Luzerne County Domestic Relations completes relocation to Kingston

Luzerne County Domestic Relations completed its relocation to a leased building in Kingston, which frees up space for a $1.5 million project to fit all family court judicial operations inside the county-owned Bernard C. Brominski Building on North Street in Wilkes-Barre, officials said Monday.

A County Council majority voted last June to approve the county Court of Common Pleas’ request to lease the 11,900-square-foot property at 310 Market St. from JDP Realty Inc. for $25,783 per month, or $309,396 annually, for a decade. The price factored in renovations and includes structural and parking lot maintenance.

Domestic Relations, which provides child and spousal support collection services to county residents, is largely funded with federal money allocated through the state, officials said.

It was previously housed on the first and second floors of the Brominski Building.

Two of the family court judges and four hearing officers occupy the third floor of the Brominski Building, but the remaining family court judge and another hearing officer must be located in the adjacent courthouse due to a lack of space — an issue that will be addressed through the new project.

Part of the now-vacant space at the Brominski Building will also hold a PFA office and waiting areas, including a section with toys for children summoned for family court sessions and proceedings.

The two-location family court layout is confusing to families already in stressful situations, officials have said.

The condensed hallway waiting space on the Brominski Building’s third floor means opposing parties must remain near each other, and noises from the hallway reach the courtroom while proceedings are underway, including emotional outbursts relating to custody rulings, County Court Administrator Paul Hindmarsh has said. He had described the setup as “chaotic and quite frankly embarrassing” and told council that family court proceedings should not be held in the courthouse because children are exposed to inmates brought to other courtrooms for criminal proceedings, further compounding their trauma.

County Council’s capital plan earmarked $1.5 million for the Brominski reconfiguration project.

Court officials have started preliminary discussions about the design and layout with Reilly Associates in Pittston — the county’s outside engineer, Hindmarsh said.

“Once we can all agree on the layout and design for the renovations, the project can go through the bidding process,” Reilly said.

The new Domestic Relations office officially opened last week. Located near the Kingston Armory, the building previously housed a bank.

“The space came out great,” Hindmarsh said Monday.

County Domestic Relations Director Lisa Pierotti reiterated that the new location is close to the family court, visible for those paying support or seeking other services, and has ample parking.

Two security officers are stationed at the entrance to the building’s lobby, which includes a reception counter, a docketing station for filing paperwork, and a cashier window for payments.

Offices and work stations are carved out for 35 employees, including conference, support, and intake officers. Another area holds shelves of case dockets that must be kept for approximately 6,600 cases handled by the office.

The space is smaller than the two floors occupied in the Brominski Building because the office has downsized over time through efficiencies, Pierotti said.

“This is a much more professional layout and organization,” Pierotti said.

Clients were notified of the location change through a text message and with mailed paperwork, Pierotti said, noting that more visible street and building signs identifying the office have been ordered.