Lackawanna County commissioners move ahead on borrowing for projects

Borys Krawczeniuk, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·4 min read

Oct. 18—The Lackawanna County commissioners formally introduced ordinances on Wednesday that authorize borrowing $28.4 million for paving roads, replacing bridges and a variety of other projects.

This borrowing will come in two segments — an $11.4 million note from Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank in Dunmore and $17 million in bonds underwritten by PNC Capital Markets LLC, of Pittsburgh.

Besides roads and bridges, the county plans to use the money to replace the prison roof and the HVAC system at the Children's Library in Scranton, control flooding, renovate the Government Center, restore a dam, repair retaining walls, save energy and acquire equipment.

Commissioner Chris Chermak, who last month raised concerns about borrowing so much before a new board of commissioners takes office in January, said he will work to address the concerns.

"We're going to address these as we move on, how we're going to repay this down the road," he said. "There's a lot of money. It's a huge borrowing. What's the tax increase going to be? ... These are all critical, critical important questions."

Chermak pointed to ongoing repairs necessary to the Government Center, calling it an "albatross," despite the building opening only a few years ago. The commissioners met in the center's fifth floor conference room.

"A lot of things — this building being one — have been neglected for a long time. Our intent is to not continue that," Commissioner Jerry Notarianni said.

In other business, the commissioners:

—Authorized hiring MXI Environmental Services, of Abingdon, Virginia, to collect household hazardous waste that county residents want to dispose of.

The county plans to host the collection event for residents Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at PNC Field, 235 Montage Mountain Road, Moosic. Residents will pay fees based on weight to dispose of oil-based paints, aerosol cans, fire extinguishers, pesticides, anti-freeze, motor oil and many others. Online pre-registration will be required.

—Agreed to lease up to 175 parking spaces from NEPA Downtown Investments LLC for county employees until Oct. 31, 2028. The spaces will be at the Forum Parking Garage, 230 Franklin Ave., Scranton, and maybe at the Adams Plaza Parking, 425 Adams Ave., if more spaces are necessary. Chief financial officer David Bulzoni said employees will pay $55 a month rather than the $92 a month charged by ABM Parking Services at Electric City Parking, the garage attached to the county Government Center.

—Leased Jessup land to Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Inc. so the company can store trailers there. The land is behind the county roads and bridges department's headquarters at 1280 Mid Valley Drive. and Hale is next door. Hale will pay rent of $1,650 a month with the lease month-to-month.

—Hired AMO Environmental Decisions, of Doylestown, for $8,500 to help the county apply for a federal brownfield funding grant. The grants allow for evaluating whether land proposed for development contains hazardous substances, pollutants or other contaminants.

—Agreed to lease land at 1010 Bridge St., Scranton, for $1 a year for 30 years from UGI Utilities Inc. The land is near the Steamtown National Historic Site and the Electric City Trolley Museum. The county plans to turn it into a park, currently nicknamed Boomerang Park.

—An agreement with Moosic Borough to administer $441,171.60 in federal community development grants so Moosic can install a new storm water collection system along Cotter Street. The county will hire Stafursky Paving Co., Archbald, for the same amount to do the job.

—An agreement with Taylor Borough to administer a $84,210 federal community development grants so Taylor can pave part of South Pond Street. The county will hire American Asphalt Paving, Shavertown, for the same amount to do the job.

—Approved a new concession agreement with Live Nation for the Pavilion at Montage Mountain. The county authority that runs the amphitheater will receive $550,000 plus $2.50 per ticket sold. Live Nation plans extensive renovations after the 2024 concert season.

—Hired United Traffic Control, 810 Mill St., Dunmore, to manage traffic on the Biden Expressway for $20,250 as artist John Park paints new murals near downtown Scranton. Park expects to start painting Friday.

—Agreed to lease 1,291 square feet of space at Moses Taylor Hospital, 700 Quincy Ave., Scranton, for a temporary location for the new county Department of Health's medical clinic. The county will pay $2,032.50 in rent.

—Agreed to rent up personal tracking devices from Sentinel Offender Services Inc. to track prison inmates on house arrest. The fee is $12,775 for up to 150 trackers and $2.80 a day for any beyond that. The three-year contract starts Jan. 1.

—Reappointed two men to the Scranton/Lackawanna County Health and Welfare Authority board. They are Vincent O'Bell, Olyphant, and Timothy Farrell, Clarks Summit. Both terms end Dec. 31, 2027.

—Hired CDW Government, of Vernon Hills, Illinois, for $17,600 to provide electronic signature technology.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.

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