Suprising Scranton & Wilkes-Barre PA

[donybrx]

NYC to Scranton (connecting to W-B) train service restoration? Not So Fast!

01/09/2005
Train on Slow Track


The original date was 2005. For most of the last few years, it was 2006. More recently, it was 2007 or 2008, depending on who was estimating.
"I can remember back in 1991, when I came back to the area ... we were talking about it being up and running in two or three years," said James Finan, Lackawanna County's director of transportation, who left a federal job in Chicago to run the county's bus line.

Indeed, efforts to restore passenger railroad service inched along again in 2004, and the year ended with doubts about how much progress to expect this year or ever. The best guess during the year for the startup of service was 2010.

"For a lot of people, it's turned into an urban legend," said Wayne Meyers, the editor of the poconocommuter.com, a Web site partly for people interested in the train.

Planning blew past what some thought was a year-end milepost for submitting an application for money from the federal government, dollars needed if the project is to happen.

By the end of this year, according to two Lackawanna County officials on a bi-state planning committee, New Jersey Transit was supposed to submit an application that, if rated favorably by federal officials, would move the project into its preliminary engineering phase. Officials with the transit agency, which is overseeing development and would operate the train, said only an environmental assessment, a precursor to the full application, was to be completed by year end.

Neither is ready.

Still, despite years of slow progress, the push for the train is hardly off the rails:

Last year, New Jersey Transit nailed down a better construction estimate, $350 million.

By May, planners expect a completed environmental assessment. Sometime after that -- New Jersey Transit isn't saying when -- the agency will apply for permission to begin preliminary engineering, which is when project details are firmed up.

In a couple of years, most projects under construction across the nation will be completed, freeing up federal money for new ones, according to a lobbyist for new train projects.

And the local project continues to have a key advantage -- New Jersey or Northeastern Pennsylvania railroad authorities already control the 88 miles of necessary railroad right-of-way between Scranton and Port Morris, N.J. where the new train would meet existing tracks. Normally, land is acquired right before construction.

New Jersey alone spent $21 million to buy the Lackawanna Cutoff, a mostly straight 28-mile slab of right-of-way east of the Delaware Water Gap where trains will run the fastest.

With that kind of money spent, many find it hard to believe the project won't happen eventually.

Mr. Meyers said he thinks growing traffic congestion on Interstate 80 will force New Jersey Transit officials to get more serious than he thinks they are now.

"Frankly, I'm surprised they haven't made it a higher priority," he said.

Ken Hitchner, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit, said the agency is interested in seeing the planning process move forward.

"We're very serious about moving the process along and advancing this," Mr. Hitchner said. Beyond planning, he declined to rank the project's importance among the agency's other proposed railroad projects, except to say they're all behind a $16 billion project to build new train tunnels into Manhattan.

Supporters say a Scranton-to-Hoboken, N.J., railroad will ease I-80 traffic congestion in northern New Jersey as drivers from the Poconos switch to commuting by train. Supporters also say it will spur development and tourism along its path.

How much and how far west, though, is unclear. A ridership study completed last year estimated ridership of 2,800 per day by 2025, mostly from the Poconos. The initial estimates said only 45 a day would come from Scranton, something officials promised to review. Last August, the bi-state committee briefly talked about -- and then scrapped -- the idea of lopping Scranton off the trip because of low ridership.

Lackawanna County supporters excuse the low Scranton ridership estimate by saying it excludes leisure and weekend travelers. The county's ridership might also be depressed because some residents trying to save time would likely travel east to the first Monroe County train stop rather than back toward Scranton.

THIS YEAR'S PROSPECTS

Currently, there's only the May target for the environmental assessment. There's no schedule for submitting the application for approval of preliminary engineering or, more importantly, no certain date for the first train's departure.

Even when the environmental assessment is done, it is unclear how much closer to reality the project gets this year. Once the assessment is done, Mr. Hitchner said officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania will have to talk about committing dollars. Each state's share might be up to $87.5 million for construction plus operating subsidies because fares aren't expected to be enough.

A full-blown financial commitment isn't required before preliminary engineering, but the more committed the better, according to a federal government Web site. Mr. Hitchner said New Jersey Transit will want a firm financial plan before seeking approval for preliminary engineering.

Gov. Ed Rendell has publicly said he supports the project, but his spokesman said he is awaiting more definitive cost estimates before committing money.

At least Pennsylvania has a potential source -- roughly $2 billion approved last year for statewide economic development -- to help build the railroad.

By July 1, 2006, New Jersey will be out of money for new transportation projects, Jack Kanarek, director of project development and planning for New Jersey Transit, said in a recent interview. And raising new money will be tough in a state struggling with multi-billion-dollar budget deficits.

FINISHING THE JOB

The key to making the project happen is convincing the Federal Transit Administration of its worthiness. The agency must rate a project "recommended" or "highly recommended" to move it into preliminary engineering and keep progressing.

The rating depends on how much a project improves a passenger's ability to reach a destination, how much it benefits the environment, how efficiently it operates, whether the cost is worth the benefits, and how well a project supports existing development, according to the agency's Web site.

Once the project application is submitted, its future is hardly assured.

The good news is that by Oct. 1, 2006, all but four or five of the railroad projects funded for construction will be completed, said Jeff Boothe, a lobbyist for the New Starts Coalition, a group that aids new railroad projects. So money for building new projects is more likely to be available, he said.

The bad news is between 150 and 200 projects are in some phase of study or development and, he said, only 20 to 25 percent will "actually make it to construction."

Faced with stiff congressional scrutiny of its spending, the federal agency has worked hard to weed out projects it deems unworthy, Mr. Boothe said.

"I think FTA has, frankly, been too harsh for who gets in," he said.

Mr. Finan and Steve Pitoniak, two Lackawanna County members on the bi-state advisory committee planning the project, said they had expected an application for preliminary engineering by the end of 2004.

But, Mr. Pitoniak said, New Jersey Transit officials delayed in asking their board to allocate existing federal funding to pay the consultant developing the application.

"The money was not sent to the consultants for a couple of months, July and August. They didn't do the paperwork," he said.

Minutes of the committee's Aug. 12 meeting obtained by The Sunday Times confirm his statement, but don't specify its duration. At the meeting, a New Jersey Transit official pledged to speed up the process.

Mr. Hitchner denied the delay had to do with allocating money. He blamed it on a switch in the location of one of the proposed Poconos stations, which required a redesign.

He said only the environmental assessment was supposed to be done by the end of the year. Mr. Pitoniak disputed that, saying the assessment was due by the fall.

