Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority, Wilkes-Barre City officials give tour of new Kirby Park maintenance facility
May 27—WILKES-BARRE — Nearly a year after the completion of a new maintenance and storage facility in Kirby Park, members of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority (LCFPA) and officials from Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday gave a tour of the building, which was a joint project between the two entities.
"What you see here today is what happens when people work together," Mayor George Brown said.
According to Wilkes-Barre Grants Coordinator Mark Barry, the old facility was torn down in September of 2023 and the new building finished construction in August 2024.
The new space spans 6,500 square feet and contains a common area, public restrooms and storage for the city's Department of Public Works.
Most importantly, officials said it is located just a quarter mile from the Market Street Bridge, which will help reduce the authority's response time during flooding events.
The new facility also houses LCFPA's trailers that contain the Market Street Bridge flood walls, which act as a barrier to prevent flood waters from reaching the city.
"Prior to this being build, the flood walls to the Market Street Bridge where [stored] outside in the elements and if something had to be done in the winter months, there'd be snow and ice on it," said Flood Authority Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi. "So this helps the flood fighting efforts of the Flood Protection Authority."
According to the city, the project cost a total of $920,000. Wilkes-Barre contributed $250,000, which was paid out of the Kirby Foundation.
The rest of the project was covered by LCFPA, through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pensacola selects two non-profits to host 27 'pallet shelters' for the homeless
Pensacola is moving forward with bringing in 27 'pallet shelters' for the homeless. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said two local non-profits were selected to use the shelters for homeless individuals they serve based on a recommendation from the Northwest Florida Homeless Taskforce. Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola will take at least 14 units at its West Blount Street location, and Offentsive Corp will take at least 13 units at a North Palafox location. Both locations are inside the city limits. 'Both of them have done a great job,' Reeves said. 'They've spoken to the neighbors. They've done all of the due diligence that we expect. And I appreciate the task force digging in, certainly deeper than my expertise, to make sure that all of those things make sense.' Last year, the city allocated $1.1 million to buy shelters from Pallet PBC, a public benefit corporation based in Everett, Washington, that specializes in building 'pallet shelters' for homeless relief and disaster response. The funds are coming out of the city's share of the American Rescue Plan Act. Pallet PBC builds small, one-room, movable temporary buildings that range from 70 square feet to 120 square feet. The buildings range from $17,970 to $23,595 a piece, plus a $1,200 shipping cost for most variations. Those prices do not include installation costs at the sites. Reeves said there is still work to be done to determine how much sitework and preparation needs to be done to determine how much of the $1.1 million will be remaining for additional shelters. The city has not taken possession of any shelters, and Reeves said that was done so the city could be flexible in how it rolls out this program. 'Once we diagnose what we need and exactly what we need, then we order, they bring them in, and they can be put up in a matter of hours,' Reeves said. The announcement came a day after it was reported that REAP's Max-Well Respite Center was closing because the organization can no longer afford to rent the building. The city contributed $400,000 in ARPA funds in 2022 to help REAP start the Max-Well Center. Reeves said he was personally disappointed with the ownership of the building charging the organization a market-rate rent. Last year, the News Journal reported REAP was paying 2200 N. Palafox LLC $15,000 a month in rent for the shelter. 'Looking for market rate when, when we're trying to house people, I was really disappointed with that, and have been for a long time,' Reeves said. 'I appreciate Vinnie (Whibbs) and REAP trying to make it work. And I do know they came back to the table, and lowered that rent some, but it's just a tough situation.' The shelters will be leased to the two non-profits, and the city will retain ownership of them, so if anything changes with the sites in the future, the shelters will go back to the city to be reused by another organization. 'In a situation like the Max-Well center, if they were to close or something were to change, we have the ability to go get them,' Reeves said. 'They're not lost to the citizens forever.' The pallet shelter plan arose after the city found it would be too expensive to start a low-barrier homeless shelter on its own. Reeves said he still believes the city needs a low-barrier shelter, but it will have to be driven by the entire community, including private companies and the federal government. 'We cannot be the sole solution for every issue in the city,' Reeves said. 'We need private development to get off the sidelines and work with us. We need—in case of low barrier—we need health care to get off the sideline to help us. I'm not saying that they aren't willing to, but when I say a community conversation, it's not just me and the county commissioners. It's going to have to be me, and the county commissioners, and our health care partners and our nonprofits. It's going to have to be a significant, significant conversation with Congressman Patronis. There's going to be a lot of conversation to capital stack this thing for it to be successful.' This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola will order 27 'pallet shelters' for the homeless
