Lucerne County Considers New Approach to Funding American Rescue Plan

The Lucerne County Council is considering a new approach to raising $60 million in American Rescue Plan external federal grants that will cap appropriations by category and allow 121 external organizations to receive funding instead of 75.

The plan, previously approved by the board, fully funded projects with the highest scores that met the board’s $60 million target.

Instead of relying on advice from the board or an administrative committee, the 11 board members reviewed the applications themselves through an online portal created by a consultant so that everyone could participate.

After the final list of 75 top-rated projects was made public by both the board and the public, board members realized that there were five applications missing from the consultant’s assessment portal. Wilkes-Barre attorney Al Flora, who helped a local non-profit organization that did not make the top 75 list, said that the board’s scoring of those five points after the other scores were publicly released violated the process board set up to individually evaluate each application in a vacuum.

Board members also raised concerns about the dollar amounts of some of the awards, and said several top-scoring applicants have contacted them to say they can still complete meaningful projects — or milestones of projects — with lower awards to free up funds for more recipients.

Council member Matthew Mitchell came up with the idea of ​​introducing category restrictions, an idea to be discussed at the council’s working meeting on Tuesday.

The limits he proposed were: municipalities and municipal governments, $2 million; non-profit organizations, $500,000; and Small Business, $100,000.

The agenda of the working session includes a list of organizations that will receive awards under this plan (see below), which provides a first public look at the nominees not included in the top 75.

If the plan is approved, Mitchell said the only projects not to receive funding will be those deemed ineligible by the consultant or situations where the organization has requested more than one award. He also withheld $735,000 from the Dallas City Council due to a recent criminal lawsuit filed against the organization over allegations of dumping raw sewage into Toby Creek.

Mitchell said the plan would allow 84% of projects to be fully funded while staying within the $60 million target set by the board.

A smaller percentage of organizations that do not receive their full request will be asked to submit revised budgets and project summaries, he said.

“I was looking for the most honest way to get as much money as possible for as many projects as possible,” Mitchell said. “I think it’s a good starting point and I’m getting good feedback.”

Mitchell also emphasized that the list he released as part of his plan should not be taken “like gospel” because the council as a whole did not discuss it.

Board vice chairman John Lombardo said he sees the logic in Mitchell’s plan as it removes concerns about potential bias in the board’s review of the five missed applications and the impact those scores would have by shuffling the already published best list.

The plan also won’t discard all the work done to date, Lombardo said, because determining the eligibility of the consultant’s project will be the basis for the award.

Other board members may have other ideas on how to proceed, he said.

“This is just another potential offer. It’s still changing a lot,” he said.

Here are the organizations that will receive funding under Mitchell’s proposal, with the requested amount listed first and the recommended amount listed second:

Small business

• Joe Grotto Inc., $250,000 requested/$100,000 recommended.

• Patte Sports Bar and Restaurant, $155,000/$100,000

• Pizza Associates Inc., $350,000/$100,000

• Shawn Belle LLC, $495,037/$100,000

• Valley Crest Real Estate LP, $999,400/$100,000

• Amy Bezek Photography LLC, $300,000/$100,000

• Power and Success Inc/$100,000/$100,000

• Second Family Memory Care LLC, $203,551.62/$100,000

• Coslett Dental Solutions, $94,366/$94,366

• Pisces car sales, $80,000/$80,000

• Michael S. Baloga (Foot and Ankle Center), $63,300/$63,300

• Erwine Home Health and Hospice Inc., $50,240/$50,240

• Lang Beverage, $50,000/$50,000

• Dr. Joseph Costello, $50,000/$50,000

• The Wandering Brew, $45,000/$45,000

• Dantone Vending LLC, $38,633.33/$38,633.33

• MDHGH, $27,000/$27,000

• Staggers Southern Cuisine, $25,000/$25,000

• ValentinXStudios, $10,975/$10,975

• DMC Graphics, $8,075/$8,075.

Nonprofits (and two school districts categorized as “Other Nonprofits”)

• Hanover County School District, $19,999,789/$500,000

• Crestwood School District, $1,187,000/$500,000

• Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and Industry, $810,000/$500,000

• Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce, $15,000,000/$500,000

• Jewish Community Alliance of Northeast Pennsylvania, $15,331,739.40/$500,000.

• Along the way, $2,764,246/$500,000.

• Beech Mountain Lakes Association Inc., $500,000/$500,000

• Irem, Inc. Temple Restoration Project, US$1,000,000/500,000.

• Misericordia University, $1,000,000/$500,000

• Mountain Top Area Little League, $500,000/$500,000

• Club Westmoreland, $817,000/$500,000

• Allied Services Personal Care d/b/a/ Allied Services Center City Skilled Nursing, $1,860,856/$500,000

• General Ministries, $500,000/$500,000

• Ecumenical Enterprises Inc., $1,262,300/$500,000

• FM Kirby Performing Arts Center, $586,150/$500,000

• Fork Over Love Inc., $508,063.52/$500,000

• IBEW Local 163 JATC, $500,000/$500,000

• Keystone Mission, $750,000/$500,000

• King’s College, $1,985,750/$500,000

• Food Dignity Project, $1,234,172.16/$500,000.

