Award letters sent to Luzerne County American Rescue funding applicants

Award letters were sent last week to 113 outside entities approved by Luzerne County American Rescue Plan funding, officials said.

A council majority voted last month to collectively award $55.06 million to 113 nonprofits, businesses, municipalities and municipal authorities that had submitted applications last year and met eligibility requirements.

Of those, 77 entities will receive all requested funding. The remaining 36 will receive less than requested due to category caps that had been set by council. These entities will have to submit revised budgets demonstrating how they would scale back their projects or provide additional funding through other means to complete them as originally proposed.

Booth Management Consulting, the county’s American Rescue consultant, said every applicant — fully or partially funded — must submit additional information to proceed with formal award agreements.

County Acting Manager Brian Swetz said Booth has reopened its online portal for the 113 applicants to submit paperwork. The consultant also scheduled three virtual sessions this month for applicants to learn more about the requirements, he said.

West Hazleton

Council discussed the borough’s outstanding request for American Rescue funds last week but did not settle on how to proceed.

West Hazleton had submitted an application before the deadline seeking $850,000 toward rehabilitation of the Jaycee Drive Bridge over Black Creek, but it was deemed ineligible. Booth recently informed council the project is now eligible after the borough subsequently provided census data that qualify it as a “disproportionately impacted community,” according to communications.

Restoring use of the closed bridge will assist businesses and workers, provide long-term infrastructure improvements and alleviate inaccessibility to public services, the communication said.

The borough considers the bridge stormwater infrastructure because its collapse would inhibit the flow of Black Creek, which accumulates stormwater from West Hazleton and surrounding communities, officials said. Closure of the bridge has forced detours through a residential neighborhood.

During last week’s work session, West Hazleton Fire Chief Richard Sparks told council the bridge closure greatly limits access to 50 businesses employing 2,500, creating concerns if there is a fire or chemical spill.

Borough Mayor John Chura said the municipality is small and does not have funding to complete the project.

Swetz told council the county has approximately $9.5 million in remaining American Rescue funds not earmarked for other projects.

Dallas Area Municipal Authority

Councilman Tim McGinley asked his colleagues last week to consider conditionally approving one of the authority’s several requests for American Rescue funding, including one for $735,000.

Council members had ruled out any allocation due to an outstanding criminal complaint filed against the entity over allegations of untreated sewage dumping into Toby Creek.

In response, DAMA Executive Director Thomas G. Keiper sent council a communication urging reconsideration, saying the activities alleged in the complaint occurred many years ago and stem from sanitary sewer overflows that occur in many sewer collection systems throughout the state. DAMA has already paid civil penalties for those overflows and “questions whether the new allegations rise to the level of criminal activity,” his letter said.

McGinley said DAMA serves multiple municipalities, and the litigation is tied to actions that occurred 13 years ago.

“As we well know, if DAMA doesn’t get some kind of help with some of these grants, the only people who are going to suffer are the ratepayers,” McGinley said.

He proposed council set aside funds for DAMA that would be available if the authority resolves the litigation and gets its “house in order.”

Several council members expressed support for the plan, although an allocation can’t be approved until council votes at a future meeting.

Election updates

A public test of the county’s May 16 primary election voting equipment will start at 10 a.m. today in the county’s voting warehouse at 135 Water St. in Wilkes-Barre. This mandatory process is known as “logic and accuracy testing.”

The county’s five-citizen Election Board will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for remote attendance will be posted under council’s authorities/boards/commissions online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.