Pedri
                                 File photo

Pedri

File photo

Mandatory masks, temperature checks among steps

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Luzerne County government will start gradually reopening its offices on Monday, with masks and temperature checks required for anyone entering county buildings, county Manager C. David Pedri told council Tuesday.

The county must continue limiting the number of workers and visitors inside buildings to maintain social distancing and prevent groups exceeding 25 under the state’s coronavirus protocols, Pedri said.

Temperatures will be read using a device that does not require contact, and masks should be available for visitors without them, he said.

Movement to reopening is possible because the county will be entering the middle “yellow” phase of more relaxed coronavirus restrictions. The change, which takes effect Friday, lifts a stay-at-home order but still includes added precautions for work and congregate settings.

Pedri warned yellow is a “cautious opening.”

“It’s not going to be the same,” he said, referring to the pre-pandemic volume of people moving freely about county buildings in groups without face coverings.

Some services switched to appointment- and online-only during the pandemic may remain that way for a period as the reopening unfolds, he said. Some employees also will continue working remotely for now, which he said has been “working very well” for productivity in some departments.

Pedri said he has been working on the reopening plan with buildings and grounds and Sheriff Brian Szumski and will be meeting with county court officials on Wednesday seeking their input. He plans to release the final plan to council Thursday or Friday.

Court of Common Pleas President Judge Michael T. Vough said earlier Tuesday he plans to start resuming some court proceedings June 8, but only ones that do not require a jury or prison inmates to appear in person.

Vough said the dimensions of all courtrooms have been measured to determine the maximum number of people allowable in compliance with government guidelines, and video conferencing will be used for inmates, he said.

Jury trials have been suspended indefinitely, although he’s envisioning trials may resume in September with special accommodations that are still being explored.

Council Chairman Tim McGinley said he does not know if in-person council meetings will be held for some time because the size of the courthouse meeting room presents a “real obstacle” for social distancing with an 11-member governing body and citizens and some employees in attendance. Councilman Walter Griffith proposed switching meetings to a larger location.

Council discussed but opted against sending a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf thanking him for moving the county to yellow due to mixed opinions on the purpose of the letter and its wording.

Instead, council agreed Tuesday to prepare a letter-to-the-editor summarizing Councilman Robert Schnee’s praise for sacrifices made by citizens and businesses to reduce the county’s coronavirus case counts.

Election update

As of Tuesday afternoon, the county had processed 52,166 mail-in ballot applications for next week’s June 2 primary election, although the number will increase because voters had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to apply.

“This is an incredible amount of paperwork,” Pedri said.

Approved by state legislators last year, the new option to vote by mail with no excuse or justification required has been heavily promoted as a way to avoid safety concerns of in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

So far, more than 51,000 ballots have been mailed to voters seeking them, and the rest were expected to be sent by Tuesday evening, he said.

Approximately 16,000 voters already have returned their completed ballots, Pedri said.

Because ballots must be physically returned to the county election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day — postmarks don’t count — Pedri is urging voters to consider three drop-off options if they have not yet received or mailed their ballots.

Completed ballots can be dropped off at both the Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton post offices through Monday, where they will be set aside and picked up by county election workers or sheriff deputies. Voters also can drop off their ballots at the lobby of the county-owned Penn Place building at the corner of Market Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Penn Place is the only drop-off option for voters on Election Day.

Unofficial total election results likely won’t be available until the day after the election, possibly two days, Pedri said.

The county has three central tabulators — two owned and one leased for this election due to the coronavirus-related influx of mail-in ballots, Pedri said. Each tabulator can read up to 3,000 ballots per hour, he told council, emphasizing that counties statewide are in the same predicament.

Capital plan

Pedri’s proposed capital plan was automatically introduced Tuesday, and council has until Sept. 1 to vote on the plan with or without modifications.

Pedri is proposing three new projects: $100,000 for flashing to stop window leaks at Penn Place, $100,000 for LED highway lighting upgrade on the Cross Valley Expressway that falls under the county’s responsibility due to a 1970s agreement and $350,000 to replace antiquated prison elevator motor system and controls.

Pedri said the leaking Penn Place windows are causing damage, and the Cross Valley lighting and prison elevator work will address safety concerns.

County Operational Services Division Head Edmund O’Neill said some of the window sills at the Penn Place building, which the county acquired in 1999, were not pitched properly, causing rain to pool against the windows.

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