• Volunteers in medicine, 1,500,000/500,000 US dollars.

• Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Americas, $578,600/$500,000.

• White Haven Fire Company #1, $850,000/$500,000

• Willow Foundation, $675,100/$500,000

• Diamond City Partnership Inc., $494,624/$494,624

• Greater Wyoming Valley YMCA, $487,353 / $487,353

• Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc. $469,141/$469,141.

• New Roots, Inc., $409,392/$409,392

• Greater Hazleton Senior Citizens Inc., $385,000/$385,000

• Northwest Area Little League Inc., $253,871/$253,871

• United Way of Wyoming Valley, $210,000/$210,000

• Lucerne County Library System, $204,505.96/$204,505.96.

• Dinners for children, $200,000/$200,000

• United Way of Greater Hazleton Inc., $200,000/$200,000

• Back Mountain Recreation Inc., $156,900/$156,900

• West Hazleton Fire Company, $155,000/$155,000

• Northeastern Pennsylvania Junior Achievement, $150,829/$150,829

• Institute, $150,191/$150,191.

• Lucerne County Success Dress, $147,150/$147,150

• Ruth Matthews Burger Women with Children Program at Misericordia University, $140,000/$140,000

• North Branch Land Fund, $122,125/$122,125

• Beaver Brook Association, $120,000/$120,000

• Conyngham Valley Community Organization, $119,507.34/$119,507.34.

• White Harbor Rescue Team, $117,000/$117,000

• Candy’s Place Cancer Health Center, $115,900/$115,900

• Geisinger Health, $100,000/$100,000

• Dallas Area Fall Fair Inc. aka Lucerne County Fair, $100,000/$100,000

• Including NEPA, $95,440/$95,440

• North Lake Improvement Association, $88,980/$88,980

• Oblates of St. Joseph, $79,868/$79,868

• Avoca Hose No. 1, $75,515/$75,515

• Wilkes Barre Metropolitan Development Corporation, $72,100/$72,100

• Whiskers World Inc., $66,250/$66,250

• Philharmonic Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, $50,535/$50,535.

• Edwardsville Hometown Committee, $50,000/$50,000

• Micalen Mission, $50,000/$50,000

• Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity, $48,615/$48,615

• Swoyersville Little League, $40,000/$40,000

• Wilkes-Barre Community Gardens, $40,000/$40,000.

• Street Art Society NEPA Inc., $33,000/$33,000

Municipalities

• Freeland District, $2,000,000/$2,000,000.

• Pittston/Greater Pittston Regional Ambulance Service $2,500,000/$2,000,000

• Town of Hazel, $2,000,000/$2,000,000

• West Pitstone $11,006,180/$2,000,000

• Ashley Boro, $6,000,000/$2,000,000

• Plymouth District, $2,508,572/$2,000,000

• Municipality of Kingston, $1,824,475/$1,824,475

• Edwardsville Fire Department, $1,475,000/$1,475,000

• Wyoming area, $1,138,700/$1,138,700.

• City of Hazleton 2 $995,357.00 $995,357.00 100%

• Harvis Lake Borough, $855,000/$855,000

• Coningham District, $785,000/$785,000.

• City of Wilkes-Barre, $771,000/$771,000

• Sugar Notch District, $650,250/$650,250

• Lower South Valley Land Bank, $600,000/$600,000

• Wright Township, $583,330/$583,330

• City of Plains Fire Department, $539,854/$539,854.

• Butler Township, $500,000/$500,000

• Lower South Valley Council of Governments, $500,000/$500,000

• Wyoming Regional Police Department, $500,000/$500,000

• Courtdale Borough, $475,410/$475,410

• Larksville area, $400,000/$400,000

• City of Newport, $395,738.50/$395,738.50

• Shikshinny District, $358,000/$358,000

• Edwardsville, $341,170/$341,170

• Svoyersville Parks and Recreation Board, $250,000/$250,000

• Yatesville area, $224,100/$224,100

• Jenkins Township, $122,000/$122,000

• DuPont Boro, $99,861/$99,861

• Laughlin area, $64,546/$64,546

• Sugar Loaf Town, $35,500/$35,500

Municipal authorities

• Freeland County Municipal, $227,400/$227,400

• Lucerne County Convention Center Authority, $5,845,843/$2 million.

• City of Wilkes-Barre Industrial Development Authority, $3 million/$2 million.

• Greater Hazleton Joint Sewer Authority, $5,093,150/$2 million.

• City of Hazel Township, $3,368,750/$2 million.

• Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority, $2 million/$2 million.

• City of Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority, $975,000/$975,000

• Harvis Lake Municipality General, $500,000/$500,000

• Berwick District Integrated Sewer Service, $408,195/$408,195.

• Sanitary and Sewerage Department of Shikshinny District, $387,000/$387,000

An initial list of the top 75 players is available in this Feb. 9 Times Leader article.

The county has not released details about the projects on the list because the applications are still only available through the consultant’s portal, although Lombardo said he insists the public has access to project descriptions.

Tuesday’s working session follows the 6:00 pm vote at the River Street County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre.

Lombardo said the board may schedule a special session at a later date to further review the American Rescue plan to vote on the awards at the March 14 board meeting.

Contact Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or tweet @TLJenLearnAndes.