Council to authorize multiple state grant agreements for paving, city hall windows, stormwater and public‑square work

Wilkes‑Barre officials moved through a packet of state and local funding authorizations during the work session, designating city leaders to execute grant agreements for several infrastructure and public‑safety projects.

The mayor announced a recommended award of $1,133,533 for a paving contract (transcript text referenced the amount and printed street list). Mayor George C. Brown asked staff to identify state‑owned roads (PennDOT responsibility) on the list so the city does not repave state roads; councilors then discussed pothole response and whether the city or PennDOT should respond to emergency potholes.

Council also heard multiple Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) / SLA and LSA grant authorizations and designated officials (Mayor George C. Brown and Comptroller Tony Thomas) to execute agreements if the grants are awarded. Key items read aloud in the meeting included:

• A proposed CFA/SLA grant of $533,860 for city hall renovations (Phase 3): remove and replace existing windows with energy‑efficient windows and repair exterior joints. Councilors noted the 125‑year age of the building and that some windows may date from the early 1980s.

• A proposed CFA/SLA grant of $224,102 for replacement of public‑works‑facility garage doors with energy‑efficient doors.

• A proposed LSA grant of $904,760 to fund Public Square pathways improvements (phase two), described as replacement of pavers and crosswalk elements that date from older flood repairs.

• A CFA/SLA grant of $60,898 for the Fire Department to purchase an emergency monitor/defibrillator for EMS response.

• A CFA/SLA grant request of $841,295 directed to port and street stormwater infrastructure, with Horton Street singled out for a sewer‑lining (membrane) approach. The mayor described a cured membrane lining the city is installing on Horton Street today; that lining was said to carry a 75‑year warranty.

Mayor Brown said the city has a standing snow/ice agreement with PennDOT and that it occasionally fills emergency potholes on state roads but generally must notify PennDOT because those state roads are that agency’s responsibility. He also noted the city had a longstanding PennDOT contact, Rich Roman, who recently died.

Councilors agreed to take the packet as a consent agenda item (a motion and second were recorded) to be finalized in the voting portion of the meeting. The meeting record shows motions and seconds for the consent agenda and affirmative roll calls during the voting section.

What happens next: staff are to circulate the final bid documents and the full grant agreements for execution by authorized officials if the grants are awarded. Council members asked that the paving list be distributed (it appeared in the newspaper and is available on the city website) so residents can see which streets are proposed for work.

Budget and process notes: the mayor said city sewer maintenance and related enterprise funds had been drawn down by the Horton Street work and a loan was taken to complete the line; that budget context was presented as part of discussion about where funds come from and why grant funding is needed.

Public comment: speakers in the public‑comment portion of the meeting raised concerns about homelessness, neighborhood upgrades and pension shortfalls and urged council to prioritize neighborhood investment and social services as the council allocates funds.