Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown and Brian Doughton, District Director for Senator Marty Flynn, visited Wilkes University on Friday, Aug. 2, for the presentation of a Local Share Account (LSA) award to enhance public safety efforts on campus and in the surrounding community.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) manages the grant program, funded via the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA).
The program received 127 applications from Luzerne County organizations with a total ask of $47.6 million. The CFA was able to fund 74 projects at a total cost of more than $10.9 million.
Wilkes University is thankful that Pashinski, Flynn, Mayor Brown and City Council, as well as other local and state representatives, recognize the importance of increased public safety tools that will serve campus and the surrounding city blocks.
“The increased security made possible by this grant serves as an ideal example of the positive change that can result from a public-private partnership,” says Mike Wood, special assistant to the president at Wilkes, who works with legislators on projects and funding. “The additional equipment will increase the level of safety for our students as well as our neighbors in Wilkes-Barre.”
The $155,000 LSA grant will allow the University to add speakers to the public address system to reach a broader audience in the event of an emergency. The funds also cover additional security cameras to help the Wilkes University Police Department and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department monitor pedestrian and vehicular traffic on and off campus.
The new equipment will be a welcome addition to the Wilkes University Police Department’s 24/7 security toolbox. “The Wilkes University Police Department is grateful to the legislators who have made this grant possible,” says Chief Michael Krzywicki, chief of police at Wilkes. “The funding will allow us to enhance the safety of both the campus community and the community as a whole. As WUPD and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department continue to cooperate for the benefit of downtown Wilkes-Barre, the proceeds of this grant will provide greater capability to ensure the protection of students, employees, guests and neighbors.”
