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By MICHAEL McNARNEY mmcnarney@leader.net
Friday, March 21, 2003 Page: 3A
WILKES-BARRE – City taxpayers will likely have to foot the entire $39,000
bill for a contractor that helped plow after the Presidents Day snowstorm last
month.
Popple Construction, Inc. of Laflin received a city check for $38,935 for
its efforts, according to city records. Gov. Ed Rendell authorized local
officials to immediately hire helpers to clear the roads, but did not
guarantee reimbursement.
Luzerne County was not among the 29 counties declared eligible for aid this
week, according to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
PEMA spokeswoman Maria Smith said all is not lost, and local officials can
still ask for special consideration.
But Smith said Luzerne County’s official snow total that day was 15 inches,
well off the record 20 inches needed for serious aid consideration. When told
informal measurements in downtown Wilkes-Barre were less than 11 inches, she
said: “That’s even worse for the case.”
City spokeswoman Shannon Hayward said Popple was the only contractor hired.
However, equipment operators called directly from the Local 1532 of the
International Union of Operating Engineers were also working for the city the
day of the storm. Information on their pay was not available.
Mayor Tom McGroarty said that, knowing what he knows now, he’d still hire
Popple. And he also said he has faith that members of Congress will lobby Bush
to add Luzerne County to the eligible list.
“We also had to pay our guys,” McGroarty said. “That’s our biggest
expense.”
Christine Katsock, president of the Wilkes-Barre Area Taxpayers’
Association and a Republican candidate for mayor, was disappointed that the
city has to pay up.
“It certainly seemed like, from reports, that there was a guarantee that
we were going to be reimbursed,” Katsock said.
Michael McNarney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7305.