Luzerne County Council approves tax break for Exeter project

A Luzerne County Council majority approved a real estate tax break Monday for a distressed 16-acre tract on Wyoming Avenue in Exeter.

The request from Wyoming Avenue Development Group is under the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program for blighted properties, which means the property owner continues paying real estate taxes on the land and receives a real estate tax discount on the new development portion for up to a decade.

Wyoming Avenue Development will receive these abatements on new construction: 90% the first three years; 80% in the fourth and fifth years; 70% in the sixth year; 60% in the seventh; 50% in the eighth; 40% in the ninth; and 30% in the final year.

Councilman Harry Haas proposed shrinking the break to five years and reducing the abatements to 70%, 60%, 50%, 40% and 30% over the five years, saying “I think that’s a good compromise to get that property going.” No council members seconded his motion.

In addition to Haas, two other council members — Jimmy Sabatino and Brittany Stephenson — voted against the break. Councilwoman Patty Krushnowski was absent, and the remaining seven council members voted yes: LeeAnn McDermott, Kevin Lescavage, Chairman John Lombardo, Chris Perry, Joanna Bryn Smith, Vice Chairman Brian Thornton and Gregory S. Wolovich Jr.

Bryn Smith said she is not generally supportive of LERTAs but believes this project is worthy because it has been an eyesore for many years.

“I don’t think it’s likely to be developed without help,” Bryn Smith said.

Exeter Borough Council and the Wyoming Area School Board both approved breaks for the four parcels with addresses of 1714, 1800 and 1946 Wyoming Ave.

Attorney Raymond A. Hassey, manager of Wyoming Avenue Development Group, has said he took on the project to address years of complaints about the deteriorated property, which had attracted criminals and a 40-person homeless camp.

The site is not in a high-traffic retail center and has obstacles that will add to development costs, including two mine shafts requiring mediation and deteriorated infrastructure from a prior mobile home park that had been set up for those displaced in the 1972 Susquehanna River flood, he has said.

Preliminary development plans show construction of four structures at the site — a grocery store, convenience market and two retail stores, along with related parking areas.

Church lot

Nine of 10 council members in attendance voted to provide a $280,000 allocation from the county’s natural-gas recreation funding to the Diocese of Scranton to create a parking lot in front of the Wyoming Area Catholic School in Exeter. Haas provided the lone no vote.

According to the submittal from Monsignor John J. Sempa, pastor of the linked parishes of Corpus Christi and St. Barbara and the clergy member assigned to the Wyoming Area Catholic School, the parking lot also would service youth sports teams and Memorial Day parade veteran ceremonies and other community events.

The lot currently used is part of the now-closed adjacent St. Cecilia’s Church property planned for eventual sale, the submittal said. Bids obtained last July revealed the new lot project will cost $450,000 before permit fees and contingency allowances, and the school system and parish are only able to cover the original $240,000 estimated price

Judicial chambers

All 10 council members approved an earmark of $169,570 from federal American Rescue Plan funding to cover remediation of mold and lead in the courthouse chambers of county Court of Common Pleas Judges Lesa S. Gelb and Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the county’s American Rescue consultant determined the work meets the federal program’s eligibility requirements.

The problem has been reported to the county’s insurance carrier, but the administration has not received a determination on whether any portion of the work would be covered. There also was mention of a $25,000 coverage cap if insurance payment is obtained.

Heating/ventilation/air conditioning

Nine council members tabled a decision on the administration’s request to allocate an additional $441,415 in American Rescue funding for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning replacement project. Lombardo voted against a delay.

The agenda said the past request for $1.5 million, which was granted, was “grossly underestimated” and that equipment costs have increased. Without additional funding, planned improvements cannot proceed at the courthouse and county-owned Penn Place building in downtown Wilkes-Barre as specified in the original application, it said.

To date, the county has entered into contracts for new Trane HVAC units at two county-owned properties as part of the American Rescue project — the courthouse annex on River Street in Wilkes-Barre and the record storage building/coroner’s office in Hanover Township.

Both contracts were awarded to United Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. in Pittston Township — $176,952 for eight Trane rooftop units at the courthouse annex and $124,254 to replace four Lenox rooftop units with new Trane ones at the records/coroner’s building, records show.

Crocamo told council Monday the administration was informed the price of the units would be lower if it deals directly with Trane instead of going through a “middle man.”

Lescavage said he will personally contact Trane to inquire about a price reduction.

Council agreed to vote on the matter at its next meeting in three weeks to ensure units can be procured in time to meet American Rescue project completion deadlines.