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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The city Tuesday outlined its plans to use additional federal funds awarded to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
				Office of Economic and Community Development Director Joyce Morrash Zaykowski identified areas to use the extra $323,326 in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, including the five new police substations and three existing fire stations.
				&ldquo;We want to make sure that we use it where it&rsquo;s needed,&rdquo; Zaykowski said during a public meeting at the Innovation Center downtown.
				The center is serving as a temporary meeting place until the elevator is repaired at City Hall and the public can use it to get to city council chambers on the fourth-floor.
				The city previously received $915,761 in CARES Act funding and submitted a spending plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that&rsquo;s allocated the money through the Community Development Block Grant program.
				But before the city can tap into the extra CDBG funds, it must have city council&rsquo;s approval to amend the spending plan to include the grant and increase the total to $1,239,087. The first of two readings of an ordinance amending the plan is on the agenda for council&rsquo;s meeting Thursday night at the Innovation Center.
				The plan already budgeted $25,000 for community policing and the amended version would add $46,500. The money would be spent on the five police substations Mayor George Brown established in each one of the city council districts.
				&ldquo;Aside from everything else they&rsquo;re accomplishing at the five districts, they&rsquo;re also going to be incorporate education and prevention (information about COVID-19),&rdquo; Zaykowski said.
				As of Monday the officers issued a total of 125 Quality of Life violations, seven parking tickets, 18 traffic citations and made four criminal arrests, Brown said. But he was most excited about the 352 contacts with people the officers made.
				&ldquo;The thing I see that&rsquo;s big is the contacts. That means they walk the beat,&rdquo; Brown said.
				Under the amended plan $301,408 would be added to the $125,000 budgeted for building improvements. Zaykowski said it could go toward upgrading facilities at three fire stations for firefighters to clean up after wearing Personal Protective Equipment to minimize their exposure to the virus and hazardous materials.
				The third amendment would increase the line item for planning and administration to 20 % of the budget from 14.7 %. The revised total would be $247,817.

Wilkes-Barre identifies use of additonal CARES Act funds