Several Luzerne County American Rescue project extensions granted

Luzerne County Council recently granted an extension to the nonprofit Keystone Mission for a homeless housing project covered with American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The faith-based nonprofit had obtained council approval in August to use $312,400 of its American Rescue allocation to lease and remodel space to create apartments for four homeless families.

The apartments will be in a leased building at 64 E. Union Street in the Thomas C. Thomas complex in Wilkes-Barre. Keystone Mission already leases space in an adjacent structure at the complex for its Innovation Center for Homeless and Poverty at 90 E. Union St.

With the extension, the project must be completed by March 20, 2025 instead of the end of 2024.

Danielle O. Keith-Alexandre, Keystone Mission CEO/executive director, told council more time is needed because an elevator installation is taking longer than expected. The county’s Children, Youth and Families agency will help identify four families to move into the apartments, the nonprofit’s submission said.

More extensions

Several other American Rescue project completion extensions were granted earlier this month based on justification submitted by recipients.

The recipients and their previously approved earmarks, projects and new completion deadlines include:

• Diamond City Partnership, $494,624 to expand the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Ambassador Program to promote a safer and cleaner urban environment, Sept. 30, 2025

• Harveys Lake, $855,000 for the construction of a public safety support building to house emergency response vehicles, store public safety equipment and provide employee office space, April 6, 2026

• Hazleton Land Bank, $500,000 to renovate vacant/abandoned properties, June 30, 2025

• Hazleton, $999,357 for stormwater management projects on James and Peace streets, June 30, 2025

• Laflin, $64,546 for an emergency backup generator at the borough municipal building, Sept. 30, 2025

• Larksville, $400,000 for the Marcy Street stormwater infrastructure project, Nov. 28, 2025

• Maternal and Family Health Services Inc., $469,141 to improve healthcare resources and reduce health disparities, June 30, 2025

• Michaelene’s Mission, $50,000 for outreach and harm reduction to help those with substance use disorder and the homeless, March 31, 2025

• West Pittston, $2 million toward a borough stormwater separation project to eliminate localized flooding and improve water quality, Sept. 30, 2026

Study commission

The county’s seven-citizen Government Study Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

The panel has been meeting regularly to assess potential county home rule charter changes and aims to place its proposal on the November 2025 ballot. Voters will then decide whether to switch to the new structure or keep the system in effect since January 2012.

Instructions to attend remotely are posted under council’s public online meetings section at luzernecounty.org (scroll down on the page).