Mr. Kanarek blamed the confusion on a failure to properly communicate a timetable.

"I don't think we were specific enough on the schedule," he said.

But Jeffrey Stiles, a staff member with the project's consultant, Edwards & Kelcey, spoke optimistically about the project's progress at a Dec. 16 committee meeting. The assessment will likely find no significant impact on the environment. A finding otherwise could have delayed the project further.

"We've been a long time getting to this point," Mr. Stiles said. "It's ... finally moving forward.

[donybrx]

News of progress re: the new airport terminal :

01/10/2005
Airport committee to evaluate art proposals
By Denise Allabaugh , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer

Twelve people submitted art proposals to enhance the new $35.7 million Joseph M. McDade Terminal Building being constructed at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

The airport Public Arts Committee, consisting of eight members, will choose the best work.

"We're looking for something which represents the history and heritage of the region," said Chris Ries, an artist and a committee member.

The art budget for the new building is $120,000, said David Gilmore, associate principal director of design for Highland Associates, Clarks Summit, which handled the engineering of the project and led the call for artists.

"Right now, we are in the selection process," Gilmore said. "We had a call for artists, asking for submissions. We are reviewing the art and there will be seven finalists."

Those who submitted art proposals include Herbert B. Simon, Shavertown, sculptor; Charles Wells, sculptor; Hank Fells, Dalton, sculptor/painter; Claire Marcus, Bethlehem, textile fabrics; George Strasburger, Scranton, painter; William Chickillo, Dalton, pastels and charcoal; Jay and Mary Ann Paulukonis, Dalton, stained glass; Margie Cohen, Stroudsburg, stained glass; James Gloria, Bangor, acrylic on canvass painter; Steven M. Linden, Stroudsburg, and William Persteeg, Dalton, a ceramic artist.

Voting committee members, in addition to Ries, are Barry Centini, airport director; Al Brocavich, airport director of engineering; Dr. Catherine Richmond-Cullen, Sally Bohlin, Bob Curry, Shelley Pearce and Allison Maslow.

Ries said artists presented slides of their work, and the committee is looking for "something that may have multiple layers of interest."

Art will be displayed in several areas of the new terminal building, including the entrance plaza, the tunnel entrance, on top of the escalators, and in the main lobby, which will be located between ticketing and baggage claim areas.

"We're looking for a sculpture for the plaza and we are looking for mural art for the tunnel entrance," Ries said. "We're looking at the possibility of some stained glass windows and perhaps some sort of textiles or art work hung from the ceilings."

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport officials broke ground for the 127,000-square-foot new terminal building in October and it is 35 percent complete, Brocavich said. It is scheduled to open in the fall, he said.

HNTB Architecture of Washington, D.C., is the designer and Sordoni Construction is the prime contractor of the building, which will include a concourse with eight boarding gates. Six boarding gates will include passenger-boarding bridges.

The new building was named after Joseph M. McDade, Northeastern Pennsylvania's former long-time 10th District congressman.

It will replace the existing terminal, which was built in 1954 and renovated in 1980 and 1990. Yet, the Federal Aviation Administration did not approve the demolition of the existing terminal, which has a control tower on top, said airport director Centini. Airport officials are considering selective demolition, he said.

The main level of the terminal will include airline ticketing, ticket queuing and baggage claim and rental car counter areas. On the upper level, people can greet passengers arriving at the airport, eat dinner or a snack, or visit the newsstand, gift shop and business center.

The center of the terminal building, which will be the primary location for the art, terminates at the top of escalators, where there is a panoramic view of the mountains.

Ries said art and architecture would be integrated in the new "stunningly beautiful building" which has a "gorgeous interior."

"The airport will be an asset and a source of pride for the community," Ries said.

Planning for the airport expansion dates back to 1993 and construction began in 2001. A new 246,800-square-foot, four-level parking garage and new parking lots were completed. A pedestrian tunnel will connect the parking garage and lots with the new terminal.

[donybrx]

If I were to say that Wilkes-Barre/Wyoming Valley pre-dated Hollywood in the movie making industry would you believe me????
More shortly.......

[donybrx]

Oay, here's a look at the Valley's (Wyoming Valley) date with film destiny in the borough of Forty Fort which is next to Kingston, across the Susquehanna from downtown Wilkes-Barre; (BTW they've been trying to get these and other surrounding boroughs to merge with Wilkes-Barre for some time, creating a larger city of maybe 150,000 or more, as the Valley has lots of peeps in contiguous developed communities. But, back to the film industry
Welcome to CinemaTour!

Forty Fort and It's Movie Family

Contributed by Thomas Alexander
Published on July 31, 2003

FORTY FORT: A BRIEF LOOK AT THE TOWN

Forty Fort, Pennsylvania. This odd-sounding little borough at the foot of the Pocono Mountains in the northeastern portion of the state actually got its name from the first forty settlers who built a fort there during America's revolutionary days. It became a borough in 1887. During the end of the 19th century and through the first half of the 20th century, Forty Fort was at the center of the coal mining industry. But, by the early 1960's, coal mining's heyday was over.

The Susquehanna River, which had flooded many sections of the Wyoming Valley on several occasions over the years, always seemed to spare Forty Fort. But that changed in 1972, when Hurricane Agnes turned its furious wrath on the unsuspecting citizens. However, the people of the community united, and today the borough remains as the crown jewel of the west side of the Wyoming Valley.

A SECRET MOST RESIDENTS DON'T KNOW

One very little known fact about Forty Fort is its place in motion picture history. In the earliest days of silent cinema, the emerging movie moguls had their offices in Manhattan, but did most of their filming across the Hudson River in New Jersey. Studios were built there and many "westerns" were actually shot in Secaucus. But as filming became more expensive and logistics more unmanageable, the studio heads were looking for a place within a morning’s drive from their swanky New York offices, that offered more scenic possibilities. Enter the Wyoming Valley and Forty Fort. Here was a region just a couple of hours from the big city, which had beautiful mountains with lush forests, a wide and winding river and an expansive, flat valley perfect for filming.

The Black Diamond Studio was among the first to set up shop in Forty Fort around 1910 or 1911. Silent one reel comedies were shot there. (It is very doubtful any of these epics have been saved.) The filmmakers were thrilled with the area's natural beauty and resources, plus their ability to keep budgets low. The Black Diamond Studio was built on Dilley Street, and some of the buildings still exist today as warehouses. Other smaller studios followed, and Forty Fort seemed to be at the center of a growing, albeit short-lived, movie industry. The long and harsh winters of 1912 and 1913 made production virtually impossible and the studio heads had no choice but to move to a location where the climate was more favorable. Of course that location was Southern California, and Hollywood was born. But it's interesting to consider that for a brief instant, the Wyoming Valley, and more specifically Forty Fort, was an epicenter of major movie production.

