Luzerne County Council set to vote on $29.74 million in American Rescue allocations

Luzerne County Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the spending of $29.74 million in American Rescue Plan funding, according to the agenda.

The earmarks would provide loans to county small businesses and nonprofits and fund county government information technology projects, county prison repairs and an inspection of the county-owned Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge on Water Street linking Pittston and West Pittston.

The county is receiving a total $113 million in American Rescue Plan funding.

County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo said these initial requests focus on the administration’s determination of the most pressing county needs that fall within allowable federal guidelines.

Some details about the earmarks based on agenda information:

• Small business/nonprofit loans

Up to $20 million would be earmarked for small businesses, with another $5 million for nonprofits, to help them weather financial hardships and insecurity stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

The county administration projects eligible applicants could receive financial assistance in approximately three months, factoring in time to accept and review requests.

The Greater Hazleton CAN DO, the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce and Penn’s Northeast would partner with the county on a distribution plan.

Detailed eligibility guidelines would be released if council approves the allocation.

• Information technology projects

Up to $2.463 million would be allocated to acquire hardware, software and services that will support pandemic response and incorporate advanced cybersecurity features.

A breakdown of the specific plans: pandemic response help desk support, $215,000; pandemic laptop licensing, $66,000; cybersecurity, $425,000; virtualization infrastructure upgrade, $970,000; work in the courthouse annex data center, $28,000; email/SharePoint backups, $90,000; Adobe licensing, $50,000; assistance with Windows 10 version 20H2 upgrade, $25,000; networking equipment, $380,000; equipment at the EMA data center, $26,000; fiber upgrades, $113,000; and mail ballot scanner, $75,000.

• Luzerne County Correctional Facility repairs

Up to $1.53 million is requested for three projects at the county prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre.

The allocations include $700,000 for a new roof to stop leaks that county Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich has said are infiltrating the building and causing damage.

Also on the list: $527,560 for fire security and $300,000 to replace the elevators.

Some elevator repairs had been completed after a fifth-floor elevator door swung open at the base in 2016, resulting in the deaths of a correctional officer and an inmate.

However, Rockovich has said the elevator motor system and controls must be updated, largely because replacement components are now difficult to find. The elevators are in constant use for the transport of meals, laundry and inmates heading to court appearances and treatment, he has said.

• Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River

Up to $750,000 for an inspection that must be completed “before there is any chance to reopen” the bridge.

The county-owned span has been closed since early August pending review of a bent eyebar, and options are still under review, officials have said.

Built in 1914, the 1,500-foot steel bridge was last rehabilitated in 1984 and has long been deemed structurally deficient, carrying a 20-ton weight limit, officials said.

Crocamo has said preservation is important and that the bridge “holds significant historical rating in the local area” and “symbolizes the character of the area.” She also has pointed to the “extraordinary traffic and gridlock that the residents are enduring” since the bridge closure.

What’s next

Council’s voting meeting is at 6 p.m. at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for remote attendance posted under council’s online meetings link at luzernecounty.org.

More technical information on the proposed IT and prison work and bridge inspection are posted with the meeting agenda at luzernecounty.org.

Council also is set to discuss other possible uses for the American Rescue funding during the work session following the voting meeting, including a $15 million allocation to improve stormwater piping and address runoff along county-owned roads.

The county has time to decide how the American Rescue funding is spent because recipients don’t have to commit to a plan for their money until December 2024. Projects must be completed by the end of 2026.

To date, council members have only approved the use of $924,000 to cover this year’s county’s public transportation matches.

The county has received $56.4 million of the American Rescue funding to date, and the second installment in the same amount is expected to arrive in May, officials have said.