Money coming to W-B to help temporarily fix Solomon Creek

WILKES-BARRE — Funds are on their way to help repair the Solomon Creek wall, a portion of which collapsed earlier this month.

The state has committed $125,000 for a temporary fix to the flood wall to prevent further erosion, according to a joint press release issued by the offices of Gov. Tom Wolf, state Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, and state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George had declared a state of emergency on Dec. 9 around the area of a 40-foot creek channel cave-in off Brook Street.

“Mayor George has worked non-stop to find funding to repair the damaged Solomon Creek flood wall, and with the governor’s release of $125,000 in state funds, we are one big step closer to addressing the long-standing problems related to Solomon Creek,” Yudichak said.

Since the cave-in, U.S Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, has visited the site to see the damage. After his visit, Casey wrote to federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to ask for emergency assistance.

The estimated cost of permanently fixing the wall is between $12 million and $15 million. The state Department of Community and Economic Development allocated $50,000 for repairs last month.

Wolf said his administration will monitor the wall’s status to come up with a solution for a “serious issue.”

Pashinski called the money a “jump start” to repairs.

Ted Wampole, Wilkes-Barre city administrator, walks earlier this month beside a damaged wall bordering Solomon Creek on Brook Street in Wilkes-Barre.

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL121116SolomonCreek1CMYK-1.jpgTed Wampole, Wilkes-Barre city administrator, walks earlier this month beside a damaged wall bordering Solomon Creek on Brook Street in Wilkes-Barre.