**** For more of the article******
http://www.cinematour.com/article.php?id=2

[donybrx]

Hotel Sterling renovation: 2 prominent Philly architects, 3 Wilkes-Barre architects compete and are psyched about this historic building! Hopeful signs, happily.......keeping my fingers crossed that they will redeem and save the 14 story towers section.

01/13/2005
Architects competiting for right to perform renovations to Hotel Sterling
By Tim Gulla , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer

Carefully walking over the shattered glass and refuse that covered the floor of the Hotel Sterling's entranceway on Wednesday, architects and engineers began surveying the daunting task lying ahead of them.
Three firms - two from Philadelphia and one from Wilkes-Barre - have been given 12 weeks to put their creative juices to work in coming up with ideas for the rebirth of the historic building.

The winner, chosen after all of their ideas are put before the public eye, will be put to work as the full-time guide for the building's hopeful return to landmark status.

Though the hotel has seen better days, all of the firms' representatives said they were enthused about working on the project. "It's a phenomenal opportunity," said Steven Henkelman, a partner in Cope Linder Architects of Philadelphia.

From the first moment he saw the view of the Susquehanna River from the upper floors of the Hotel Sterling, Henkelman said, "You could see the marketability of that view." Moreover, Henkelman said he was fully aware the Hotel Sterling holds a unique status among local economic development officials, since its re-birth is being looked upon as a catalyst for more growth.

Alex Rogers, executive director of CityVest, a not-for-profit organization that purchased the hotel in November 2002, said nine design firms wanted to compete for the job. "We were enormously impressed," Rogers said of the response. "To have nationally known firms be excited confirmed the enthusiasm we have for this project."

Besides Cope Linder Architects, the board selected the Philadelphia firm of Bower Lewis Thrower and the Wilkes-Barre firm of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to compete. The three firms were selected based on their experience in urban renewal projects and their work on projects of equal or greater scope.

Though each firm will be paid up to $30,000 in stipends for their efforts, Rogers believes it's money well spent. Not only will CityVest get input from quality design firms, Rogers said, the results of the multi-million rehabilitation project should influence rehabilitation of surrounding areas.

Though none of the firms is ready to start talking about ideas, Bill Loose, a principal at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, believes the hometown firm has an advantage. "We have the strongest emotional attachment to what happens to downtown Wilkes-Barre," he said.

Michael Prifti, a principal at Bower Lewis Thrower, believes the Hotel Sterling project is a perfect project for his company. "We have been doing adaptive re-use projects for more than 25 years," he said.

It's hoped the Hotel Sterling can be turned into a multi-use building with retail and office space on the lower levels and condominiums and apartments on the upper levels.

Though most of the attention appears focused on the original portion of the Hotel Sterling at the corner of Market and River streets, CityVest officials said no decisions have been made yet about the future of the adjoining 14-story building upon which sits the Hotel Sterling rooftop sign. That building was not part of the original hotel but became part of the hotel later in its history.

Rogers and Judd Shoval, a member of CityVest's board of directors, said they told the architects about the design challenges associated with the tower, such as its small floor plan, low ceiling heights and absence of lack of appropriate heating, ventilation and cooling. But the only direction architects were given regarding the tower was to "think as creatively as possible."

[donybrx]

Reasonably good news economically for the W_B/Scranton region: Below Philly, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Allentown but moving up the list per this study comparing US regions:
**************
01/16/2005
Region shows some economic muscle
By Tim Gulla , The Sunday Voice

A Florida research firm's rankings of U.S. metropolitan areas' economic muscle show the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton region is not among the best. But it's also not among the 90-pound weaklings.

Rather, the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton region finished almost in the middle - 163 out of 361 - in the Palm City-based Policom Corp.'s annual "Economic Strength" rankings.

For local economists and economic development officials, the question becomes whether such a ranking is a matter of a half-full or a half-empty glass.

Steve Barrouk, president of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, was able to see some positive signs in the ranking.

"There was a time we would have been at the bottom of a list like that," he said.

Moreover, the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton region was the fifth highest among the 14 Pennsylvania metropolitan areas to make the list. Lancaster, State College, Reading, York, Altoona, Lebanon, Williamsport, Erie and Johnstown all fared worse in the rankings.

And only five metropolitan areas fared worse than Johnstown, which came in at 356 out of 361.

Philadelphia, which came in at 51 nationally, was the top-ranked region in Pennsylvania, followed by Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and the Allentown area.

"I think it's very encouraging," Barrouk said. Though a middle of the pack ranking means there's a lot of work ahead, Barrouk believes it also shows the region has "turned the corner."

Austin Burke, president of the Scranton Chamber of Commerce, had a tongue-in-cheek reaction.

"Not knowing what methodology this firm is employing, our practice in the past is (to say) that any ranking that puts us in the top 10 in the nation probably has excellent methodology. Anything under that, there's probably something lacking in their data."

The "Economic Strength" ranking was created to study the characteristics of strong and weak economies, according to the Policom Web site. Higher ranked regions have "rapid, consistent growth in both size and quality for an extended period of time." Lower ranked regions, on the other hand, "have been in volatile decline for an extended period of time."

Though it's unknown how the data was weighed, the rankings were based on factors such as earnings, jobs, per capita income, the wages of salaried workers, non-farm jobs, retail jobs and retail wages. Also considered were any regional increases in financial figures related welfare and Medicaid, which would reflect a poor economy.

William Fruth, president of Policom Corp., didn't have time to go into detail about his findings on Friday, since he was out of the office and on his cell-phone. But when asked about the meaning of a 163rd place finish on the list, he replied, "It means your economic growth and consistency is just about average."

Is that surprising?

"It's probably telling us something we already know," said Dr. Anthony Liuzzo, professor of business and economics at the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University.

tgulla@citizensvoice.com

[donybrx]

A second casino proposal; this one a little further from WIlkes-Barre (20+ miles) and deeper into the Poconos. $300 Million in connection with the Pocono International raceway.
Thing is, this will further the erosion of the Pocono region exponentially. For those of us who love cites but appreciate the need to also protect the countryside, it's questionable progress if approved...........
01/19/2005
$300 million casino proposed in Poconos
By Elizabeth Skrapits , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer

The application for slot machine licenses hasn't even been drawn up yet, but Dr. Joseph Mattioli is ready to take a gamble.
Dr. Mattioli, the owner of Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Monroe County, has unveiled a $300 million plan for a 200,000-square-foot casino complex that includes a convention hall, shops and restaurants, and a slot machine parlor.

