Suprising Scranton & Wilkes-Barre PA

[bucks native]

Where's ACE reporter and all-round totally excellent commentator: Dony?

Anyone know if he's ok?

[bucks native]

Vasiliy: There's nothing to see other than grass with some stakes in it at the med school's site for its first buildings. Plus, I don't have a camera.

[bucks native]

From here with image: http://www.timesleader.com/news/Inte...1-07-2008.html



Intermodal project to accelerate
WILKES-BARRE – The city announced Friday that construction will move into high gear next week on the $25 million Intermodal Transportation Center, causing traffic delays and congestion on surrounding streets for months.

[bucks native]

Looks great! Image from Colonnade website: www.thecolonnade401.com



From here: http://www.scrantontimes.com/article...051944_fea.txt

Landmark Reborn Historic mansion latest flower of revitalization efforts

BY JOSH MCAULIFFE
STAFF WRITER
Published: Sunday, November 02, 2008

For years, the stately yet progressively deteriorating white-columned behemoth at 401 Jefferson Ave. provoked no shortage of “What’s the story with that place” comments from passersby.

Paul Blackledge and Joshua Mast certainly asked themselves that question on a number of occasions. But, unlike everyone else, they decided to investigate one of downtown Scranton’s most widely known eyesores for themselves.

And now, because of it, another downtown landmark has been restored to its original luster.

On Nov. 14 at 2 p.m., Mr. Blackledge and Mr. Mast, owners of Posh Life LLC, will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official rebirth of the 9,000-square-foot neoclassical mansion as The Colonnade, an elegant catering facility/boutique hotel.

Since purchasing the building two years ago for $225,000, the partners have invested $1.5 million in a full-scale facelift that brought it into the 21st century yet kept its historic character intact.

The first floor, which can accommodate as many as 200 people, is now complete and already booking a full schedule of private parties and wedding receptions, including one slated for New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, the six hotel suites on the second and third floors aren’t expected to be completed until Memorial Day weekend.

“It’s the 135th anniversary of the home, and now it’s coming back again,” Mr. Mast said.

Humble beginnings

The home was built in 1873 by Col. Austin Blair, son of local railroad and banking magnate James Blair. For its first 37 years, it was a relatively modest two-story. Then, in 1910, Col. Blair’s son, James Blair Jr., added the third-story ballroom and trademark columns as an ostentatious flourish.

Most recently, the home was owned and occupied by Irene Munchak, aunt of Lackawanna County Commissioner A.J. Munchak. For years, she held off on selling the building for fear that the new owners would raze it.

Enter Mr. Blackledge, a Green Ridge native and Scranton Preparatory School graduate, and Mr. Mast, who is originally from Michigan. The two longtime New York fashion industry professionals — Mr. Mast is vice president of retail development for Phat Fashions, while Mr. Blackledge formerly worked as a senior technical designer for Ralph Lauren and Rebecca Taylor — had purchased a second home at Moosic Lake a few years back, and were looking for a downtown spot to start their own party planning business, an idea that sprung from them doing the decorations for events like the Sant’ Andrea Society’s annual ball.

Back to life

The interior’s focus was on restoring much of the many remaining original touches, including the mouldings, once-gas-powered chandeliers, parquet floors, brass door knobs, pocket doors, tiled fireplaces, even the Steinway baby grand piano that was left behind. The electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling systems were all updated, while the walls were given tasteful color schemes, from adobe dust in the parlor to passion blue in the music room to a yellowish taupe in the grand ballroom.

When completed, the six spacious hotel suites will pair classic looks with ultra-modern amenities like flat-screen televisions and individual heating and cooling systems. Mr. Mast described the intended effect as the Ritz Carlton meets the W boutique hotel franchise.

“It’s classic,” Mr. Mast said, “but with a little bit of a twist.”

And, should all go to plan, it’ll serve as yet another piece in the puzzle that is downtown Scranton’s ongoing resurgence.

“The downtown is going to be a place ... it might not be what it once was, but it’s going to be a destination,” Mr. Mast said.

“I’ve seen the good and the bad of the city. I was growing up when there was nothing going on downtown,” Mr. Blackledge added. “People like us are creating a reason to be downtown.”

Contact the writer: jmcauliffe@timesshamrock.comFor more information on The Colonnade, call 342-6114 or visit www.thecolonnade401.com.

