Luzerne County seeking consultant for Wyoming Valley Airport upgrades

Luzerne County is seeking qualifications from companies interested in providing engineering, architectural and environmental consulting services for millions of dollars in upgrades planned at the county-owned Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort and Wyoming, according to a new online posting.

Council had voted in July to earmark $6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for capital improvements at the 110-acre airport, with some council members saying the county largely ignored the facility’s needs for decades. Additional funding also is available through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), county documents say.

Some of the work is necessary to comply with current aviation standards, such as enhancements to taxiway areas that accommodate aircraft landing and taking off, officials have said. New hangars also are in-demand and would generate revenue.

American Rescue projects must be completed by the end of 2026, officials have said.

Consultant responses are due by 10:30 a.m. Dec. 14, said the request for qualifications posted under the purchasing section at luzernecounty.org.

The selected consultant must enter into a professional services agreement that conforms with FAA and Pennsylvania Bureau of Aviation requirements, the posting said.

In addition to work on hangars and taxiway areas, the county’s solicitation lists numerous other anticipated projects to be completed in coming years as part of the capital improvement program, including:

• Installing an Automated Weather Observing System

• Replacing the existing above-ground Jet A fuel facility

• Designing and constructing a parallel turf runway

• Rehabilitating airfield lighting

• Upgrading airport utilities

• Constructing a snow removal equipment building

• Completing environmental assessments for land acquisition, aeronautical easements and obstruction removal

• Adding navigational aids

Work on apron rehabilitation also is listed to address the asphalt areas that extend from the taxiway to the terminal and hangars.

The county had awarded a contract in July to New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co., of Wilkes-Barre, to complete the first section of apron reconstruction primarily through funding from the FAA and a Pennsylvania Airport Improvement Program block grant. A notice to proceed with that work is pending release of the funding, officials said.

Valley Aviation runs the county airport as the fixed base operator, and company representatives and siblings Dr. Charles Scrobola and James Scrobola have pushed for capital improvements.

The brothers said the facility regularly receives inquiries from people seeking hangar space to store their aircraft — some from other states — and the airport has no more room available. The county is missing out on an opportunity to generate revenue and increase traffic at the facility, they have said.

James Scrobola said Monday the series of enhancements outlined in the county’s solicitation will increase safety and help modernize the facility.

He is intimately familiar with the facility because the Scrobola family has been involved in the airport since 1964, factoring in his father’s tenure.

“This is one of the biggest upgrades that has been completed at the airport, and it is very overdue,” James Scrobola said.