Luzerne County Council approves $300,000 West Side Regional Police earmark

Luzerne County Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to provide $300,000 to the new West Side Regional Police Department.

The funding will be used to demolish the vacant and blighted former St. Anthony’s Church campus at Jackson and Pace streets in Larksville to make way for the future headquarters of the regional police department, which was activated at the start of this year to cover Larksville and Edwardsville boroughs.

The county will use community development interest earnings to fund the allocation.

While supporting the earmark, Councilman Harry Haas said all available county community development funds should be evaluated going forward to determine if they can cover county government needs, including road and bridge repairs.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo concurred and said the administration is preparing a “very thorough list” of all county projects that will require funding. This report should be presented to council in May or June, she said.

The 0.85-acre Larksville property has three structures — a former church, hall, and rectory — that have been severely blighted and a target for trespassers and vandals for more than a decade, West Side Regional Police representatives said.

West Side Regional Police Chief Joseph Coffay thanked County Council for its support Tuesday, saying the project will help citizens in that neighborhood by “removing a very dangerous situation.”

The preliminary estimated cost of the new headquarters is $4.6 million, including $385,000 to demolish the three buildings and $55,000 for grading and general site work. The department obtained a $500,000 grant to support the startup and is pursuing other grants and financing options to fund the project in phases, department representatives said.

In other voting meeting decisions on Tuesday, council:

• Approved a $150,000 settlement to close out litigation initiated in the county Court of Common Pleas by the estate of Michelle Lynn Shotwell. The resolution said Shotwell died of an accidental drug overdose while incarcerated at the county prison in June 2024, awaiting adjudication on a criminal matter.

The vote was 8-3, with Council members LeeAnn McDermott, Joanna Bryn Smith, and Vice Chairwoman Brittany Stephenson voting no.

• Unanimously accepted a $25,000 settlement receipt to end litigation the county had filed against American Asphalt over May 2024 fire damage to the county’s Magisterial District Court office in Edwardsville. The agenda said the fire was “negligently caused by American Asphalt,” which was performing contracting work at that time.

• Introduced an ordinance that would create a county land bank to address blighted properties. Haas provided the lone no vote on advancing the ordinance, which would require a public hearing and majority approval at a future meeting for passage.