Businesses, offices and housing going up in a revitalized downtown. An action plan for fiscal stability. New taxes. Repaved roads. Maybe even — at last — a skateboard park.
After years of decline, debts topping $2.4 million, and denial about the depths of Nanticoke’s financial problems, city officials and some residents are optimistic 2007 will mark the start of Nanticoke’s transformation.
“I think you’ll see Nanticoke become the greatest little city in Northeast Pennsylvania,” municipal authority chairman Dennis Butler said.
Butler wants that to be the slogan for Nanticoke’s comeback: “Wilkes-Barre can say ‘I Believe.’ We’ll be ‘The Greatest Little City in NEPA,’” he said.
The best part is, after years of disagreement leading to the lack of progress, there are city officials and people on the municipal and redevelopment authorities who want to work together, “to hammer out an equitable solution we can all live with,” Butler said.
Things to come
The municipal authority is advertising for a new developer so its property on East Main Street next to the Kanjorski Center will no longer be an empty lot, Mayor John Bushko said.
“That parcel will be developed. The parking garage is going to go up,” Bushko predicted.
The municipal authority also hopes to finally lease or sell the Kanjorski Center. The office building has been 80 percent vacant for more than a year.
Alden Road, parts of Market and Prospect streets, and Union Street will be paved with federal money, Bushko said.
Main and Market streets will get a new look. The final design hasn’t been completed, but the project will include lighting, sidewalks, curbs, trash containers, “the whole nine yards,” councilman Bill O’Malley said. Grant money is available to pay for it, but there is no word yet on how much the project will cost until all the engineering is finished, he said.
City officials are working with parties interested in some residential, commercial and retail projects within the city, O’Malley said. Nanticoke Housing Authority is going to renovate the former Susquehanna Coal Building into apartments, Bushko said.
And Bushko hopes a skateboard park, delayed because of legal tangles with property ownership, will finally be created in the new South Valley Park on Lower Broadway.
The city has a $140,000 grant and will use $100,000 for a new public works garage, O’Malley said. The remaining $40,000 will go to the South Valley Park.
“We have other funds there that are either in hand or on the way,” he said.
Although the park should be started in 2007, it will take several years to complete, he said.
Whitney Pointe, an industrial and residential park on the Newport Township border, will have its grand opening in January, O’Malley said.
Optimists and naysayers
“I’m very optimistic,” O’Malley said. “In one year we’ve gone from not knowing we had a problem to not only identifying the problem but coming up with an action plan to correct the problem.”
When O’Malley and fellow councilmen Jim Litchkofski and Brent Makarczyk took office in January, they knew Nanticoke was in bad financial shape, according to accounts in The Citizens’ Voice at the time. However, the councilmen didn’t know how bad things really were.
The city was already in the state Early Intervention program for financially-troubled municipalities. One of the city’s coordinators for the program, Bob Sabatini of Keystone Municipal Services LLP, suggested in February that council apply to have the city declared Act 47, or financially distressed, by the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
O’Malley and Sabatini gave a presentation in early March outlining the extent of the city’s problems, which surprised the residents and officials in attendance. DCED Secretary Dennis Yablonsky gave the city distressed status in May. The state appointed Pennsylvania Economy League as Nanticoke’s financial recovery coordinator, and the organization recently released a long-term Act 47 recovery plan for the city.
Hank Marks, as a member of the GNA taxpayer’s association, has been a frequent critic of the school board and city council.
“We already hit bottom,” he said. “We have nowhere to go but up.”
Three other residents refused to go on the record with their views on Nanticoke’s future in 2007, saying their comments were too negative.
But Theresa Sowa summed it up for them, expressing a vote of no confidence. When asked what she thought lies ahead for the city, she suggested city officials take turns buying Powerball tickets in the hopes of solving Nanticoke’s financial woes.
“There’s nothing, unless everybody buys lottery tickets,” Sowa said.
Resident Jim Samselski isn’t so cynical about city officials’ efforts.
“I actually think they’re on the right track. They’re just hitting some bumps now,” he said. “In 20 years we had a lot of uneducated people, a lot of mismanagement we have to get over."
Although city officials hope to get started and make significant progress in 2007, they know getting rid of Nanticoke’s problems will take years. After all, it took many years for them to develop.
“Bob Sabatini, PEL, the auditors, everyone agrees. We’ve got severe financial problems,” O’Malley said.
The trouble was, previous city officials never instituted policies or controls that “any normal business would have to operate,” he said.
In PEL’s financial recovery plan — available at the municipal building or online at www.pelcentral.org/Nanticoke — the organization points to years of inadequate record-keeping, accounting, and financial management.
“It is unclear to PEL whether prior officials and City Council had a full appreciation of the magnitude of the growing financial problem,” the report states.
Nanticoke’s expenses kept growing while revenues stagnated and the tax base declined, making the city’s deficit widen each year. Instead of finding new sources of revenue or cutting expenses, city officials took out loans year after year, amassing a debt of at least $2.4 million.
“That’s not to fund streets, that’s not to fund sewer improvements, that’s not to fund recreation,” O’Malley said. “That’s to keep the lights on, put gas in the cars, and pay salaries. That’s a very poor use of long-term debt.”
Because of the situation, current city officials are faced with the unpleasant necessity of raising taxes. They plan to raise earned income tax to 1.5 percent and bring in a .33 percent “commuter tax” for non-residents. The earned income tax will be used to balance the budget, make overdue improvements to roads and city buildings, and even reduce the real estate tax that goes to pay off the debt.
“The problem is, these people encumbered us with debt that has no value. There’s absolutely nothing to show for that debt. You can’t point to a street, you can’t point to a sewer,” O’Malley said. “It’s like paying your mortgage with a credit card.”
What lies ahead depends on whether the city adopts PEL’s financial recovery plan. There will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Jan. 3. The city has 25 days after that to decide to adopt or reject it, said Matt Domines of DCED’s Governor’s Center for Local Government Services Northeast Regional Office in Scranton.
If they accept it, the plan becomes a city ordinance. If they reject it, they have to come up with an alternative that is acceptable to the state.
“We’re not here to point fingers. We’re moving forward with the city of Nanticoke,” Domines said. “We’re looking into the future to get it to be a viable city that people want to live in and businesses want to move into.”

