2009 Mohegan Sun Casino Funding Distributions (Wilkes-Barre, Hanover: neighborhood, university, tax)

[SteelCityRising]

Details of the second annual multi-million-dollar installment of gaming tax revenues and how they will be distributed to Luzerne County communities are as follows:

(Source: Citizens' Voice Newspaper)

Wilkes-Barre -- $1,000,000 -- Northampton and Main Project

Dallas -- $750,000 -- Misericordia University's College of Health Services

Wilkes-Barre -- $500,000 -- Innovation Center

Hazle Township -- $254,402 -- Barletta Asphalt Plant Project

Jenkins Township -- $1,000,000 -- Interstate Distribution Center

Kingston Township -- $655,000 -- Lands at Hillside Farms

Kingston -- $1,400,000 -- Third Avenue/Insignia Medical Campus

Freeland -- $412,315 -- Streetscape improvements

Wyoming -- $799,195 -- Public safety projects

Swoyersville -- $360,292 -- New police station, two police cruisers

Forty Fort -- $27,500 -- Police cruiser

Laflin -- $185,273 -- Police department projects

Wilkes-Barre -- $1,000,000 -- Wireless surveillance camera system

Edwardsville -- $250,000 -- Neighborhood revitalization strategy

Jenkins Township -- $2,400,000 -- Highway improvements

Pittston -- $500,000 -- Downtown revitalization

Nanticoke -- $500,000 -- LCCC Culinary Institute

Plains Township -- $1,000,000 -- East Side Landfill

Plymouth -- $627,500 -- Downtown revitalization

Wilkes-Barre Township -- $250,000 -- Police headquarters expansion

[EnyaGirl]

I'm really happy to see Hillside Farms is getting something

[W-B proud]

This is awesome, and I think this pays out every year. Whether or not you are in favor of gambling, you have to admit that this money is a huge bonus to having the casino here.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm most looking forward to the $2,400,000 going to Jenkins Township. This will be used to reconstruct the very dangerous Exit 175 interchange off of I-81 in the Dupont/Pittston area. I was rear-ended here in mid-2006 at the blinking red light at the end of the offramp, and several others I know have been in accidents on the 1/4-mile or so stretch between the offramp and around Arby's.
These improvements are LONG overdue for our growing area!

[W-B proud]

Although this money is a god-sent for our cash strapped region. I think the money would be put to much better use if all the little patch towns that are recieving it sat down and decided how they can put the funding together to do something impressive. Instead of each little town getting a small slice of the money, why not have all the money go towards a large common goal. Wouldn't it be great if all these towns decided to use the money to lure high paying bio-tech, nano-tech, areospace or pharmaceudical companies to our area? Or start a new local college, like MIT that would greatly advance the knowledge of our region? Instead of each town spending it on patching potholes ect. Have all the towns put it into one bank account, and after five years or so, use the money to build a high tech buisness park, and use some of the money as incentives to relocate, or open thier new facilities here... maybe in Plains Twp, Pittston, Hanover ect. This will never happen, because each tiny fiefdom wants thier tiny slice of the pie to do whatever they want to do with it, but wouldn't it be nice.