Pennsylvania's new gaming commission is allowing a total of 14 slots licenses, seven of which are designated for horse racing tracks. The Downs at Pocono in Plains Township, now owned by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, is in line for one of those.

Of the remaining seven, there are five stand-alone licenses that allow up to 5,000 slots machines, and two resort licenses, which allow up to 500.

However, two of the stand-alone licenses are reserved for Philadelphia and one for Pittsburgh, which leaves two stand-alone and two resort licenses up for grabs throughout the entire state.

The casino complex is contingent on Dr. Mattioli being able to obtain a stand-alone license, which he would prefer, but he has a plan B ready in case he manages to get a resort license.

According to the law, an entity is only eligible for a resort license if it has not applied for or been approved for any other kind of slot license, and if the facility is "a well-established resort hotel having no fewer than 275 guest rooms under common ownership, and having substantial year-round recreational guest amenities."

If Dr. Mattioli is able to get one of these, the convention center and half of the casino would be taken off the drawing board, and a 300-room one-story hotel would be constructed with a casino in the center, he said.
A selling point is the location: Interstates 80, 81, 84, 476 and 380 surround the Pocono Raceway, with state Route 611 to the east and Route 115 to the west.

NASCAR races at the track already draw thousands of people from Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
Dr. Mattioli does not know what the state gaming board will require, so he is designing the facility to be adaptable. He has been studying the possibilities since the law was passed, and has spoken to experts in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Furthermore, Dr. Mattioli said he has plenty of land to build from the ground up, and water, sewer, and electric connections ready to go.

Dr. Mattioli realizes - and welcomes - the fact that he will have stiff competition in the region, as other entities in eastern Pennsylvania add to the odds against getting the four available licenses.

"We're going to try for it. No pun intended, but it's a crapshoot," he said.
Dunmore businessman Louis DeNaples recently bought the former Mount Airy Lodge in the Poconos for $25 million, reportedly with an eye to getting a slots license for the resort.

The Lehigh Valley will also figure into the equation. According to the Morning Call, Northampton County so far has two definite sites of interest.

A proposal is being assembled by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, owner of Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut, for a slots parlor and commercial development at I-78 and Route 412 in Bethlehem.

Las Vegas Sands, owner of the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, has an agreement with BethWorks Now to include a slots parlor in a proposed retail and entertainment complex at the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant.

Lehigh County has nothing definite yet, but county officials are said to be eager to take advantage of the benefits from slots; Isle of Capri Casinos of Biloxi, Miss., is scouting for potential sites in the Allentown area.

Other factors that will come into play in the race for the four licenses are the regulations in the gaming law that will affect where they are distributed, such as rules governing how many miles from each other the licensed facilities may be located.

It is too soon to tell just what will happen. Nick Hays, spokesman for Thomas A. Decker, gaming board chairman, said the seven-member board met for the first time in December, and has to start from scratch. At this stage, the board does not yet have an office or staff.

"It's premature to say when they will be able to start accepting slots license applications," Hays said. "They don't even have an application drawn up."

On the one hand, the board has to make sure all the procedures are set up to be thorough and reliable, he said.
"But at the same time, they know they have to do it quickly enough so revenues from gaming can flow (into) property tax relief, economic development programs, and new investment in the horse racing industry," Hays said.

[donybrx]

Coal Mine History: Tragedy.....
For anyone not familiar with northeastern PA's extraodinary anthracite coal past from coal baron wealth to coal miner penury, from urban dynamism to urban economic collapse, here's an article depicting a horrific event that brought the declining industry to its definitive, thudding end. The region has (had) the largest deposits of anthracite (hard, cleaner burning ) coal in the world outside Alsace-Lorraine. here's the tale of the end:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted on Mon, Jan. 24, 2005
Mass solemnizes Knox disaster
Water poured into the River Slope Mine, drowning 12 men. Sixty-nine others escaped.
By STEVE MOCARSKY
smocarsky@leader.net

JENKINS TWP. - As Audrey Calvey sat in St. Joseph Church in the Port Griffith section of the township on Sunday, she thought of her father, as she has at this time every year for the past 45 years.
Calvey's father - John Baloga - and 11 other miners drowned on Jan. 22, 1959, as the frigid waters of the Susquehanna River broke through the ceiling of the mine in which they worked.

Although the 69 men who escaped and the dozen who did not were working in the River Slope Mine, the event is commonly known as the Knox Mine Disaster because they worked for the Knox Coal Co.

Calvey and others in the community attended a memorial Mass at the church on the day after the 46th anniversary of the tragic event. They heard Deacon Jim Cortegerone recite the names of the 12 miners during general intercessions, and the Rev. Hugh McGroarty recite them again during a Eucharistic prayer.

"I remember this day as if it was yesterday," Ann Pierson said after the Mass. "I was (pregnant with) my son, walking down the street and they stopped me and said you can't get through, the water just came out of the Knox. I looked down the bank and saw the whirlpool where the river broke through," said Pierson, who was 34 at the time.

The Mass was the third in a series of four events planned for this past weekend to remind people of the disaster. A vigil Saturday morning near the site where the river broke through the mine was followed by a panel discussion on the event Saturday afternoon. Another program featured the Donegal Weavers performing their song "The Knox Mine Disaster" and the reading of excerpts from the book "Voices of the Knox Mine Disaster" Sunday afternoon at the Anthracite Heritage Museum in Scranton.

Calvey's was one of the voices that were literally recorded for the book, written by Bob Wolensky, Nicole Wolensky and Ken Wolensky, said Bob Wolensky, who sat next to Calvey during the Mass.

After the Mass, Calvey again recalled that fateful day and its aftermath.

"I was 14, going on 15. It was very traumatic. And still today, sometimes when I think about it, all this brings it all back," Calvey said, standing in the frigid wind near a stone memorial to the Knox miners on the church lawn.

Calvey said her older brother Donald worked to support her and her mother after their father died. They had a rough time getting by until they started receiving survivors' benefits. Her mother was disabled and couldn't work.

"The mining company treated us terrible. The owners never even came to say they were sorry," Calvey said.

Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 459-2005.

TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/AIMEE DILGER

Audrey Calvey, the daughter of Knox Mine Disaster victim John Baloga, looks toward a monument erected on the lawn of St. Joseph's Church in the Port Griffith section of Jenkins Township to honor her father, other men who were killed in the cave-in and those miners who survived.

MEMORIALIZING MINERS AFTER A TRAGEDY

A plaque erected by the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission outside St. Joseph Church in the Port Griffith section of Jenkins Township sums up the Knox Mine Disaster. "The mine had been illegally excavated beneath the Susquehanna River at the direction of the Knox Coal Co. When the force of the ice-laden river broke the thin layer of rock, over 10 billion gallons of water flowed through this and other mines. This disaster ended deep mining in much of the Wyoming Valley." A cold granite slab stands next to the plaque as a "Memorial to the surviving miners and those men entombed in the Knox Mine Disaster." Those who died include:

Samuel Altieri

John Baloga

Benjamin Boyar *

Francis Burns

Charles Featherman

Joseph Gizenski

Dominick Koveleskie *

Eugene Ostroski

Frank Orlowski

William Sinclair

Daniel Stefanides *

Herman Zelonis

* The spellings of names of these men names appear as provided by "Voices of the Knox Mine Disaster" co-author Robert Wolensky and local historian Bill Best. They said the names as they appear on the monument - Benjamin Boyer, Dominick Koveleski and Donald Stefanides - are incorrect.

[donybrx]

Drumroll, Please!
Jobs announcement tomorrow AM: 100's of jobs! Rendell coming to town to announce.....hmmm.....Always good news.......

Tuesday, January 25 6:03pm
New Jobs Coming to Luzerne County

Governor Ed Rendell is scheduled to make a visit to Northeastern Pennyslvania Wednesday morning. His office won't comment on exactly what the announcement is, but Newswatch 16 has learned that hundreds of jobs are coming to Luzerne County, an area hit hard by the loss of a number of jobs.

The economic boost is coming to the Crestwood Industrial Park in Wright Township. Governor Ed Rendell is set to appear at the complext Wednesday. A township official said a new company will soon sit in the park, bringing with it 200 manufacturing jobs.

Jobs headed to the area is a big plus. It's been a rough year for manufacturing jobs in Luzerne County. Techneglas shut its plant in Jenkins Township last August. The closure cost nearly 700 workers their jobs.

New Dana Perfume Corporation announced in November it would close its facility in the Crestwood Industrial Park, cutting 150 jobs.

No word on the name of the company headed to Luzerne County, what workers will manufacture, or what the jobs will pay.







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[donybrx]

Arrrrrhg...the big news per the announcement above^^^^ isn't a bust, but not as big as hoped....
A TORTILLA FACTORY!!!! hahahahahahhahah
Well, jobs are jobs and there is an intitiative to bring high tech, higher wage jobs to the area and Wilkes- Barre might become a fully 'wired' downtown with fiber-optics running through the old central steam heat system......Tortillas. Who'da thought?:hilarious
...One issue: Cities like Wilkes-Barre give a lot of incentives, especially financial to bring jobs in....sometimes companies take advantage big time....TJ Maxx brougth an installation to Wyoming Valley last year, promising good paying jobs for locals in exchange for $$$ advantages, abatements, etc.. They opened, but also brought along a majority of hispanic illegals from elsewhere instead, reneging on their stated intent, then crying racism when those left holding the bag complained and filed legal protests. No one was fooled... TJ Maxx eventually had to make good, as it should have!

01/27/2005
Tortilla-making plant to open in Mountain Top
By Tim Gulla , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer

A Mexico-based company's food products subsidiary will use a new plant in Wright Township to supply corn and wheat flour tortillas and nacho chips to grocery stores and eateries from Maine to Virginia.
Irving, Texas-based Mission Foods, which is owned by Mexico-based Gruma SA de C.V., purchased a recently built flexible-use building from Mericle Commercial Real Estate and has launched an aggressive schedule to get its newest food products plant up and running by May 1.

The company said it will initially hire about 100 people for its production line and as many as 232 people within three years as more lines are added. The company didn't release wage estimates but said the pay will be "competitive."

Though the state put together a $6.7 million financial package to lure the company to the region, Mission Foods President and CEO Jairo Senise said the oversized ceremonial checks he received Wednesday were not the only reason the company chose Wright Township.

"We found the environment was welcoming of a new company," he said.

He also lauded the way state, county and local officials were able to mobilize to get the project moving forward quickly.

Though Senise declined to name the other locations his company had been investigating for its 16th production facility, officials from the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry said Wright Township had been one of more than 20 communities in the running.

The company ultimately narrowed its list to just two communities, and Wright Township won out over another location in New Jersey, said Steve Barrouk, chamber president.

"Gruma could have gone anywhere," said Gov. Ed Rendell. "Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut were all bidding for this site."

Rendell credited the state's economic stimulus programs and the region's strong workforce for giving Northeastern Pennsylvania the edge.
Barrouk also credited the fact Luzerne County had an almost ready-to-use site.

"Most companies are moving very quickly and don't want the lead time," he said.
Though some changes needed to be made to the site to accommodate food production, Charles Lung, a construction manager at Gruma, said the pre- constructed building gave Mission Foods a year to 18-month head start.

Total costs to buy the property, renovations for food production and the production line equipment will be about $33 million, state and local officials said. The financial package put together by the state included a $5.8 million low-interest loan from Citizens Bank and $865,000 in state grants.

Senise said Mission Foods wanted a new plant in the Northeast so it could better serve customers and deliver products more quickly. The next closest plant is in Georgia.

Senise said the company's new plant is a long-term investment.
"We came to stay," he said. "We came to expand."
Dave Durden, Mission Food's vice president of sales for the Northeast, couldn't give expected production figure for the local plant but said consumption of Tex-Mex food products has been growing at a rate of 25 percent per year.

Though the jobs will be considered skilled labor, Senise said prior food production experience won't be necessary because all workers will be trained.

Jerry Burgess, manager of the state Department of Labor and Industry's CareerLink offices in Luzerne County, said CareerLink will be handling applications, though some details still need to be worked out. Mission Foods will also post job opportunities on its Web site.

The addition of Mission Foods to the local manufacturing sector comes about one month after another Wright Township manufacturer, New Dana Perfume Co., closed its doors and put about 200 people out of work.

[James Bond Agent 007]

donybrx, do you live in the Bronx, or Wilkes-Barre?

[donybrx]

eastern long island.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Oh.