[bucks native]

If posted previously, I apologize. I was in a shop today and saw a paper with front page news on the Lackawanna Ave renovations. I don't think it was the Scranton paper. I've been searching online for a copy but all I could find is below and it's not recent. Also, recently read that Coney Island will be renovated but can't find that, either.

From here with photo: http://www.scrantontimes.com/article...75437_top2.txt


A ‘Renaissance’ revival in Scranton

BY JEREMY G. BURTON
STAFF WRITER
Published: Monday, September 29, 2008
Updated: Monday, September 29, 2008 2:11 PM EDT

Considering how long it often takes in Scranton for big-ticket projects to get going, it’s easy to forget how fast construction crews can work once they have a green light.

Years in the making, the $28 million overhaul of the 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue is sailing toward completion. The heart of the renovations will wrap up in the next eight weeks, and tenants are slated to move in before spring.

Crews today will also begin a streetscape aspect of the project, which will add a median and sidewalk aesthetics — and surely snarl traffic.

But “Renaissance at 500,” as it was dubbed, continues to advance without Tom Moran and Giovanni Piccolino, owners of two businesses that bookend the development.

Mr. Piccolino’s Buona Pizza awaits its fate in court as the city pursues seizing the property through eminent domain.

Mr. Moran’s Coney Island Texas Lunch is rebuilding after an arson in April. He said he’s negotiating for a share of the federal funding but wants to control his own development.

To Mayor Chris Doherty and developer Donald Rinaldi, who bought out some owners and entered agreements with others to stay, the pizzeria and restaurant are a pair of holdouts.

From the outside, it doesn’t look like Mr. Rinaldi has made a lot of headway. But the century-old buildings’ insides are undergoing a transformation.

When it’s done, “Renaissance at 500” will house condos, commercial space, stores and boutiques. Behind it will be a pedestrian alleyway and an acre of urban park space on an old elevated rail line.

Contractors have been busy repointing brick, installing new structural steel and prepping to rebuild storefronts dating from the 1870s.

“That in itself is a challenge, to take buildings from that era and bring them back to life,” Mr. Rinaldi said.

Mr. Rinaldi lauded Mr. Doherty’s role in landing grants for the project. It’s been a long road to get this far, but the commitment is paying off, Mr. Rinaldi said.

“That’s what makes it work,” he said.

Contact the writer: jburton@timesshamrock.com

[bucks native]

here's the website with plans: http://www.500block.com/

[Lost Island]

whatever happened to old donny-brix ??

it's almost time for the "Christmas Putz" lol

...god is this whole section dead...

[bucks native]

Here's a rendering of the first buildings that will go up. Image from the school's website. You're looking at them from Pine St. To your right, east, is Jefferson. To your left, west, is Washington. Through the center, would be Adams, but it becomes a walkway between Olive and Gibson. It will remain a walkway, through the center of campus, which will stretch from Lackawanna College (former Central High) to Tech High, which is behind the building on the left in the rendering - same block.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Lost Island

whatever happened to old donny-brix ??

it's almost time for the "Christmas Putz" lol

...god is this whole section dead...

I haven't seen him since Hillary lost the nomination... very strange

Anyways... donybrx would be happy about this:'

http://thetimes-tribune.com/articles...73197_top3.txt

Biden, Casey give Scranton nice seat at power banquet

BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK
STAFF WRITER
Published: Sunday, November 09, 2008
Updated: Sunday, November 9, 2008 4:19 AM EST

Name the American city with these characteristics:

■ It’s home to a U.S. senator who is good friends with the president-elect of the United States, who invited the senator to play basketball on Election Day and mentioned the city by name in his first speech after he was elected.

■ It’s the childhood home of the vice president-elect, who revels in his roots every chance he gets.

■ Its congressman is the second-most senior Democrat on a powerful congressional committee and is headed to a Washington fully controlled by Democrats.

■ The neighboring congressman is well known by the president-elect’s chief of staff and part of a coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats who could be key to accomplishing the new president’s economic agenda.

Yes, it’s Scranton, the Electric City, the symbol of working-class, blue-collar America in the presidential campaign and about to step into the halls of power in Washington in a way no one could have imagined a year ago.

With all its personal connections, the city could gain an edge in securing federal money for projects and will certainly have the ear of the nation’s top leaders when seeking beneficial policy changes, many observers said.

