Luzerne County Courthouse

Luzerne County Courthouse

Luzerne County’s Flood Protection Authority will hold its Tuesday meeting on the road at its new downstream Wyoming Valley Levee maintenance facility in Hanover Township.

This property at 398 Delaney St. will speed up levee maintenance in the township, Plymouth and Wilkes-Barre because crews won’t have to work solely from the maintenance garage near the authority offices in Forty Fort, county Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman has said.

The structure will store grass-cutting equipment and electrical components needed for the flood control system along the Susquehanna River.

County council earmarked the federal American Rescue Plan funding to cover the rehabilitation.

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After purchasing the building from the township in 2019, the authority removed and abated hazardous material in the structure and installed a new roof so it would be stabilized until rehabilitation funds were available.

The authority meeting starts at 1 p.m. Agenda topics include a preliminary engineering reimbursement agreement with the Norfolk Southern Railway Co. for proposed modifications at three railroad crossings, including one surrounding by fencing that blocks the levee recreational path in Edwardsville.

Last month, the authority submitted an application with the state to make the Edwardsville levee railroad crossing public and identify a solution that could eliminate the fencing.

Transportation authority

A grand opening is expected in July for the county Transportation Authority’s new $58 million transportation center at the former Murray Complex site on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre, authority Executive Director Robert Fiume told council last week.

The authority also is engaged in a transportation development plan to assess and redo routes to better serve residents, Fiume said. He expects new routes will be announced in October.

He was at council’s work session to discuss the authority’s annual local match needed from the county, which will be $830,104 to obtain $8.14 million in state operating assistance funds.

County Councilman Harry Haas said council used American Rescue funds to cover the 2022 match to alleviate the burden on the county’s general fund operating budget, and he will be submitting a proposal to do the same for the upcoming local match because the county still has available American Rescue funds.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo told council the authority is fortunate to have Fiume at the helm because he is regularly recognized across the state for his transportation expertise.

County website

Crocamo said she has formed a small administration committee to start planning a county website upgrade.

In addition to providing access to information and services, the site serves as a “public face,” she said.

“I want to make it more energetic and more vibrant to actually represent what Luzerne County is,” Crocamo said.

County Administrative Services Division Head James Rose is overseeing the committee, she said. The administration will be seeking input from county managers, council and others, she said.

As an example of a fresh idea, she wants to add a QR code to the site linking visitors to virtual tours of the historic courthouse.

Upcoming tour

On the subject of courthouse tours, Crocamo announced the public is invited to a guided tour of the structure at 5:30 p.m. May 29.

The tour will be conducted by Tony Brooks, a Wilkes-Barre councilman and chairman of the Wilkes-Barre Preservation Society.

Attendees should meet in the rotunda.

”If you are interested in learning more about the history and art that the Luzerne County Courthouse has to offer, this tour is for you!” her release says.

County meetings

Council’s Budget, Finance and Audit Committee is set to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday (May 21) in the courthouse.

The county’s home rule charter set a June 30 deadline to complete the prior-year audit so the information is not stale, which was often a problem under the previous government structure.

Council’s Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (May 23) in the courthouse. This group has been updating written county goals for the full council’s consideration.

Links to attend both meetings remotely will be posted under council’s online meetings section at luzernecounty.org.

Town hall

Crocamo has scheduled her third town hall meeting at 5 p.m. July 17 at the Back Mountain Regional EMS Facility, 3593 State Route 118 in Dallas, according to an online posting.

She is holding the sessions throughout the county to provide public updates and seek input on county matters.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.