[donybrx]

Not much news in NEPA (Noprtheastern PA) but this just in.....regarding further development of Montage Mountain, an actual mountain along I-81 bewteen Scranton & Wilkes-Barre, which has been transformed, now includes the skiing complex, 13,000 seat stadium, 20,000 seat outdoor concert venue for national/international acts in the summer, office buildings, 20 cinema complex, golf course, upscale housing, etc.
Now, comes upscale shopping:

Wednesday, February 9, 4:00 p.m.
By Megan Dardanell
What's Coming to Montage Mountain?

There are plans for an upscale shopping center in Lackawanna County. Newswatch 16 first broke the news Tuesday night. The Shoppes at Montage shopping center is slated for a ground-breaking on the mountain this spring.

Construction equipment and a clearing of land on Montage Mountain are signs of things to come here. An Ohio developer confirmed his plans to building an upscale shopping center on a 50-acre site off Glen Maura Boulevard.

The web site for Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate shows examples of his centers around the country, with stores such as Ann Taylor Loft, Williams Sonoma and Talbots. The name for the development is The Shoppes at Montage.

Montage Mountain has already become known as an entertainment stop, with the stadium, skiing and the theaters, and as a place to eat with restaurants Johnny Rockets, Ruby Tuesday and, most recently, Trattoria Bella. People said adding shopping to the mountain is a perfect mix.

Cathy Linker of Shavertown and her friends work on Montage Mountain and heard about the plans. "Christmas time would be great to come here and shop. I go to Tannersville once in a while on weekends but it would be much nicer to have it (shopping) right here," she said.

The manager of the Trattoria Bella said more traffic could only be good for business. "I think it's great, fantastic! We built the restaurant hoping the area would grow. Within the last ten years, everything's grown, the stadium, Cinemark to the surrounding community," said Leane Pace.

The plan is to grow some more. The proposal still needs Moosic's approval but construction is set to begin in the late spring or early summer, and stores should be ready for shoppers in the summer of 2006.







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[donybrx]

This is just terrific news...and fun. Soon possible to take an old fashioned electric trolley from downtown Scranton to Lackawanna County Stadium to see the AAA Red Barons ...or anything else... going thru a one mile long tunnel in the process...under a mountain.....
Very fitting for the city the had the first (or 2nd..after NYC??) electric trolley system in the nation...and you won't get stuck in traffic after the game...!

02/15/2005
County-run trolley could reach stadium this baseball season
By Chris Birk TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

MOOSIC -- After almost a two-year wait, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons fans could be taking a trolley to the ballpark by summer's end.
Plans to connect the Steamtown National Historic Site with Lackawanna County Stadium have been in the works since October 2003, when Gov. Ed Rendell promised $1.5 million in state aid to boost tourism at Montage Mountain and throughout the county.
The trolley line now runs from the historic site to Stafford Avenue and on to the Lackawanna County Visitors Center. Next week, the county Stadium Authority will decide whether to extend the final 1,800 feet from the center to a proposed platform and trolley shed, which would house the cars for restoration and maintenance.

The building would include information about the trolley system and its history, and offer passengers the chance to watch real-time restoration. The restoration building is slated for a sliver of the ballpark parking lot near the left-field wall.

The last leg of trolley line would travel along Montage Mountain Road and wind down near the media and season-ticket holder entrance.

"It's not going to hurt attendance," said authority member Anthony Lomma.

"The whole idea is the city and the county trying to promote tourism, entertainment and sporting events."

The entire trolley project, with a price tag around $2 million, won't require the spending of any new money. The county is using $1 million from a planning construction account created a few years ago specifically for the project, said Harry Lindsay, head of the county's Strategic Planning Department.

Once that money is spent, the state matches with $1 million, he said.

The installation of electrical equipment on the track line from Stafford Avenue to the visitors center alone was bid out for $767,940 in September 2003.

Planning officials envision a trolley shed ultimately standing 177 feet by 50 feet, taking up about 50 parking spaces near the wall. The enclosed structure could house at least nine trolleys; the county has only two fully operational cars right now, said Mr. Lindsay.

If the Stadium Authority approves the project's completion at its scheduled Feb. 24 meeting, Mr. Lindsay said he'll push to get construction bids out in March and start work in April. The job is expected to take four to five months.

The Red Barons' season kicks off April 17 at home against the Norfolk Tides.

©Scranton Times Tribune 2005

[donybrx]

Local boy makes good! I ran across this (below)item in the Philadelphia Daily News..I don't watch the reality show involved but was happy to see someone form Greater Wilkes-Barre find success.....Others from the region who had some fame include actress/singerEdie Adam (lily Lake),actor Lee J. Cobb, Dallas, PA, actress Lisbeth Scott (Scranton), Nick Adams (Nanticoke..TV's 1960's Johnny Yuma, the "REBEL" series, Jack Palance...nearby Hazleton and others too numerous for my lazy self to find & recount..*yawn*. Oh, back to this news...sorry gang, for the one or two people who actually follow this thread..it's the only news right now:
*****************************************
Posted on Fri, Feb. 25, 2005
Smalltown designer wins big on ' Project Runway'

By REGINA MEDINA
medinar@phillynews.com

Lehman, Luzerne County, Pa. Population 3,200.

A teensy town, for sure, but take it in when you're passing through. It's home to newly crowned it designer Jay McCarroll, Wednesday night's winner of the Bravo reality show "Project Runway."

Howard Kocher, Lehman's police chief and an assistant zoning officer, couldn't help but crack up over the news. "Lehman's the cultural mecca of the United States right now," he said.

Jay, dubbed "The Wild Card" by the show's Web site, beat 11 other aspiring designers to win a photo spread in Elle magazine, a mentorship with the Banana Republic design team and $100,000 to launch his own design line.

In a phone interview yesterday, the Philadelphia University graduate said he was "stunned, speechless" to have won.

"I couldn't believe what was happening to me, I was like Kelly Clarkson," he said, referring to the "American Idol" winner.

Friends and former teachers were happy about Jay's triumph.

"We're all just so thrilled for him," said Celia Frank, assistant professor at Philadelphia University's Fashion Design Department.

Jay saw the show's finale last night with his family in Lehman, 124 miles north of Philly. He was offered party invites, but he opted for home.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way. My family is my support system and my root base," he said.

And the Lehman townspeople couldn't be prouder of Jay.

Charlene Cook, co-owner of Cook's Variety Store in Lehman, placed a big pink poster sign, complete with green shamrocks, in the store's front window.

"To Our One And Only Project Runway Winner, Jay McCarroll. Congratulations!"

"We're very proud of Jay. Very proud," she said.

