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<p>Luzerne County Council declared its opposition to the White Haven State Center shutdown Tuesday, passing a resolution supporting proposed state legislation that would place a moratorium on the closure.</p><p>The legislation, House Bill 1918 and Senate Bill 906, would halt state closure of the White Haven and Polk State centers until Pennsylvania is &#8220;better prepared to respond to the impending fallout from the closures,&#8221; the resolution said.</p><p>The White Haven State Center provides 24-hour care for 111 men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it said.</p><p>Judith and Jim Clark spoke before Tuesday&#8217;s vote, saying her elderly brother is unable to speak, walk or eat on his own and has been receiving high-level care at the facility since 1969.</p><p>&#8220;We are talking about the most vulnerable population that can&#8217;t speak for themselves,&#8221; Judith Clark said, predicting the trauma of a move would kill her brother and other center residents.</p><p>Tom Kashatus told council his daughter also depends on the quality care provided at the facility and said he is not aware of any parents or guardians of center residents supportive of relocation.</p><p>Councilman Robert Schnee said he has visited the center and does not believe a majority of residents would receive the necessary level of care in other facilities or community-based support programs, such as group homes.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re throwing people away over dollar bills,&#8221; Schnee said.</p><p>Councilman Patrick Bilbow concurred and said he had initiated the council resolution, which will include council letters to legislators.</p><p>&#8220;I feel bad you having to step to the microphone to address this,&#8221; Bilbow told the speakers.</p><p><strong>Valley Crest</strong></p><p>Also during Tuesday&#8217;s meeting, citizen Brian Shiner brought up a proposed real estate tax diversion to help fund highway traffic improvements needed for a $94 million project at the former Valley Crest Nursing Home site in Plains Township.</p><p>Shiner said he obtained details about the plans through a Right-to-Know request and found it &#8220;distressing&#8221; the information was not disclosed to council and the public. He directed his concern to council Chairman Tim McGinley because he is the council liaison on a committee established to discuss a possible diversion.</p><p>McGinley said the committee last met in June and never discussed the developer&#8217;s plan to start seeking taxing body approval for a diversion. He said he first learned Plains Township commissioners approved the diversion from an Oct. 21 Times Leader article.</p><p>For the diversion to take effect and generate a targeted $4.4 million, approval also would be needed from the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board and county council, officials said. The diversion falls under the Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) program. The Valley Crest developer would continue to pay all real estate taxes, but taxing bodies must agree to temporarily sacrifice receipts from the new development to fund the road work.</p><p>McGinley said he did not provide specifics in his public briefings about committee activity because he never received a final plan.</p><p>&#8220;I still have not seen a final plan,&#8221; McGinley said.</p><p>Before any county council vote, the developer would have to publicly explain the request and field council questions at a work session devoted solely to the topic, McGinley said.</p><p>Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck said after the meeting &#8220;it is unbelievable&#8221; that McGinley, as the county committee representative, was unaware Plains Township officials had reached the voting stage so that information could be presented to county council.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ann Winsock holds photos of her father, and her sister, Janine Winsock, who has lived in White Haven center over 40 years before testifying against the closing of White Haven Center on Sept. 12. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_TTL091419white-haven5.CMYK_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ann Winsock holds photos of her father, and her sister, Janine Winsock, who has lived in White Haven center over 40 years before testifying against the closing of White Haven Center on Sept. 12. </caption0><photoCredit0></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 Council objects to White Haven Center closure