Grants fund cake, condos, too

HAZLE TWP. – Ed Rendell’s bus pulled into Luzerne County on Thursday and the governor dropped off nearly $15 million in funding for four projects.

All four are private development projects being helped by tax funds.

Rendell stopped at George Weston Bakeries in the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazle Township to open an Entenmann’s cake facility, bringing a check for $9.2 million for the plant that will employ more than 200 people.

Two Wilkes-Barre projects received state funding: $4 million for the renovation of the former Stegmaier Bottling plant and $1.5 million to make over the former Murray Complex on Ross Street.

Jordan Gilmore Inc. received $91,000 for its new office building at the Landing Pointe Office Park at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

“Here in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, with today’s announcement, we will have invested $653 million in new state funds since 2003,” Rendell said. “The counties now have 10,200 more people working than in January 2003, and unemployment has dropped in both counties.”

According to state records, the unemployment rate in Luzerne County in 2003 was 6.5 percent and it was 6 percent in Lackawanna County. At the end of 2007, those rates dropped to 4.5 percent in Luzerne County and 4.3 percent in Lackawanna.

Mayor Tom Leighton accepted the checks for the city projects and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty picked up a check for $4.5 million for the Laceworks project – the former factory where Hillary Rodham Clinton’s father once worked. Laceworks will be transformed into a residential, commercial and retail complex.“We thank the governor for his continued support of Wilkes-Barre and the entire Northeast Pennsylvania region,” Leighton said. “These two projects will bring needed housing to the downtown, which is critical for our revitalization.”

The Murray Complex project cost is estimated at $28 million, and the former Stegmaier building renovation is expected to cost $15 million to $20 million.The Stegmaier property, which has been used as storage for Diversified Records, is owned by Clifford Melberger of West Pittston. Tom Romanowski, chief operating officer of Greenspace, said the project will convert the plant into commercial and residential use with 47 apartments, a restaurant, art gallery, fitness room, parking deck and retail space.

The Greenspace proposal will be considered at the Aug. 20 meeting of the city zoning hearing board.

Before the project proceeds, the city must agree to vacate part of Lincoln Street, which runs behind the former bottling plant.

Last month, the city entered into an agreement with Daniel Siniawa & Associates of Dickson City to renovate the former Murray Complex. Siniawa plans to develop the 16-acre complex to accommodate 55 loft-style condominiums, an expanded dining facility at the former Murray’s Inn, two more restaurants with courtyards and to create 50,000-60,000 square feet of retail space.

Siniawa purchased the complex for $1.5 million from Thomas Murray at a bankruptcy auction in March 2004.

The governor’s statewide bus tour is announcing $642 million in state investments in 25 counties for projects that involve more than $1.3 billion in private and local investments.

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Progress

Gov. delivers $15M for projects

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