Luzerne County Residents Refunded Registration Fees Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced today that the Pennsylvania Treasury Department has sent refunds to approximately 31,000 Luzerne County residents who were owed money after the county eliminated its $5 annual vehicle registration fee. Luzerne County residents owed the refund paid for two-year vehicle registration renewals prior to the elimination of the $5 fee. “Working with Luzerne County, we were able to make these refunds without requiring the affected residents to take any action at all,” Treasurer Garrity said. “This wasn’t a traditional form of unclaimed property, but it was the most efficient way to get this money back where it belongs.” “Luzerne County was happy to work with our State Treasurer’s office to get this refund out to citizens in the most economical way,” said John Lombardo, Luzerne County Council Chair. “Thank you very much to Stacy Garrity and her staff for assisting our administration in this effort.” Most residents received a $5 refund, although some – based on when they paid their vehicle registration – received more, up to $20. In February, Luzerne County sent $221,200 of excess registration fees to the Pennsylvania Treasury Department’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property. County officials worked quickly with Treasury to submit a claim on behalf of all 31,253 residents who were owed a refund. Any resident of Luzerne County who has questions about this process can email the Pennsylvania Treasury Department’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property at tupmail@patreasury.gov or call 800-222-2046. Treasury has more than $4.5 billion in unclaimed property owed to more than one in ten Pennsylvanians, with the average value of a claim being $1,600. Unclaimed property can include things such as dormant bank accounts, insurance policies, and old valuables like contents of safe deposit boxes. State law requires businesses to report unclaimed property to Treasury after three years of dormancy. Anyone can search for unclaimed property, and see if they are owed anything, at patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property.
PennDOT Announces Online Plans Display for Project in Luzerne County The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) invites the public to both an in-person and online plans display for the SR 1050, Section 351 Bridge Project over Toby Creek in Kingston Township, Luzerne County. This project involves the SR 1050, Section 351 Bridge over Toby Creek in Kingston Township, Luzerne County. The project is located in a rural residential setting immediately adjacent to the southbound travel lanes of SR 309 in Kingstown Township midway between Luzerne and Trucksville. There are no bicycle or pedestrian facilities within the project area. This project was originally scoped by PennDOT in 2016 as a deck replacement, but later changed to a full superstructure replacement based on the results of a 2018 bridge inspection. Currently, there are three alternatives being considered for the project. These alternatives include removal of existing bridge and providing a new access road from Hillside Rd., removing (and not replacing) the existing bridge, and rehabilitating the existing bridge by way of replacing the superstructure. These alternatives will be evaluated as part of the environmental review process and in consultation with the local property owners and other interested parties. The purpose of the plans displays is to introduce the project and receive public input regarding the alternatives being considered. It is also an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the project’s potential effect upon Cultural Resources pursuant to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s 36 CFR Part 800 regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The plans display will be held in-person and online. The in-person plans display for the SR 1050, Section 351 Bridge Project over Toby Creek will be held on April 25, 2022 at the Kingston Township Municipal Building located at 180 East Center Street, Shavertown, PA 18708. The in-person plans display will be available between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. The digital version of the plans display will be available from March 25, 2022 to May 25, 2022. Online information, including the alternatives being considered and a public comment form, can be found by visiting the following PennDOT District 4-0 website: https://www.penndot.gov/RegionalOffices/district-4/PublicMeetings/Pages/default.aspx Click on the Luzerne County box, then choose the tile marked SR 1050 Section 351 Bridge Project The purpose of the plans display is to introduce the project and receive public input regarding questions or concerns with the project. The project documents can be made available in alternative languages or formats if requested. If you need translation/interpretation services or have special needs or have special concerns that require individual attention, contact Amy Lolli, PennDOT Project Manager, at 570-614-2958 or amlolli@pa.gov. Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, PennDOT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. If you feel that you have been denied the benefits of, or participation in a PennDOT program or activity, you may contact the PennDOT, Bureau of Equal Opportunity, DBE/Title VI Division at 717-787-5891. For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those made possible by or accelerated by the state transportation funding plan (Act 89), or those on the department’s Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov. Motorists can check conditions on major roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website. Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties at www.penndot.gov/District4. Information about infrastructure in District 4, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.gov/D4Results.
Luzerne Bank Welcomes Three Experienced Bankers Sara HoganWalter SarafinkoCJ Rinaldi Luzerne Bank welcomes Sara Chisdock Hogan as a new Manager of the Branch located on South Main Street in Pittston. Hogan earned her bachelor’s degree in business from East Stroudsburg University and her MBA from Wilkes University. She began her banking career in student lending working with post-secondary schools and has come to Luzerne Bank with over 10 years of retail banking and lending experience. Luzerne Bank’s Commercial Lending Department has announced that Walter Sarafinko joined the team as Vice President of Commercial Lending and will assist the bank in expanding the commercial lending footprint into Lackawanna, Wyoming, Bradford, and Susquehanna Counties and continue the banks role as a consistent funding source for small businesses in Luzerne County. A commercial banking officer and relationship manager, Sarafinko has more that 36 years of progressive experience in the banking industry. A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Sarafinko has completed numerous banking certificates and diplomas, including Leadership Lackawanna and his diploma through the Pennsylvania Bankers Association Central Atlantic School of Commercial Lending with Honors. Luzerne Bank is excited that CJ Rinaldi has accepted his new position as Commercial Lender. As a commercial banking officer and credit professional, Rinaldi has 10 years of experience in the banking industry. He will work to expand the Luzern Bank presence in Lackawanna County and continue to serve the small businesses in Luzerne County. Outside of the office he serves on the board of Day Nursery Association, as an advisor board member of Lackawanna County CASA, Advisor for Leadership Lackawanna, and a member of the Keystone Chapter of UNICO. Rinaldi is a graduate of Marywood University and has also completed the Core Program of Leadership Lackawanna.
M.J. Spott Crane Rentals Raise Flood Gates M J Spott Crane Rentals supported the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority by raising the flood gates on the Market Street Bridge in Wilkes Barre, PA. The crane rental service had three cranes and five iron workers to assist with the job.
