By Robert Tomkavage
The Times-Tribune
SCRANTON, Pa. — While standing on Frink Street Monday afternoon, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti emphasized the importance of continuing stormwater management programs as part of the city’s 2027 Capital Budget with American Rescue Plan funds set to expire at the end of this year.
The capital budget — which provides a five-year outlook — includes $41 million in planned spending to support state-of-the-art equipment for the Scranton Police Department, new Scranton Fire Department engines, Department of Public Works machinery, park improvements, stormwater mitigation projects, bridge replacement plans, and more, city officials said.
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The proposed capital spending plan, separate from the operating budget, was delivered to Scranton City Council before August 15 and it’s expected to be introduced in September, officials said.
The largest project proposed is the continued design and construction of stormwater management projects in Keyser Valley, totaling $5.65 million.
“As we run out of the (American) Rescue Plan funding that’s helped us jump-start a lot of the work on stormwater and streetscapes, it shows how we propose to keep that work going with other funding,” Cognetti said of the capital budget. “All these things are always a puzzle, but I’ve been working really hard to put all these pieces together so the work doesn’t stop. We’re very proud of the work within the capital budget. When we started, it was just a wish list. Now it’s something, if you’re a taxpayer, you can look at and see how we’re trying to continue the work.
This September will mark the third anniversary of a 2023 flood that involved Lindy Creek on Frink Street and caused significant damage in both Keyser Valley and North Scranton.
“Three years ago, almost to the day, this (area) had flooded massively,” Cognetti said. “There was almost a loss of life when the floodwaters came over.”
Since August 2023, the city has advanced nearly two dozen stormwater and flood-mitigation projects throughout the city. The administration has committed nearly $23 million of the city’s $68.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to such projects, including work underway or planned in Keyser Valley, North Scranton, Tripp Park, Minooka and East Mountain.
The 2027 capital budget also includes a plan to support the operational readiness of the Scranton Fire Department and advance the City’s objective of providing a fully integrated EMS system through the purchase of three used ambulances in 2027 for $190,000, city officials said. Purchases of new frontline ambulances are tentatively planned for 2029 and 2030, with a four-year replacement cycle included for each vehicle.
“It’s very important to us that we’re on a path to a hybrid of public and private options for ambulance in the city,” Cognetti said. “You see successful stories in Wilkes-Barre and Reading. It’s time to put this in the budget and try to get this funded. It’s just like anything in the market, you want competition, you want a diversity of options.”
Scranton Fire Chief John Judge also feels adding city-funded and operated ambulances would be a valuable addition.
“It’s a service that’s going to save lives,” he said. “We’re here to make sure people can have emergency service at their doorstep very quickly.”
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