Surveillance System Change At Wilkes-Barre Garage Draws Rave From Board Member

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WILKES-BARRE — An upgrade to a fiber-optic connection improved the Hawkeye Security Solutions cameras in the Park & Lock East garage, said a member of the board of the nonprofit corporation overseeing the operation of the city’s surveillance system.

The switch from copper wire cost about $2,000 for hardware to make the connection, said Lou Lau, a Hawkeye board member and Wilkes-Barre city employee, at the board’s regular monthly meeting on Wednesday.  “The improvement there is fantastic,” Lau said.

The garage is located on the corner of North Washington and East Market streets, across from City Hall.

The Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority’s two other garages, Park & Lock Central and North, have wireless connections.  The Intermodal garage, operated by the city, should have more than 60 cameras operational in another month.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/555670/W-B-Hawkeye-upgrade-praised

Downtown Wilkes-Barre Putting On A New Face

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The loud purple facade of the former Flaming Star Tattoos shop will soon be toned down to fit in with the downtown Wilkes-Barre neighborhood’s historical character — a subtle yet significant sign of once-shuttered storefronts being renovated or reopened around the theater complex.

It wasn’t just the color that unsettled city officials who saw the potential for the shop’s row of old architecture on South Main Street. It was the way the vibrant hue stopped midway up the building in an uneven line, accentuating the unfinished progress of the paint job and much of the neighborhood.

“One of the first things the new owners will do is repaint that facade,” said attorney William Vinsko, who bought the building at a Luzerne County back-tax auction for $33,000 last week on behalf of private clients who will be identified when the deed is recorded.  The buyers plan to renovate the property at 86 S. Main St. to attract tenants, Vinsko said.

Next door, Joseph and Pamela Masi are redoing the facade and interior of their property, which previously housed Topper’s topless bar, Vinsko said.  The Masis, who purchased the property for $85,000 in 2010, have added an ice cream shop at the rear of the property.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/462842/Putting-on-a-new-face

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Announces Changes In City Hall Aimed At Doing More With Less

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Editor’s note:  A foreign concept in Pottstown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WILKES-BARRE — Mayor Tom Leighton unveiled Tuesday “several significant personnel and administrative changes” that he feels will improve government efficiency and service to city taxpayers.

Leighton said he and his administrative staff have been working on the plan since September and he mentioned the consolidation and restructuring in his budget address in October.

“Basically, we have less people and we are asking them to do more,” he said, noting there are a third fewer employees at City Hall than when he took office in 2004.  Overall, then there were 300 employees in the city and now there are 265, he said.

“We’re assigning more responsibilities to less people,” he said.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/457404/Mayor-announces-changes-in-City-Hall-aimed-at-doing-more-with-less