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Council reviews two RCAP grant requests: $1M for recovery/residential project and $750K for Wilkes University nursing-simulation expansion
Summary
Council reviewed two RCAP grant authorizations: $1,000,000 for a private detox/residential conversion at 300 Courtwright Ave and $750,000 for phase 1 of Wilkes University’s nursing simulation expansion.
Council reviewed two proposed RCAP (Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program) grant authorizations that the city would be asked to execute, with final action scheduled at the Thursday voting session.
The first is a $1,000,000 RCAP award redirected from the city of Pittston to support a private project at 300 Courtwright Avenue operated by Just Always Believe LLC and Resurrection of NEPA LLC. Chris Cawley, who identified himself as working on project management and grant financing, said the site was a former assisted-living facility that closed after a sprinkler leak and that the plan is to convert the building into "about a 99 bed, detox slash what we call the residential" facility. Cawley said construction was expected to be completed by May 1 and that, after required approvals and licensing, operations could begin toward the end of the year. He said the project is for-profit and includes private investment "about, I would say about, about a million, 1.7."
The second RCAP item is a $750,000 request for phase 1 of an expansion of Wilkes University’s nursing simulation laboratory. Mike Wood, identified as representing Wilkes, described the need created by the university’s accelerated nursing cohort: "It takes about 90 minutes" for a student to be tested on a simulated patient and the additional cohorts have created a bottleneck. Wood said phase 1 would add four SAMI (simulated patient) units and that the full expansion will likely be done in at least three phases, with a total cost estimated at "about $3,000,000." He told council the $750,000 RCAP is aimed at addressing the immediate testing-capacity pinch point.
City staff told the council that the RCAP awards require a dollar-for-dollar match for the $1,000,000 category; a presenter clarified that the RCAP award must be matched by the project. A separate funding program (LSA) was noted as not requiring a match. Both RCAP requests were presented for council consideration and will be acted on at the Thursday voting session.
