Luzerne County Council approves American Rescue Plan project changes

Luzerne County Council granted five requests from American Rescue Plan funding recipients to modify projects or extend completion deadlines.

Tuesday’s approval means the county Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system along the Susquehanna River, will eliminate two projects and instead replace deteriorating expansion joints on the 1.46-mile levee stretch between the county courthouse and the intersection of Riverside Drive and Pickering Street in Wilkes-Barre.

This levee section contains nearly 21,000 linear feet of expansion joints that are two decades old and at the end of normal service life. The sealant-filled joints allow the levee concrete cover to expand and contract and prevent cracks.

In the other scope change, county Mental Health/Developmental Services will use its $800,000 allotment to adapt property the nonprofit Northeast Counseling Services owns in Hazleton for a mental health crisis and stabilization center. Walk-in crisis centers provide continuous observation and supervision when in-patient services are not required for those in distress.

The allocation originally was provided for two centers, but the one slated for Wilkes-Barre will be covered by $4.035 million in Managed Care Reinvestment Funds, officials said. The nonprofit Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania will operate the Wilkes-Barre crisis center.

The remaining three recipients obtained more time — Yatesville borough for a $224,100 sewer project; the Lower South Valley Land Bank for $500,000 to address blight and affordable housing; and the Sanitary Sewer Authority of the Borough of Shickshinny for a $387,000 wastewater treatment plan rehabilitation.

Council will be resuming its ongoing tour of American Rescue recipients next week with a visit to the Keystone Mission, which was allocated $500,000 for homeless initiatives. The visits aim to show the public the uses of $55 million in awards to more than 100 outside entities.

Road/bridge

Council unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement Tuesday with the AFSCME District Council 87 union that increases road/bridge staff compensation to address recruitment and retention challenges, the administration said.

According to the memorandum:

• The starting salary will increase to $40,000 for equipment operators, mechanics and truck drivers and to $40,150 for foreman positions.

• Current equipment operators, truck drivers and mechanics making less than $40,000 annually will receive a base rate adjustment to bring them to the new starting rate and a one-time, lump-sum base rate increase equivalent to $200 for each year of service with the county.

Eight current employees are impacted, and the changes will bring their annual compensation to the following amounts, the memorandum said: John Maxwell, truck driver, $44,600; Andrew Holda, equipment operator, $40,000; Michael Kocher and James Pilger, equipment operators, $40,400; Dane Whitesell, equipment operator, $40,600; Michael Gavin, mechanic, $40,800; Joseph Michno, mechanic, $42,400; and Genaro Suarez, equipment operator, $42,400.

• Any equipment operator or foreman currently above the new starting base rate will receive a one-time $500 lump-sum retention adjustment and a one-time, lump-sum base rate increase equivalent to $200 for each year of service.

The impacted workers, along with their new annual compensation: Adam Cooper, district foreman, $47,936; Joseph Rapach, equipment operator, $48,766; and Andrew Novak, district foreman, $49,668.

The memorandum notes the county has eliminated three vacant operator positions in the department.

In other business Tuesday, council unanimously approved:

• The sale of 35 delinquent-tax, repository properties that did not sell in past back-tax auctions.

• Forgiveness of $1,591 in back taxes and $499 in currently due county taxes on a property at 90 Plank St., Jenkins Township, that township officials want to acquire and condemn so it can be demolished.