SCRANTON — The $17 million project to convert the former Globe Store into the future home of Lackawanna County government will bolster the city’s downtown and make county government more efficient, Governor Tom Wolf said today.
Flanked by local lawmakers and dignitaries inside the Wyoming Avenue landmark, Wolf — in town to celebrate his awarding of a $1 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant for the Globe conversion with some of the project’s chief advocates — said the grant helps make sure the Globe “is all that it can be” and “part of the great revitalization effort that is going on in the city of Scranton.”
“This administration’s investment of this $1 million will help transform this ... historic and underutilized building into a vibrant and valuable tool for the citizens of Lackawanna County,” Wolf said, noting that, for years, the Globe served as “a central pillar of life in this region and this city.”
Along with returning the building to its former glory, the governor lauded the project as a means of saving taxpayer money that would otherwise be spent on leases at various buildings currently housing county departments. Consolidating those departments at the Globe will bring more county employees and residents into Scranton’s downtown, stimulating the local economy and furthering downtown revitalization efforts, Wolf said.
Officials expect to complete the project by the end of the year for less than $17 million, a goal made more attainable by the governor’s $1 million grant.
Thanking Wolf for “helping us bring this project home,” Commissioner Patrick O’Malley said the Globe conversion won’t cost county taxpayers “one penny” given the savings officials expect to realize by no longer leasing office space elsewhere.
“All we’ve ever had in the past to show for the money that we were investing in leases ... were lease receipts,” O’Malley said. “Those lease receipt days are over. It’s time for Lackawanna County citizens to own your own county government center, and this is where it starts.”
The county estimates savings on rent and utilities at several leased buildings to total a minimum of $150,000 annually after accounting for the project’s projected $17 million cost, Chief of Staff Andy Wallace said.
While “thrilled” with the $1 million in state support, Commissioner Jerry Notarianni said Friday he’s still concerned that the project cost will exceed $17 million.
After his remarks and a performance by the Scranton High School Knight Rhythms choral group, Wolf concluded his visit to the Electric City by touring the third floor of the Globe building, where construction work has already begun.
The third floor will house the county Domestic Relations Office, currently located in Mayfield, once the consolidation is complete.
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