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<p>Luzerne County officials plan to issue a bid next year to clean black streaks on the River Common portal walls and perform other repairs at the county-owned complex along the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre, officials said.</p><p>The administration wants to pay for the work with a portion of the county&#8217;s annual natural-gas recreation funding, said county Operational Services Division Head Edmund O&#8217;Neill.</p><p>Natural gas funding also was tapped in 2018, when the county had to complete $89,000 in repairs to the River Common fishing pier wall caused by a Susquehanna ice jam.</p><p>County Engineer Lawrence Plesh said black stains on the stone walls of the park&#8217;s levee portal openings have become unsightly and must be removed. He worked with a consultant to determine the proper cleaning materials and techniques that will be incorporated in a bid in early 2020.</p><p>Plesh said he also identified sidewalk and wall joints that must be replaced and some cracks in granite steps requiring repairs.</p><p>The combined bid package will cover work needed along the full length of the River Common, from the county courthouse to the area of the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, Plesh and O&#8217;Neill said.</p><p>If bids come in higher than available natural gas funding, the administration may be forced to delay the project another year, Plesh said.</p><p>The county has received approximately $228,600 to $307,600 in funding from natural gas drilling annually since the state authorized such earmarks under Act 13 in 2012, officials said. In addition to River Common expenses, the funding also has covered county black fly spraying and recreation grants to outside entities.</p><p>Periodic maintenance of the River Common should be expected because it is an outdoor facility exposed to the elements, Plesh said.</p><p>&#8220;This thing is already 10 years old,&#8221; he said of the park.</p><p>The revamped $23 million park unveiled in 2009 also includes an amphitheater and landscaping designed to draw visitors to the water&#8217;s edge and make the river an asset.</p><p>County Manager C. David Pedri has tried to step up promotion of the park this year with free Rockin&#8217; the River public concerts that drew more than 6,000 area residents of all ages. He said he&#8217;s already started reaching out to sponsors to hold another concert series in July.</p><p>Another unwelcomed aspect of River Common usage &#8212; skateboarding &#8212; came up during recent discussions about an intergovernmental cooperation agreement between the county and its Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the nonrecreational flood control requirements of the levee system.</p><p>As part of these discussions, authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman urged the county to work with Wilkes-Barre officials to beef up policing of skateboarding at the River Common.</p><p>&#8220;Not only are they destroying the riverfront park. They&#8217;re destroying some of our facilities,&#8221; Belleman said in September of the skateboards.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County officials plan to issue a bid next year to clean black streaks on the River Common portal walls and perform other repairs at the county-owned complex along the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_TTL122319Walls1cmyk.jpeg.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County officials plan to issue a bid next year to clean black streaks on the River Common portal walls and perform other repairs at the county-owned complex along the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre. </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 wants to remove black stains on River Common walls