Luzerne County starts issuing payments to American Rescue recipients

Luzerne County has started disbursing American Rescue Plan awards to outside entities that have completed all required paperwork, county Manager Romilda Crocamo told council in an email update this week.

Diane Cowman picked up a $200,000 check Thursday that her small business, Second Family Memory Care LLC, will use to open a 20-bed personal care home and “village” for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.

Second Family already operates an adult daycare serving this population, and the residential area and village will be in additional space at the City Centre building next to the movie theater on Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre, she said.

Inspired by larger projects in other countries, the village will recreate some familiar life experiences for residents in a safe space to include a coffee shop where they can sip a morning brew and read the newspaper, a small corner store for shopping and a mini movie theater with popcorn.

“It will allow our folks to still have freedom and independence and continue to enjoy their days,” Cowman said.

She said she came up with the concept after five adult day care clients had to be admitted to nursing homes because their families were no longer able to provide round-the-clock care. She said all five walked and ate unassisted but became chairbound and had to be fed by someone else within two weeks of nursing home admittance. Within a few weeks, they were all deceased, she said.

“We have to do something different. We have to change the care model for these folks,” said Cowman, who plans to open the new residential area by Sept. 1.

Christopher Belleman, executive director of the county’s Flood Protection Authority, said he received the first $1.9 million county American Rescue installment Thursday.

County council earmarked $8 million for the authority to improve the Wyoming Valley Levee system along the Susquehanna River.

While Second Family Memory Care’s allocation was approved as an advance needed to start a project, the flood authority is submitting invoices and other documentation to receive reimbursement for work already completed.

Belleman said he presented a thick stack of paperwork documenting flood-related projects dating back to council’s initial approval of the authority’s earmark in March 2021.

He was thankful for the reimbursement, saying the authority was reaching the point where it could no longer provide up-front payment to complete more projects on the list.

Upcoming projects will including updating electronic pump station controls and rehabilitating a structure the authority acquired from Hanover Township to serve as a downstream levee maintenance garage storing grass-cutting equipment and levee electrical components, Belleman said. This will speed up levee maintenance in the township, Plymouth and Wilkes-Barre because crews won’t have to work solely from the maintenance garage in Forty Fort, he said.

Roof repairs and other exterior work also will be completed at pump stations that were constructed around 1940 as part of the original levee-raising project, he said.

Another planned project will replace expansion joints on the levee wall in Wilkes-Barre, similar to a past project on the wall in Forty Fort, Belleman has said. Joints filled with sealant were necessary to allow the concrete to expand and contract and prevent cracks.

“There’s quite a number of projects we have going on right now,” Belleman said.

More information

Crocamo, who started work May 25, promised to keep council in the loop on activity involving the earmarks and publicly post more information about the allocations.

Since Columbia, Maryland-based Booth Management Consulting contracted with the county to perform American Rescue services last June, it has been meeting on a regular basis with the county, usually weekly, through a remote platform, Crocamo said in the email. However, those meetings were set up with the county administration and did not involve council.

“I will continue meeting with Booth but plan to invite council members to attend these sessions. Regardless of how many members attend the sessions, I will be providing updates to council,” Crocamo told council.

Booth is setting up trainings for grant recipients to ensure they comply with requirements, Crocamo told council. In an attempt get projects moving, the administration is communicating with Booth daily to discuss various recipient inquiries, she said.

The administration also has created a protocol to process payment requests and the signing of recipient agreements, Crocamo said.

To date, approximately 70 outside entities have completed formal agreements required to receive funding in addition to several executed memorandums for internal county government projects, her email said.

In addition to sharing updates with council, the administration will work with the county information technology department to post the latest information on the county website at luzernecounty.org, her email said.

A council vote also is expected next week on a proposal to extend Booth’s American Rescue consulting contract.

Council had unanimously voted hire Booth Management for up to $350,000 to provide guidance on American Rescue eligibility screening and funding administration through June 30, 2023. Booth presented an offer to continue full service for three more years at a total $783,391 and separate options for one year of basic or full service or a month-to-month agreement.

Council’s voting meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday.