[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6244013,"mediaKeyId","3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e","parentId",3235397,"title","Public commenter raises concerns about Scranton Housing Authority five-year plan and evictions","audioSeconds",242,"startMs",2308000,"endMs",2550000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e&start=2308&end=2550","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e/thumbnail_2308000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6244013/Scranton/Lackawanna-County/Pennsylvania/Public-commenter-raises-concerns-about-Scranton-Housing-Authority-five-year-plan-and-evictions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244013-f6eccfc29e4902690f2718fe3ff95822/orig.mp4?Expires=1773243110&Signature=iec6Poq-NhN6mqbnSsV0lm4~P3erBycT~mXSA1EvPJjzZLK5GrG1kd0un74Rq6Mdqpsob8X1siVlvmAAq5~czszLuk15IHT7AHRAYMLJbcIsProFNrkFUCPcbpxmPO~dpwAAi9X5hhV2JtrBfBtq-Kh8AngPMR0A41zX5Rdc8cqgyxYnhl658-lFoVfkGoRpmPBfhgqkXfmEiWAbxRVFXLGTLXoxqjzs0a~SOZQQh345TxYB3Urzoc~IDK2VHpHZAKbgI9lZTFW0tb1Rb7cj2S7p0AlmDxHBZSPH0~aNF7YH0Y0lva4Grhxttxr4TROCftTCgh0iqP63lsHZ0ORxnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Scranton, PA","date","2025-05-07T11:49:52Z","article","Rick Little, a resident who spoke during the public comment period, urged more public scrutiny of the Scranton Housing Authority's five-year plan and raised concerns about eviction records and administrative transparency.

Little said he submitted comments and letters to the Scranton Housing Authority (PHA) and that he believes certain materials were not properly included in the public record. He told the council he was evicted after 14 years in public housing, described difficulties obtaining court records connected to evictions and said the five-year plan materials are confusing and difficult for residents to access. Little cited the role of federal funding cycles for public housing, noting that the PHA's five-year plan is the principal vehicle through which federal funds and local priorities are coordinated.

Little announced that Commissioner Chris Schirmack is convening a public meeting on the topic at the Lackawanna College Auditorium at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 10, to discuss public housing and related concerns. The transcript captures Little's request that government officials and residents discuss these issues publicly and said he hoped the meeting would foster more transparency about contracts, staffing and eviction practices.

The comments were matters of public record but did not prompt council action at the meeting; council members or staff did not provide new documentation in response during the session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Scranton City Council 5-6-25","oneSentenceSummary","A Scranton resident told council the Housing Authority's five-year plan and eviction records merit public scrutiny and announced a related public meeting.","taxTitle","Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania","taxId",2973,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6244019,"Council and residents press for faster street paving as utility work and sinkhole repairs continue",3358,501000,3859000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e&start=501&end=3859","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e/thumbnail_501000.jpg","/articles/6244019/Scranton/Lackawanna-County/Pennsylvania/Council-and-residents-press-for-faster-street-paving-as-utility-work-and-sinkhole-repairs-continue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244019-5dcdc7e553fa35b7b7a443c3a7dc4421/orig.mp4?Expires=1773243110&Signature=WCq6HYHB91z4VgTXqXUlPViVO7D1V65zAY2PpzBT6ZuG3TW4hl1whRltVM9clNRULFlsDR73pOT~ezHCHef70WdZYjlm3GJURZQpCFmnc905ZXsti0zAsGzZ1-WsHfbhfYfi89KNEI1gGgKDZb04cwIvyyn9yOXr9S3qQCxNFw9RWmcL6Qqp43kWynuXZBPx2mg0IsJo-hwqnBeyMlSaeDbU~kkpZXbXHVIyZjSW3WwPQh9EOUgqTooptDuV30IDHIno-HoNIyWZHQCyoJJzTrKYQpHfUsuZ5nSb6aX6Be5PgfwM6ZvGQKidkoLs5zBa6yo2qPjc3hzuB8aFJv3pfA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Residents and council members raised repeated complaints about road conditions, utility-related street openings and the schedule for repairs and paving during the meeting.

Multiple public commenters flagged local roads: Les Spindler noted the temporary Greenridge Street bridge recently reopened and criticized the scale and duration of the temporary work; Lynn Lubrowski and others described potholes and poor conditions on Lackawanna Avenue and Luzerne and Maine intersections and asked whether those roads are city or PennDOT responsibilities. Lubrowski also asked how many street sweepers the city operates and whether downtown sweeping includes posted no-parking notices.

Council members and staff responded with context: City finance staff (identified in the meeting as Mister Bolinberg) said City Council has approved multi-year paving programs and provided the recent investment totals: $2,680,000 for fiscal 2022–23, $2,530,000 for 2023–24 and $2,200,000 for 2024–25. The administration said substantial street disruptions are being driven by utility work, naming Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) and UGI as entities replacing mains and service lines; the transcript records that PAWC alone had torn up 47 roads in the past 29 months for water-main work.

Council Member Shuster reported that the city solicited bids for crosswalks in high-traffic, traffic-control-requiring locations and that a meeting on the protocol for pave cuts and smaller contractors is scheduled for May 13. Shuster said the inspection workflow ties external inspection companies to the city's OpenGov account so work assignments are automated. The transcript also records two sinkhole repairs (2709 Jackson Street and 8 Fawn Wood Drive) with a combined repair price cited at $27,000.

No final schedule for repaving Lackawanna Avenue was provided; council members said they would follow up with DPW and the administration about start dates and holiday trash/recycling pickup changes for Memorial Day.","Residents complained about potholes, a delayed paving start on Lackawanna Avenue and frequent road openings by utilities; the council detailed multi-year paving investments and identified two sinkhole repairs estimated at $27,000.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6244024,"Stormwater projects, Meadowbrook easements and closeout of disaster code discussed by council and residents",2947,257000,3204000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e&start=257&end=3204","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e/thumbnail_257000.jpg","/articles/6244024/Scranton/Lackawanna-County/Pennsylvania/Stormwater-projects-Meadowbrook-easements-and-closeout-of-disaster-code-discussed-by-council-and-residents","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244024-e93ae0559565a3622feab831200d7d48/orig.mp4?Expires=1773243110&Signature=SnZw91EVGR9AlqKTmDCAyDa1v2~ngYITX~95~S3o1Jv0uEXsFaAt21I4mNNYV0O~y5kdz25vKz~TxqF-72WC0i2HWXMe6k28hF1ah4pB9npO3kFS7MGxIFr4Lc2NYKJIkGNziqJtP3xtY8UYOBexnuwfTgzTyZM2RB0vLFS28cIMI6tG-W6vJ8t5Jg5juOI2XgELcsl5Z097T4KDwZsLTvOl~s8gvclARHrxM4iWfdspCbk6qSOlmOWKHGsliSYv5XiYct1r725URrc-z5bTTjnJTV1rqc6yZnNsreC6zxKIV5oVBxrNofXNR~jTJGS8jhFSqO69tkHmV4GW-hBXFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Residents and council members told the Scranton City Council that stormwater and flooding remain urgent local concerns as the administration advances multiple stormwater projects and the city moves to close out a long-open disaster designation.

During public comment Joan Hoduanas (resident) praised the Department of Public Works for recent street-sweeper work downtown and urged greater attention to recurring stormwater flooding, citing historical flooding events in Meadow Brook and a notable past road collapse on Pittston Avenue. Hoduanas asked about progress obtaining easements for the Meadowbrook project; the transcript records that the administration reported more easements were coming in and that staff had been working with a project contact, Morgan Fester Good.

Council Member Schuster and other members reported updates: the city has submitted project updates to the state Department of General Services for the Meadowbrook project and is awaiting that agency's approval; Riley Associates and the project team conducted a property walk-through in the Fawnwood area of Keystone Valley for phase 1 of a stormwater program reported during the meeting to be approximately $24,000,000. Schuster said most projects from FEMA/PEMA disaster code 4408 (originating from the February 2018 storm) are complete, with the Elm Street retention wall behind South Side bowling lanes identified as the final project before the code is closed out.

Council members said easements remain a work in progress: Hoduanas noted that early in April the project had only three of 47 required easements; the administration later reported additional easements were arriving. Council members said engaging directly with affected residents and explaining work plans in person has aided easement acquisition. No final construction schedule for Meadowbrook was provided in the meeting transcript; the administration indicated the project is awaiting state review and approval before new public updates are released.

Speakers who asked questions or offered thanks emphasized both the urgency of flood mitigation and the administrative steps—easements, design approvals and state-level clearances—needed before construction could proceed.","Council members and residents discussed long-running stormwater problems, a $24 million city stormwater program, progress on Meadowbrook easements and the pending closeout of FEMA/PEMA disaster code 4408.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6244030,"Scranton council approves code cleanup, easements and vehicle lease in routine vote",126,4051000,4177000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e&start=4051&end=4177","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3235397-dcca8caa98170961e98b7328b96b633e/thumbnail_4051000.jpg","/articles/6244030/Scranton/Lackawanna-County/Pennsylvania/Scranton-council-approves-code-cleanup-easements-and-vehicle-lease-in-routine-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244030-c6ac7cab7a2732a7c93c1c83abc745d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1773243110&Signature=L7xgezqfTLt7vRo7BlXmguTSvDJPbmXX3DkTykGBbFYCA~avIwb53vHHTRZX0AKWGkPoztTF9nrHfIkiaaP6-uP8yu-q3iLepW4k5r59SiZFcBXTvh28cg97DWYQghx5mxM3m3mXBlnZ7Du86o-15PMK5QiZ6jwYOtNnJ7mMuD0axojbgZu8YVHFSiY9oUfNbwaXQpVprRGNeIBukU5UICZLQO5UtYUhRSm-0a8wQ2dMt27h8j--VhPaZ3EXHtCePUa-cCdnogvN3UOFfT4ABqtJyFYljRz4j9hCJxOrhO51CXOpkkNSNjR2jx2AMrzaOYY~9GsD4weXCcVc4PAWmw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Scranton City Council adopted a package of housekeeping and infrastructure measures during its public meeting, voting to pass a code-cleanup ordinance, close inactive special accounts, authorize acquisition of rights and easements and approve several intergovernmental and procurement actions.

Council members voted unanimously on measures that included: final passage of an ordinance to \"clean up the code\" by removing outdated provisions (filed as council number 732025), closing and abolishing inactive special city accounts (filed as number 722025), and authorizing the acquisition of rights and easements needed for permanent infrastructure work (filed as council number 742025). The council also approved an intergovernmental cooperation agreement for use of American Digital Cartography Inc. products (filed as account 752025) and ratified temporary construction easements for a sinkhole repair project at 2709 Jackson Street and 8 Fawn Wood Drive (filed as account 762025).

In separate action the council approved a resolution authorizing city officials, including but not limited to the business administrator and fire chief, to execute a lease-purchase agreement for a Ford Transit van with Community First National Bank (resolution cited in the meeting as 2012025). All items taken for final passage were declared \"legally and lawfully adopted\" after roll-call votes in which Council members answered \"yes.\" The meeting record shows roll-call responses from the council members who were present.

The votes followed standard introductions and readings by title. For items introduced into committee earlier in the meeting, motions to introduce were moved and seconded and then carried by voice vote when called.

The measures address administrative housekeeping (code cleanup and abolishing inactive accounts), mapping and permitting needs (the intergovernmental mapping agreement and construction easements) and a vehicle procurement for departmental use. No new taxes or multi-year borrowing were authorized in the items adopted at this meeting.","The Scranton City Council voted to adopt a code-cleanup ordinance, close inactive special accounts, authorize easements for infrastructure work, approve an intergovernmental mapping agreement and authorize a lease-purchase for a city van.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public commenter raises concerns about Scranton Housing Authority five-year plan and evictions

Council and residents press for faster street paving as utility work and sinkhole repairs continue

Stormwater projects, Meadowbrook easements and closeout of disaster code discussed by council and residents

Scranton council approves code cleanup, easements and vehicle lease in routine vote