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Happy birthday Mia Theresa White!

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Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon not about to get derailed from his big dreams

<p>NESBITT PARK &#8212; As operations director for Wilkes-Barre City, Butch Frati is used to making decisions.</p><p>The one he made on Thursday was pretty easy.</p><p>Frati and members of the city&#8217;s Department of Public Works met with representatives of the Suskie Bassmasters hoping to shed some light on Nesbitt Park. The Suskie Bassmasters hold a weekly bass tournament on the Susquehanna River, launching from the park and holding the 9 p.m. weigh-ins at the parking lot. A lack of lighting has left the area in the dark, and the group recently approached the city about helping to install street lights along the parking lot and boat launch.</p><p>Frati said the city would be happy to help, especially after he noticed the large crowd that turned out at the park to watch last Wednesday&#8217;s weigh-in.</p><p>&#8220;We were doing paving in the city at night and I couldn&#8217;t believe all the activity over here,&#8221; Frati said. &#8220;With the increased activity here, this will be a great project. It will bring attention to a very beautiful area and put a positive focus on it.&#8221;</p><p>After the two groups met on Thursday, it was agreed that the city will provide labor and material to install footers for the five lights. The Suskie Bassmasters will raise funds to purchase the solar-powered lights and erect them on the footers. Club secretary Jim Lacomis said the lights and poles will cost approximately $3,000, and the group has launched a fund-raising project to cover the cost.</p><p>&#8220;We use this area for our tournaments, but this is really a community project,&#8221; Lacomis said, adding he hopes the lights are up and running by the end of the summer.</p><p>&#8220;With a project like this it&#8217;s important to partner with someone, and Wilkes-Barre City has been a great partner with us and we look forward to continuing that.&#8221;</p><p>The solar-powered lights will be attached to poles 13 feet in length. Frati said the lights will generate 3,000 lumens when people are in the area, and reduce down to 500 lumens when there is no activity. Three lights will be installed along the edge of the parking lot bordering a wooded area, one will be placed at the lot entrance and another at the top of the boat launch.</p><p>Frati said the plan to provide labor and material for the footers has already been approved by the mayor and council.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve talked about the lack of lighting here. This will make people feel safer if they want to use the park at night, especially in the summer for fishing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The Suskie Bassmasters have done a lot for the city and we have a good partner here, which is important when it comes to our parks.&#8221;</p><p>In the future, Lacomis said, the club would like to install a third lane on the boat launch and erect benches throughout the park.</p><p>But for now, they&#8217;re happy to illuminate the park for everyone to enjoy.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s always someone here fishing at night and using this place in the evening,&#8221; said club treasurer Chris Ostrowski. &#8220;The lights will make it more inviting and safer. It&#8217;s makes it feel like the park is going somewhere.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_suskie-lites.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">FOR WEB</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_suskie-lites.jpg</photo0><caption0>FOR WEB</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_SB-Bass.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Butch Frati (left), director of operations for Wilkes-Barre-City, discusses a lighting project for Nesbitt Park with Jim Lacomis of the Suskie Bassmasters. The club is partnering with the city to erect five solar-powered street lights in the parking lot of the park. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_SB-Bass.jpg</photo1><caption1>Butch Frati (left), director of operations for Wilkes-Barre-City, discusses a lighting project for Nesbitt Park with Jim Lacomis of the Suskie Bassmasters. The club is partnering with the city to erect five solar-powered street lights in the parking lot of the park. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tom Venesky | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>The Suskie Bassmasters hope to raise $3,000 to purchase lights and materials to be installed at Nesbitt Park. They have set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations, which can be accessed at www.suskiebass.org.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Suskie Bassmasters, W-B City shedding light on Nesbitt Park