“I think it means that Northeast and Central Pennsylvania is going to be one of the political power centers of America for the next few years,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, the neighboring second-term congressman whose 2006 election was aided by Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s choice for chief of staff. “It’s a pretty good thing when you have the chief of staff’s personal cell (phone number) programmed into your Blackberry.”

And Mr. Carney, a member of the fiscally conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats, is the low rung on the local power ladder.

The U.S. senator who played basketball with President-elect Obama on Election Day in Chicago is Bob Casey of Scranton; the vice president-elect is Sen. Joe Biden, a Scranton native; the powerful congressman is Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, who represents the city and is chairman of the subcommittee that will help oversee the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street and future regulation of the banking system.

“We have a president and vice president who actually know where we’re from and know some of us,” said Lackawanna County Commissioner Mike Washo, an early backer of Mr. Obama. “At least it gives us a level of entry that we might not otherwise have.”

Mr. Kanjorski campaigned on his seniority, and said all the local ties are huge pluses.

“That doesn’t mean you are going to get everything you want. We’ll have to be measured,” he said. “But if somebody tries to cut us out, internally or in the Senate or House, we can go over their heads. We have friendships other people don’t have.”

Don’t forget New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and her Scranton ties, said Larry Ceisler, a Philadelphia public relations consultant who tracks state politics.

Mr. Ceisler said Mr. Casey’s endorsement of Mr. Obama in March proved “shrewd.”

“Bobby was being criticized for getting his sea legs a little later in the Senate,” Mr. Ceisler said. “If he was slow in the beginning, then he’s gone to super lightning speed.”

Mr. Casey, who ranked second among all freshman members of Congress last year in obtaining federal earmark money for the state, acknowledged the relationship with Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden helps, though he said there’s much more to the connection.

“They’re also people who have an appreciation for what Scranton and towns like it are struggling with,” Mr. Casey said. “I want to do everything possible in the next several years to bring as much help back to Pennsylvania (as possible), but also to work on issues that have national reach and national importance, and also would have a substantial impact on Pennsylvania.”

Mr. Casey said he would make passage of his funding bill for preschool education a priority.

Under his bill, $5 billion in federal money would be distributed to states that fund preschools the first year with $1 billion more each year through 2012. Mr. Obama spoke favorably about the idea while campaigning.

During the Pennsylvania primary campaign, Mr. Obama said he would support expanded use of passenger trains similar to one being planned between Scranton and metropolitan New York City. The federal New Starts program, which provides money for train projects, usually has applications for more money than is available.

Mr. Casey said he expects a boost in funding for such mass transit is likely to be part of Mr. Obama’s energy strategy to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty said Mr. Biden’s connection and Mr. Casey’s closeness to Mr. Obama “only helps.”

“It doesn’t give us an inside track somehow, but life is about relationships and knowing people,” Mr. Doherty said. “He (Mr. Biden) got to the point that everybody thought he was living in Scranton.”

The key will be having Democrats in charge in Washington, Mr. Doherty said.

“I really believe we as a nation have to invest back in our cities. The United States built our infrastructure with federal dollars and we need them to be rebuilt,” he said.

Mr. Obama comes from a big city, Chicago, and one of his top advisers is Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, one of the leading advocates for investing in cities, Mr. Doherty said.

“They’re Democrats,” he said.

G. Terry Madonna, Ph.D., director of the Franklin & Marshall College Center for Politics and Public Affairs, isn’t sure the ties will mean any more federal money than Mr. Casey, Mr. Kanjorski and Mr. Carney could have delivered on their own.

“That doesn’t mean there won’t be little things they can’t be helpful with at the margins,” Dr. Madonna said.

But Scranton School Director Brian Jeffers said the region will benefit because of the Scranton connections.

“You’ll get high-profile visits and maybe even bigger projects,” Mr. Jeffers said.

Local city, county and school district governments “would be stupid not to try to tap into” the connections, he said.

With a place at the center of the political universe, Scranton will perhaps also be a symbol of an Obama administration’s progress in improving the economy, Dr. Madonna and Mr. Ceisler said.

“People are going to look at Scranton to see how it does over the next four years,” Mr. Ceisler said. “I think it is in the best interests of this administration and Congress that Scranton gets what it needs to prosper and survive.”

