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Residents urge action on blight, homeless encampments and traffic; mayor schedules meeting with county and partners
Summary
Multiple residents raised concerns about overgrown lots, a deteriorating property at 147 Gardner Street, garbage and storm-drain problems, and homeless encampments; Mayor George Brown said he has scheduled a meeting with the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority and Volunteers of America to coordinate cleanup, hazardous-waste removal and services.
Residents used the public-comment period to press the council on property maintenance, blight and homelessness across multiple neighborhoods.
Several commenters described overgrown lots and debris along the perimeter of the Hollenbeck municipal golf course and asked whether the municipal authority or the city should maintain the fence line and curb. One resident cited an agreement that 5% of golf-course proceeds were to come to the city and asked the council to consider purchasing the course or enforcing better maintenance. "If you take a ride up there, you want to say what's happening to Wilkes-Barre?" the speaker said.
Janelle Davison asked that city inspectors check a vacant, deteriorating property at 147 Gardner Street in the Parsons section. She described smashed windows, loose roof sections, open entry points and brush piles that pose fire and safety risks, and asked the city to inspect the house and take enforcement action if it violates building and maintenance codes. A council official said the stop sign at a nearby intersection would be replaced the next day and staff would check the property.
A contractor and volunteer organizer described barriers to cleaning redevelopment authority land and said storm drains are discharging onto private parcels and into Laurel Run Creek. The contractor asked for written permission from the city or redevelopment authority to access the parcel for a volunteer cleanup; the mayor and city staff said a meeting with the county redevelopment authority and partner organizations (including Volunteers of America) is scheduled to work through hazardous-waste protocols, interagency responsibilities and access permissions.
On traffic issues, the Lackawanna-Luzerne MPO requested PennDOT perform a full analysis of the Exit 1 intersection; the city will file for traffic-signal approval pending that analysis and staff encouraged residents to take PennDOT surveys and attend meetings.
What happens next: city staff said they will inspect properties raised by residents, coordinate with the redevelopment authority on cleanup permissions and follow up on traffic-study timing.
