Several Luzerne County Council members are set to tour the county’s aging prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre Wednesday morning.
Councilman Brian Thornton said he wants to assess the condition of the structure and examine any safety concerns, such as blind spots, that he has heard about from corrections officers.
Last month, Thornton and council colleagues Kevin Lescavage and John Lombardo joined a team of county workers on a tour of the closed State Correctional Institution at Retreat in Newport Township to start determining if it could be used for a county prison.
State Rep. Aaron Kaufer had urged the county to consider taking possession of the Newport Township site, saying it’s possible the state would transfer the property to the county for $1.
Thornton, who has a mechanical engineering degree and worked as a project engineer in New York City before becoming a financial advisor, said he saw potential in four large buildings at the Newport Township complex known as cell blocks A, B, C and D. These buildings were constructed in the late 1980s and can collectively hold more than 800 inmates, he said.
Another building at the complex houses the commissary and a gymnasium and is in “great shape,” Thornton said.
“I don’t think it’s feasible to keep the doors open at our existing prison forever,” Thornton said. “We are talking about the purse strings of the taxpayer, and we don’t like throwing good money (at) a bad project.”
Lescavage said he looks forward to Wednesday’s tour because he wants to face reality. He also sees promise in the Newport Township property.
“We want to go there and see how long we have,” Lescavage said of the existing prison.
During a November budget presentation, county Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich had requested $11.8 million from the county’s $113 million federal American Rescue Plan funds to expand and repair the current prison.
The administration has not yet asked council to vote on this entire package. Instead, council agreed to the administration’s request for up to $1.53 million in American Rescue funding to repair prison roof leaks and replace the outdated fire security system and elevators.
Lombardo, also scheduled to participate in Wednesday’s prison tour, said the county can no longer put off a serious review of prison options.
“It’s time to get this conversation started now. It’s already cost us a lot of money,” Lombardo said of the current prison.
Councilman Chris Perry said he is participating in Wednesday’s tour and is eager to see the state of the building.
“I’m going in with an open mind and realizing it is a giant obstacle for the county going forward,” Perry said of a decision on how to proceed. “Somewhere down the line, we have to make a decision.”
Council Chairwoman Kendra Radle said she has toured the prison several times as a council member and welcomes continued discussion on all options.