12/31/2006

John Bushko, mayor of the City of Nanticoke, is looking forward to leading the city in a new direction.
“One of my goals is to work on the debt of the city and to get the city financially solvent.”
Wednesday, advisors for the Act 47 recovery plan for the City of Nanticoke will hold a town meeting at 7 p.m. at the Nanticoke High School. One of the items on the agenda to be discussed is raising the earned income tax. The tax now stands at 1 percent. According to Mayor Bushko, one half percent of the money, or roughly $800,000 earned from the tax goes to the school district. The other half goes to the city. Property tax brings in another $437,000.
“I would like to see the earned income tax raised to 2 percent. That would bring in additional money for the city,” said Bushko. “If the earned income tax goes up, we hope to lower the property tax.”
Bushko hopes residents will turn out for the meeting.
One thing I admire about Mayor Bushko is that he is always open to better ideas and suggestions.
“The way I see it is that the people of Nanticoke pay all the bills. They have a right to be heard.”
The mayor said he was pleased with the city’s police and fire departments in 2006, saying, “We have very dedicated individuals in both departments.”
The police department handled 6,250 calls in 2006. The police officers are doing a great job even though they are really understaffed. Right now the department has eight full time officers, a police chief, captain and detective. Recently because of different situations including injuries, deployment to Iraq, and regular vacation or bereavement time, Detective William Schultz and Captain Kevin Grevera have had to help patrol the city streets.
“It is difficult because it takes us away from investigations and other important duties that need to be done and we should be doing,” offered Schultz.
The mayor noted the early intervention program calls for 15 full-time officers. “We need to work on getting more police officers,” he said.
The fire department answered close to 900 calls this year up from 714 last year. The department employs 10 full-time firefighters.
“We have dedicated volunteers that work hand in hand with our paid people,” said Bushko. “I don’t think that happened as smoothly in the past.”
Another upcoming positive improvement is the repaving of main roads in the city. According to Bushko, Congressman Paul Kanjorski was instrumental in securing grants to pave major roads including Prospect Street, the lower section of Union Street, and Alden Road.
The mayor said there is a need to build up the downtown and increase traffic going through that area. “I hope we can rent out the Kanjorski Center.,” Bushko added. “I would love to see little shops come into the downtown where people could stop to pick up things they need instead of having to run uptown.”
“Nanticoke is a good city with great potential. What makes it that is the hard-working people who live here and take pride in their hometown. The people who make up our city council are intelligent, dedicated and they put in a lot of hours. They want to see the city improve,” he added.
“I think the year 2007 is going to be a good one,” he concluded.

12/24/2006
Helicopter spots shed fire at LCCC
By hruckno@citizensvoice.com

A fire Saturday at two Luzerne County Community College storage sheds damaged maintenance equipment for athletic fields and covered a large portion of the campus with a thick cloud of smoke.
The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. in two sheds near the baseball field at Kosciuszko Street and Middle Road. No one was injured, and LCCC spokeswoman Lisa Nelson said only security personnel were working on campus at the time.
The campus closed for its holiday recess on Friday and will not reopen until Jan. 2, 2007, Nelson said.
A Life Flight 3 crew from Wilkes-Barre was on its way from Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville when it spotted the smoke and notified authorities, a Life Flight dispatcher confirmed Saturday afternoon.
When firefighters arrived, both sheds were fully engulfed in flames, but they were unable to determine which shed caught fire first. It took crews about a half hour to get the blaze under control, Nanticoke Fire Chief Michael Bohan said.
Crews hosed down smoldering items from inside both sheds and ripped apart the roof from one of them.
Bohan said some heavy equipment was inside, along with old bathroom fixtures and wooden planters. Still, smoke continued to billow out of both sheds. Campus security personnel were notified, but as of 2 p.m. Saturday, no one had arrived at the scene.
According to Bohan, the fire’s cause is still under investigation. He plans to call in a state police fire marshal to determine what exactly happened.

