Lackawanna College Receives Grant For Environmental Institute Headquarters

Lackawanna College has been awarded $40,000 by the Robert Y. Moffat Family Charitable Trust to go toward the renovation the caretaker’s house located on the Moffat Estate in Covington Township and for educational programs there.

The Estate was conveyed to the Township in 2002 to be preserved for educational, cultural and scientific uses, among others, as delineated by Robert Y. Moffat. The beautiful 42-acre property, located on Route 435, includes a 17-room gray field stone mansion, a carriage house, the caretaker’s house, a stream, ponds, open fields and wooded areas. Covington Township recently relocated its offices to the mansion.

Lackawanna College is leasing the caretaker’s house from the Township to serve as headquarters for its Environmental Institute. The Institute functions as a research and teaching resource and provides support and consulting services to businesses, government agencies, municipalities and environmental organizations.

The Institute was established last year and also utilizes 211 acres of forested land that Lackawanna College owns, near to the Moffat Estate. The college’s property encompasses fields and wetlands, and has the unique feature of containing land that drains into both the Delaware and Susquehanna River watersheds. The proximity of the two properties allows Lackawanna access to its wooded/wetlands site for research and the more accessible estate site for instructional purposes.

“This generous grant from the Moffat Family Trust, together with other funds we have raised, significantly advances the mission of our Environmental Institute,” said Joyce Hatala, Director of the Institute. “We especially wish to thank Grace Compton, a member of the family, for her support of our project.”

“The restored caretaker’s house will make the perfect historic setting for our work,” Ms. Hatala added.

The caretaker’s house, which dates to 1840, is structurally sound, but in need of internal repairs to make it available for public occupancy and educational use. It is one of the oldest buildings in the Township and in the North Pocono area. Renovations will allow handicapped accessibility, and provide wiring and other improvements to meet present code standards.

Lackawanna College intends to use the project as a model for “green building” technology, which incorporates environmentally sensitive building materials and techniques. Plans include using sustainable, harvested wood products where possible; energy efficient windows and doors; and low emission paints and varnishes. Recycled products will be used whenever possible, such as carpets made from recycled polyester yarn, carpet padding made from old tires, and floor tiles made from glass.

The renovation project is expected to start this summer and cost approximately $280,000. The college has previously received grants for the project from Lackawanna County through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and from Covington Township.

A feasibility study is currently underway to develop a master site plan for the entire Moffat Estate to aid Covington Township in determining the future utilization of the property. The study, which should be completed in April, was financed by a grant from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority.