Wampole praises White Haven facility, but backs WB station for tourism office

Luzerne County tourism head Theodore Wampole still believes the historic downtown Wilkes-Barre train station would be the best solution for his office’s visitor center and administrative offices.

The White Haven Area Community Library and Visitor Center, meanwhile, “has a lot of potential as a visitor center but not as a home for the administrative offices,” Wampole said after touring that site on Thursday.

Wampole stressed he will respect county council’s decision but believes the tourism home base should be more centralized in the county seat and closer to numerous hotels along Interstate 81 in the Wilkes-Barre area.

He added he remains committed to working with White Haven officials on their tourism promotion efforts.

“It was great to be invited by the people of White Haven and to hear their plans and what they want to do,” Wampole said.

State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, arranged the tour, saying the White Haven center is close to major interstates and bustles with tourists because it is near three state parks and the D&L trail. Mullery said he wasn’t trying to pressure the county to reject the Wilkes-Barre train station but wanted to make sure council was aware there is another choice it may deem better.

Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a five-year lease of 2,100 square feet in the former Central Railroad of New Jersey brick station in Wilkes-Barre, which was built in 1868 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The county would not move from its current leased site on Public Square until restoration is completed in December. Developer George Albert recently told council his investment group must have guaranteed tenants before it would proceed with renovating the station.

Council Vice Chairman Chris Perry participated in Thursday’s tour and said the White Haven structure is a “viable option” that will be discussed by council Tuesday.

If council proceeds with the Wilkes-Barre plan, Perry said there may be a possibility for other partnerships with the White Haven property, which is housed in a former Lehigh Valley Railroad engine repair shop built in 1889.

“White Haven is moving forward. There’s no question in my mind,” Perry said.

County Convention Center and Visitors Bureau Board member Tony Brooks also attended the tour.

“I want to commend residents of the greater White Haven area for the fantastic restoration of that property,” he said of the former engine repair shop.

Brooks and his board colleagues had recommended the Wilkes-Barre train station lease. However, Brooks emphasized the White Haven site serves as a model he’d like to see replicated throughout the county because it showcases local history and devotes space to display brochures of other places tourists can visit in the county.

County Manager C. David Pedri attended a virtual session after the tour but said he has visited the building before and described it as “beautiful.”

Pedri said he is open to suggestions and “very interested” in working with White Haven representatives, although funds are limited because the bureau relies primarily on hotel tax revenue with no contribution from the county’s general fund operating budget.

The bureau spends approximately $30,000 on rent at its current smaller 1,300-square-foot site on Public Square. The train station lease is proposed at $32,400 annually.