12/23/2006
Their home is their Sanctuary
By mbiebel@timesleader.com

Like buccaneers in a crow’s nest, Bernie and Toni Norieka command a spectacular view from their bell tower. At 75 feet above the ground and surrounded by four windows, here they experience the weather in ways most people usually don’t.
“On quiet nights, you can hear the snow falling,” Bernie said.
“It’s beautiful during a thunderstorm,” his wife added.
On less dramatic days, when it’s calm and sunny, they might look down and see a parade – or whatever else is going on in the Hanover section of Nanticoke.
But how did this couple manage to include a bell tower in their home?
Easily. It came with the territory when they converted the former St. Joseph’s Church into a house.
Other signs the building was once a church are abundant – from the stained-glass windows that say they were installed “auka” former parishioners (Bernie believes the word means “in memory of” in Slovak) to the grotto in the side yard to the plain black “poor box” attached to the banister of an inside staircase.
“Guests have put donations in there,” Toni Norieka said.
“But I don’t know where the key is,” Bernie Norieka added.
Yet the house is now definitely a home – a modern one, with shower stalls, a whirlpool bath and, in the kitchen, 104 square feet of counter space plus two sinks, one for preparation and the other for clean-up.
“We cook everything,” Bernie said. “Cajun, Chinese, Italian …”
Still, even in the up-to-date cooking area, there are signs of tradition, such as a fruit press, close to 100 years old, that the Noriekas use to make their own sausage. A favorite painting depicts another Old World practice, that of gathering mushrooms.
“When you’re picking as a kid, with your parents and uncles, you just learn which ones are poisonous and which aren’t,” Bernie said, pointing toward a tiny fungi in the bottom right corner of the scene. “This red-topper could be poisonous.”
But well before you spot details in the artwork, the first thing you notice when you enter the Noriekas’ home is the sweeping expanse of space and the relative lack of walls.
“I like the openness,” Toni said.
“We don’t miss walls,” Bernie said.
Because the space is so large, the couple say, furniture that would have been too dark for their old home is set off to advantage. They’ve found pieces that work, perhaps not surprising, in other churches.
One table, carved with the words “in remembrance of me,” came from a Baptist house of worship.
But collecting furniture was the easy part. Transforming the church, which had been built in 1915, into a house took a lot of work over two years, including the wearying task of removing layers of rubber tile to reveal the hardwood floor below. Bernie served as the general contractor, with help from handyman friends and professionals.
Some things couldn’t be changed, such as the cross atop the steeple. Workers told the Noriekas it would be too difficult to remove it from the roof, so they left it there.
The bell, though it weighed 450 pounds, was another matter. The Noriekas were able to sell it to a Michigan man who restores bells. In another change, the couple extended the choir loft a few feet so they’d have more room for their master bedroom.
The Noriekas, who lived 28 years on nearby Espy Street, used to worship at St. Joseph’s Church before the Diocese of Scranton closed it in 2002. “Our daughter was a reader, and our son was an altar boy here,” Toni said.
Now, it’s simply home – a striking home where stained glass enhances a natural phenomenon.
“The rooms change color,” Toni Norieka said, “from pale yellow to bright yellow to golden as the sun moves across the sky.”

12/21/2006
Nanticoke passes 2007 budget that increases earned income tax rate
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The city’s 2007 budget passed by council Wednesday implies that a proposed earned income tax increase will be inevitable.
The $4 million balanced budget is based on increasing the city’s portion of the earned income tax from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent as recommended in the fiscal plan newly released by Nanticoke’s financial recovery coordinator, the Pennsylvania Economy League.
Added to Greater Nanticoke Area school district’s 0.5 percent earned income tax, residents will pay a total of 2 percent.
Councilman Bill O’Malley pointed out that residents will pay 13 mills of real estate tax instead of 29 for debt service, a more than 25 percent reduction of the total 60 mills. A mill is $1 on every $1,000 of assessed property value.
“That, I think, is a positive. That helps balance out the earned income tax increase,” he said.
Besides being used to balance the budget, there will be an additional $700,000 in revenue from the earned income tax, O’Malley said. The surplus money will go into a capital improvement fund which can be used for things like road repair and public works equipment and vehicles.
In other business, Nanticoke police turned out in full force for a vote on changes to their pension fund, which was ultimately postponed.
Council was prepared to vote on a cost-of-living increase for police retirees and on lowering the retirement eligibility to 20 years with the department, regardless of age.
However, O’Malley said it would not be a good idea, with the city in the throes of Act 47, or state-designated financially distressed municipality status.
The vote was tabled until city officials could meet with PEL and get answers to questions about how much the proposed resolutions would cost the city long-term.

Most of the police left after that, but O’Malley said he wished they hadn’t. He wanted to tell them about an upsurge in vandalism and bad behavior that he said has all the neighbors in his East Ridge Street neighborhood complaining.

12/19/2006
Nanticoke authority will seek new developer for its project
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Municipal authority members decided advertising is the fairest way to search for someone new to get their main project started.
The authority hopes to hire a developer in February, and could break ground on a mixed commercial and residential building on East Main Street as early as spring, authority chairman Dennis Butler said.
The board voted Monday for solicitor Dick Hughes to draw up an advertisement to be placed in newspapers from Philadelphia to Scranton and trade publications.
“Do I think we’ll get people biting from Philadelphia? Probably not,” Butler said. “But it proves we’re not hiring politically.”
By their January meeting, authority members will compile a list of questions for prospective developers, such as whether their firm declared bankruptcy over the last 10 years, and to give completion dates of three past projects.
The developer would invest in and own the new building, but the municipal authority would own a public parking garage to be built as part of the project, using $5.6 million in federal grant money.
Recently, Nanticoke’s municipal and redevelopment authorities dissolved a May 2004 contract with Impact PA, with a severance check of $50,000 for the Turbotville-based developer. The previous authority boards bought buildings at 108-112, 116 and 120 E. Main St. and had them demolished in November 2005, but nothing was done with the site.
In other business, the 2005 audit newly released by the accounting firm of Zavada and Associates showed no problems, authority accountant Karen Hazleton said.
The audit found the authority had a “positive cash flow” in 2005, she said.
“We were in good shape at the end of 2005, but now we’re broke,” authority member Ron Kamowski said.

