A request for $835,000 more to address leaks at the Luzerne County’s aging prison in Wilkes-Barre has sparked discussion about continued financial investment in the aging facility.
                                 File photo

A request for $835,000 more to address leaks at the Luzerne County’s aging prison in Wilkes-Barre has sparked discussion about continued financial investment in the aging facility.

File photo

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A request for $835,000 more to address leaks at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre sparked discussion about continued financial investment in the aging facility.

The project would address the parapet walls atop the prison’s older masonry section, which dates back to the late 1800s. Although roof-related leaks have been addressed, the parapet wall deterioration is causing water to infiltrate inside, mainly along two cell block areas, officials said.

County Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich had presented video evidence of the leaks for council members last fall.

Council had authorized $700,000 from the county’s federal American Rescue funding to repair the walls, but the lone bid from Bloomsburg-based C&D Water Proofing Corp. came in $835,000 above the allocation amount, officials said.

In addition to removing asbestos from the walls on both cell blocks, the contractor would install new metal panels on the interior wall surfaces, cap the tops of the walls with new metal copings and install a weather-repellent product on the wall exteriors, according to Mark J. Sobeck Roof Consulting.

This solution will allow the walls to “breathe” because they are currently holding water within the masonry, causing leaking inside, the consultant said.

The work will be guaranteed for at least 30 years because the noncorrosive material won’t rust or degrade, Sobeck representative Justin Piontkowski told council during its work session.

Council members Kevin Lescavage and Brian Thornton expressed frustration over the rising prison maintenance expense.

In January, council agreed to the administration’s request for up to $1.53 million in American Rescue funding to repair the prison roof leaks and replace the outdated fire security system and two heavily-used elevators. Last month, council approved an additional $235,000 in American Rescue funding to replace the elevators because the earmark set aside wasn’t enough to cover the lone bid submitted to complete that work.

Council recently asked the administration to seek an outside expert to assess future prison options because the facility on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre has an inefficient layout and requires significant maintenance. Possibilities include expansion of the current prison, takeover of the former State Correctional Institution at Retreat in Newport Township, new prison construction somewhere else or partnering with other counties to construct a regional prison facility.

County Manager Randy Robertson told council during last week’s session that the administration has been researching consulting firms specializing in prison analysis and will seek an allocation to fund that study in the proposed 2023 budget this fall. After a budget is approved by council the end of this year, the administration would publicly seek proposals, he said.

Robertson said the county must address prison leaks because it will preserve the county-owned asset for the future, even if the county ends up using it for something else or selling it down the road, he said. And though the county is studying options, nobody is saying the county will be in a new prison soon, he said.

“I don’t envision this being a quick project by any stretch, either here or wherever we go,” Robertson said.

Rockovich concurred. For example, he estimated it would take five years for a rehabilitation of SCI Retreat to be executed and move-in ready, and that’s without new construction there.

Lescavage asked if there is a “small fix” for the leaks, saying repair expenses are adding up and taking away money that could be used toward the outside prison study and chosen option.

Piontkowski said there is no quick fix.

“It’s not like we could just go up there and put a clear sealant on your masonry. The prison is over 150 years old, and it’s been neglected for many years,” Piontkowski said, noting other repairs completed over the last eight years have stopped at least 90% of the roof-related leaks. “This is the last piece of the puzzle.”

This project involves large limestone masonry blocks that are 40 inches thick and weigh a couple of tons each, he said. The only other options involved mass reconstruction of the parapet walls from the roofline up, which would cost tens of millions of dollars and create a security challenge with inmates still housed in the facility, he said.

Piontkowski said the wall project was bid twice, and there were no bids the first time. C&D Water Proofing Corp. has been vetted and deemed highly qualified, he said.

“We know they do phenomenal roofing work, and their masonry division is top notch,” he said, citing their recent and current work at regional churches.

The prison parapet walls are located directly over the prison yard, which means no scaffolding can be erected, Piontkowski said. The need to rely on temporary access equipment that must be set up and dismantled daily extends the time it will take to complete the project, he said.

Councilman Tim McGinley suggested council partially or fully cover the $835,000 using money from the capital projects fund, which had dwindled but was bolstered with the transfer of $2 million from the county’s $4.8 million 2021 budget surplus.

McGinley said he does not want to keep tapping the American Rescue funding. After deducting earmarks already made, the county has approximately $96.3 million in American Rescue funding remaining for projects or programs.

“We’re trying to help a lot of people and trying to look at projects that may be really positive for the county, and if we keep taking a million dollars out at a time, we’re not going to have a heck of a lot left,” he said.

Council is expected to vote on the prison repair allocation at its next regularly scheduled meeting Sept. 13.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.