Request for $41.7 million in Luzerne County American Rescue funds detailed

Editor’s note: This story is the first in a periodic look at projects on the request list for Luzerne County’s American Rescue Plan funding.

The highest request for Luzerne County’s federal American Rescue Plan funding — $41.7 million — would create a regional, multigenerational public recreation complex in Hanover Township on 33 acres once used for the dumping of debris from the 1972 Agnes Flood.

Hanover Township Manager Samuel T. Guesto Jr. said the site is on the South Valley Parkway adjacent to the new Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Regional Headquarters.

The tentative plans call for three outdoor, multi-use athletic fields and a 102,000-square-foot indoor athletic facility housing two baseball infields, a 200-meter indoor track, three play courts and community rooms, he said.

There also would be 1.6 miles of outdoor walking/fitness trails that include sensory features geared for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Guesto said.

The project is costly due to the reclamation work that must be completed on the land owned by the nonprofit Earth Conservancy, he said.

“People would go there to dump debris from the flood, so all that demolition material is there,” Guesto said. “That’s why it’s so expensive to rehabilitate the whole 33 acres.”

The site must be capped with 5 feet of stone and then undergo a process known as “dynamic compaction” in which a large weight is repeatedly dropped in rotating grid formations to ensure no spots are missed, he said. Soil is then required on top.

“We understand it’s a large amount we’re seeking, but it’s also something very in tune with what the American Rescue Plan Act was meant to address. It is supposed to be used for those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” he said.

Providing a welcoming regional space for physical activity and interacting with others will help those suffering from the stress and mental health impacts of the pandemic, he said.

Indoor/outdoor options and accommodations for those with disabilities will ensure the complex is accessible to all, he said.

The township teamed up with Earth Conservancy and the Hanover Area School District to form the South Valley Regional Recreation Authority to advance the project and increase opportunities to obtain grants, Guesto said.

A $500,000 Keystone Communities Grant provided funds for initial design, engineering and legal costs, he said.

An authority format also was chosen because the project will serve people throughout the area and could end up attracting tournaments from other states, he said.

“This could be a destination for sporting events,” Guesto said. “We want to make this an attraction in the Mid-Atlantic region, not just the region here.”

He is confident the project could be completed within the time limit set by the federal government. The county does not have to commit to an American Rescue allocation plan until the end of 2024 and must spend the money by the end of 2026.

Guesto said the authority will exhaustively pursue other public and private funding options to complete the project.

“We’re going to try every avenue,” he said.

Information on the project, including a conceptual design, are posted under the South Valley Regional Recreation link at hanovertownship.org.

Total requests

County council members received a thick binder with all the pre-applications submitted from outside entities, and a binder also was prepared for incoming county manager Randy Robertson, who is scheduled to start his new position the week of June 13.

Council has received $186.8 million in funding requests — $171.58 million from more than 100 outside entities that include the South Valley authority and $15.26 million from county government departments, said county Acting Manager Brian Swetz.

At council’s request, the administration sought the pre-applications to ensure no possibilities were overlooked.

However, the county administration has cautioned that it does not believe a majority of the outside requests meet funding requirements under the U.S. Treasury’s final rule, which means further screening would be required as council proceeds.

Approximately $96.1 million of the county’s $112.89 million American Rescue earmark is left for council to allocate.

Most recently, council voted last week to spend $300,000 for an inspection to determine if the Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge linking West Pittston and Pittston can be reopened while a permanent fix is underway and $600,000 to redo county-owned Kirby Avenue in Fairview Township.