12/17/2006
CV News by: Pam Urbanski
If you are like me, you have purchased at least one poinsettia to decorate your home for Christmas. You might be surprised to learn your Christmas plant just might have been grown right here in Nanticoke.
Varsity Inc., located off Main Street next to Noble furniture, grows more than 20,000 poinsettias for the Christmas season. Varsity Inc., formerly Prices Greenhouses, sits on three acres of land and has seven greenhouses. Its poinsettias are grown for the Christmas season and distributed to buyers across and beyond the Wyoming Valley.
Leon Bogdan is the manager of this facility. He has worked at this location for many years.
“When I was in high school, I worked on the farms for Bob Price,” said Leon. Now he makes sure not only poinsettias, but also annuals for the spring season, are grown to perfection.
“There really is a lot of work involved when it comes to growing these plants to maturity,” added Leon.
The growing season for the red, white or pink Christmas plants starts in early October.
“Plants need to be transplanted into bigger pots and after about 20 days transferred to a greenhouse. They need to be carefully spaced, watered and fertilized. An important step is pinching the plant so you have more than one flower on the plant. The floors of the greenhouses are heated, allowing for just the right temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. When the plant is fully grown and just needs color, the heat is turned off. The plants then await distribution.”
After all these years has Bogdan grown tired of the work? “You have to like what you do,” he said. I would say judging by his years of service and the quality of the plant that comes from the greenhouses, he loves his job.
PJP students spread holiday spirit
This past week the first grade and kindergarten classes of Pope John Paul II School brought the spirit of the season to the Nanticoke Municipal Building.
“This is an annual event our students look forward to,” said first grade teacher Ellie Anthony. Each student had a hand in making decorations for the Christmas tree which they carefully placed upon the branches. After trimming the tree the students sang some Christmas carols.
Their hard work did not go without reward as they were treated to refreshments and some neat stuff to take home.

12/15/2006
Financial recovery plan for Nanticoke filed
Coordinator proposes raising earned income tax credit, other measures to help city
By Kalen Churcher Times Leader Correspondent

After years of trying to make do with not enough revenue, the city’s money troubles are relatively easy to explain.
Its recovery plan, however, is more involved.
“In very simple terms, they cannot raise enough money to fund their operations. The reason they can’t is because … they operate under a third-class city code. Under that code, you have very limited tax-raising ability,” said Gerald Cross, executive director of the Pennsylvania Economy League’s Central Division.
On Thursday, the PEL, Nanticoke’s recovery plan coordinator, filed its recovery plan with city hall. In May, under the provisions of the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, also known as Act 47, the city was declared “financially distressed” by the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
The designation allows the city to partner with the state to improve its financial position. West Hazleton, Plymouth Township and Scranton share the same “distressed” status.
In order to keep pace with expenditures, the city has repeatedly borrowed money to cover costs, including a $1 million loan in 2004, $700,000 in 2005, and $750,000 this year from the state.
“They borrowed over $2 million in the last two years and that’s basically equivalent to their annual operating budget,” said Joseph Boyle, PEL research associate.
PEL predictions show that without intervention or additional loans, annual expenditures would exceed revenue by $765,240 in 2007; $926,389 in 2008; and more than $1 million in 2009. Those numbers could change to a surplus of revenue – $14,430 in 2007, $19,303 in 2008, and $36,129 in 2009 – if the recovery plan is successfully implemented.
“When your city doesn’t have a lot of earned income growth, and it doesn’t have a lot of property growth and it doesn’t have a lot of any other growth except expenditure growth, the revenue just doesn’t keep up with it,” Cross said. “Nanticoke spent the last five years using debt as a substitute for cash, and that’s not uncommon in local government.”
As a result, the PEL has recommended raising the city’s earned income tax credit from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent. The increase could generate an additional $1.4 million annually for the city.
Another suggestion involves implementing a 0.33 percent nonresidential earned income tax for people living outside the city’s limits. According to the plan, the tax could generate $225,000 to $235,000 annually. According to the PEL, about 2,200 people were listed in 2006 as commuters to Nanticoke.
Money collected from the nonresident tax will not be used for city operations. Instead, the funds will be earmarked for capital equipment and infrastructure improvements that will benefit commuters.
On a brighter note, should the plan be adopted by council, residents could see a decrease in property taxes.
According to Cross, half of every real estate tax dollar goes toward debts. Currently, just less than 30 mills are dedicated to the debt service fund. The proposal calls for money in the debt service fund to be directly applied to the city’s oldest debts, thereby eliminating one loan and a portion of another. Debt service millage could then be reduced to about 19 mills. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.
A lack of reassessment of city properties has been a major blow to Nanticoke. Even at the city’s current 60-mill tax rate, about 57 percent of people in Nanticoke who own a single-family home pay less than $150 a year to the city in property taxes. Seventy-four percent pay less than $210.
“It’s sad,” Cross said. “They’re paying property taxes at a 1964 rate and receiving 2006 services.”
Services, as defined by the PEL, involve police and fire protection. Other services, such as refuse collection and sewage, are paid by residents.
The more than 130-page document also advises the city to adopt a formal accounting and bookkeeping system. According to the findings, “The city’s accounting and financial management system and its record keeping processes have been inadequate. In fact, there is little reliable historical data for detailed line item revenues and expenditures.” Furthermore, the city “does not have a financial reporting review process in place” making it difficult for council and administration to monitor transactions.
Cross acknowledged that transforming the city’s financial situation will be a challenge but is optimistic considering the current council’s willingness to move ahead.
“They’re not afraid to say: We’re going to get out of this hole.”
The recommendations

Recommendations to Nanticoke by the Pennsylvania Economy League include:

• Raising the earned income tax credit from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent.

• Implementing a nonresident earned income tax of 0.33 percent.

• Evaluating if all tax-exempt properties should receive such designation.

• Developing a strategy to solicit payments in lieu of taxes from the city’s nonprofit entities.

• Initiating a more aggressive policy for collecting back taxes and other fees.

