WB City Council tables First National Bank Building sale

WILKES-BARRE — Despite tabling an agenda item authorizing the sale of the former First National Bank Building on Public Square, City Council had plenty to discuss during Monday’s combined session — including bidding farewell to two council members.

As previously reported by the Times Leader, the former bank was built in 1906 and had been vacant for years before the city bought it for $225,000 at a Luzerne County delinquent-tax sale in 2004.

In September, Michael Bloxton, founder and CEO of the Bloxton Investment Group and a principal of Big Public Square, sought council’s approval for the city to apply for a $500,000 state gaming grant to assist with the renovations of the adjacent Luzerne Bank building, which Bloxton hopes to turn into a hotel aptly named the “Bloxton Hotel.”

Bloxton, who purchased that building just over a year ago, says the hotel will feature 130 rooms, and he hopes to add a restaurant/bar in the lobby, as well as meeting rooms and fitness and business centers. According to him, the entire project will take just about two years to complete.

Mayor George C. Brown says the sale of the First National Bank Building will tie in to the Luzerne Bank Building project.

The tabled sale, which would bring in $450,000 of profit to the city, was pulled from the agenda due to a lack of clarification on what the new project would entail.

Big Public Square LCC, the proposed buyers, were not in attendance during the meeting, prompting several council members to voice concerns over voting without answers to questions they had prepared.

“I was kind of expecting them to be here to give a presentation and to ask them questions about what they want to do with the bank building,” said Councilman Tony Brooks.

“I’m not at all saying I’m against this. I love their ideas of what they want to do, but I’d just like to ask them some questions. It would just give us and the public more of an explanation because it’s a major project, and arguably the best part of Public Square is that block right there,” he added.

Council Chairperson Mike Belusko made sure to note that the tabling was not a mark against the sale, but a move to gather more details.

“This is not a no, Mayor. City Council is not voting it down. We just want information,” Belusko said.

Kirby Park restroom project green-lit

Despite tabling the Luzerne Bank Building sale, council did approve authorizing Brown’s administration to award contracts for the Kirby Park restroom project for the following amounts:

• $376,301 to Hadley Construction for general construction

• $36,218 to Delta Electrical Systems for electrical construction

• $59,500 to Linco Construction for plumbing construction

• $7,550 to Aircon Service Company for heating/ventilation/air conditioning construction

According to Brown, the project will feature men’s, women’s and children’s hands-free handicapped bathroom and shower facilities that will compliment the Wilkes-Barre Special Needs Playground that opened in Kirby Park last year.

Funding for the project will come from the Kirby Foundation and the city’s Office of Community Development funds.

“This is going to be a beautiful new addition to the park,” said Brown.

“When we were putting together the special needs park, we realized that there had to be a place for people to go to utilize a facility that maybe don’t have the ability to use their hands or they’re special needs, but we were also looking at the COVID situation, so this is going to be a hands-free building where people won’t have to worry about touching anything,” he added.

Councilman Bill Barrett offered his support for the new facility.

“It’s quite an investment, and I think it’s something that we need to be doing,” Barrett said.

Council says goodbye to two members

Monday’s meeting also marked the end of term for Councilman John Marconi and Councilwoman Beth Gilbert, who have served on Wilkes-Barre City Council for the last four and eight years, respectively.

During his address to council, Brown recognized both of their efforts in moving the city forward during their time on council.

“I just want to thank Beth and John for the last four years that you have served on council. I know we didn’t always agree and we didn’t always come to the same ideas or resolutions, but I want to thank you because every decision that you made came from your heart and it was in your mind what was best for the city and the residents and business owners of Wilkes-Barre,” Brown said.

Brooks also shared his gratitude for his fellow council members, nodding specifically to Gilbert’s time on council.

“Your passion, your creativity and your intellect is really appreciated and has not gone unnoticed by the citizens of Wilkes-Barre, so from the bottom of my heart, it was wonderful working with you,” he said.

Gilbert offered her own farewell, in which she thanked her fellow council members, Brown’s administration and the citizens of Wilkes-Barre for their support over the last eight years.

“These eight years representing District C have just been an incredible journey with a lot of ups and downs and challenges and triumphs and it’s hard to say goodbye, but I do so with a heart full of gratitude,” Gilbert said, adding that, above all, she extends thanks to her constituents.

“They took a chance on a 20-year-old from the Heights and now I leave this role as a nearly 30-year-old mother, so we’ve grown a lot together over the last eight years. The support, friendship and love that I’ve received from this community has just meant the world to me and your faith in me has not only proved my path, but I also hope that it opened pathways for other young women to hopefully run for office and feel that they too can have a seat at the table,” she said.

Also during Monday’s session, council appointed Stacy Bly and City Administrator Charles McCormick to vacant seats on the Wilkes-Barre Finance Authority.