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Out on a Limb: Telling your story for genealogists of the future

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Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate at 13 percent in June

WILKES-BARRE TWP. &mdash; Planet Fitness is planning to open a new center in Wilkes-Barre Township in the same complex that houses Sam&rsquo;s Club and Kohl&rsquo;s Department Store.
				Thomas Zedolik, Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer for the township, said he has received drawings from Planet Fitness that will be reviewed and then a permit will be issued so work can begin.
				Zedolik said the space has been empty for 10 years, used annually by a Halloween costume store during October.
				Zedolik also said there has been a request filed for a liquor license transfer from the former Chili&rsquo;s restaurant outside the Wyoming Valley Mall. Zedolik said he did not have any details, but &ldquo;something is going on there.&rdquo;
				The township has seen a lot of activity in recent months, most of it positive. While the Bob Evans restaurant has closed, a few miles away, a new Burger King is being built at the intersection of Blackman Street and Route 309.
				Zedolik Friday said the site of the former Ski Shack building and four residential houses on Company Row have been demolished and construction has begun on a new Burger King restaurant.
				&ldquo;You should see the building coming out of the ground soon,&rdquo; Zedolik said.
				In June, Zedolik also said that land development for the Turkey Hill, to be built across Blackman Street from where the new Burger King is going, will begin later this summer with demolition of existing buildings on the site.
				The new Turkey Hill will include a full convenience store, a fast food restaurant with a brand partner still to be named, a car wash and fuel stations.
				&ldquo;We starting to see some of these projects moving forward,&rdquo; Zedolik said.
				Zedolik said the McDonald&rsquo;s restaurant on Route 309 will be demolished at the end of July to pave the way for construction of a new building on the site.
				He also said work on the former Wilkes-Barre Township High School project that will transform the building into apartments is also slated to begin.
				In mid-May, Zedolik announced that Sordoni Construction Co., contractor for the new Panera Bread at the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons off of Mundy Street has been delayed until the fall or possibly until spring 2021.
				&ldquo;The project is on hold,&rdquo; Zedolik said.
				Wilkes-Barre Township Commons was hit hard by the June 2018 tornado. All the buildings were condemned and demolished. The new plan to rebuild the plaza has been submitted and approved.
				Zedolik said he has not been contacted by Urban Edge Properties of New Jersey, the developer that wants to build a free-standing building to house a Panera Bread restaurant with a drive-thru, plus a new strip of retail spaces.
				&ldquo;The permits are approved,&rdquo; Zedolik said. &ldquo;But we haven&rsquo;t been told when construction will begin.&rdquo;
				Zedolik said he thinks the delay in starting the much-anticipated project is pandemic-related. He said it seems everyone wants to see when they would be allowed to open before starting construction.

Planet Fitness planned for Wilkes-Barre Township