Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority has new overseer

Veteran Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority worker Margie Thomas has been hired to oversee the agency.

Thomas will mark her 51-year anniversary of employment with the authority next month and had been named acting executive director in June, when the authority board accepted Andrew Reilly’s resignation. Thomas most recently worked as the administrative assistant and program manager.

“No matter what position I’ve held here, I always felt I just want to do the right thing — what’s best for the authority and community,” the Jackson Township resident said.

Authority Chairman Scott Linde said the promotion of Thomas was a “no-brainer” due to her performance as interim director and her vast institutional knowledge of authority matters.

“She’s done an excellent job,” he said.

Down the road, the authority will need to consider a succession plan so the authority is not crippled when Thomas eventually decides to leave, Linde noted.

Reilly, who is now the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority’s chief executive officer, had worked as the county’s community director since 2006 and took on a second additional role of also managing the redevelopment authority in early 2010 after prior director Allen Bellas was charged for accepting $2,000 from a construction contractor in exchange for helping to secure approval for a tax diversion.

Back then, prior county commissioners encouraged the dual community development/redevelopment authority management role, saying it would help county officials keep better tabs on authority activities. Reilly’s temporary assignment eventually became a permanent one.

That joint position ended with Reilly’s departure. The county hired Catherine Hilsher as the new community development executive director in October, and the authority board voted last week to make Thomas the permanent director at an annual compensation of $79,750. The compensation will rise to $82,143 with across-the-board pay increases also approved by the board.

Based in West Pittston, the authority’s primary responsibility is running a short-line railroad to ensure all issues are addressed by the authority, rail shippers and R.J. Corman Railroad Group, which operates the authority rail, Thomas said. Approximately 47 to 50 miles of track is in active service, she said.

Also falling under the authority’s wing is the administration of some school district delinquent tax monetization programs and casino-gambling Local Share Account, or LSA, grants applications for some local entities, she said.

Based on authorizing state legislation, the redevelopment authority also is handling financing arrangements for the county’s new infrastructure fund that will be covered by $3 million provided annually for 25 years from the LSA program.

The authority also still owns some vacant properties dating back to the 1972 Agnes flood and has worked with outside entities on trail projects on authority land.

In addition to Thomas, the authority employs a full-time executive secretary, a per diem maintenance worker and two part-time support staffers, which includes the controller.

The annual operating budget anticipates the authority will bring in $685,000 in revenue and spend $490,000 in 2024.

Thomas said she started her career working for the Wilkes-Barre Redevelopment Authority and was hired by the county authority after Susquehanna River flooding in 1972. She was among the staffers retained after the authority downsized following the completion of flood-related projects.

Often without pause, Thomas can retrieve details on programs spanning decades along with associated paperwork.

“It has served me well because we still have people call to request documentation related to the 1972 flood,” Thomas said.

County infrastructure fund

The authority board approved the first project payment from the new county infrastructure fund last week — $33,605 to Alfred Benesch and Associates toward its engineering study to determine the best and most economical option for the county-owned Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge over the Susquehanna River.

Under the fund plan, county council will approve projects and submit bills to the authority for processing and payment.

Benesch recommended rehabilitation and partial replacement of the existing Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge over the Susquehanna River for approximately $39.6 million instead of constructing a new bridge at an estimated cost of $64 million.

Ultimately county officials will make the final decision on how to proceed. Council and the administration are reviewing a thick report intended to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of the options, Benesch has said.

The bridge carries Lower Broadway Street over the Susquehanna to connect Nanticoke and the West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township. The roadway is a continuation of State Route 3001 from the south and terminates at the intersection with Route 11 at its north end, Benesch said.

When funding is needed to complete the project, the authority board will discuss activation of borrowed funds that will be repaid with the $3 million in annual gambling funds, Thomas said.

For now, the authority has invested $2.7 million of last year’s casino funding to generate interest earnings, and the same approach will be used for the $3 million 2023 receipt expected by the end of the year, Thomas said.