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

[Snakeyes]

Originally Posted by bucks native

Here's a rendering of the first buildings that will go up. Image from the school's website. You're looking at them from Pine St. To your right, east, is Jefferson. To your left, west, is Washington. Through the center, would be Adams, but it becomes a walkway between Olive and Gibson. It will remain a walkway, through the center of campus, which will stretch from Lackawanna College (former Central High) to Tech High, which is behind the building on the left in the rendering - same block.

The Med school will give the city such a shot in the arm! Can't wait!

[vasiliymeshko]

Some good news from W-B. If anyone noticed, the PNC Tower is getting a new sign upgrade.










Some competition never hurts






Work continues on the other side:






Now here is the really good news. Booth sides of the sign will be lighted (the old one wasn't)

Here is the old sign for comparison:

[Ex-Ithacan]

Nice shots vasiliy. I like the comparison pic (next to last) the best. Thanks.

[vasiliymeshko]

As an added bonus here are the photos from that day's edition of Times Leader:

[vasiliymeshko]

Intermodal Center progress. (Also pictures from last week)


An interesting view of downtown. Time will tell if it will be totally blocked out, or made even better from the parking deck:


Heck of a huge crawlers:

[bucks native]

from here: http://www.scrantontimes.com/article...128252_loc.txt


New life breathed into downtown Wilkes-Barre


BY BOB KALINOWSKI AND HEIDI RUCKNO
STAFF WRITERS

Updated: Sunday, November 30, 2008 4:17 AM EST

WILKES-BARRE — It’s Friday evening, and nearly every table is full at Cafe Toscana and Thai Thai.

Happy hour is in full swing, as college students and the after-work crowd pour into Rodano’s pizza shop on Public Square and Bart & Urby’s on South Main Street. Hundreds line up for tickets at Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, many waiting for the new James Bond movie.

Scantily-clad servers dance on the bartop of the overflowing Hardware Bar, while across South Main Street, a Christian rock band entertains a crowd at the Barnes & Noble bookstore and cafe.

The downtown’s revival is taking shape with restaurants and entertainment venues leading the charge.

Just two years ago, none of this was here.

When downtown’s 14,000 workers left for the day, the area was deserted and dark, except for events at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts.

Now, crowds are coming back. On many weekend nights, city officials estimate up to 7,500 people visit downtown.

One of the people enjoying the downtown on this night is Steve Barrouk, who was chief executive of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry for 18 years before retiring in July 2006.

The bar, restaurant and entertainment scene has long been the vision for kick-starting downtown rebirth, according to Mr. Barrouk.

“I’m a cheerleader and a participant now,” he says.

Mr. Barrouk remembers how bleak it was not long ago. Businesses left. Storefronts sat vacant. Aging street lights toppled during wind gusts. The downtown was left dark.

“My office window was right on Public Square. I would just watch the dirt and litter blow across the sidewalks. The lights were collapsing and not being replaced. You had all these problems,” Mr. Barrouk said.

A $31 million movie theater complex and a $7.3 million street lighting project later, and a dream began to materialize.

When Bart & Urby’s owner Brian Urbanas, 29, bought his South Main Street building in 2002, many friends and family members told him he was crazy. He sat on the building and opened the bar and bistro soon after the theater launched in 2006. Now, his business has gained a loyal following and is thriving.

“I was here six years ago and the difference between now and then was like night and day. I would sit on top of the roof and there was nothing. Now you look out and it’s packed,” Mr. Urbanas said.

Downtown development has had its growing pains, though. At least four highly touted businesses that offered late-night entertainment opportunities have folded: Nono’s Restaurant and Bar on North Main Street, Campus Square Billiards on Public Square, Fuse Martini Bar in Midtown Village and Club Mardi Gras on South Main Street. But city officials and current business owners say the momentum has swung and downtown is coming alive for good. Three of the four places that closed didn’t remain empty for long. Rodano’s replaced the pool hall, the Hardware Bar opened where Mardi Gras closed and there’s another lounge, Luna, readying its launch in Fuse’s place.

Todd Vonderheid, former Luzerne County commissioner and current president of the chamber, pictures an eclectic mix of unique, local retailers filling in the gaps between the bars, clubs and restaurants to create a district that appeals to a range of visitors for up to 18 hours a day.

Retailers, however, are wary of expanding in the weak economic climate, and some are in danger of closing.

