Pennsylvania Council Asks for Additional Elevator Funds

The Luzerne, Pennsylvania, County Council has asked for an additional US$235,000 of the county’s share of US$112.9 million American Rescue Plan Act funding to replace two elevators at the county correctional facility, the Standard-Speaker reports. In January, a request from Director of Corrections Mark Rockovich to earmark US$300,000 in Rescue Plan funding for the replacement of the outdated elevators was approved. The county also planned to use US$350,000 from its capital fund for the project. The only response to the county’s request for proposals (RFPs) came from Otis Elevator Co., Rockovich said at a council work session in June. The bid came in higher than expected, which forced him to request the additional Rescue Plan funding. The elevator repairs are important for the safety of jail staff and inmates, as two people died in an incident in 2016. The Council could choose to reject the request for additional funding, in which case the county would reissue the RFPs. The American Rescue Plan Act is an economic stimulus package approved by federal lawmakers last year.