Having completed its lease agreement for space at Hazleton Regional Airport, state police turned to the Pennsylvania Department of General Services for soliciting proposals for hangar and office space within a one-mile radius of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
The move is part of a larger plan to relocate two of five state police aviation units, spokeswoman Maria Finn said.
“I can confirm that the decision has been made to move the PSP helicopter from Hazleton to the Avoca area,” Finn said in an email to the Standard-Speaker. “These relocations are based on cost savings and operational needs to more purposefully locate the (aviation units) across the state to better serve the citizens.”
Aviation units that are currently based in Hazleton and Altoona would be impacted by an “aircraft refresh” plan, with Hazleton’s unit moving to Avoca and the Altoona helicopter moving to State College, Finn said.
State police have five aviation units that will be “strategically placed” across the commonwealth when the plan is completed, she said.
City officials said recently that losing state police as a tenant would cost Hazleton Regional Airport approximately $20,000 annually in lease revenue and fuel sales.
Finn said Friday that a projected cost savings wasn’t available — and that she couldn’t guarantee the move out of Hazleton’s airport would save money.
“The cost savings is an overall statewide savings … not just the specific move from Hazleton to Avoca,” she wrote. “Not sure if that specific move is a cost savings.”
Dominic Yannuzzi, who works for Hazleton’s contracted engineering firm, and Mayor Joseph Yannuzzi fear the move out of Hazleton could be more expensive for state police. Moving to Avoca would require construction of an estimated $3 million hangar.
The city already has a hangar large enough to house a helicopter and an airplane that the Department of General Services has requested bids for on behalf of the state police, Dominic Yannuzzi said.
Bids were due 3:01 p.m. Friday, but Carl Beardsley Jr., executive director of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, said Friday there were no details about the bids or number of proposals submitted.
Information should be available this week, Beardsley said.
Plans originally called for the international airport building a $3 million hangar to meet the needs of state police. The airport secured a $1.5 million grant and the balance would have been backed by Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.
Luzerne County Council, however, voted down a resolution that would have essentially guaranteed money borrowed by the airport.
Rick Morelli, a county councilman and member of the airport joint operating board, said Friday that the airport board intends to move forward with private investors.
Like Beardsley, Morelli said he had no information about responses to the bid solicitation. Morelli believes at least three private investors were considering the hangar project.
State police would ultimately select a partner, but the deal would likely require approval from the joint operating board since the hangar would be built on airport property, Morelli said.
Hazleton city submitted a bid to continue housing the state police helicopter as it has for the past 40 years, Dominic Yannuzzi said. The bid also accounts for space for an office and airplane.
Story and photo: http://standardspeaker.com
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