Year in preview: Local stories that will make headlines in 2021 – Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice

The COVID-19 pandemic will surely continue to dominate our coverage as we turn the page to 2021. It will continue to impact schools, the court system, small businesses and more. As we move forward, here are the stories well be following in 2021:

Wilkes-Barre Area School District plans to merge its three highs schools GAR, Meyers and Coughlin after opening the new consolidated high school in Plains Twp. in August or September.

The $121 million project began in April 2019 and was 71% complete in December. This years graduating classes at GAR, Meyers and Coughlin will be the last.

The district may sell the Coughlin property in downtown Wilkes-Barre and the Meyers property in South Wilkes-Barre in 2021. The district plans to use GAR as a middle school after merging the high schools.

School districts in the region will begin the year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and deciding when to resume or begin some level of in-person learning. Many districts in the area suspended in-person classes in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases that began in October.

School board seats will be also be on the ballot this year in the primary and general elections.

Michael P. Buffer

Wilkes University, Luzerne County Community College and Kings College pushed back the first day of spring semester classes one week, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Misericordia University will delay the start of the upcoming semesters classes from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25.

Penn State will start the spring semester with remote instruction Jan. 19 and continue remotely through Feb. 12 at all campus locations.

Wilkes and Misericordia students will be tested for COVID-19 prior to returning to campus. Kings is also planning a return-to-campus protocol.

The Rev. John J. Ryan is retiring June 30 as president of Kings College. Kings has launched a search for a new president, and the next president is expected to begin in July.

Kathleen Cieplak Owens has a one-year term as president of Misericordia University that expires June 30. Owens succeeded Thomas Botzman as president last July, and Misericordia began a national search for Botzmans long-term successor.

Michael P. Buffer

This year will see two vacancies on the bench of the Luzerne Court of Common Pleas, as well as six other jurists up for retention in the fall.

Luzerne County judges William H. Amesbury and Thomas F. Burke Jr. will have their seats up on the ballot during the May primary election.

Both judges won retention in the November 2019 general election but were only able to serve partial terms because the mandatory retirement age for judges is 75.

Amesbury, who earlier last month announced his plan to retire into senior judge status, is 73. Burke is 74.

On the November general election ballot, six other judges will be up for retention: President Judge Michael T. Vough and judges Lesa S. Gelb, Richard M. Hughes III, Fred A. Pierantoni III, Jennifer L. Rogers, and Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr.

Only three of the countys 11 full-time judges Joseph M. Augello, Tina Polachek Gartley and David W. Lupas will not see their seats on the ballot this year.

James Halpin

After nearly a year of shutdowns, continuances and delays, court administrators are hoping to resume normal operations at some point later this year.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit Northeast Pennsylvania last winter, the courts imposed protective measures such as extra cleaning and scheduling changes to mitigate spread of the virus.

But as the pandemic worsened, Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough was prompted in mid-March to delay all trials and limit other courthouse operations.

As the spread of the disease slowed in the summer, a few high-profile criminal trials were conducted at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza to allow for social distancing.

But when the virus experienced a resurgence in the fall, Vough was again compelled to close the courts to the public. The latest order of a judicial emergency allows the courts to remain open only for essential services criminal and civil hearings that directly impact the health, safety, security, welfare or incarceration of an individual.

Officials say they hope to reopen the courts to the general public by March 1.

James Halpin

Five seats on Luzerne County Council will be on the ballot for the 2021 municipal election. At least three new council members will likely take office in 2022. Incumbents Harry Haas and Linda McClosky Houck are term-limited and cannot seek re-election this year, while incumbent Sheila Saidman says she probably will not seek another term.

An extensive upgrade of the county 911 communication system is expected to be completed in the latter half of 2021. The $25 million project will replace the countys current analog communication system with a digital system supplied by Motorola Inc. Police communications will be encrypted in the digital system, meaning the public will not be able to listen to police calls on emergency scanner frequencies.

County Manager David Pedri plans to appoint a new director of elections in January. Incidents involving the county election bureau made national news twice in 2020.

