Luzerne County Courthouse

Luzerne County Courthouse

Luzerne County’s administration is asking county council to seek funding to install an automated weather observation system at the county-owned Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort and Wyoming.

The administration wants to apply for Bilateral Infrastructure Law funding through the Federal Aviation Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of Aviation.

Council was briefed on the request at last week’s work session and must vote at a future meeting for the application to proceed.

Although construction plans are not yet finalized, the administration estimated the weather observation system would cost $600,000, which would include the project design, permitting, construction, testing and inspection.

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The FAA-certified system would add a real-time, automated weather station to report critical meteorological conditions to pilots landing and departing at the airport, such as wind speed and direction, temperature, dew point, altimeter settings, density altitude, visibility and precipitation, the agenda said.

This system also can share data with the national weather network, contributing to more accurate local forecasts in addition to increasing the overall safety of airspace around the airport, the agenda said.

Lease

Council voted last week to lease space to a business inside the county-owned Broad Street Exchange building in downtown Hazleton.

The county accepted ownership of this building in 2009 from a tax-delinquent nonprofit so the county would not lose its claim on $1.8 million in loans that had been provided to the nonprofit. Last year, the administration switched to in-house management of the property at 100 W. Broad St. instead of paying an outside entity to oversee expenses, maintenance and the collection of rent from tenants leasing space in the structure, including the Luzerne County Community College.

The new lease with Yajaira De Oleo is $685 per month through the end of this year for 415 square feet.

Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene said a tax practice will occupy the space.

Opioid funds

The county’s Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Commission has scheduled a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. March 24 in Hazleton City Hall, 40 N. Church St.

This commission makes recommendations to council on the spending of opioid litigation settlement funding.

The latest figures indicate the county should receive approximately $23 million over 18 years from the state’s settlement against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors.

Most recently, council voted in December to award $1.56 million in opioid funds to seven entities for programs that comply with settlement regulations.

Another $1.7 million the county had received toward the end of 2023 must be spent by June 30, officials have said.

Infrastructure

Council’s Infrastructure Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Instructions for the remote attendance option will be posted under council’s online meetings link at luzernecounty.org.

Study commission

The county’s Government Study Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 20) in the courthouse.

A link to attend the meeting remotely will be posted under council’s online meeting section (scroll down) at luzernecounty.org.

The seven-citizen commission has been meeting regularly to assess potential county home rule charter changes and aims to place its proposal on the November 2025 ballot. Voters will then decide whether to switch to the new structure or keep the system in effect since January 2012.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.