Luzerne County seeking bids for River Common repairs

Luzerne County is seeking bids from contractors to clean black streaks on the River Common portal walls and perform other repairs at the county-owned recreation complex along the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre.

County Engineer Lawrence Plesh has said stains on the stone walls of the park’s levee portal openings have become unsightly and must be removed. The project also will replace sidewalk and wall joints and fix cracks in granite steps.

Unveiled in 2009, the park will require periodic maintenance because it is an outdoor facility exposed to the elements, Plesh said.

Bids are due 10:30 a.m. on March 19, according to a solicitation posted on the purchasing section at www.luzernecounty.org.

The administration wants to pay for the work with a portion of the county’s annual natural-gas recreation funding. The county has received approximately $228,600 to $307,600 from natural gas drilling annually since the state authorized such earmarks under Act 13 in 2012, with some used for black fly spraying and recreation grants to outside entities.

Flower tent

County council has once again been asked to lease space at its county-owned annex by the Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort to Flower Tent, although the price may be adjusted.

The business proposes paying $3,500 to lease a 30-by-60 foot space from April 1 through June 25, or $40.70 per day.

However, Councilwoman LeeAnn McDermott pointed out during last week’s work session that the business paid more per day last year — $3,000, or $41.67 per day for 72 days in spring 2019, and $2,500, or $44.64 per day for 56 days in fall 2019. She proposed charging the higher daily rate ($44.64) in the upcoming contract.

A representative of the business said more days are needed this year because Easter is earlier, which is why it added $500 to last year’s spring payment. However, he said the business was amenable to paying the higher daily rate.

Council plans to vote on the lease at its next meeting, which is not until March 14.

Councilman Walter Griffith said he also believes an additional charge should be added to cover the portion of the stormwater fee owed on that nonabsorbent impervious area while the tent is placed there.

“I appreciate and think it’s important to get revenue, but I think we need to factor in the stormwater fee and other expenses for all lease agreements,” Griffith said.

Election Board

Griffith withdrew a motion to seek a county Court of Common Pleas declaratory judgment on the eligibility of two Republican county election board applicants.

Assistant Solicitor Vito DeLuca said a council majority filled the board seat with one of the applicants, leaving no pending dispute for the court to resolve. The court does not provide prospective future advisory opinions interpreting the county’s home rule charter, he said.

A council majority had appointed Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt to the unpaid seat, accepting a county law office opinion that her role as an elected Republican committee member since 1996 does not violate a charter ban from holding elective public office or public employment four years prior to election board appointment.

The law office also determined Republican Mark Finkelstein was ineligible for appointment because he has been a poll worker in Kingston since 2017, but Griffith disagrees with that interpretation.

In light of DeLuca’s input, Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck said council should seek a second opinion on law office opinions before locking in future decisions if there is uncertainty about charter interpretation.

Another resolution proposed by Griffith unanimously passed last week, although the dollar amount was reduced. The resolution transferred unspent funds that had been earmarked for non-union raises into the budget reserve. Griffith’s transfer figure was $56,595, but council ultimately settled on approximately $6,958 after additional information was presented by the budget/finance department.

County art event

The county’s Mental Health and Developmental Services department is hosting an “Arts in the Atrium” event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at the human services building, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., in Wilkes-Barre.

Artists with developmental disabilities and autism from various programs throughout the community will display and sell their work.

The event will include live music and food.