2023/11/21 Final details

By Eric Mark | emark@citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice

UPDATED: November 21, 2023 at 5:00 PM EST

FORTY FORT – The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority is working out final details of a proposed lease with the Department of Homeland Security to lease space at the authority’s headquarters, authority Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi said Tuesday.

Five months ago, the lease agreement seemed all but finalized.

In June, the authority board approved in principle an agreement to rent 1,778 square feet of office space at its Forty Fort command center to Homeland Security Investigations’ suboffice in Scranton.

At the time, Yannuzzi said he hoped to be able to report by the authority’s July meeting that a final lease had been signed.

Since then, the agreement has been held up by procedural issues involving federal officials, Yannuzzi said Tuesday. He said he hopes the lease will be finalized and signed soon, as the parties continue to discuss the proposed agreement.

The agreement the authority board approved in principle included a five-year lease, at $22 per square foot or about $3,250 per month.

Plans call for 12 work station cubicles and 20 parking spaces reserved for Homeland Security employees and officials. The only shared common space in the building, off Wyoming Avenue next to Wyoming Valley Airport, would be the restrooms. The building’s back entrance would be primarily for the use of Homeland Security.

As part of its approval of the agreement in June, the authority board approved a “retrofit” of the office space to meet Homeland Security’s needs.

Once the lease is finalized, the authority will put the retrofit project out to bid. If the low bid comes in within a budgeted amount of $100,000, Executive Director Christopher Belleman will be authorized to approve the work without further board action, Yannuzzi said in June.

The authority had searched for a tenant to rent unused office space at its headquarters since it moved to the building last year.

Homeland Security officials approached the authority about leasing the space, Yannuzzi said earlier this year.

Originally Published: November 21, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST