s meeting — the last before his Jan. 9 retirement. Authority Board members, from left, are: Vice Chairman William Hardwick, John Maday, Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi, Coray Mitchell and Jay Delaney.
Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader
After a dozen years overseeing the Wyoming Valley Levee System along the Susquehanna River, Christopher Belleman attended his last Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority meeting on Tuesday.
Belleman had announced in September that he would be leaving the authority executive director position on Jan. 9 as part of his retirement plans.
The authority publicly advertised the position, and Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi said several applicants expressed interest before Monday’s deadline.
Belleman receives approximately $100,000 annually in the position, Yannuzzi said. The job posting stated a minimum compensation of $80,000 for the professional engineering, management-level position.
Duties include overseeing levee maintenance and operations, as well as coordinating emergency protocols during river flooding.
Yannuzzi said it’s possible the position will be filled at the authority board’s next meeting Jan. 20.
A Kingston resident, Belleman said he plans to remain in the area and will assist as able.
Erosion repair
Authority members have received a survey of the land and river where erosion is creeping toward part of the flood wall along Riverside Drive in Wilkes-Barre, Belleman said.
After digesting the information, the authority board likely will discuss the next steps at its Jan. 20 meeting, Belleman said.
Yannuzzi, an engineer, has stated that surveying is necessary to assess the cause and provide a comparison to past data to determine how conditions at the site have changed over time.
The area of concern is located near the intersection of Riverside Drive and Academy Street, adjacent to the Black Diamond railroad bridge. Belleman said this section has been stable for decades, but started to slough in recent months. On slopes, slough is soil, rock, and debris that has moved downhill, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Belleman has estimated that a permanent fix could cost between $375,000 and $500,000.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