"He was in the Lake Lehman School Marching band and everybody [in it] is so close-knit," said Cook, whose store was featured in the finale. "When you're in the band, you're family. Everybody... knew he was going to do it."

Lehman's small-town atmosphere was cited by one of the show's judges, fashion designer Michael Kors, as the inspiration that allowed McCarroll to create his 12-piece collection. When Jay returned home to Lehman to design, there was no New York fashion scene to contend with. Just Jay's inner voice, his instinct, Kors said.

The resulting collection, which he named "Stereotype," included color-coordinated earphones on all the models and a heavy use of quilts. The quilt influence, he said in Wednesday's episode was, in part, due to his sister and her hobby.

His Philly friend Amber Mowery, said last night that Jay was one of the most talented people she's ever met.

"It's definitely his time now. Finally.....
© 2005 Philadelphia Daily News and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.philly.com

[donybrx]

Is your home heating oil wrecking your budget? how about coal...here's some food (er, fuel) for thought:

Posted on Sun, Feb. 27, 2005
Heating with coal pays off

By RENITA FENNICK rfennick@leader.net


As far as Linda Houser is concerned, coal is still king.

The West Hazleton woman has been using coal to heat a 12-room duplex for 16 years and swears she’d never switch to any other fuel source – even though burning coal means having to dispose of ashes.

“Believe me, it’s a lot easier to take out ashes than to come up with the extra money for gas or oil,” Houser said. “I’m thrilled to death that we stayed with coal.”

Houser’s home is among the 5,248 Luzerne County households that use coal for heating. That’s 4.1 percent of all residences, ranking the county third in the nation for coal consumption.

Those figures may change a bit if the observations of Gary Magdon and Donald Streit are accurate.

Magdon, who owns Country Fireplace Showroom in Dupont, estimates sales of coal stoves have increased 70 percent this winter, mainly because of recent price increases in oil, natural gas and electricity.

“I know it’s because other fuels are so high,” Magdon said. “I get people in here who say they are paying $600 a month for heat.”

Some local coal dealers say they have encountered few problems acquiring coal this winter unlike the situation in neighboring Schuylkill County where 13.4 percent of the households use coal to heat their homes. Some dealers there claim a lack of coal production has forced them to ration coal to existing customers.

“It runs in spurts, sometimes we wait three to four hours, sometimes we’re waiting seven hours to get (the coal trucks) loaded,” George Racho, a Hazleton coal distributor, said. “In the beginning of January, it was worse than it is now.”

Paul Chervy of Chervy Fuel & Heating Co., West Nanticoke, said the shortage in Wyoming Valley was short-lived.

“For one week, back when it was extremely cold in the middle of January, there was a shortage,” he said. “But we haven’t had any trouble with supply since then.”

There have been no problems with supply at Streit’s Coal Delivery, Butler Township, though the demand is on the increase.

“We haven’t had to turn anyone down even though we’ve noticed a substantial increase in customers over the last two years,” said owner Donald Streit, who has been hauling coal for 26 years. “A lot more people are putting in little stoves to supplement heating costs and quite a few are going to coal to heat their entire houses and businesses.”

The main reason for the regained interest in coal is financial, Streit said.

Since one ton of coal generates the same amount of British thermal units, or BTUs, as 182 gallons of oil, coal is about one third the cost of oil, he said.

Locally, oil is hovering around the $1.90 per gallon mark, which is costing oil users about $345.80 for the same amount of heat generated by a ton of coal.

The price range for coal is $110-$135 a ton.

Coal production for both the hard anthracite and the soft bituminous is on the rise nationwide and is expected to continue to increase during the next two years, according to federal statistics.

December’s total coal production of 96 million tons was a 4 percent increase over December 2003, according to the January Monthly Energy Review, the latest update released by the U.S. Department of Energy. The federal agency estimates coal production will grow by 3.3 percent in 2005 and an additional 2.3 percent in 2006.

Magdon said many customers – like Gene Menchi – who gave up on coal decades ago are giving the old black diamond another chance.

Menchi bought a $2,800 coal furnace to heat his large, A-frame house in Moscow, Lackawanna County, and estimates he may save as much as $2,000 on heating costs this winter. He said his 2,400-square-foot home has an open design with 30-foot ceilings.

“Before, I used oil as my main source and my bills were approximately $300 a month and I froze,” Menchi said. “I went to coal and it’s 70-degrees-plus in my house. I have a dual feed burner and only use one and it heats the whole house. I wish I did this 10 years ago.”

Menchi said he used a coal stove about 15-20 years ago but replaced it with an oil furnace.

“I just hated it,” he said. “I was turned off by the dust and the dirt. But, coal stoves have come a long way. They’re practically maintenance-free. I have to take out the ashes every two days, but living in the country, it’s no problem to get rid of them.”

The economical aspect of coal plus the improved quality of today’s coal stoves and furnaces are reasons more people are turning to coal, Streit said.

His company sells what it calls an oil-treated coal; it’s sprayed with a light peanut or vegetable oil to make it cleaner and more efficient.

Coal prices have remained steady through the years, said Christina Kassa Russo, an employee at Casey-Kassa Coal & Well Drilling Co., Laflin.

The family-owned operation processes coal but got out of the mining business several years ago, mainly because of the high costs associated with acquiring permits for digging, bonding and blasting, Kassa Russo said.

Many coal haulers purchase their coal from a dwindling number of mine operators.

“There’s not really a shortage but it is getting a little more difficult to get,” said Nancy LaNunziata, an employee at Hudson Coal Co., Inkerman. “It’s not as easy as it has been in the past. We get our coal from different areas, wherever it is available.”

Houser of West Hazleton said the price of coal has increased by about $10 since she moved into the duplex in 1989.

“It’s a bargain, definitely,” she said. “We were just talking about it the other day, how we couldn’t afford to live if we had gas or oil.”

And Menchi is on a mission to convert his friends.

“I will never go back to fuel, that’s a promise,” he said. “I am trying to talk all of my friends into going to coal.”

Streit sees another reason for locals to reconsider their heating source.

“My biggest thing is: Why don’t people support anthracite? All those mines are locally operated and the money really does stay in the local economy. It’s a way to keep jobs in the area.”

