Four municipalities will receive a combined $3.29 million for infrastructure projects — West Pittston, Edwardsville, Wyoming and Plains Township, Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri announced Tuesday.
It’s the final round of awards from $15 million in county community development business loan funds that are no longer in high demand and cannot be used for county general fund operating expenses. County officials decided to spend the money on infrastructure improvements because the federal government does not want large pools of community development office funds sitting unused in the bank.
The projects announced Tuesday:
• West Pittston, $865,475 for sewer and related road improvements
• Edwardsville, $689,890 for stormwater and road improvements
• Wyoming, $434,550 for street improvements
• Plains Township, $1.3 million for streetscape improvements and water, sewer and road work
The Plains Township project will provide safety infrastructure needed for the new high school at Maffett and Main streets, including sidewalk extensions and water and sewer improvements, Pedri said.
Wilkes-Barre Area School District Superintendent Brian Costello thanked the county and township for supporting the new high school. Extending the sidewalks will allow student walkers to get to school safely, he said.
“We are so appreciative,” Costello said.
West Pittston Council President Ellen Quinn said the funding will help cover a new sewer line on the upper section of Luzerne Avenue along with street paving and sidewalks.
The sewer line has deteriorated, causing backup at some properties, Quinn said.
“It will improve that part of the community so much,” Quinn said. “This is a huge opportunity — a very positive opportunity — for West Pittston.”
David Saraka, Edwardsville’s code enforcement officer/building inspector, said the earmark will fund a new sewer line and stormwater improvements on Tobin Lane, a quarter-mile road that intersects with Woodward Hill Road and Russell Street.
Inadequate stormwater drainage causes water to pool on the street, and the borough has been “patching together” the dilapidated sewer line for years due to a lack of replacement funds, Saraka said.
In Wyoming, the funding will cover paving and other street improvements on Dorrance and Susquehanna Avenues, the county said.
The first three business loan fund earmarks that were previously announced provided $5.8 million for southern county projects, $4.65 million for a new Division Street Bridge and other work in Wilkes-Barre and surrounding municipalities and $970,000 for street improvements and a new fire facility in the Back Mountain.
