Luzerne County Government

April 28, 2010

2 laid-off park workers to return

Times Leader staff

Two furloughed Moon Lake Park workers have been called back to work to provide park maintenance, Luzerne County Chief Clerk Doug Pape said Tuesday.

The workers are foreman Paul Dietrick and maintenance worker James Hunlock, according to county officials. Park clerk Mary Ann Konevich and park director Clif Madrack remain furloughed.

Pape said the two maintenance workers will be on a “seasonal” schedule and will be supervised by the county engineer’s office. Contingency funding will cover the unbudgeted expense, he said.

The 650-acre county-owned park in Plymouth Township had closed in January because funding for staff and other expenses was stripped from the 2010 budget, but the facility reopened on a limited basis without staff in March.

Two security guards and one rotating guard have been working staggered shifts to ensure the park has a security presence when public entry is allowed, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, officials said.

The public is permitted to use the park for hiking, biking, fishing and other activities, though camping and swimming remain off limits. The park features a popular 20-mile, beginner-to-expert trail built by members of the Northeast Pennsylvania Mountain Bike Association.

County officials say they are still interested in finding an outside entity to manage the park at no cost to the county.

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