County engineer Brozena gets new job

Veteran Luzerne County Chief Engineer Jim Brozena has accepted a newly created job as executive director of the county Flood Protection Authority.

Brozena will oversee tens of millions of dollars in recreational improvements along the Susquehanna River in downtown Wilkes-Barre and the West Side.

His salary will remain the same – $76,970. Brozena’s new authority executive director post will expire June 1, 2010.

Brozena is always animated while talking about his work on the levee-raising and recreation projects that reconnect people to the river.

“This as you all know is my passion and it gives me the ability to devote all my efforts to it so that we end up with a world-class amenity here in the county,” Brozena said during Friday’s authority meeting.

The authority approved the job creation and Brozena’s hiring on Friday. The three commissioners, county planning/zoning director and assistant engineer serve on the authority.

Authority members agreed that the position should not be publicly advertised because Brozena has already worked extensively on river projects and was the ideal candidate.

The new job will ensure that projects are completed as soon as possible, said authority Chairman Stephen A. Urban. “There’s just a whole host of issues with the project that I believe need the dedicated attention of an individual.”

Authority member Todd Vonderheid said the quantity of work involved in the river projects “deserves full-time attention” – something Brozena can’t give when he is also working on road, bridge and other county construction projects.

“While Jim is not the political father of those projects, it seems that he has been the appointed guardian,” he said.

Brozena will start the new post after a two-week transition preparing assistant engineer Joe Gibbons to fill his shoes as chief engineer. Brozena was a county engineer for 25 years.

“While it will be difficult to replace Jim’s skills as county engineer, Joe Gibbons is clearly technically capable and will clearly rise to the occasion,” Vonderheid said.

Work on the Wilkes-Barre side includes two 60-foot-wide portals that allow street-level access to an amphitheater, a fishing platform/dock and a landing area, which will have room for exhibits and events. The green sheetpile along the River Common levee stretch will be capped with concrete walls that support a paved walking/biking path atop the levee.

Separate projects to restore the courthouse gardens, calm traffic on that section of River Street and refurbish Nesbitt Park in Kingston are also planned.