Luzerne and Lackawanna counties will likely decide this year whether to pursue a merger of the transportation agencies of the two counties.

Eric Mark

Restaurants will reopen for indoor dining on Monday, Jan. 4 when Gov. Tom Wolf lifts temporary bans.

Gyms also will reopen but some like 10X Fitness, which has locations in Mountain Top and Taylor, and Dankos, which has locations in Plains Twp., Dallas and Wright Twp., didnt follow the states shutdown orders and already reopened.

Casinos, including Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Twp. and Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County, also will reopen Monday after being shut down for the second time on Dec. 12.

Tony Carlucci, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun Pocono, said the casino has taken a number of steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 including requiring masks for all guests and team members, taking non-invasive temperature scans, observing social distancing, following rigorous cleaning protocols and making hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes widely available for guests and team members.

Wolf implemented temporary bans on indoor dining, gyms, casinos and all in-person entertainment businesses for three weeks following a surge in COVID-19 cases after Thanksgiving.

In-person extracurricular activities and school sports also were prohibited as were indoor gatherings of more than 10 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 50 people.

The indoor dining ban included restaurants, bars, wineries, distilleries, social clubs and private events. Indoor dining can now open Monday at 50% capacity but restaurants that have not self-certified with the state are allowed to open at 25% capacity.

In-person businesses can operate at 75% capacity but casinos, theaters, museums and other entertainment venues can open at 50% occupancy. Indoor recreation and health facilities like gyms and spas also can open at 50% occupancy. Business capacity limits, mask-wearing requirements and gathering limits will continue to be enforced, Wolf said.

Denise Allabaugh

Something many people will be keeping an eye on this year in the county seat is the City of Wilkes-Barres finances and budget projections.

Mayor George Browns $53.2 million budget relied on doubling the annual recycling and sewage transmission fees to $100 each to raise about $2 million in revenue, but council members Tony Brooks, John Marconi and Beth Gilbert McBride would agree to only $25 increases to each fee.

The three voted to amend Browns budget by reducing projected overtime and workers compensation expenditures by $200,000 each, increasing projected revenue from fines by $100,000 and projected revenue from delinquent sewage and recycling fees by $600,000.

Brown has called the amendments unrealistic and said he wont be responsible for meeting those projections in what he referred to as councils budget.

In his budget, Brown projected $3.1 million in construction permit revenue, an increase of $650,000 over 2020 projections, which is based on some significant new construction projects he expects will begin downtown this year.

After H&N Investments obtained zoning approval to construct a new hotel at the site of the former Hotel Sterling at North River and East Market streets this past June, H&N representative Steve Barrouk said he expected the company would break ground for a Hyatt Place hotel at the site early in 2021.

Barrouk pegged the project at about $25 million and said the four-story building would house 3,500 square feet of retail space on the first floor, and an 107-key hotel, a 5,000-square-foot conference center and about eight apartments or condominiums on the upper floors.

Also this past June, Sphere International broke ground for a 102-room Avid Hotel at South Main and East Northampton streets, which included demolition of the former Frank Clark Jeweler building at 63 S. Main St.

Hitesh Patel, one of the Sphere principals, described the building design as a five-story boutique hotel on a 102-room property, with retail space fronting South Main Street between Dinos Pizza Express and Place 1 at the Hollywood dress shop.

The developer declined to estimate the cost of the investment, but it was pegged at $28 million when first announced in 2015. It was, at that time, to include a convention center, luxury apartments and condominiums.

Sphere attorney Jack Dean had said the project footprint had changed because of problems with land acquisition.

Local developer George Albert said this past fall that he expected rehabilitation work on the historic train station once owned by the Central Railroad of New Jersey at Market Street Square to begin last last year.

That construction hasnt started yet. But with any luck, progress should be seen there as well as with another project of Alberts.

The city council in December authorized Mayor George Browns administration to sell the former First National Bank building at 59-63 Public Square to Albert for $400,000.

The council also authorized the administration to apply for a $250,000 Keystone Communities Program state grant to fund renovations in the building.

Steve Mocarsky

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Year in preview: Local stories that will make headlines in 2021 - Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice