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State Rep. Gerald Mullery has proposed Luzerne County house its tourism and visitors&rsquo; bureau in the White Haven Community Library and Visitor Center instead of the historic downtown Wilkes-Barre train station.
				County Council is considering a proposal to move the bureau from Public Square in Wilkes-Barre to first-floor space in the station at the corner of Market Street and Wilkes-Barre Boulevard when that structure is renovated.
				Mullery, D-Newport Township, said he read about council&rsquo;s recent discussions involving the possible train station relocation and &ldquo;would be remiss&rdquo; if he did not make council aware of the White Haven option, according to a letter he sent to council and county Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Theodore Wampole.
				According to Mullery&rsquo;s letter and release issued Wednesday:
				Located near the center of White Haven, the borough structure was constructed in 1889 as an engine repair shop for the former Lehigh Valley Railroad and has been deemed eligible for inclusion in the National Registry of Historic Places.
				This structure has been &ldquo;dramatically transformed&rdquo; into a multi-purpose library and heritage visitor center.
				It has space available for the county bureau and is &ldquo;ideally located&rdquo; two miles from Interstate 80, nine miles from Interstate 81 and five miles from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Signs are available along all three highways to attract motorists, he said.
				He pointed to state data indicating nearly 1 million people visited the nearby Hickory Run, Lehigh Gorge, and Nescopeck State Parks over the past two years and said White Haven is &ldquo;considered the entrance community&rdquo; for all three parks.
				The Black Diamond portion of the D&L trail and northern entrance to the Lehigh Gorge State Park also connect near the White Haven structure, providing a safe and accessible place for trail visitors to acquire information and use bathroom facilities.
				&ldquo;The Luzerne County tourism and visitors&rsquo; bureau should be where tourists and visitors are, and I cannot think of a better site for the bureau than the White Haven Area Community Library and Visitor Center,&rdquo; Mullery wrote.
				Mullery asked county council to give the option its full consideration and invited council members to visit the facility.
				County reaction
				County Manager C. David Pedri said Wednesday he must defer to council because it is responsible for real estate, although the administration will provide any input requested by council.
				Council is set to vote on the train station lease at its April 13 meeting. Council Chairman Tim McGinley and council Vice Chairman Chris Perry said they expect Mullery&rsquo;s suggestion will be discussed at that time.
				Wampole said he will respect and wholeheartedly carry out council&rsquo;s decision but personally advocates proceeding with a lease in the train station.
				The station is in the downtown of the county seat and a high-traffic area near the Mohegan Sun Arena, numerous hotels, King&rsquo;s College and Wilkes University, he said. It also is centrally located in the county and easily accessible from Interstate 81, he said.
				Relocation to the station also would support preservation of an important local building and promote local history, Wampole said.
				Like Pedri, Wampole stressed White Haven is a beautiful municipality. The county has many access points worthy of visitor centers, but the bureau does not have the revenue to open multiple satellite offices, Wampole said.
				Station&rsquo;s fate unclear
				The station&rsquo;s fate would be unclear if the county does not proceed with the lease. Developer George Albert recently told council his investment group must have guaranteed tenants before it renovates the structure, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
				Without tenant commitments, the group would prefer to raze the station because the structure is &ldquo;very condensed,&rdquo; only about 4,000 square feet and more costly to renovate, Albert had told council.
				Wilkes-Barre has agreed to reprogram a $1 million state grant so the former Central Railroad of New Jersey brick station, built in 1868, can be preserved. However, Albert said his group, Market Square Properties Development LLC, must borrow money for the project before the grant funding can be applied.
				The renovation will cost $1.4 million, or almost $350 per square foot, Albert said.
				As proposed, the county lease would commence when the bureau has possession of its space on or before Dec. 15.
				The initial five-year lease to house the county bureau in 2,100 square feet at the station is proposed at $15.43 per square foot, which amounts to $32,400 annually. The rent would increase to $16.50 per square foot if the county opts for two renewals at three years each.
				The bureau spends approximately $30,000 on rent at its current smaller 1,300-square-foot site on Public Square. No county general operating budget funds are required for a lease because the bureau is self-sufficient, relying primarily on hotel tax revenue, officials said.
				Albert said the rent he is charging the county will not generate a profit, is &ldquo;straight reimbursable on cost&rdquo; and &ldquo;very, very very reasonable&rdquo; for the amount being spent on the property.
				He is working with a commercial Realtor on leasing the upstairs space.

Mullery suggests White Haven for tourism office