The economic turmoil placed Boscov’s, the downtown’s retail anchor since 1981, in jeopardy of closing. The department store chain with 39 locations filed for bankruptcy in August and came close to being sold off piece by piece.

But then retired CEO Al Boscov amassed more than $300 million in personal, private and public funding to reclaim the family business. The state pitched in $35 million, Luzerne County and the city gave $3 million each in loans.

The preservation of Boscov’s means the downtown remains a player in the retail market and maintains Wilkes-Barre’s unique status as one of the few downtowns in Pennsylvania with a free-standing department store, Mayor Tom Leighton said.

On a recent walk around Public Square, Mr. Leighton pointed out a large crane rising above the construction site of a multimillion-dollar transportation center, which will add hundreds of needed parking spots downtown. A city growing in a tough economic climate is one with a positive future, the mayor said.

“Wilkes-Barre’s one of those towns. For the first few years, people didn’t think Wilkes-Barre would rebuild itself,” Mr. Leighton said. “Now, we’re on that rebuilding process. The foundation has been built. Things are going up.”

NICK SOHR, staff writer, contributed to this report.

Contact the writers: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, hruckno@citizensvoice.com

[bucks native]

And look who's on board, with Scranton roots:
Senator Hillary Clinton
Senator Bob Casey
Vice President Joe Biden

and by proxy:
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Arlen Spector

And for its economic benefits - and because the money to be alloted to ease the economic crisis is especially intended for infrastructure and will have a "green" component - not to mention the fact that he plays basketball with Casey: President Obama.

Go to Wikipedia and find "Lackawanna Cut Off," some good readin' there.

Here's more:

Schumer presses for rail link to NYC
December 5, 2008

from here: http://www.pressconnects.com/article...EWS01/81205002

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer Thursday urged Amtrak President Joseph Boardman, a former Broome County official, to study expanding rail service from Scranton, Pa., to Binghamton.

The extension would provide a link between Binghamton and New York City and aid economic development across the region, Schumer said in a letter to Boardman.

Earlier this year, Schumer announced that the state Department of Transportation and Amtrak had agreed to conduct a feasibility study for rail service along the I-81 rail corridor.

Boardman formerly served as Broome County’s transit commissioner. He received a master’s degree in management science from Binghamton University.

— Vanessa Ebbeling


I think that 2012 is a conservative estimate, after all, it's only 28 mile of track that's missing. What's between the existing line and Wilkes-Barre? Is there track or right-of-way there? This project MUST include Wilkes-Barre.

from here: http://www.scrantontimes.com/article...33390_top4.txt

Passenger rail plans on track

BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK
STAFF WRITER
Published: Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 4:19 AM EST

The proposed passenger train line between here and metropolitan New York City could be running on part of the proposed route by 2012, but only in New Jersey, a project official said.

When the train will run all the way to Scranton remains unclear, but New Jersey Transit officials are actively working toward the first restoration of tracks on about a quarter of the Lackawanna Cutoff, a critical piece of the entire project.

The 28-mile cutoff is a massive, relatively straight section of former railroad right-of-way in New Jersey whose tracks were uprooted before it was sold off when service to New York ended more than three decades ago. New Jersey Transit bought it back from a developer in 2001 for $21 million.

New Jersey Transit officials are engineering and designing plans for the construction of a 7.3-mile stretch of the cutoff, which is part of the long-planned, $550 million revival of passenger rail service to Scranton.

“It’s the start of the project. It definitely is,” said attorney Larry Malski, chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority. “You can forget about Scranton or Pennsylvania without the 28 miles all back. We’ve got to get the 28 miles back.”

Except for the cutoff, the rest of the 88-mile route between Scranton and Port Morris has track, although much will need upgrading so passenger trains can run at speeds fast enough to ensure the service’s viability.

The engineering work on the 7.3 miles cleared a significant hurdle in September when the Federal Transit Administration issued a finding of no significant environmental impact for the section, planned for between Port Morris and Andover, N.J., New Jersey Transit spokesman Joe Dee said Tuesday.

New Jersey Transit’s existing tracks end in Port Morris.

Mr. Dee said engineering and construction on the estimated $36.6 million project could take several years, but the train could be operational by 2012. The project includes the construction of a new station and related parking in Andover, he said. The FTA is paying about $18 million, he said.

