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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Three area legislators who battled fiercely to keep two state facilities open in Luzerne County, criticized Gov. Tom Wolf, saying the governor&rsquo;s State Facility Closure Transition Program was done without input of legislators, local leaders, or county officials and for its lack of recurring funding to adequately protect those areas most affected.
				State Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, and state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, each released statements Monday expressing their concerns about the plan that was released by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
				The legislators centered their concerns on SCI Retreat in Newport Township and the White Haven Center.
				Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin announced that $5 million in funding is available to support communities impacted by state facility closures.
				&ldquo;Pennsylvania&rsquo;s state facilities contribute to the economic and social well-being of our communities, and those that face closure will have measurable impacts on residents, local businesses, and services,&rdquo; Davin said. &ldquo;This funding will help address those impacts and provide a helping hand to the communities that house these facilities as they move forward toward new use.&rdquo;
				According to the three legislators, the 2019-2020 state budget appropriated $5 million for the program, but they said the administration halted early negotiations with legislators on a long-term legislative response to the economic impact of state facility closures.
				In addition to ignoring input from local leaders on this year&rsquo;s program, Yudichak, Baker and Mullery claim the Wolf Administration announced in the governor&rsquo;s February budget address that the State Facility Closure Transition Program would be completely eliminated in the 2021-2022 state budget.
				They said the guidelines created by the Wolf Administration would require counties to evaluate the needs of impacted communities by an aggressive deadline of March 31, 2021 &mdash; less than three weeks from receiving the state guidelines for the program.
				In turn, they said it would be the responsibility of an impacted county to apply and distribute grant awards based on a state formula that uses staff member residency multiplied by $3,551.14 per staff member.
				The grant program is available to 11 counties outside the two counties directly impacted by the closures &mdash; SCI Retreat and White Haven Center in Luzerne County and Polk Center in Venango County.
				The legislators said that while state resources are always welcomed and appreciated in Luzerne County, the short-term nature of the program is problematic and significantly reduces the impact of state funds on communities most negatively impacted by the state closures.
				&ldquo;All of Northeastern Pennsylvania legislators were unified in their support of the State Facility Closure Transition Program and urged Gov. Wolf to work with local leaders to craft a comprehensive long-term economic recovery plan to help Luzerne County move beyond the loss of two facilities that added over $100 million annual impact to our local economy and bolstered our region with 800 good-paying, union jobs,&rdquo; Yudichak said. &ldquo;It is intensely regrettable that the Wolf Administration ignored local leaders in the drafting of these guidelines and continues to look at the loss of jobs at White Haven Center and SCI Retreat in such a short-sighted way. The communities of White Haven Borough and Newport Township, and all the residents of Luzerne County, deserve a much more robust economic plan than the one presently submitted to us in this one-time grant program.&rdquo;
				Baker said Gov. Wolf has once again demonstrated his failure to recognize the added burden these closures have caused for our host communities.
				&ldquo;The new program creates uncertainty for entities that are disproportionately impacted, such as the Shickshinny Sewer Authority, which built its facility in good faith, at the request of the state,&rdquo; Baker said. &ldquo;We will continue to press for fair and equitable resources to allow them to adjust to the unique challenges reduced utilization will bring their facility, without affecting ratepayers.&rdquo;
				Mullery said he is scrutinizing plan for its lack of recurring funding and failure to adequately protect those areas most affected by the governor&rsquo;s decisions.
				&ldquo;Despite our initial satisfaction with this program&rsquo;s inclusion in the 2020 budget, it was devastating to learn the administration had zero interest in a recurring funding program for these communities,&rdquo; Mullery said.
				Mullery said Luzerne County is eligible for $2.1 million, given the prorated number of employees residing in the county at the time of the facility closures. It is estimated Luzerne County, which lost more than 800 jobs with the closures of SCI Retreat and White Haven Center, will suffer over $100 million in direct, annual economic impact.
				&ldquo;What is equally important to note has been this administration&rsquo;s failure to adequately protect the communities directly impacted by the closures of SCI Retreat and the White Haven Center,&rdquo; Mullery said. &ldquo;Despite countless meetings with the administration, they have refused to incorporate language in this program guaranteeing money to the host communities. Instead, the fate of these communities now lies at the mercy of Luzerne County officials.&rdquo;
				Mullery went on to say, &ldquo;From day one we&rsquo;ve provided Gov. Wolf with data and testimony showing the devastating and long-lasting impacts these closures will have on our local communities. And yet again, it appears our pleas have fallen on deaf and uncaring ears.&rdquo;
				Mullery said he has already spoken with representatives from White Haven, Newport Township, Nanticoke City, and other municipalities and agencies directly affected by the closure of these state facilities and he has asked that they outline and communicate their needs with the appropriate county officials.
				&ldquo;Additionally, I have spoken with County Manager Dave Pedri and asked that he and County Council step up to offer the protection our host communities deserve, yet Gov. Wolf failed to provide,&rdquo; Mullery said.
				Program guidelines
				The program was created in response to the closure of SCI Retreat (Luzerne County) in June 2020 and the announcement of the intention to close the White Haven Center (Luzerne County) and the Polk State Center (Venango County) facilities in August 2022.
				Applications are due by March 31, 2021, and may be submitted online using DCED&rsquo;s Single Application. Paper applications will not be accepted.
				Grant funds provided under the SFCTP must be used to support counties impacted or that will be impacted by state facility closures. Eligible counties are encouraged to comprehensively evaluate their countywide needs and distribute the grant funds as equitably as possible. All expenditures must be incurred by the end of the contract period.

Legislators raise concerns about State Facility Closure Transition Program