Wilkes-Barre City Hall

Wilkes-Barre City Hall

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WILKES-BARRE — City Council Thursday night approved funding a passenger rail service study and allocating $6 million in pandemic relief funds even though there’s little chance of them getting the approval of Mayor George Brown.

Prior to Council’s votes Brown pointed out some of the projects in the package were not permitted uses of a portion of the $37.1 million in American Rescue Plan money directed to the city for financial help recovering from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Others mirrored programs the city already has underway, Brown said.

As for the $100,000 to study rail service to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Brown was reluctant to proceed without the authorization of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

“I want to make sure you understand this. I’m not adverse to the concept this concept and would certainly endorse passenger rail service from Wilkes-Barre. However the state hasn’t established any priorities at this present time,” Brown said.

Assistant City Attorney Maureen Collins also offered an opinion at the request of Councilman Bill Barrett on whether the mayor would be mandated to act on the study and ARP spending package if they were approved.

“To answer your question, in my opinion it would not bind the mayor,” Collins said.  

Before the vote Alexander Metcalf, president of Transportation Economics & Management Systems Inc., the company that’s proposed doing the study, encouraged Council to go ahead. Metcalf addressed Council during its work session through a video link.

Metcalf said PennDOT’s authorization isn’t needed, but the rail project would have to be included in the state’s transportation infrastructure plan.

“But the federal government will allow you to apply for grants and to develop your corridor without actually having to have authorization from PennDOT,” Metcalf said.

That’s the route Reading took with its study done by the Frederick, Maryland-based TEMS and it got the attention of PennDOT — and the commitment from Amtrak for three trains daily to Philadelphia.

City Controller Darren Snyder proposed the idea of a study a few years ago and resurrected it with the influx of federal money for infrastructure and the expansion of routes by Amtrak.

“You know how I feel about it,” Snyder told Council. “It takes a village to build a train.”

Still Brown recommended setting up a meeting by Zoom software with PennDOT because he said he was informed by Amtrak the state agency has the final say.

“We were told that and we’re told that specifically and also the Amtrak leadership told us they would only be working with the PennDOT recommendations,” Brown said.

Nonetheless, Council by a 4-1 vote approved the study. Barrett opposed the resolution.

Council further approved the ARP spending by a 3-2 vote. Barrett and Council Vice Chairman Mike Belusko voted against the resolution. Council Chairwoman Beth Gilbert McBride and councilmen Tony Brooks and John Marconi supported it.

The ARP package called for allocating $1 million each for road repair machinery, the beautification of the city with new street posts, signs and line painting on roadways, upgrades to city parks and equipment and towards homelessness and affordable housing. The package allocated $500,000 each for domestic violence resource centers, Public Square renovations, the Wilkes-Barre Tourism Expansion project and homeowner improvement and blighted property improvement projects.

Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.