Luzerne County Council now scoring five missed American Rescue funding applications

Luzerne County Council members have received access to five American Rescue Plan applications that were not evaluated and scored with the others.

Council members were asked to complete their scoring of the five by Feb. 24 so they can receive an updated list of those recommended for awards before their next public work session on Feb. 28, said council Chairwoman Kendra Radle.

Earlier this week, council concluded there was an issue with the consultant’s online evaluation portal because three council members said they took detailed notes of all the entities they scored and did not have any of the five on their list. The five had scores of zero.

Robin Booth, of Columbia, Maryland-based Booth Management Consulting, said her company’s work went through multiple levels of quality control, but she agreed to immediately provide council access to those five applications so they can be scored by council members.

Depending on the scoring of the five, the list of number and roster of entities recommended for awards could change, council members say.

Council had agreed to allocate $60 million to outside entities, and a list of 75 top-scoring applicants collectively totaling that amount was released last week. Before the list was compiled, council members individually scored applicants through the portal after agreeing not to collaborate with each other or rank any if they had a conflict.

The only entities the county publicly identified to date were the 75 that made the cut, but the five now being scored are known due to the consultant’s remote screen-sharing during Tuesday’s council work session.

According to information from the screen-sharing and past information from American Rescue pre-applications sought last year before the consultant was on board, here is some information about the five:

• Dress for Success, a nonprofit, is requesting $147,150 to help women reenter the workforce by producing skill enhancement workshops, support services and career-appropriate attire.

• The Lower South Valley Council of Governments (LSVCOG) is seeking $500,000 to complete an extensive sewer infrastructure evaluation to determine if it meets the area’s capacity needs and can accommodate future development.

In the pre-application, the LSVCOG said it wanted new state-requested Act 537 sewer plans completed for Nanticoke and Newport and Hanover townships. New plans are needed due to industry and warehouse growth that may tax the sewer system in place in these communities, the pre-application said.

• Pittston City and the Greater Pittston Regional Ambulance are requesting $2.5 million to acquire and demolish a property and construct a facility to house the regional ambulance operation and an emergency operations center.

The pre-application said the property to be demolished is the severely blighted and “troublesome” former Triangle Motel on South Main Street. The new structure would house the regional ambulance operation and include a regional emergency operations center for use during states of emergency and/or natural disasters, it said. This operations center also can serve as a space for triage, virus testing and vaccinations.

The Ambulance Association serves as the primary EMS agency for Pittston, Jenkins Township and the boroughs of Yatesville, Exeter, Wyoming and West Wyoming, the pre-application said. It also provides advanced life support to Pittston and Exeter townships and the boroughs of Hughestown, Avoca, Duryea and Dupont.

• Wilkes-Barre is seeking $771,000 to purchase an advanced life support ambulance and add an additional bay to the Hollenback Fire Station.

• Butler Township is seeking $500,000 to construct a new municipal garage.

The township’s pre-application said the money is needed to help fund a road department garage estimated at $1.75 million. County taxpayers would receive a direct return on the investment because the larger garage will allow the township to increase its road maintenance fleet and take over more county-owned roads as part of the county’s goal to reduce its road and bridge inventory to help the county budget, the township said.

Butler Township already is on the top-75 list for a township police department request for $121,003. Because council determined each entity is only eligible for one award, the $500,000 township garage request would make the list instead if it scores higher than the police department one.

The county has not released details of the projects on the list because the applications are still accessible only through the consultant’s portal, although council members have said they want view-only access once the scoring is completed. Average scores and a list of applicants that did not make the list also have not yet been released.

Council members also said they want a revised list omitting a $735,000 allocation to the Dallas Area Municipal Authority due to a criminal complaint recently filed against the entity over allegations of untreated sewage dumping into Toby Creek.

A list of the top-75 is posted on the main page of the county website at luzernecounty.org.