The LuLac Edition #747, Mar. 4th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: MOHEGAN SUN LOGO AND CONGRESSMAN PAUL KANJORSKI.

A ROAD MAP

Confused about the Obama stimulus plan? Heard rumors that there might be something in it specifically for you or your family? Has a Republican approached you and screamed, "no, no, no.........there's nothing in it for you as a resident of the 11th Congressional District!" Well our local Congressman Paul Kanjorski has provided local residents with a guidebook, a road map, if you will to the stimulus plan and what it means to you and your family. The guidebook was so comprehensive and informative from Kanjorski, that the Speaker of the House distributed it to the entire Democratic Caucus as an example of a very useful tool for taxpayers on the bill. As you know, this law will create or save 3.5 million jobs, immediately cut taxes for 95 percent of workers, and begin a historic transformation of our economy, making us more globally competitive and energy independent for the 21st century. Since its enactment, Members and staff have been anxious to be able to inform their constituents about the various types of funding being provided under this legislation.
Below are links to three examples of very useful guidebooks to this legislation, one prepared by the office of Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA), one prepared by the office of Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH), and one prepared by the office of Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT). These Members have distributed these guidebooks to such entities in their districts as local elected officials, community leaders, non-profit organizations, first responders, school districts, small businesses, and so forth. The links to the three examples of useful Recovery Act guidebooks is below:
http://kanjorski.house.gov/images/stories/Documents/american%20recovery%20and%20reinvestment%20act%20guidebook.pdf.
http://sutton.house.gov/media/docs/RecoveryRoadmap.pdf.
http://ctlocalpolitics.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/sen-dodd-recovery-guide.pdf.

GAMBLING REVENUE

More than 13.5 million dollars was distributed to local entities from Mohegan Sun gambling revenue. Twenty projects were funded. Mayor Tom Leighton and the City of Wilkes Barre seem to be the big winner in all of this. The investments come from the “local share assessment account,” which was established by the Pennsylvania Horse Race and Gaming Development Act and requires DCED to distribute the money. Funds in the account are generated by the commonwealth’s three licensed gaming facilities, including Mohegan Sun Casino in Plains Township. Here's a list of the recipients:

$1 million to City of Wilkes-Barre, a contiguous municipality, for the Northampton and Main Street mixed-use facility.
$750,000 to Dallas Borough, a non-contiguous municipality, for Misericordia University’s College of Health Sciences.
$500,000 to City of Wilkes-Barre, a contiguous municipality, to assist in the expansion of the successful Innovation Center small business incubator.
$254,402 to Hazle Township, a non-contiguous municipality, for the Barletta Asphalt Plant Project.

$1 million to Jenkins Township, a contiguous municipality, for the Interstate Distribution Center.
$655,000 to Kingston Township, a non-contiguous municipality, for The Lands at Hillside Farms.
$1.4 million to Kingston Borough, a contiguous municipality, for the Third Avenue / Insignia Medical Campus.
$412,315 to Freeland Borough, a non-contiguous municipality, for streetscape improvements.
$799,195 to Wyoming Borough, a contiguous municipality, for public safety projects.
$360,292 to Swoyersville Borough, a non-contiguous municipality, for a new police station and two cruisers.
$27,500 to Forty Fort Borough, a contiguous municipality, for a police cruiser.
$185,273 to Laflin Borough, a contiguous municipality, for police department projects.
$1 million to City of Wilkes-Barre, a contiguous municipality, for a wireless surveillance camera system.
$250,000 to Edwardsville Borough, a non-contiguous municipality, for its neighborhood revitalization strategy.
$2.4 million to Jenkins Township, a contiguous municipality, for highway improvements.
$500,000 to City of Pittston, a non-contiguous municipality, for downtown revitalization.
$500,000 to Nanticoke, a non-contiguous municipality, for the Luzerne County Community College Culinary Institute project.
$1 million to Plains Township, the host municipality, for the East Side Landfill project.
$627,500 to Plymouth Borough for the downtown revitalization project.
$250,000 to Wilkes-Barre Township, a contiguous municipality, for expanding its police headquarters.

All of these are good efforts, my only two objections would be to the Hillside Farms Project where money seems to be bankrolling a very wealthy family's land and Wilkes Barre Township. The Township has long been the beneficiary of local tax revenues from all the shopping malls on their land. Seems to me they could've used their own money for expansion of a police station. It wouldn't kill them to raise some taxes for their property owners while other towns raise taxes with less resources at hand.