Wilkes University has received a Local Share Account (LSA) from the state of Pennsylvania to improve public safety efforts on campus and in the community.

The grant was presented to the school earlier this month, and money will go to the streets closest to the campus and help both students and residents of the city. 

The LSA came from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development as a part of Act 71. Created in 2004, the act goes to serve all communities in PA by redistributing gaming funds across the state to different applicants. According to the act, “Luzerne County municipalities are eligible for funding for projects that improve the quality of life of citizens in the community.”

Within Luzerne County, more than 120 organizations applied from the program and 74 got their projects approved. A total of $10.9 million was distributed.

Wilkes will receive $155,000 dollars in order to improve security around campus. Those improvements include new speakers to the PA system in order to reach more people and additional cameras around the streets near campus in order to help the Wilkes University Police Department and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department monitor movement of vehicles and pedestrians – both on and off campus. 

Chief Mike Krzywicki has been with the school since 2020 and understands the importance of this grant.

“This grant will enable us to add cameras, upgrade cameras, upgrade our communications system throughout campus and provide a safer environment for those that visit our campus on a daily basis,” he said. “This grant is not only a benefit to our Wilkes community, but the city community as well because the cameras will monitor both vehicle traffic and pedestrian traffic as well.” 

Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown and Brian Doughton, District Director for Senator Marty Flynn, will work with Krzywicki and Wilkes President Dr. Greg Cant to ensure the grant helps the community and Wilkes as best it can.