HONESDALE, PA — Wayne County is looking to purchase a new piece of property just a brisk walk from the courthouse.

At their regular meeting on Thursday, June 17, the commissioners made a motion to purchase the building at 926-929 Court St. with an agreed-upon rate of $404,000. The county jumped at the opportunity due to its proximity to other county buildings.

This new price comes at a $20,000 deduction from when the group discussed the matter on May 27 at a previous meeting. An inspection of the property was cited as one of the causes for the drop in price.

The building itself has changed hands many times throughout the years and has some interesting historical significance within the town.

According to information presented by the Wayne County Historical Society, the property was built in the 1840s by Judge Charles P. Waller of the Court of Common Pleas. Today, many know it as “The Judge Waller House” for this reason. It was then bought in 1885 by Dr. Dwight Reed, who passed it to his daughter Ada as a wedding present.

From Ada, it went to her son, then to her granddaughter, whose husband ran a dental practice out of the building. Over the next century of changing from office spaces to apartments, the property was purchased by Attorney Robert Bryan and his wife, Linda. In 1994, the couple was given a “Historic Preservation Award” from the Wayne County Historical Society for their dedication to safeguarding its memory and significance.

The building currently serves as a space for the Inter-Country Abstract and the office of Jeffery S. Treat, Esq.

As of now, the county is still formulating plans on how they plan to use the property. There are plans to relocate storage and office space to the new building. There have also been talks about making it the new home for Wayne County’s Veteran’s Affairs program.

“We have an expensive rental that we may be able to move there. We also have other office needs from the standpoint of potentially moving a couple offices and utilizing that space, but veterans’ affairs is certainly on the top of the list,” said commissioner Joseph Adams.

Wayne County joins talkgroup

There was also a motion made by the commissioners to enter into an intergovernmental agreement between the Pennsylvania State Police, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Wayne County. The three would be joining what is known as a “talkgroup.” A talkgroup is an assigned group of individuals on a trunked radio system. Rather than being assigned different frequencies like conventional radio systems, it uses a number of frequencies manipulated by a control channel.

It is the first step in the county’s radio upgrades. “This connection agreement allows Wayne County access to the state police patch radio communication, as well as allowing us access to the other state agencies on that tower,” said chief clerk Andrew Seder.

It will also give Wayne County access to PA Fish and Boat Commission, the PA Game Commission, the state park rangers and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

The talkgroup will allow each of these intergovernmental agencies to collaborate with one another in the event of an emergency.

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