Series II, Subseries II: Subcommittee on Transportation Records, 1972 - 1973
Sub-Series
Scope and Content
From the File:
The Flood Recovery Task Force, Inc. records, 1972-1975, contain organizational records produced by and for the Flood Recovery Task Force including, drafts, correspondence, proposals, handwritten notes, meeting minutes, reports, publications, grant applications, agreements, professional contracts, newspaper articles, and flood relief hearings. It should be noted that Wilkes University Archives does not have a complete set of meeting minutes for the many subcommittees that were formed under the Flood Recovery Task Force and the full scope of what was donated compared to what was created is difficult to determine. However, the materials represented in this collection reveal a wide range in documentation of the organization’s activities and responsibilities. The Flood Recovery Task Force joined forces with many federal and state agencies, non-profit organizations, private contractors, and individuals across various sectors to assist the region in recovering from Hurricane Agnes flood devastation. This collection covers Hurricane Agnes flood relief and redevelopment of the Wyoming Valley from July 1972 to 1975 and include topics such as government relief and funding for flood victims, urban planning and redevelopment programs, temporary and permanent housing, and transportation.
Dates
- 1972 - 1973
Access:
Open for research.
Extent
From the File: 9 boxes (9 boxes total, 5 whole document boxes, 2 half-letter boxes, 1 whole legal box, 1 half legal sized box. ) : [2.92 linear ft]
Language of Materials
English
Series II, Subseries II: Subcommittee on Transportation Records, 1972-1973
Subseries II: Subcommittee on Transportation Records, 1972-1973 is arranged chronologically and contains transit reports, meeting notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings from the subcommittee on transportation records, a committee whose purpose was to repair the transit system for the Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Hurricane Agnes flooding had disrupted the mass transit system in the Wyoming Valley due to flood related damage and destruction of highways, roads, and bridges. Wilkes-Barre transit was not operational. As a result, residents used their private cars for transportation, causing massive traffic jams that clogged the streets and interfered with cleanup and rehabilitation efforts. The Subcommittee on Transportation was formed in July of 1972 to address these issues. The subcommittee consisted of Tom Kiley, Tom Bigler, Lee Corbett, Ed Heiselberg, Cliff Bigelow, Jim Addonizio, Jack Schmidt, Jack Conyngham, Jack Holt, Max Rosenn, Ed Weideman. Within this committee, there were members working diligently on public transportation reports; that special committee included Edward Schechter as Chairman, Jack Conyngham, Ed Heiselberg, Frank Henry, Jack Holt and Julius Landau. They coordinated with the Office of Management and Budget consisting of Frank Carlucci, William H. Colberg, Bill Boleyn, Bill Morrill, and James Constantino. In the immediate months following the flood, the Office of Emergency Preparedness through the Corps of Engineers entered into contracts with the White Transit Company and the Wilkes-Barre Transit Company for “no fare” bus service to decrease car congestion, however, the OEP considered the emergency over with as soon as temporary housing was assigned, so by the end of September, the committee needed other ways to cover the transit system costs. The Flood Recovery Task Force committees applied for federal and state grants to cover these capital improvement projects and it resulted in the approval of a $1.53 million Demonstration grant. The grant’s objective was to develop a new transit system that would transport citizens across the valley. On October 19, 1972, the Luzerne County Transportation Authority (LCTA) took over the OEP’s bus service and began to phase out the White and Wilkes-Barre Transit to create its own transit system.
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu