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ALIFT gets “A Lift”

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Update: Wilkes-Barre Township couple displaced after blaze at their Nicholson Street home

<p>Luzerne County government now officially owns a Hanover Township property that will be used for record storage and possibly a morgue.</p><p>A county council majority agreed in November to buy the former U.S. mail carrier facility at 85 Young St. from New Jersey-based Wilkes-Barre Carrier Annex LLC for $750,000.</p><p>The council&#8217;s 2016 long-range capital plan earmarked $1.45 million in past-borrowed funds for the record storage project.</p><p>Renovations are estimated at $570,000 for record storage and a total $879,000 if the morgue and county coroner&#8217;s office space are included. Moving costs are projected to be $67,740, officials said.</p><p>A fee on recorded deeds that generates around $7,000 per month would be sufficient to cover utility costs for the new facility, the administration said.</p><p>A state archives expert advised county officials years ago to find another home for their records, including original documents dating back to the late 1800s, because the county&#8217;s current space in the Thomas C. Thomas building on Union Street in Wilkes-Barre suffers from temperature extremes, lack of security, leaks and fire hazards.</p><p>Most of the papers kept on three floors of that property must be retained by state law.</p><p>The 28,600-square-foot Hanover Township property, located near the county 911 center, will require fire protection upgrades, a security system, servicing of the heating/ventilation/air conditioning system and electrical work, officials said.</p><p>Shelving also must be installed to hold records. It&#8217;s unclear if the county can reuse extensive wood shelving installed at the Thomas C. Thomas building. The county pays $103,104 annually to rent space at that property.</p><p>The addition of a morgue at the Hanover Township site would end the county&#8217;s reliance on Wilkes-Barre General Hospital to store bodies that can&#8217;t be transported to a funeral home due to pending investigations or delays identifying the deceased or notifying survivors. This arrangement sometimes creates issues with space availability, officials said.</p><p>Acting County Manager C. David Pedri sent an email to the council members Friday informing them of the purchase closing.</p><p>&#8220;This building will be added to county insurance. As the planning and renovations for this space proceed, the county administration will keep you informed of any updates,&#8221; Pedri wrote.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County government now owns this property at 85 Young St., Hanover Township. The property will be used for record storage and possibly a morgue. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL111015recordstorage1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County government now owns this property at 85 Young St., Hanover Township. The property will be used for record storage and possibly a morgue. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County purchases Hanover Township property for record storage