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WEST PITTSTON — Adamant that a funding program used to reconstruct Coal Street in Wilkes-Barre has been terminated, Luzerne County’s chief solicitor promised to go to court to block the city from getting access to the money to extend the roadway and complete the project.
“This isn’t a threat. I’m trying to inform you what will happen,” attorney C. David Pedri told members of the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority in charge of disbursing more than $3 million remaining in the Tax Incremental Financing program.
Pedri as well as William Vinsko, assistant attorney for Wilkes-Barre, and Butch Frati, the city’s director of operations, made their cases to the authority Tuesday at its West Pittston office. While Vinsko and Frati lobbied for the extension to West Union Street, Pedri focused on the Sept. 8 vote by county council that closed the books on this TIF.
The county, Wilkes-Barre Area School District and Wilkes-Barre Township relinquished tax revenue from development around the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza to fund infrastructure projects as spelled out in a 1998 TIF agreement. Wilkes-Barre did not contribute and the agreement ended in early 2012, points stressed by Pedri.
The redevelopment authority entered into separate contracts with Wilkes-Barre regarding the extension, but they ended last year and city still has nothing definitive to show in terms of when the project will start, Pedri added.
‘Shining light’
That’s not to minimize what’s been done, Pedri said. “This was a great project. This project should be a shining light for what TIFs can do for municipalities,” Pedri said.
He encouraged the city to enter into a new TIF in order to finish the job.
Frati stressed much of the preliminary work on the extension has been done. A final design would take approximately six months, but PennDOT, which would have an 80 percent share of funding has to place the extension on its list of priority road construction project.
“It’s almost impossible to nail it down. It could be three years. It could be two years,” Frati said.
Vinsko noted there is development on site including the construction of a portion of the roadway. He pushed for it’s completion, saying, “It’s going to be something that we really believe is crucial to the future of the city and to take away funding for it would severely hamper it and leave basically a hole in that area.”
The authority met in executive session after the hour-long public meeting to discuss the issue.
More negotiations
Attorney Garry Taroli, solicitor for the authority said, the board proposed tabling the matter until the Nov. 24 meeting. But in the meantime, it suggested that all the parties — the county, the city, the school district and the township — get together to try to reach an amicable settlement.
If that fails the board can ask a judge to make a decision.
“I think what everyone’s going to realize is litigation is expensive and time consuming,” Taroli said.
In other business, the board granted a 60-day extension to Market Square Properties Development LLC to complete its due diligence to acquire the Market Street station. The developer will have to deposit $25,000 in escrow. The money will be put toward the purchase price if the deal goes through. If it does not the authority will keep the money.
