Luzerne County Council is set to vote Tuesday on earmarking an additional $1.06 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Wyoming Valley Airport project, the agenda said.
A change order is necessary to address unforeseen, unsuitable, subsurface soil conditions encountered during the project, it said. Additional stabilization measures are necessary before construction of airport hangars can safely proceed.
American Rescue funding is available because other internal county road projects have been completed under budget, it said.
Projects receiving American Rescue funding must be completed by the end of this year.
County Council had previously earmarked $8.3 million in American Rescue funding toward the airport project, and other outside aviation funding has also been awarded or requested, officials had said.
County officials held a groundbreaking in May for the project at the county-owned complex in Forty Fort and Wyoming, which will include construction of two new buildings housing 24 hangars, along with the taxiways and lanes required for planes to access them.
A representative of Delta Airport Consultants Inc., which is handling engineering and planning for these projects, is scheduled to provide a briefing on the issues encountered during construction before council votes on the additional funding, the agenda said.
The reallocation of American Rescue funds allows the county to maximize its use of the federal award, address unforeseen project needs, and ensure all funds are spent within federal deadlines, the agenda said.
Officials expect the new hangars to fill up and generate revenue because there is a waiting list of pilots and companies interested in parking their planes at the airport.
A new above-ground jet fuel tank and dispensing area, known as a “Jet-A” facility, and a helicopter fuel parking pad are also part of the project, officials have said.
In addition to serving commercial and recreational pilots, the airport is used by medevac helicopters and state police aircraft that regularly land there to fuel up without the delays they encounter elsewhere, officials said.
Tuesday’s meeting is at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for the remote attendance option will be posted in the council’s online public meeting section at luzernecounty.org.
Prison contract
A one-year contract extension with the county prison system inmate medical provider WellPath LLC is also on Tuesday’s voting agenda.
Medical services for prison inmates are primarily provided through WellPath. The county switched to an outside provider over a decade ago because the administration determined partial outsourcing would be more cost-efficient for the county’s Water Street prison and nearby minimum offenders building on Reichard Street in Wilkes-Barre.
The contract with WellPath expires at the end of this year, and the contract allows for a one-year renewal, the agenda said. The contract total for 2027 would be $5.4 million and includes costs for a medication-assisted treatment program for inmates with substance use disorder, it said.
Levee trail
The voting agenda also includes a council decision on a proposal to accept county oversight of a proposed trail project linking the Kingston and Forty Fort reaches of the Wyoming Valley Levee along the Susquehanna River.
The project was initiated a decade ago because a gap in the popular trail atop the levee forces pedestrians and bicyclists to cross busy intersections to continue.
Council will vote on accepting a $500,000 state grant that had been earmarked to Forty Fort for the project.
Anti-discrimination
During the work session following Tuesday’s voting meeting, council is scheduled to discuss an ordinance forming a 13-citizen commission to enforce the county’s new anti-discrimination ordinance.
To create the commission, a council majority would have to approve the ordinance at a future meeting following a public hearing.
Under the proposal, the council-appointed commission would be vested with the authority to administer and enforce the ordinance and must receive “sufficient administrative and legal support” from the county Human Resources Department and Office of Law to carry out its powers and duties, including assistance with the intake of discrimination complaints and investigation of filed complaints. The commission would have the authority to retain outside legal counsel if a complaint is filed against the county.
A group of citizens has announced it will be submitting voter signatures on Monday to place a referendum on the 2027 primary ballot asking voters to repeal the anti-discrimination ordinance.
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Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.