• Taking advantage of all discounts available to the city for making its utility payments on a timely basis.

• Creating a five-year capital plan that prioritizes the use of all capital funds.

• Designing a significantly better accounting and record keeping system.

• Designating one work session per month to review recovery plan implementation.

• Re-evaluating and modifying paid leaves, vacations and holiday pays.

A copy of the Nanticoke City Financial Recovery plan is available at City Hall or you can view it here.

12/8/2006
Nanticoke will start charging a fee for residential, commercial permits
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The city joined other municipalities throughout the county and state in imposing fees for residential and commercial permits when council passed an ordinance Thursday night.
The ordinance also establishes fees for business and residential occupancy certificates, zoning hearings and plan reviews. The penalty for violating the ordinance is a fine of $25 to $300 per day plus magisterial court costs, and up to 90 days in jail.
Among the things people will need permits for are building new homes or businesses; putting on an addition; constructing a garage or shed; adding a porch, pool, patio or parking lot; and installing a new heating or air conditioning system.
Fees depend on the expense of the job. Residential permits start at $30 for the first $1,000 of work and $10 is added for each additional $1,000 of work — so a $10,000 job would cost $120 in permit fees.
The fees are similar to what other municipalities charge. Wilkes-Barre Township, on which Nanticoke’s new ordinance is based, charges the same. Laflin Borough starts at $45 for $1,000 and goes by increments of $15 for each additional $1,000 of work, so a $10,000 job would cost $180 in permit fees.

But unlike most of its neighboring municipalities, Nanticoke never charged construction permit fees, said solicitor Joseph Lach. “It’s one of those efforts to generate additional income,” Lach said.
The financially-distressed city, which runs an annual deficit, has been seeking new ways to raise revenues.

12/7/2006
2 Nanticoke workers fired to make budget
Street department employees were laid off after union failed to OK health cost changes.
By Ian CampbellTimes Leader Correspondent

Two full-time street department employees were laid off in Nanticoke in order to make a budget the state could live with, but one council member Wednesday expressed regret at his vote, and asked if the layoffs could be revisited.
The short answer, from Mayor John Bushko, was no.
The layoff option had been on the table when the budget was in the planning stage last month, and council members made it clear that if changes to health costs weren’t accepted by the union, layoffs would be inevitable.
Now, with the city’s 2007 budget in the hands of the Pennsylvania Economy League, which is supervising the city’s finances under its Distressed City status, the option is not available.
The names of the employees were not revealed at the meeting.
Gerald Cross, representing the league, told the meeting that the budget was under review, and would be returned to the city Dec. 14 so a public comment period could be held. On Jan. 3, there would be a public hearing on the budget at the Greater Nanticoke Area High School, and then the league would have a 10-day period to address the issues raised by public comments.
Council members were concerned that the public meeting was taking place on the same day as the first scheduled council meeting of the new year, but Cross noted the state was concerned that the full comment period be used, and Jan. 3 was the final day. They also wanted to ensure the availability of a stenographer for an official record, he noted.
He suggested council could either hold its January meeting earlier in the evening, or on a day prior to or after Jan. 4.

12/07/2006
Tax increase sparks debate in Nanticoke; financial recovery plan will be released Dec. 14
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

A potential tax increase sparked discussion and disagreement at Wednesday’s council meeting.
Nanticoke’s state-appointed Act 47 coordinator, Pennsylvania Economy League, will make its financial recovery plan for the distressed city public on Dec. 14.
A proposal in the plan is an earned income tax increase. The city imposes a 1 percent earned income tax, with 0.5 percent to the city and 0.5 percent to Greater Nanticoke Area School District. An increase would bring the city’s portion up from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent, or 2 percent total.
“This isn’t written in stone that we’re going to do this, but chances are good we are,” Mayor John Bushko said.
Each year the city runs a deficit of up to $500,000 and must do something, he said.
Residents Dennis Butler and Hank Marks are both on the city’s municipal authority, but Wednesday night they spoke as taxpayers — and opponents.
Marks, who served on GNA’s Act 1 tax study committee, said on Monday it recommended to the school board a 0.5 percent income tax increase for property tax relief. That would bring total earned income tax for Nanticoke residents to 2.5 percent.
Butler said that large an earned income tax increase was unfair to working people.
“You’re putting the burden for maintenance and support of this town on the backs of the minority of people,” Butler said.
He prefers a personal income tax, which includes tax on earnings from such things as dividends and interest.
Under third-class city code, Nanticoke can’t impose a personal income tax, PEL executive director Gerry Cross said.
A public hearing will be held Jan. 3, 2007, at 7 p.m. in the Nanticoke High School auditorium.

12/03/2006
There are many activities and events in Nanticoke to usher in the holiday season
Pam Urbanski

Yvonne Bozinski, special events coordinator for the City of Nanticoke, invites children and adults to the annual Christmas in the Park on Sunday, Dec. 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Patriot Park.
“Sunday, Dec. 10th is an opportunity for the community to come together.” Children will be able to visit with Santa and let him know what is on their Christmas wish list. All children will receive goody bags and a stuffed toy. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served. The Nanticoke High School chorus will provide the sounds of the season.

Christmas at St. Andrew’s
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is sponsoring a Christmas program of Christmas stories and carols, today at 2 p.m. A short narrated program will be presented telling the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph and their journey to Bethlehem. Various carols will be sung during the program. “The Christmas Alphabet” will be presented by the church school.
Gifts will be given to the first 30 children, ages 5 to 11, who attend with an adult. Following the program, refreshments will be served and of course Santa will take time out of his busy schedule to visit with children.
The church is located at 12 E. Kirmar Ave., Alden.

