Luzerne County officials express support for keeping Keystone Job Corps

Following a lengthy Tuesday tour, several Luzerne County officials expressed strong support for the Keystone Job Corps facility in Butler Township — a federal educational and vocational program for youth and young adults that has an uncertain future.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced in late May it would pause operations at all 99 of its contractor-operated Job Corps Centers by June 30, including the Keystone Job Corps housed on 123 acres leased from the county.

A federal judge in New York granted a preliminary injunction to stop the labor department from shutting down the Job Corps programs until a lawsuit against the move is resolved, according to prior reporting.

As a result, the federal labor department has asked the county to extend its lease of the property for one more year.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she and several county administrators attended the tour with county Council members LeeAnn McDermott and Jimmy Sabatino.

The tour showcased Keystone Job Corps’ state-of-the-art facilities and “dedicated staff who are committed to providing opportunities to young adults that are often overlooked by traditional systems,” Crocamo said.

Crocamo, McDermott and Sabatino all said Tuesday’s session emphasized the value of the residential program for low-income citizens ages 16 to 24.

The facility’s comprehensive training programs and personalized support “offer a pathway to success for young adults, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to thrive in today’s workforce,” Crocamo said.

Tour attendees witnessed firsthand its commitment to “fostering an environment of growth and opportunity,” she added.

“As we move forward, we reaffirm our support for the Keystone Job Corps and its mission,” Crocamo said. “Job Corps continues to provide invaluable resources and opportunities for the young adults in our community, helping them to realize their full potential.”

McDermott said she was “very impressed with the whole facility” and sensed the instructors genuinely care about preparing students for both careers and “real life.”

All facilities at the complex were well-maintained, she said.

There are 44 buildings, including dormitories, classroom and vocational education structures, a dining facility and buildings linked to storage and utilities, according to a list supplied to council.

McDermott said the Keystone representatives were cautiously optimistic the facility will remain open beyond a year.

“According to what I saw, they do a great job,” McDermott said. “I saw value in the program. It’s very impressive.”

Sabatino described the operation as “amazing.”

“It’s a really great program that helps students who don’t have every advantage in life to achieve great things,” Sabatino said. “Their economic impact in the southern end of the county is over $30 million annually. That’s a hit we can’t afford to take.”

Sabatino said the county lease renewal means Keystone will “live to fight another year.”

“I hope it’s in our county for years to come,” he said.

When briefing council on the one-year lease extension earlier this month, county Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene said the continued renewal is beneficial to the county because it costs approximately $1 million annually to maintain the property.

County officials have said it appears the buildings on the county-owned land will revert back to the county when the lease is terminated.

The county owns approximately 530 acres in the township, including the Keystone Job Corps site, because the county had operated the Kis-Lyn work camp for juvenile delinquents from 1912 to 1965.

The county receives $1,000 per month from the lease. The lease acknowledges the county is charging less than a fair market value rental fee due to the federal government’s investment in infrastructure and salaries at the Job Corps site in addition to benefitting the community through the purchase of goods and services.

Skene said he informed the federal government the rent would have to be increased if it wanted to use the property for a purpose other than a job corps.

Federal officials informed Skene there is no interest in another purpose for the site and that the lease extension stemmed from the injunction preventing them from closing at this time.