Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Hoping to attract Luzerne County’s tourism bureau as a tenant, White Haven borough officials have scheduled a Thursday morning tour of the White Haven Area Community Library and Visitor Center for county representatives.
County council is set to vote next week on a proposed lease to house the county bureau in the historic downtown Wilkes-Barre train station when that property is renovated in December.
After reading about the train station plan, state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, proposed the White Haven site as another option, arguing the county “should be where tourists and visitors are.”
Mullery said the White Haven facility is in an 1889 former Lehigh Valley Railroad engine repair shop and “ideally located” two miles from Interstate 80, nine miles from Interstate 81 and five miles from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The borough is the “entrance community” for three state parks (Hickory Run, Lehigh Gorge and Nescopeck) that attracted nearly 1 million visitors over the past two years and situated between the Black Diamond span of the D&L trail and northern entrance to the Lehigh Gorge, he said.
Advocates of the Wilkes-Barre plan say the station is in the county seat and centrally located within the county. It also is in a high-traffic area near the Mohegan Sun Arena, numerous hotels, King’s College and Wilkes University and easily accessible from Interstate 81.
Relocation to the station also would support preservation of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey brick station, built in 1868. Developer George Albert recently told council his investment group must have guaranteed tenants before it would proceed with renovating the structure, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
White Haven Manager Linda Szoke said Tuesday she and other borough officials agree with Mullery that their municipality would be a wise choice.
The former engine repair shop’s entryway is flanked by two areas with tourism brochures and historical displays from the White Haven region, including the bell once used at a borough school and memorabilia donated by residents.
This display area can be altered to incorporate the county’s needs to showcase county history and attractions, she said.
A counter off the entrance also is used for the library but can be reprogrammed solely for visitor center use, she said.
Shelves of adult library books are near the entrance, but the plan is to move the adult section to the vacant second floor, which would free up the front portion of the building for tourism, she said.
Additional office space also is available on the second floor for the county tourism office, depending on its needs, she said.
The library has applied for a grant to install an elevator to the second floor.
Funds have been raised to build an outdoor “Rail Yard Park” for public use and events, she said.
“We’re happy they’re taking the time to at least look at another option,” she said of county officials.
The federally designated D&L trail follows anthracite coal’s past route from Wyoming Valley mines to market in Bucks County near Philadelphia, passing through White Haven and historic Jim Thorpe in Carbon County. Eventually, the trail is supposed to be extended to Wilkes-Barre.
More visitors have been stopping by the White Haven center since the D&L trailhead opened in Mountain Top, Szoke said. Some bikers return to Mountain Top after their break in the borough, while others continue on the trail to Jim Thorpe and get shuttle rides back to their vehicles, she said.
“We do get a lot of foot traffic. We’ve been seeing a lot of activity,” she said.
Mullery had publicly recommended the White Haven idea last week and said he later spoke to county Manager C. David Pedri about scheduling a meeting.
Pedri sent council members an email from Szoke Tuesday inviting them to the 10:30 a.m. in-person tour and a subsequent virtual session.
Pedri said he will be unable to attend the in-person tour due to other scheduled commitments, but he plans to participate in the virtual discussion. Some county tourism representatives are expected to attend.
Council is set to vote on the train station lease at its April 13 meeting. The five-year lease of 2,100 square feet at the Wilkes-Barre station is proposed at $15.43 per square foot, which amounts to $32,400 annually. The rent would increase to $16.50 per square foot if the county opts for two renewals at three years each.
The bureau spends approximately $30,000 on rent at its current smaller 1,300-square-foot site on Public Square. No county general operating budget funds are required for a lease because the bureau is self-sufficient, relying primarily on hotel tax revenue, officials said.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.