Luzerne County’s Flood Protection Authority has begun receiving payment for space it leases to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the authority headquarters in Forty Fort.
The leased space will house administrative offices and will not be outfitted with detention capabilities, according to ICE officials, who told citizens expressing opposition to the lease last year.
ICE is paying the authority approximately $30,000 annually to lease 1,700 square feet in the Wyoming Avenue building for three years, with the option for a two-year renewal, officials had said.
The authority board voted Tuesday to approve a lease amendment indicating the effective date was Sept. 1.
No schedule has been set for when the space will be occupied, authority representatives said.
The federal government is also paying for all renovations required to prepare the space for occupancy, the authority has stressed.
As a result, the federal government is reimbursing the authority $422,710 for already completed renovation work, according to another agreement approved Tuesday.
The authority board sought a tenant as a way to generate revenue on a portion of the building not needed for operations of the authority, which oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system along the Susquehanna River.
No other entities were interested in leasing the space when the opportunity was publicly advertised, and the authority board publicly voted on the lease in fall 2024.
Authority representatives have emphasized the lease is not an approval or disapproval of ICE policies and procedures. The additional revenue will help reduce the burden on Wyoming Valley Levee fee payers to maintain the flood control system along the Susquehanna River, which protects approximately 100,000 residents in 12 municipalities, they said.
In other business Tuesday, the authority board voted to declare Hazleton-based Gottstein Corp. in default of its construction contract to expand the authority’s levee maintenance garage, which is located behind the authority headquarters.
The board also voted to terminate the Gottstein Corp. contract and make a claim on the performance bond with Bondex Insurance Co., so the project can be completed.
Ken Gottstein, owner of Gottstein Corp., said Tuesday evening there is “more to the story” and “a lot more to come out of this” that will be disclosed at a later date.