Cartwright: Omnibus passage includes close to $53M for region

Dec. 24—WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, a senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations, announced that all 15 of his Community Project Funding requests were included in the final 2023 federal omnibus spending package that passed Friday.

Cartwright, D-Moosic, said that means $52.7 million is coming back to the 8th Congressional District for projects that will promote economic development, expand medical and mental health services, and provide for much-needed infrastructure upgrades.

Multiple funding projects also included in the spending bill will support area law enforcement, police and first responders, Cartwright said.

"Bringing our fair share of federal tax dollars back to our region is the main reason I ran for Congress," Cartwright said. "This funding directly responds to some of the most pressing needs in Northeast Pennsylvania by creating jobs with better pay, making us safer, and strengthening our communities."

The House voted Friday to pass the massive $1.7 trillion spending bill that would fund critical government operations across federal agencies and provide emergency aid for Ukraine and natural disaster relief.

The bill will next go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

Last year, Cartwright brought home a total of $19.6 million in funding for all 10 of his requested Community Projects, the highest amount by a Pennsylvania congressman.

For Pennsylvania's 8th District, local funding highlights include the expansion of medical and mental health services for women, children, families and the elderly; infrastructure upgrades in the form of water treatment, flood protection and paving projects; workforce development and job training; and new equipment, technology and operation centers for area police, firefighters and emergency responders.

The full list of projects and funding amounts includes:

Luzerne County

—City of Pittston: New performing arts center for the downtown district with additional commercial and living space, $3 million.

This project is for the City of Pittston for 80,000 square-feet of new construction to establish a theater that would be used to feature performing arts, a drop-down screen for motion pictures and event space for community groups in the downtown district.

Project plans also include 5,000 square feet of commercial space, joint office space for the city's Housing and Redevelopment authorities, and a satellite campus for a regional college. This project will have significant economic impacts on city, county, school district, state and federal taxes and will promote the arts, foster educational opportunities and provide additional affordable housing opportunities through the city's Project Share program as well as space for the non-profit Food Bank Market.

—Luzerne County District Attorney's Office: The creation of a county-wide emergency first responder unit, $2.5 million.

This project for the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office supports a collaborative effort to create a county-wide unit of first responders from multiple jurisdictions to respond to emergency situations, handle complex investigations, and assist smaller departments with major cases.

The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) will include major case investigators, cell phone analyzers and a crisis intervention team to respond to incidents involving individuals with mental health issues and emergency responders trained in responding to high-risk incidents including those involving barricaded gunmen and active shooters. The ESU will be designed to protect the public from violent incidents and to investigate and prosecute criminal offenders.

—Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority: Stream runoff mitigation and infrastructure upgrades, $3.45 million.

This project for the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority supports infrastructure initiatives that will improve watershed quality in our region's streams and the Susquehanna River by reducing key pollutants (sediment and nutrients). This project also provides infrastructure upgrades to improve the quality of wastewater that discharges into the Susquehanna River, as well as reliable wastewater services for approximately 172,000 residents within 36 municipal service areas.

—Maternal and Family Health Services, Luzerne County: Expanding health services for low-income, at-risk women, children and families, $2.15 million.

This project for Maternal and Family Health Services will improve social services already being offered and will specifically increase and enhance services offered to at-risk and low-income women, children and families. Services include but are not limited to behavioral health/mental health services, substance/opioid use disorder care management, nutrition and food security services and visiting nurse and family planning services.

Multi-county projects

—Additional Community Project Funding that will benefit the 8th Congressional District includes $2.2 million for a multi-county United Way program for education and support services for at-risk children and their families, including Pre-K tuition.

This project includes the United Ways of Pocono Mountains, Wayne County, Lackawanna, Wyoming Valley and the Greater Hazleton Region.

—Another is $1 million for NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania and its Adult Living Support Group to expand the Aging in Place program in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties to assist older and disabled homeowners in need of critical safety modifications to allow them to live safely and with dignity in their own homes.

This funding will also help address the significant wait list of homeowners (over 300) already identified as in need of these crucial services across the three-county region.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.