During a Friday tour, The Rev. Paul A. McDonnell, of the Oblates of Saint Joseph in Laflin, at the front center, showed Luzerne County officials an early childhood education space that will be equipped with air quality units purchased with county American Rescue Plan funding. Also with him, from left, are: county Manager Romilda Crocamo, county Council members Matthew Mitchell, Tim McGinley, Brian Thornton and John Lombardo, and county grant writer Michele Sparich at the front right.
Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader
As part of ongoing updates on American Rescue Plan projects funded by Luzerne County, some council members and administrators toured the Oblates of Saint Joseph in Laflin Friday.
Council earmarked $79,868 to the Oblates for units to filter and purify air in sections of its Route 315 building used for early childhood programs.
The Rev. Paul A. McDonnell told council Beyond Behavior Consulting leases space for programs and plans to expand within the facility.
In addition, the Hazleton Area School District’s Early Intervention program is in the process of finalizing an agreement with the Oblates to operate programs in rooms previously occupied by the Be the Change Academy preschool program, which has closed, he said.
Thanking council for the assistance, McDonnell showed county officials the portable air quality units, which are still in boxes. They will be set up to purify the air once the rooms are cleaned and repainted for the new and expanding classrooms, he said.
Councilman Brian Thornton said the project fulfills one of the American Rescue’s coronavirus recovery missions to address pandemic learning loss.
“It’s good for the public to see where this money went,” he said.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo has been scheduling regular visits to recipient sites because the public was largely in the dark about most of the $55 million in awards to 113 outside entities. She attended Friday’s tour with county grant writer Michele Sparich, who has been assisting with American Rescue management.
Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo said he appreciated the tour because he did not realize the facility had other uses beyond religious services and basketball.
Councilman Tim McGinley said the grant will be “very beneficial to the students and other entities served at the Oblates.”
Agreeing with the others, Councilman Matthew Mitchell said the project will provide youth “with a safe environment to grow and learn,” which is a prime example of the purpose.
“The pandemic stunted the growth of so many. If we, as a local community, make the best of the resources provided — which I think we have — we can move our county forward,” Mitchell said.
McDonnell said the site is ideal for educational purposes because portions are segregated, and the building is protected with a security access system. The Oblates also works with tenants on affordable rent for programs that benefit the community, he said.
The Congregation of the Oblates of St. Joseph has been serving in the Diocese of Scranton primarily through the administration of parishes and various other ministries since 1929.
The structure county officials visited Friday was built as a seminary in 1965, with the intention of preparing high school men for religious life and possibly priesthood. That plan was soon altered “due to the post-Vatican II changes in the church and the world” and was later used as a residence for college-age men in basic religious formation, according to the Oblates.
For decades, the building has housed a mix of community organizations, businesses and educational entities, McDonnell told county officials.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
