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Public questions Wilkes-Barre grant use for private properties, including Penn Plaza and King’s College
Summary
Several speakers at the Sept. 25 Wilkes-Barre council meeting questioned whether LSA and county grant funds should be applied to private property improvements, citing Penn Plaza and King’s College projects; a King’s College representative described planned lighting and camera upgrades.
Several community members urged the Wilkes-Barre City Council to reconsider awarding or supporting public grant applications that would benefit private property owners, focusing on a CV LTD/Penn Plaza revitalization application and a King’s College security project.
Resident Sam Troy said he opposed routing public grant money to what he described as private concerns. “If this is a private concern, can’t we… use some of this money to establish something that directly affects in a positive way the taxpayers,” Troy said during public comment, characterizing the county grant amount mentioned in public materials as $307,000.
Brian Ferry, who identified himself as an urban planner, characterized Penn Plaza as “a pardon my language, but a piss poor example of urban design” and said the 6.6-acre site uses only about 1.4 acres for building space, which he described as an inefficient use of downtown land. Ferry asked whether the Penn Plaza application included tree removal and whether removed trees would be replaced.
Tom Butchko, who identified himself as facilities staff at King’s College, described the Phase 3 work referenced in the King’s College application as upgrades to lighting around campus edges and replacement of security cameras. “The security cameras are used on a regular basis… it’s monitored 7 days a week, 24 hours a day,” Butchko said, and added the college often provides video to the city on request.
Mayor George Brown and council members did not move the Penn Plaza/CV LTD application during the meeting; the record shows “no motion” on that item. The council approved the King’s College safety and security project application.
Speakers asked the council to be more explicit in agenda materials about the recipients of conduit grant applications and the scope of proposed work. Troy and Ferry urged more transparency about which projects serve private property owners and which provide direct public benefit. Council members did not add further conditions or clarifications on record during the Sept. 25 session; the Penn Plaza application remained unacted on.
The transcript does not record a formal legal or policy justification for awarding LSA or county funds to private parcels; public commenters urged the council to weigh direct public benefits when deciding whether to facilitate or endorse grant applications for private owners.
