Former Luzerne County juvenile detention building project still in the works

Plans are still in the works to transform the former Luzerne County juvenile detention center into offices and residential apartment units, county Councilwoman LeeAnn McDermott said during last week’s meeting of council’s real estate committee, which she chairs.

County Controller Walter Griffith recently requested an update on the project during a council meeting.

Local businessman Roy Castillo purchased the Wilkes-Barre property from the county in October 2022. The three-story brick structure off North River Street overlooks the county prison.

McDermott said Castillo informed her he plans to step up work in two weeks.

As part of the project, Castillo must install a separate sewer line because the current one is shared with the prison, officials said. The need for sewer line separation prompted a council majority to reduce Castillo’s purchase price from $50,000 to $30,000.

Castillo purchased the property through High Point Investment Co. LLC. He has owned and operated the restaurant Margarita Azul in Wilkes-Barre for more than a decade. A GAR High School graduate, Castillo had told county officials he has extensive property restoration knowledge to put the neglected detention center property back into productive use.

Constructed as a women’s prison in 1937, the detention center has been vacant since the county stopped sending youths there in 2002.

Interested buyers

As part of ongoing efforts to sell unused county property, the real estate committee agreed last week to forward three purchase offers to the full 11-member council for its consideration. A decision on advancing a fourth offer was tabled.

Council members Jimmy Sabatino, Brittany Stephenson and Kevin Lescavage also serve on the committee. Lescavage was absent because last week’s meeting was during the day.

Some details on the three offers that will advance to council:

• The county Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system along the Susquehanna River, wants to purchase two vacant lots at the end of Delaney Street in Hanover Township near the levee toe — $14,000 for a 7,500-square-foot parcel and $8,500 for a 4,696-square-foot lot.

• Dustin M. Switzer submitted a $1,000 offer for a 0.143-acre lot on Route 309 in Dallas Township.

• Martin Carr offered $550 for a vacant 0.108-acre Dallas Township lot that is semi-wooded.

The tabled offer was from Vincent V. Verdekal proposing the $1,500 purchase of a 0.515-acre lot on the corner of Tannery and North River streets in Wilkes-Barre.

McDermott said Verdekal owns the adjacent property and has been maintaining the county-owned lot.

Sabatino said he wants to perform more research on the value because the lot is assessed at $45,700 for real estate taxation purposes.

Housing Coalition

McDermott reported the county is still working to assemble a coalition to address a shortage of affordable housing in the county.

The Institute in Wilkes-Barre is assisting with research on affordable housing and has recommended possible coalition members with expertise on the issue, she said.

When announcing the panel in April, McDermott said she met with county grants writer Michele Sparich, county Community Development Director Catherine Hilsher and Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo to help develop the coalition plan.

Lombardo has been trying to spark regional interest in tackling the need for more affordable housing, stressing he is not talking about low-income housing because that sector already has been largely addressed through public housing programs.

During significant growth cycles like the one now underway, area leaders should consider what related needs must be addressed, and affordable housing is a big one, Lombardo has said.

Study commission

The county’s new Government Study Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Instructions to attend the meeting remotely will be posted under council’s online meeting section at luzernecounty.org.

Authorized by county voters in the April 23 primary election, the seven-citizen commission will have nine months to report findings and recommendations and another nine months if it is opting to prepare and submit government changes. An extra two months is allowable if the commission is recommending electing council by district instead of at large.

Voters must ultimately approve any commission recommendation for it to take effect.