Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Luzerne County has received an $80,000 grant to help repair and restore the historic county courthouse rotunda in Wilkes-Barre, county Manager C. David Pedri announced Thursday.
The state Historical and Museum Commission awarded the grant. The 108-year-old courthouse on River Street was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Pedri commended county grant writer Michele Sparich for her work securing the grant and also noted county Operational Services Division Head Eddie O’Neill was key in the grant application preparation.
County council members unanimously voted to request a grant in February.
“Thank you for your support of this important project as we continually seek to improve and restore our beautiful courthouse,” Pedri said in an email to council members Thursday.
Restoration of courthouse art and finishes will cost millions of dollars.
The administration is reviewing bids submitted earlier this week from two companies interested in completing the first phase of interior restoration primarily covering work inside the dome and rotunda that requires scaffolding, officials said.
The county’s capital plan earmarked $970,000 for restoration, and Pedri’s proposed new capital plan would provide another $1.1 million. Pedri has said preserving the historic gem for future generations is a priority.
County council members have until Sept. 1 to amend the plan. Some have expressed concerns about taking on additional projects because the proposed capital plan would leave only about $1.26 million from past borrowing. It’s unclear when county officials will be willing or able to borrow again because the county owes approximately $325 million through 2028.
According to a new courthouse restoration assessment by nationally renowned New York City-based EverGreene Architectural Arts, plaster damaged from past leaks must be stabilized and replaced where sections are missing.
Four canvas paintings of women inside the dome representing common law, statute law, moral law and equity are another concern because they have been “highly compromised” by biological deterioration, the EverGreene report said.
Stained glass repairs and the cleaning of marble and other finishes also are part of the project.
