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Commissioners hear Penn State Extension and visitors bureau updates on programming and tourism
Summary
Penn State Extension highlighted Master Gardener, 4-H and seed-to-supper programs while the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau reported record hotel-room-tax receipts and marketing metrics tied to a new visitors guide and website traffic.
County commissioners on Feb. 19 heard program updates from Penn State Extension and the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau.
Jennifer Mercero, client relationship manager with Penn State Extension, summarized recent and upcoming Extension programming in Lackawanna County, including a bird-count event at Abington Library on Feb. 15, a "Seed to Supper" six-session gardening class at Valley Community Library, ongoing 4-H enrollment through March 31, a virtual 4-H cooking camp in July, and a planned native plant sale by Master Gardeners in May. Mercero said the Master Gardeners and 4-H rely on volunteers and urged interested residents to get involved.
"The master gardeners are a dedicated group of volunteers constantly educating the community on all the good that they do in the Lackawanna County programs," Mercero said.
Kurt Kamoni, executive director of the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau, presented the bureau's new 2025 visitors guide and described marketing platforms that support tourism. Kamoni said the bureau is a nonprofit funded by a portion of the 7% hotel room tax and reported that Lackawanna County set a new hotel-room-tax collection record for the fourth straight fiscal year, and that since 2018-19 collections have increased by more than $1 million overall, with the county's share about 60% of that increase.
Kamoni said state figures show annual visitor spending in Lackawanna County of $726.6 million and estimated the hospitality industry supports more than 5,000 full-time-equivalent jobs in the county. He also noted growth in the bureau's digital reach, citing visitnepa.org (launched after a site redesign) as drawing more than 1 million visits annually and social-media followings that have grown substantially since 2018.
Kamoni highlighted last year's inaugural Carb Carbon Alien Festival in Carbondale as an event with room to grow and said the bureau is sponsoring a Lenape mural through a partnership with Scranton Tomorrow and local arts groups. He closed by saying "we have nothing but good news" about tourism and hospitality in the county.
Both presenters thanked county staff and commissioners for support and said they will return with additional program details and partnership opportunities.