The development might seem minor to local residents, but getting rails on the cutoff is significant, Mr. Malski said.

“Getting that 28 miles back has been the target from day one,” he said. “The battle’s been the cutoff.”

Planning for the service began two decades ago with Lackawanna County providing a lot of the early impetus with a study of what it would take to happen. Since then, Mr. Malski and other project officials have set numerous dates for the complete restoration only to be disappointed.

They no longer estimate its completion, though U.S. Sen. Bob Casey has said the train could be operating in six to eight years.

“We just need to persevere with it,” Mr. Malski said. “If I give you a date, it would be such conjecture.”

By any measure, a passenger train from Scranton to Hoboken, N.J., which is across the Hudson River from Manhattan, is years away.

Two months ago, New Jersey Transit officials submitted additional information supplementing a consultant’s findings on the entire project’s environmental impact. The consultant found no significant impact, and FTA officials are reviewing the new information.

Mr. Malski said project officials are hoping FTA agrees early next year so New Jersey and Pennsylania can begin to seriously discuss how they’ll split the construction and operating costs.

He credited a June meeting between FTA, New Jersey Transit, Mr. Casey and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter with producing the progress.

Mr. Malski said he’s hoping President-elect Barack Obama’s plans to boost the economy through increased federal spending on infrastructure projects such as highways, bridges and railroads produces additional funding for the proposed passenger railroad.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

[bucks native]

The rendering for Wilkes Barre's Intermodal Transportation Center looks kinda' cool.

I've been searching for a rendering of Scranton's proposed center but haven't been able to find one. Anyone have a rendering to share with us?

[Snakeyes]

Is Scranton a go for the train? I thought they only confirmed through Jersey...

[Snakeyes]

Intermodal center hits new snag


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BY GRETCHEN M. WINTERMANTEL
STAFF WRITER
Published: Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Updated: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 4:13 AM EST
The latest delay facing the downtown Intermodal Center — a transportation project in the works for 11 years — is a dispute between the county’s transit authority and the architectural firm that designed the building.

The transit authority has copies of plans designed by Highland Associates but cannot move forward with the project without permission from the firm, according to executive director Bob Fiume and authority chairman Tom Moran.

“We need permission to use the documents we hired them to do,” Mr. Moran said.

The County of Lackawanna Transit System authority is finalizing a request for proposals for a construction manager for the project. The RFP allows the construction manager to bring in its own architect, which may not be Highland.

Highland was the architect on the preliminary design phase of the Intermodal Center in 2001. COLTS kept Highland on as the architect for the final design phase in 2005 without bidding the project — violating federal law in doing so. As a result, COLTS owed the federal government nearly $907,645 to reimburse grant funding. So far, the authority has paid $250,000 of that.

COLTS is now seeking permission from Highland Associates to use the prints and specifications. The authority’s 2005 contract with Highland says the architect retains ownership of the plans — a common arrangement in the industry, according to an official with the American Institute of Architects.

COLTS needs a license “to use the documents to construct, use, maintain, alter or add to the specific projects,” said Ken Cobleigh, interim managing director of AIA contract documents.

Mr. Fiume said Monday he expects “something to be worked out in the next few days.”

Asked if Highland is cooperating with COLTS, Mr. Fiume said the authority’s attorneys are negotiating with the firm.

It is unclear whether Highland is seeking additional compensation. Highland already has been paid $1.2 million for the preliminary and final design phases of the project.

Based in Clarks Summit, Highland Associates is one of the area’s largest architectural and engineering firms. The company has worked on projects for the county, school district and city, including the county courthouse renovation project, the new 911 Center and the party deck and clubhouse at PNC Field.

The firm also is the lead designer of the $60 million Scranton School District construction project encompassing three elementary schools.

Multiple attempts to reach representatives of Highland Associates were unsuccessful.

The Intermodal Center, which will provide access to bus, taxicab and eventually train transportation, will be located in the 100 block of Lackawanna Avenue next to the General Services Administration building where GSA employees currently park.

Mr. Fiume said Monday he expects the land transfer between Martz Trailways and GSA, which also has held up the project, to be completed soon.

Contact the writer: gwintermantel@timesshamrock.com

[vasiliymeshko]

W-B's Intermodal Center is, meanwhile, slowly taking more and more shape. I ought to do another photo update soon.