Luzerne County Council members review a report during Tuesday’s meeting.
Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader
Four Luzerne County American Rescue Plan funding recipients will have more time to complete their projects — a request granted to several other entities in recent months, county council decided Tuesday.
At least 21 more American Rescue modifications will be coming before council next month — mostly time extensions, the administration said.
The latest to be granted more time: the municipalities of Plymouth, Shickshinny and Hazleton and the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority.
County correctional services also obtained permission to reallocate $20,000 of its $2.18 million American Rescue earmark toward a project underway to modernize both elevators at the Water Street prison.
A synopsis of the extensions approved Tuesday:
• Plymouth received $2 million to repair the retaining wall along Coal Creek because an engineering inspection found subsidence that may cause it to fail.
Wall failure would prohibit traffic on Coal Street, resulting in a 7-mile detour to the borough’s downtown, officials have said. It also could damage a 36-inch Pennsylvania American Water Co. water main that crosses the stream, causing service disruption to 40,000 customers in the borough, Plymouth Township, Larksville, Courtdale, Wilkes-Barre, Ashley, Sugar Notch and Nanticoke. Furthermore, loss of that water line could cause 5 million gallons of water to drain from a tank at the top of Coal Street within minutes.
The channel was constructed decades ago and has been subjected to wear-and-tear from rocks and other debris flushing down the mountain, causing the walls to start caving in, officials have said. Coal Creek has a history of flooding, including a serious flood in 2011 that caused millions of dollars in property damage.
In a recent letter to county officials, Plymouth Borough Councilman Adam Morehart said the extension from June 30 this year to Sept. 30, 2025, was necessary due to the scale of the project. Design is underway and expected to wrap up the end of June. After permitting, the project is estimated to go out to bid in October.
“Plymouth Borough remains extremely grateful to Luzerne County for this grant that will benefit Plymouth AND several communities in the lower South Valley area,” Morehart wrote.
• Shickshinny received a $358,000 award for Chestnut Street roadway and drainage improvements.
Borough Council President Kathy Llewellyn submitted a letter indicating the extension from June 30 this year to Nov. 30, 2025 is necessary to replace deteriorated storm drainage infrastructure on Chestnut Street from Route 11 to Search Street and restore the roadway.
• Hazleton received $999,357 for stormwater management work that includes addressing 21st Street, which has no existing stormwater conveyance system and a roadway “beyond repair.”
The design and construction were delayed because a geotechnical investigation was necessary to identify the cause of the roadway failure, the city said.
The city’s completion deadline was extended from June 30 to Nov. 30 this year.
• The Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority received $2 million toward a $13.6 million “East Interceptor Rehabilitation Project” that will rehabilitate approximately one mile of old, deteriorated piping in Wilkes-Barre starting at the courthouse on River Street and continuing under the Wyoming Valley Levee to Riverside Drive.
Authority representatives said the piping under the levee has a diameter large enough to complete the work without disturbing the flood control system.
This segment of the interceptor services 19 municipalities.
More time was necessary to reduce the project cost through redesign and rebidding, secure a PENNVEST loan to fund the balance of the project and await material delivery delayed due to supply chain issues, its submission said.
The completion date was extended from June 30 this year to March 31, 2025.
Children and Youth
Luzerne County Children and Youth Services will now be called Luzerne County Children, Youth and Families in a name change unanimously approved by council Tuesday.
Agency representatives said the move is part of an effort showing they are committed to helping families and not only investigating cases of alleged abuse and neglect.
Council also voted Tuesday to:
• Forgive $1,136 in delinquent taxes on a Carey Avenue property Wilkes-Barre has acquired with plans to dedicate the real estate to Habitat for Humanity.
The county taxes were owed from 2001 through 2007. Wilkes-Barre and the Wilkes-Barre Area School District have agreed to abate back taxes owed to them. County forgiveness would be conditioned on the city transferring ownership to Habitat for Humanity, the agenda said.
• Earmark up to $350,000 in American Rescue interest earnings to purchase work vehicles for the county road and bridge department. The five new vehicles will replace ones taken out of service because they no longer meet state inspection requirements, the department said.
• Provide an $830,104 local match to the county Transportation Authority required to obtain $8.14 million in state operating assistance funds for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
• Appoint Forty Fort resident Coray Mitchell to a volunteer seat on the five-citizen county Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the levee system along the Susquehanna River.
Kristen Coffay was appointed to a student seat on the Luzerne-Wyoming Counties Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
