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Harvey hikes gas prices 14 cents a gallon in Wilkes-Barre in past week

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Yudichak to speak at marker dedication for Ashley’s Huber Breaker

<p>In the emotional aftermath of correctional officer Kristopher Moules&#8217; July 2016 death, Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri vowed to revive a push to build a new prison to replace the aging structure, saying the building would be named in Moules&#8217; honor.</p><p>Pedri said Friday the plan still tops his priority list, but it boils down to a lack of funding.</p><p>&#8220;Right now, we don&#8217;t have money for a new prison,&#8221; he said.</p><p>County Councilman Rick Williams raised the issue during a recent council discussion about the county&#8217;s expected $5.9 million windfall that may grow to $8.6 million by year&#8217;s end. This pot includes $4 million in proceeds from settling baseball franchise litigation with Lackawanna County and other one-time receipts.</p><p>Suggestions for this money include paying down debt, reducing or clearing the deficit, catching up on an overdue pension fund subsidy or banking it to help fund an estimated $19 million for an emergency 911 radio communications system overhaul.</p><p>A consultant has said the switch from an analog to digital system is crucial because the radio transmitters and receivers that allow emergency responders to exchange messages will become obsolete in 2020, and officials have said it&#8217;s highly unlikely any state funding will help pay for that project.</p><p>While he didn&#8217;t advocate earmarking the windfall toward a new prison, Williams said a jail with a more efficient layout could reduce spending on operation and labor and asked if there has been any progress researching the project.</p><p>Pedri said he&#8217;s still interested but has held off because the county would have to borrow more money.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if we&#8217;re at that point yet. The major concern right now is going to be 911,&#8221; Pedri said, referring to the radio project.</p><p>Council members have been under pressure to continue reducing the debt &#8212; an issue that may impact their upcoming vote on a borrowing proposal. The county&#8217;s overall debt would increase by an estimated $3.5 million to a new total of $319.9 million through 2029 if council includes $12.1 million in a refinancing package for an energy-saving project.</p><p>The debt is expected to decrease $8.5 million, to a new total $307.8 million, if the refinancing proceeds without the energy-saving plan, the county&#8217;s financial consultant said.</p><p>Approximately $3 million is slated to be spent on repairs at the prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre through projects already on the capital plan and in the proposed energy-saving project, Pedri told council.</p><p>&#8220;Unfortunately right now, we&#8217;re going to have to keep putting Band-Aids on the prison,&#8221; said Pedri.</p><p>The county&#8217;s current capital plan earmarks $615,000 for two pending projects to renovate the prison showers and improve security in the lobby area.</p><p>Pedri&#8217;s proposed new capital plan added three prison projects &#8212; repairs to an elevator involved in the deaths of Moules and inmate Timothy Darnelle Gilliam Jr., $70,000; new doors to improve security, $600,000; and security door control panel replacement, $100,000.</p><p>The energy-saving project would repair the system that provides hot water to facility sinks and showers because the current one is &#8220;on its last leg,&#8221; a consultant said. Prison HVAC upgrades also were added because the current air conditioning system is &#8220;beyond its useful life,&#8221; creating a concern it will die and cause temperatures to rise in the packed building.</p><p>Projecting the cost and savings of a new facility is fruitless until the county comes up with a plan and construction site that &#8220;make sense,&#8221; Williams said.</p><p>Pedri said many communities would not want a prison.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County is slated to spend an additional $3 million on repairs at the aging prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre. Building a new prison is still a top priority for county manager C. David Pedri, but funding is an obstacle. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lccf03-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County is slated to spend an additional $3 million on repairs at the aging prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre. Building a new prison is still a top priority for county manager C. David Pedri, but funding is an obstacle. </caption0><photoCredit0>File photo </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>

Proposed new Luzerne County prison at standstill