St. Stanislaus plans toy bingo
St. Stanislaus Parish is holding its annual holiday toy bingo today. The doors open at 11 a.m. and the bingo starts at 1 p.m. There will be great toys, gifts and door prizes. The kitchen will be open for refreshments. The event will be held in the St. Stanislaus School Hall on Church Street in Nanticoke.
Help keep those in need warm
The Mother Teresa of Calcutta Social Concerns Ministry asks for your help in making sure that local families stay warm this winter season. They are collecting scarves, gloves, earmuffs and hats that will be distributed to families who need these items. Donations can be placed under the trees located at Holy Child, Holy Trinity, St. Mary of Czestochowa and St. Stanislaus churches. Anyone who knows of a family in need is asked to talk with the Rev. Jim Nash or call the parish office at 735-4833.

Origami at Pope John Paul II
Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, will be held at Pope John Paul II School. Lynn Catnes, who was featured on the Home and Garden Show, will teach the class.
Festive Christmas models will be taught. The class will be held Monday, Dec. 11. Session I will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for students in grades two through four. Session II, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., is for students in grade five through adult. Class size is limited to 15 people. Registration deadline is Monday. The cost is $10. Classes will be held at Pope John Paul School’s main building cafeteria.

Teen Mass at St. Stanislaus
The next Teen Mass for area youth will be held next Sunday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. at St. Stanislaus church. A gathering in the youth room will be held following the Mass.

11/29/2006
Local pro-wrestling group goes old school
By Stephanie DeBalko Weekender Intern

In this day and age, say the words “professional wrestling” and the first things that likely to come to mind are unnaturally huge muscles, a whole lot of expletives and a decent amount of T&A.
There is one group of individuals in our own backyard, however, looking to change all of that.
The World Wrestling Coalition (WWC) was started by Mark Spencer and Tommy “The Executioner” Rumsby. While Spencer is the promoter of the organization, Rumsby primarily trains prospective and current WWC wrestlers along with his son, “Tommy Thunder.” The WWC is based in Nanticoke, where wrestlers are trained at Stars and Stripes Gym.
WWC members meet three times a week where Rumsby trains the athletes step by step, paying close attention to detail and honing certain skills. According to Spencer, the organization is open to both men and women as young as about 16 years of age, although those under 18 need special consent from parents to participate. While many wrestlers show up at the “practices” to work out and keep in shape, the program is currently working to train three prospective professional wrestlers.
The difference between this professional wrestling program and the professional wrestling that can be seen on television today is that the WWC is working to promote a drug free atmosphere. Essentially, Rumsby, Spencer and their entire crew are trying to bring the cleanliness back to wrestling, where the interest is more in the sport itself and less in the special effects.
“We’re trying to bring wrestling back [to] the way it was years ago, where everybody can watch it grandmothers, even. We are trying to take a lot of the filth out of it and bring back the clean wrestling,” Spencer said.
The WWC is also looking to do fundraisers for local high schools, an idea that coincides with the group’s efforts to help children and young adults make informed decisions. The notion of cleaning up wrestling, says Spencer, meshes well with this fundraising goal, as both show young and pliable minds how it’s more beneficial to get what you want by working for it rather than taking the easy way out.
The WWC is also a huge proponent of the idea that wrestlers should train drug-free. Wrestlers in the program are trained to use what they’ve got and build up their own strength without the aid of any unhealthy outside supplements, such as steroids.
“Too many wrestlers have died due to drug abuse or steroid abuse over the years, and we just don’t want to see that happen anymore, so we’re trying to build these wrestlers up into using what they have to get better technically, to build themselves up, but to do it naturally,” said Chris Mochin, vice president of marketing and promotion.
Watching Rumsby train a new student in the ring, there is no surprise that he’s got more than 40 years of experience under his belt. Rumsby details how each move should be done so well that even a wrestling novice would likely be able to pick up some technical moves under his tutelage.
The next event the WWC is planning will be December 2 at the Nanticoke Armory. This event, appropriately titled “Kristmas Kaos,” will feature a showdown between Tommy Thunder and The Honky Tonk Man, as well as matches between Mass Destruction Dave Duncan and Heartthrob Vinnie Delicious, and between Jolly Old St. Nick Santa Claus and “The Iceman” Jack Frost. If you’re looking for a classic showdown of athletic abilities, with just a bit of showmanship thrown in or good measure, than this affair is one you should surely check out.

11/28/2006
Nanticoke ready to begin redevelopment project despite lack of developer
By: eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

East Main Street needs redeveloping, and the city has a plan and some grant money in place to get started.
Now all city officials need is someone to do the job.
Previously, the municipal and redevelopment authorities voted to dissolve the May 2004 contract that gave Turbotville-based Impact PA exclusive rights as consultant and developer for the downtown revitalization project.
An agreement signed by all parties and a $50,000 check the municipal authority wrote to Impact PA make the amicable split final, municipal authority solicitor Richard Hughes said at Monday’s meeting.
“It came to a good conclusion,” he said. “I think it bodes well for the future of Nanticoke.”
The two authorities and city council all concur the best way to guide downtown revitalization is through the plan drawn up by Facility Design and Development Ltd. at the request of the South Valley Partnership, a non-profit regional group that includes Nanticoke.
The three entities all have to agree on a developer to follow the plan, preferably one who can contribute financing to the project.
Municipal authority president Dennis Butler said he wants to see prospective developers’ financial statements and bonding to prove they are capable of completing the project.
He also wants a contract clause to ensure that no relative of any elected or appointed official or city employee will be employed by or receive any compensation from the chosen developer.
Chester Beggs urged his fellow board members to get started quickly so the municipal authority won’t lose the $5 million in federal Department of Transportation funding U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, secured for the project.
Hughes said he would see if council and the redevelopment authority would prefer to come to the next municipal authority meeting, to be held Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in the municipal building, or schedule a separate joint meeting.
During the Dec.18 meeting, an audit of the municipal authority’s finances will be unveiled.
The authority will finally know how much money was spent and what for, and how much is left.
“That’s going to be the answer to a lot of questions,” Butler said.

