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HANOVER TWP. — A new 55,000-square-foot Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Regional Headquarters is planned on a 20-acre portion of a former coal mine site once used for the dumping of debris from the 1972 Agnes Flood, those involved in the project said Wednesday.

Developer George Albert said an investment group he formed and manages — PSP NE, LLC — submitted the winning proposal to the state to build and then lease the center to state police.

Projected to cost $16 million with the land purchase included, the new two-story center will replace the aging state police Troop P barracks in Wyoming and a regional state police training center in Forty Fort and provide expanded space for both indoor and outdoor gun ranges and a procurement and supply base, Albert said.

The state opted for a lease instead of handling construction on its own largely to accelerate completion of the new facility, which is “critically mandated” and must be finished by the end of 2020, Albert said. The lease will be 20 years, but Albert said he is confident extensions will be approved to keep state police there for additional decades.

Proposals for the project were publicly sought a year ago, and Albert said his group won the contract in July.

“It was a very, very tough competition with bidders from all over the eastern part of the state going after this bid,” Albert said. “We’re keeping it local. That’s the key.”

His development group is seeking a 10-year Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance, or LERTA, tax break in which the real estate taxes are forgiven on new construction but not the land.

Albert said a break is warranted for the site off Middle Road and Exit 2B of Route 29 because additional remediation and preparation will be necessary due to past mining, including drilling down deeper to install foundational support columns.

The land has been idle and tax-exempt under ownership of the nonprofit Earth Conservancy, and much of the tax break savings would be passed on to the state in its lease, he said.

“We’re looking to see what we can do to save the state some money,” Albert said.

Albert said the 20-acre parcel he is in the process of buying from Earth Conservancy is part of a nearly 50-acre tract that contained a strip mine filled with parts of houses and other remains left after the 1972 Susquehanna River flood tore through much of the Wyoming Valley.

After obtaining clearance that no hazardous material was on site, Earth Conservancy covered this area with about 15 feet of fly ash, creating a concrete cap, Albert said.

Reclamation resulted in a relatively flat parcel off the new South Valley Parkway, said Mike Dziak, Earth Conservancy’s executive director.

“We’ve been very interested in seeing the site developed through the years and knew the parkway would help,” Dziak said, noting his nonprofit is publicly seeking proposals from consultants to help identify the best uses and marketing plan for the remaining 30 acres it is retaining.

Earth Conservancy would build an entrance to the site off the South Valley Parkway, he said.

“It would be a great opportunity to see something there,” Dziak said.

Albert said his new project is a “small thumbprint of what’s happening” to add new buildings on land once blackened and pockmarked from mining in the Hanover Township and Nanticoke areas, including several approved for LERTAs.

In addition to the township, the Hanover Area School Board and Luzerne County Council must approve breaks. Albert said he is open to a compromise reached in some other breaks that would require rising partial payments toward taxes in latter years of the break.

“We want to benefit taxing bodies and show a willingness to work with them,” Albert said, noting requests for a subdivision and land development and highway occupancy permits are underway.

He said he is close to selecting a local contractor and expects to employ 200 to 225 construction workers. The influx of state police employees also will benefit local businesses, Albert said.

His attorney, Brian P. Stahl, presented the tax break request to township commissioners at a work session Wednesday night. The facility is expected to employ about 170 workers, both existing and new, he said.

In addition to putting the site back into productive use, the lease arrangement benefits taxing bodies because they will collect real estate taxes, which would not occur if the state owned the property, Stahl said.

“I hope you consider this project worthy of your consideration,” he told commissioners.

Township Manager Sam Guesto estimated the township would receive approximately $5,500 in real estate taxes annually if the new construction is assessed around $10 million.

Public comment on the proposed break will be accepted at a 6:30 p.m. hearing at the township municipal building Monday, Guesto said. Commissioners plan to vote on the request at a 7 p.m. meeting following the hearing.

Staff writer Jerry Lynott contributed to this report.

Albert
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL032118sterling1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgAlbert

The Pennsylvania State Police headquarters for Troop P is located in Wyoming. A new headquarters is proposed for Hanover Township to replace the aging building.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Image-167-1.jpg.optimal.jpgThe Pennsylvania State Police headquarters for Troop P is located in Wyoming. A new headquarters is proposed for Hanover Township to replace the aging building. Roger DuPuis | Times Leader

By Jennifer Learn-Andes

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