Woman Found Dead In W-b Motel Room

Alice M. (boone) Kiesinger

By JERRY LYNOTT jlynott@leader.net
 Wednesday, January 08, 2003 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D 





As Lackawanna and Monroe counties move closer to re-establishing passenger
rail service to New York City, Luzerne County is seeking a $200,000 federal
grant to see whether it can tie into the regional project. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An application to fund a feasibility study will be made next week to the
Federal Transit Administration, said John Gruzenski, acting director of the
Luzerne County Transportation Authority. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The authority's federal contact person will be back in the office by then,
Gruzenski said Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the application's approval, the authority will form a committee to
oversee the study and put it out to bid. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gruzenski said he will be one of the committee members. Others likely will
be Tom Lawson of Borton-Lawson Engineering, who chairs the Greater
Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry's transportation task force;
Adrian Merolli of the Luzerne County Planning Commission; Tom Williams, an
aide to U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke; a member of another engineering
firm; and Robert Connolly, executive director of the Luzerne County
Redevelopment Authority. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Connolly, who, as a redevelopment authority member, sits on the board of
the Luzerne County Rail Corp., will be in charge of the study committee,
Gruzenski said. ``I told him I would welcome his presence on the committee.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Connolly did not return a phone call Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Because of its working relationship with the Federal Transit
Administration, the county transit authority, instead of the rail corporation,
was asked to apply for the money approved late in 2001 by Congress. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No action was taken until December, causing concern among government and
economic development officials. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Dec. 9, the authority asked the state to include the tie-in with other
projects in the state's comprehensive Transportation Improvement Plan,
Gruzenski said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The request came a month after officials involved in the $200 million rail
project updated U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Philadelphia, on its progress and
lobbied him for more money. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Specter, who holds the second-highest rank on the Senate Appropriations
Committee, said he was enthusiastic about the project because of its economic
development potential. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The rail link from Scranton to Hoboken, N.J., is being touted as a way to
reduce congestion on Interstate 80 and local feeder roads. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The population growth in the Poconos and cross-border Sussex and Warren
counties in New Jersey has more people using the interstate to get to work and
causing traffic problems on the roadway. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Officials hope to begin passenger service in 2006. This year they plan to
begin preliminary engineering and final design work on the 84-mile project. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jerry Lynott, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7237. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

County Looks To Climb Aboard Train Line Luzerne County To Seek Funds For Feasibility Study Into Joining Local Planned Rail Line To New York City.