11/24/2006
St. Francis Thanksgiving Dinner
By jconmy@citizensvoice.com

Resident Janet Smith made sure to leave a donation as she left St. Francis of Assisi Church early Thursday afternoon.
Smith and friends Chester Lubecki and Edward Terkoski had just enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner and each other’s company.
“I hope they keep it going every year,” Smith said. “I don’t expect to come here for free, I come here for the companionship.
“And it’s less cooking,” she said with a smile.
Between people dining at the church or those having meals delivered, about 300 people were served, said organizer Tony Volpicelli. This is the 23rd year volunteers from the East Green Street church have prepared Thanksgiving dinner for people of all ages. Members of its sister parish, nearby Saint Joseph’s, also help out.
“This is for people who are alone or have no relatives,” said Volpicelli, of Nanticoke. “You don’t have to be poor. This is for everybody. There are no distinctions.”
Most of the food is donated, Volpicelli said. The Sanitary Bakery provided all the baked goods — from deserts to the bread crumbs for the stuffing. About 25 volunteers handled the cooking and deliveries.
A half dozen Bishop Hoban High School students donated their time before leaving to have dinner with their own families.
Junior Ryan Gorski volunteered with his father, Bob, and brother, Robert Jr. His volunteering also counts as credit for the school’s community service requirement.
“It’s good for the community so I wanted to help out and get some of my community service hours,” said Gorski, a member of Saint Joseph’s.
Joe Modla, Nanticoke, was volunteering his time before he and his daughter, Frankee, were heading to Mountain Top for dinner with their family. Modla was counting at the door and said both people dining in and deliveries were up from last year.
Smith plans to be a regular.
“We just enjoy being with other people so we don’t have to eat alone,” Smith said. “A lot of people just don’t have anyone."

11/24/2006
Nanticoke residents could find Act 47 options distressing
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Nanticoke residents might receive an earned income tax hike next year, depending on what options city officials choose in a long-term financial plan for the distressed city.
But a potential bright side is that homeowners could see their property taxes go down.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development declared Nanticoke Act 47, or financially distressed, in May. The Pennsylvania Economy League, the city’s financial recovery coordinator, is working on a long-term plan so the city can get out of debt.
The plan will be made public Dec. 14, said Matt Domines of DCED’s Governor’s Center for Local Government Services Northeast Regional Office. A public hearing must be held within 20 days, and, 25 days after that, council has to vote to accept the plan, he said.
Gerald Cross of the Pennsylvania Economy League said it is too early for him to discuss what the recovery plan might contain, saying, “We are exploring all the possibilities for expenditure and revenue changes for the city.”
However, Mayor John Bushko was willing to talk about the draft of the plan city officials received, stating taxpayers had a right to know what might lie ahead.
“(PEL) gave us a copy of some options of what we want to do,” Bushko said.
Under current conditions, PEL predicts Nanticoke will have budget shortfalls of $763,000 in 2007, $919,000 in 2008, and $1,022,000 in 2009, Bushko said. An Act 47 requirement is to avoid deficits for at least three years.
One option is to raise the earned income tax. Nanticoke has a 1 percent earned income tax, with .5 percent for the city and .5 percent for the Greater Nanticoke Area School District.
If the city raises its earned income tax to 1.5 percent total, it would bring in $680,000 a year — enough to trim the deficit but not eliminate it. But if the city raises earned income tax to a total of 2 percent, it would bring in $1,360,000. That would give the city a surplus.
It will also give city officials an opportunity to cut property taxes. Of the city’s 60.38 mill property tax, 29.38 mills go for debt service. One mill brings in $3.51; the average property tax bill is $211.93, Bushko said.
The city can use revenue from earned income tax for almost anything, including paying off debt. However, revenue from the 29.38 mills can only go towards debt. Bushko favors sharing the city’s debt burden between wage earners and property owners by reducing the debt service millage to 14.69. That would lower the average property tax bill to $156.81.
Another possibility for new revenue is a commuter tax of .25 percent for the 2,200 people who work in Nanticoke but don’t live there, Bushko said. The $175,599 a year it would bring in can only go for things like street improvements and fire and police services. City officials have to talk over the plan and decide which way to go, Bushko said.
They will be faced with some tough decisions, Domines said. And residents might not all agree with the plan, he said.
“At the hearings, maybe somebody will come up with a better idea, and we’ll change it,” Bushko said.

