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County attorney says Job Corps lease renewal automatic; federal government to continue upkeep of Job Corps property

5398270 ยท July 9, 2025

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Summary

Luzerne County staff told council the U.S. Department of Labor sought to renew the Job Corps lease; administration described the renewal as an automatic contractual provision and said the federal tenant would continue property upkeep and recently completed a $5 million building on site.

During the work session on June 24 Luzerne County Attorney Skeen briefed council about an automatic lease-renewal provision for the Job Corps property at the county-owned Job Corps site.

Skeen said administration previously announced a potential Job Corps closure but that the Department of Labor had requested to renew its lease. He told council the renewal is an automatic provision in the existing long-term lease and that, if the county did not want the renewal, it would have to give earlier notice under the lease terms.

Attorney Skeen told the council the federal government pays a nominal rent (recorded in the transcript as $1,000 per month under an older contract) and that the Department of Labor was responsible for property upkeep. He said the Job Corps had recently completed a $5 million building on the site and that continued federal occupancy relieves the county of roughly $1 million per year in maintenance costs that the county would otherwise incur.

Skeen said the Department of Labor indicated it had no plans to repurpose the property and that Job Corps operations were moving forward for the time being, citing an injunction the county had been told about. Council members asked procedural questions; no council vote on the lease renewal was required because of the automatic-renewal clause in the contract, per the attorney's presentation.