These are the counties with highest share of households using coal for heating:

Schuylkill County, Pa.: 7,975 households (13.4%)

Lancaster County, Pa.: 7,993 (4.4%)

Luzerne County, Pa.: 5,248 (4.1%)

Dauphin County, Pa., 2,473 (2.3%)

York County, Pa., 2,211 (1.4%)

Northampton County, Pa.: 1,100 (1.0%)

Lehigh County, Pa.: 814 (0.7%)

Prince William County, Va.: 752 (0.7%)

Westmoreland County, Pa., 884 (0.6%)

Berks County, Pa.: 741 (0.5%)

Here are some Web sites that offer information on coal mining and energy statistics:

.gov

www.energybulletin.net

www.coalpeople.com

www.msha.gov

www.hard-coal.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Renita Fennick, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7

© 2005 Times Leader and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.timesleader.com

[donybrx]

Gulp!..Let's hope they mean it.......

03/02/2005
R/C Theatres still committed to downtown W-B project
By James Conmy and Tim Gulla , Staff Writers

Plans to operate a 14-screen cinema complex in downtown Wilkes-Barre remain solid, despite the operator's decision to sell more than a third of its movie houses.
Maryland-based R/C Theatres is selling seven of its 18 theaters to the nation's largest cinema operator, Tennessee-based Regal Entertainment Group, for $31 million in cash.

Yet the president and chief executive of R/C Theatres said the asset sale will have no impact on his company's plans for Wilkes-Barre.

"I just feel almost a part of Wilkes-Barre," said J. Wayne Anderson. "It's a mission I have to make sure that project is complete and up and running."

After the sale, R/C Theatres will have 103 screens at 11 cinemas. But it also plans to open new theaters in Gettysburg and Winchester, Va., raising the company's roster of theaters to 14.

"It was a business decision we made," Anderson said of the sale. "It was good for us; it was good for Regal."
Anderson said the locations being sold were profitable.
"That's what made them so attractive to Regal," he said. "They (Regal) approached us and made us an offer we couldn't refuse."

The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, through its subsidiary development corporation, is constructing the theater project as the cornerstone for the revitalization of the South Main Street business district. It will span an entire block of Northampton Street between South Main and South Washington streets.

The chamber's president and chief executive, Steve Barrouk, was not caught off guard by the sale announcement. Anderson called him last week to tell him about R/C Theatres' plan.

"It (the pending sale) has absolutely no bearing whatsoever (on the South Main Street project)," Barrouk said.

Anderson reiterated R/C Theatres' commitment to the city during the call, Barrouk said.

"Regal made him a great offer on those locations. He took it. But he said he's very anxious to pursue and complete the Wilkes-Barre project as are we."
Anderson believes the sale will not impact R/C Theatres' market presence.

"Each market stands on its own," Anderson said. "This business is about relationships. We still have the relationships with the studio executives."

The Associated Press reported the sale includes theaters in Carlisle; Pinellas, Fla.; Culpeper, Va.; and Baltimore, Eldersburg, Frederick and Hagerstown, Md.

©The Citizens Voice 2005

[donybrx]

More downtown action in the offing..this one should appeal to worldwide fans of Planters Peanuts (for which Wilkes-Barre was home)....any forward progress is a good thing...sorry I don;t have apicture..it's a terrific building...including the statuettes of Mr. Peanut along the entrance & and on the surrounding wall....Mr. Peanut...the guy in the costume...scared the hell out of me as a kid when we'd encounter him on Public Square downtown...lol

03/05/2005
W-B selling Planter's building to developer
By James Conmy , Staff Writer

Wilkes-Barre City is in the midst of a shell game that will produce much more than peanuts.
City officials are expected to sell the Planters Peanuts building to a developer next week for a $230,000 profit.
The city purchased the 632 S. Main St. landmark from Altria Corporate Services Inc., in June of 2003 for $100.
Council needs to authorize the $230,000 deal with Cross Continental Realty Inc. That vote is expected at its March 10 meeting.
"This is how we're rebuilding this city - making good business decisions and profits," Mayor Tom Leighton said Friday. "It's just the language, not the terms (holding up the deal). The plan right now is to have something in writing for council next week."

Councilwoman Kathy Kane predicts the sale of the 89,000 square foot structure will be ratified by council.
"We've been working on this for quite a while and it is long overdue," Kane said. "I'm glad this project will breathe new life into that end of the block. I think the people down there deserve some sprucing up too."

"We've been working on this deal for several years and it is good to know we will have development on both ends of South Main Street," Leighton said, agreeing with Kane.
They were referring to the first block's South Main Street project, including a 14-screen movie theater complex.

Cross Continental Realty and the city have done business in the 600-block of South Main Street before. The company agreed in 2001 to purchase the adjacent Shapiro scrap yard from city officials for $150,000.

Cross Continental Realty planned to build a strip mall on the Shapiro site in 2001. A subsequent feud with former Mayor Tom McGroarty, however, put the project on hold.
"The (Planters) building will be used to expand a planned development on the Shapiro site," said Attorney Gene Roth, who represents Cross Continental Realty. "The deal is close."

Roth declined to elaborate on Cross Continental Realty's latest plans for the expanded development.
City officials have been briefed on the plans, but only would comment on the imminent deal.

"All parties worked hard for a fair and equitable agreement," Assistant Solicitor Bill Vinsko said. "I am sure the culmination of this project is going to benefit all parties, including city residents."

The city will use the $230,000 windfall on other economic development projects, but Leighton declined to discuss specifics.

"We have a lot of things going on," the mayor said. "This could be a local match (on a grant), but it will be used solely for other economic development."

©The Citizens Voice 2005

[James Bond Agent 007]

Since this thread seems to have become a 1-man operation, I thought I'd add this for a little variety, since I happened to have stumbled across it.

http://www.bizjournals.com/industrie...s_daily48.html

The Business Journal (Minneapolis/St. Paul) - 12:41 PM CST Friday
Cardinal Glass plans factory in Pennsylvania
Sam Black
Senior Reporter

Cardinal Glass Industries Inc. is nearing a deal to build a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania.

The Eden Prairie-based glass manufacturer is in talks with local officials in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., for a glass fabricating facility, according to a report in Friday's edition of The Citizen's Voice, a daily newspaper based in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.

Roger O'Shaughnessy, CEO of privately-owned Cardinal, confirmed for the paper that a deal was in the works but declined to specify what type of glass the plant would produce or how many people it would employ. O'Shaughnessy said that a decision on the new plant should be made in the next two weeks.

Cardinal, founded in 1962, had about $500 million in 2003 sales. It has about 4,500 employees. In 2003, the firm launched an aggressive national expansion of its manufacturing capacity to support window and door makers such as Bayport-based Andersen Corp., Marvin Lumber & Cedar Co. in Warroad, and Pella Corp. in Pella, Iowa.

-----------------------------------

Maybe some of the glass from this factory will be used to build skyscrapers in NYC and Philly.