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Charlotte City Council votes no to $25/hour minimum wage for city employees
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Charlotte City Council will use one-time funding to help various organizations in the city, but when it comes to giving city workers an additional pay bump, that vote was a no. In November 2025, the minimum wage for city workers will increase from $23 an hour to $24 an hour. Some on the council wanted to raise the hourly wage to $25 an hour, but it was voted down 6 to 5 on Monday night. The main reason is that raising the pay to $25 an hour would mean a structurally unbalanced budget for the city. Also, the additional funding would only be a one-time payment from the American Rescue Plan Act, also known as ARPA money, that the city of Charlotte has in reserve. So, city manager Marcus Jones would have to find a way to maintain the pay raises in the 2027 city budget. Charlotte leaders consider regulation changes for street vendors Other organizations did receive money for their operations from the ARPA funding. Those nonprofits provide services in the city, addressing issues like climate change and tutoring students. Some on the council worry that if they keep spending the reserve funds, there may not be money in case of an emergency. 'The very fact that we can literally keep some of this funding for future opportunities or something that we need next year, where we want something discretionary done,' said District 5 councilwoman Marjorie Molina. 'Next year, I feel like if we are empty, we are going to regret it.' With all the changes, an additional $1.2 million will be added to the budget. Charlotte City Council will vote to approve the full budget next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Key takeaways from Mackinac Policy Conference's Detroit mayoral debate
Five candidates faced off at the Detroit mayoral debate during the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 29, 2025. | Kyle Davidson MACKINAC ISLAND – On the final night of the Mackinac Policy Conference, five candidates gathered in the Grand Hotel's Tea Garden to make their case on why they should be Detroit's next mayor. The five-person panel included former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, Detroit City Council member Fred Durhal III, former nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins, Triumph Church Pastor Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr. and current Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield. Candidates fielded questions about the city's tax incentives, their plans to support business and education, address violent crime and poverty and ensure sustainable funding in the city's budget. Although the panel did not represent the full range of candidates seeking election as the city's mayor, the group was selected by the Detroit Regional Chamber's Political Action Committee due to time constraints. Attorney Todd Perkins, businessman Joel Haashiim, entrepreneur Jonathan Barlow and two-time mayoral candidate Danetta Simpson are also competing for Detroit's executive office, with the primary election scheduled for August 5. The two candidates with the highest vote total will advance to the general election on Nov. 4. With a wide field of candidates each seeking to make the final ballot, here are the highlights from each participant. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Opening the debate, Jenkins noted that many of the city's tax abatement programs would begin expiring in 2027, with over half set to expire by 2030. Jenkins said she would retool these programs at the risk of losing businesses and jobs within Detroit. As Mayor Mike Duggan – who opted against seeking reelection to pursue an independent bid for governor – worked to rebuild confidence in the city, bringing in investments and jobs, the same needed to happen in the city's neighborhoods, Jenkins said, calling for a commercial corridor in each of the city's seven districts. 'We have to ensure that our planning is intentional and that it is inclusive,' Jenkins said. 'And when we are having discussions about tax abatements, discussions about affordable housing, we have a real plan in place that is driving development and affordable housing and public transit in a way that is building our neighborhoods.' If elected, Jenkins said she would craft a strategic plan to help shape economic development in each district, working with communities to decide how they want their commercial districts to look. There is also a need for additional office space for startups that can't afford space downtown, she said. Neighborhood planning efforts should include schools, in order to ensure students have access to high quality options for education, Jenkins said. Additionally, as the city moves forward without $826 million in federal revenue it received through the American Rescue Plan Act, and payments under the city's 'Grand Bargain' coming to an end, the city needed to find ways to grow its businesses and its population, Jenkins said. She noted that she sees a role for a chief growth officer in her administration, if elected. Throughout the debate, Durhal pointed to his prior experience as a member of the Michigan Legislature, promising to coordinate with lawmakers on property tax reform and a willingness to go to bat for additional resources for education within the city. He repeatedly noted, however, that solutions come with a price tag, quoting his grandmother in saying there's 'no romance without finance.' Aside from pressing the city to utilize its current resources and maintaining discipline in the budget process, Durhal proposed a tax on blighted properties and a speculative tax on land sitting under development as potential new sources of revenue. He also pitched a corridor improvement authority for the city, focused on creating walkable neighborhoods where residents have access to groceries and other amenities, which could catalyze small business in the process. Kinloch remained focused on Detroit's neighborhoods and their residents throughout the debate, and said he would work to bring the neighborhoods to the table on issues like tax policy. Kinloch said that the next mayor needed to be open to doing something new to address homelessness, poverty and job creation. He also argued the city's budget could use input from people whose priorities are aligned with the community. On the push to bring business back to residential areas of the city, Kinloch said Detroit should leverage its corporate, philanthropic and community partnerships to create an apprenticeship program to funnel Detroiters into high paying jobs. The city should also work with private-industry grocers to mentor entrepreneurship opportunities, Kinloch said. He also called for an end to food deserts within the city's neighborhoods. 'People shouldn't have to eat out of a liquor store or a gas station,' Kinloch said. Addressing education, Kinloch said his administration would bring in a chief educational officer to coordinate with the Detroit Public Schools superintendent and school board to ensure that the city is providing supplemental resources to ensure students arrive at school healthy and whole. As his fellow candidates offered pitches to address poverty and support businesses in the city, Craig said there needs to be a focus on growing the middle class. 'I talked a lot about growing small businesses. That doesn't take away from continuing to grow big businesses,' Craig said. 'We have got to raise revenues in the city. … We have to collaborate.' That means having a business-friendly city, Craig said. 'And one of the things that I've heard as chief and deputy mayor over time is that in many of the neighborhoods, they feel left out,' he said. 'They feel left out, the businesses feel left out.' Craig argued there's too much red tape for businesses coming into the city, and that efforts to make the city more friendly to business would help stabilize property taxes and keep them lower. He further emphasized the importance of continuing to bring in new business, and that tax dollars pay for vital services like police, fire departments and infrastructure. On policing, Craig promised to pick up where he left off in building trust through neighborhood policing, and noted that homicides had fallen to the lowest level since the 1960s during his tenure as police chief. However, Craig criticized gun buyback programs within the city, saying 'I have never in my 44 years in policing seen a criminal turn in a gun.' 'They don't work. It's all political talk,' he said. While other candidates pledged to work across the aisle to win support for the city from lawmakers in Lansing, Craig pointed to his existing relationship with President Donald Trump, who praised Craig for his response to Black Lives Matter protests in the Summer of 2020. Protestors later filed federal lawsuits arguing the Detroit Police Department used unconstitutional and excessive force and prevented them from exercising their First Amendment rights. The city agreed to a $1 million settlement in 2022. 'It's not about me, it's not about the president, it's about the city of Detroit,' he said. As her opponents offered solutions to address the expiring tax abatement program, Sheffield said her focus would be on addressing poverty and the high property tax rate, which lead to the need for these programs to begin with. Sheffield promised 'real structural property tax reform,' instead. The city also needs to continue to build its middle class, Sheffield said, noting that while Detroit's median income sits around $38,000, the median for the state is around $70,000. 'Without a doubt, we have to ensure that more investment comes back into our neighborhoods, and that we're activating our commercial corridors,' Sheffield said. 'I'm very excited for my administration to be way more hands on as it relates to the education of our youth.' Schools and the workforce are also targets for support, Sheffield said. 'We have to invest more in education and the workforce, creating a pipeline that is ready for the jobs that are coming for today and of tomorrow,' she said. Sheffield also called for a holistic approach in addressing crime which includes community policing alongside programs and efforts to deal with the root causes of violence. She said that could be done by providing support for mental health, jobs and education. If elected, Sheffield said she would retain Todd Bettison as police chief. Detroit is also in need of a new funding approach for programs that would have previously been funded by the federal government. Sheffield said she would consider floating a local sales option tax, a tax on admission to sporting events, concerts and other types of entertainment or a half-a-penny tax. 'If cost savings could be achieved within various departments, I think we should look at that, but more importantly, it's going to be about bringing more revenue into the city of Detroit to fund various programs,' Sheffield said, who later promised to aggressively pursue federal funding alongside state and local partners.
