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Remembering ‘Pencil Pete’ and St. Ann’s Novena

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Besides rejecting the Citizen Police Review Board ordinance, city council had a full plate of resolutions to deal with Thursday night.
				By a unanimous 5-0 vote Wilkes-Barre city council approved all of the resolutions on the agenda for the combined work session and public meeting:
				&#8226; An insurance package for general liability, cyber liability, property and equipment, automobile and other coverage to Joyce Insurance Group, based in Pittston, for $ 513,228.
				&#8226; Three separate bids for demolition of blighted properties at 773 S. Franklin St., a former silk mill; 21-23 Walnut St.; and a triple-block at 209-211-213 E. Northampton St. The demolitions will come out of the city&rsquo;s Office of Economic and Community Development budget.
				&#8226; A lease-purchase agreement for a Schwarze A7 Tornado Street Sweeper, at a cost of $266,458 through NCL Government Capital of Alexandria, Minnesota. The purchase will be funded through the city&rsquo;s 2020 Liquid Fuels budget.
				&#8226; Council rescinded a resolution from March 12 of this year dealing with the purchase of a new leaf vacuum machine. The $350,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Resources for the purchase required a local match. Council approved a new resolution to clarify the funding source, noting the $135,366 match will be paid out of the 2020 Liquid Fuels budget.
				&#8226; Support of the Luzerne County Flood Authority&rsquo;s grant application for an Accelerated Levee System Evaluation Project in the amount of $340,076 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Wilkes-Barre is a co-applicant for the grant with the Flood Protection Authority, Hanover Township and Plymouth.
				&#8226; Two applications for traffic signal approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at the intersection of Courtright and North River streets and at the entrance of East End Centre on Kidder Street.
				&#8226; Application for a $300,000 Blight Remediation Program grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The city will be required to pay a 10 % local match of the total project cost.
				&#8226; Application for a $250,000 grant from the state Greenway, Trails and Recreation Program through the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The money will be used for the city&rsquo;s Public Park Improvement project. The city will be required to pay a 15 % cash match of the total project cost.
				&#8226; The purchase of 10 APX 4000PD version W/RSM radios and portable programming for each unit at a total cost of $33,798. The purchase will be made with U.S. Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture funds and paid out the of the federal grants account of the city&rsquo;s general fund budget.
				&#8226; The purchase of turnout gear and miscellaneous equipment for the Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department in the amount of $47,431 from Witmer Public Safety Group, Coatesville. The payment will come out of the Office of Economic and Community Development budget.
				&#8226; The sale of a vacant lot at 269-271 E. Northampton St. to neighboring property owners Jane Acri and state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski for $1,200. The property value was established by city Assessor John Anstett.
				&#8226; Individual agreements with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide funding for a variety of services - $113,044 for immunizations, $181,382 for public health preparedness, $556,116 for opioid and substance abuse prevention, $693,750 for nutrition, physical activity and injury prevention.
				&#8226; Notifying the local elected state government representatives, Gov. Tom Wolf and the state legislature of the city resolution calling for the repeal of Act 43 of 2017 that legalized the sale of consumer grade fireworks to the public.

Wilkes-Barre city council handles full agenda during combined session