11/24/2006
Kevin Ryan
By Dawn Zera For Times Leader

Nanticoke resident Kevin Ryan, 47, lives in a fantasy world. And it’s a world he’s managed to translate artistically.
Step foot into Ryan’s home, and find everything neatly in its place, but look closely at the knickknacks and novel titles on the bookshelves, as well as the paintings on the walls, and it becomes obvious that Ryan is a man who does not discriminate when it comes to fantasies.
One bookshelf, for instance, boasts an impressive display of dragon and wizard paraphernalia. Another entire bookcase is devoted to Egyptology. A lamp sports an artist’s sculpture of a centaur. A sword takes on a decorative element on a wall. Ryan’s e-mail address also incorporates the word “sword.”
Ask Ryan what inspires him, and anything relating to fantasy comes up. Angels inspire him. He is a fan of novelist Anne Rice, who is known for her books about vampires. He loves the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Books about ghosts, comic-book characters, Conan the Barbarian, Native American lore, new-age music…
Ryan was an only child raised by his grandmother, and the fantasy worlds provided an extended family for him. A trucker by trade, an injury sidelined him, and he decided to take college classes to learn more about how to improve the drawing he had always done. With popular science fiction/fantasy artist Boris Vellejo (a Pennsylvania resident originally from Peru) as an inspiration, Ryan has expanded his art hobby to a point where he has displayed and sold his paintings.
And his work runs the gamut of fantasy. One vivid, detailed work showcases a dragon, another is a brooding portrait of a cat, and yet another piece highlights scenes from the Bible, which Ryan finds personally motivating. And there are daily experiences that prompt Ryan to pick up the paintbrush. One painting portrays a mysterious nighttime scene, typical of evenings when the moon is full, reflecting an eerie glow on ghostlike clouds.
“The night images, when the clouds are around a full moon, or there are lots of stars, make me want to paint. It is breathtaking. It inspires me. Sunsets inspire me. Sometimes, if I am driving, I just pull over to watch the sunset,” Ryan said.
Clearly in touch with his spirituality, Ryan was moved recently to paint a portrait for a West Pittston woman, Lena Gregori, whose son died in North Korea nearly 60 years ago.
He had heard Gregori’s story: She only recently had her son’s remains returned and had only one photograph of her son in his military uniform. Breaking from his typical art, and using that photograph as a model, Ryan painted Gregori’s son and presented the finished piece to her.
Ryan’s not sure exactly why he was motivated to give such a gift.
“I guess I was just touched. I felt bad she waited 56 years to get her son’s remains back, and I guess with a grandmom who raised me, she reminded me of that,” Ryan said.
Ryan is raising two sons of his own, Michael and Christian.
For more information about his work, or to view pieces, visit www.groups.aol.com/drwfantasy and click on “art by Swordsbane.”

11/16/2006
Nanticoke council votes to cut city’s road crew
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

City employees are getting a new system for purchasing supplies, but there will be fewer public works department members around to use it.
Council voted 4-1 Wednesday to cut the road crew down by two after realizing it is necessary to pare down what seems to be an inevitable deficit in the 2007 budget.
Councilman Jim Litchkofski, the only no vote, said manpower on the road crew is not significant, and with two fewer men, the city might have trouble providing basic services. There are six workers, plus the director of public works and a building and grounds maintenance person.
Since the city’s ability to raise revenue is limited, expenses must be slashed.
If the city employees unions had unanimously agreed to switch to a different healthcare option — saving the city $100,000 — personnel wouldn’t have to be cut, Councilman Bill O’Malley said. But the police union turned it down, he said.
The only personnel who can be laid off are road department or clerical workers, Mayor John Bushko said.
The layoffs can be voluntary, or else have to be based on seniority according to the road workers’ contracts.
“I don’t want to see anyone lose their job, but by the same token, we can’t keep going $200,000 or $300,000 in the hole every year,” Bushko said.
The “bare bones” budget O’Malley prepared contains a $400,000 deficit that has to be filled in. He said he submitted a copy to the city’s financial recovery coordinator, the Pennsylvania Economy League, which is also working on a 2007 budget for the financially distressed city.
However, O’Malley doesn’t expect the organization to draw up a completely balanced budget, either.
“No matter if it is my budget or PEL’s budget or whoever’s it may be, we are looking at a significant deficit,” he said.
Nanticoke’s credit rating is so bad the city can’t get credit cards to use for necessities such as fuel for its vehicles. But a new purchase card system through M&T Bank will allow city employees to “charge” specific things like gas and office supplies.
The cards will eliminate the need for petty cash, and allow the city to control purchases, O’Malley said.
On a related note, residents will soon be able to pay city taxes and fees, including refuse and permit fees, with their credit cards.

11/11/2006
CV News
It is an exciting time for students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade who attend Greater Nanticoke Area Education Center and Elementary Center. Students welcomed back MOTS, a pretty funky character who challenged them to read a certain amount of minutes each day. Last year the students came through with flying colors.
This year Cindy Evans, Parent Teacher Association president and creator of MOTS and the reading program, has come up with a new challenge for students.
“This year we are challenging students to exercise their bodies as well as their brains,” said Cindy.
The program kicked off with an assembly where students were reintroduced to MOTS and her new little sister MIGLIA (Mee-Lee-Uh). “The children were thrilled to know we were continuing with MOTS and just love the new addition to the program,” she added.
Each classroom was presented with a bag of playground equipment, compliments of the PTA. Classrooms that meet monthly walking goals will be rewarded with MOTS money that can be traded in for additional equipment that helps kids exercise during school time. They are also treated to parties, complete with frozen yogurt, veggies and dip.
Students are encouraged to walk as many miles as they can during recess for the school year and see how far they can walk as a group. So far they have walked 5,857 miles. That means they have just left Salamanca, Spain, crossed the Mediterranean Sea passed Monaco continuing on through Italy. They have crossed the Adriatic Sea and are about 44 miles past Turkey! Teachers map out the route in their classrooms.
“The students are really interested in figuring out where they are,” said Cindy. One teacher even told her how her class looks forward to pulling down the globe to map out their route so far.
An exercise program that pulls in geography. Great!
The program has expanded this year to include families. Each month, the PTA hopes to sponsor a different event. Cindy and fellow PTA officer Jamie Miller came up with the idea to get families involved in the program.
In September, a wellness program was held for students, their families and friends. MOTS and MIGLIA were on hand to greet everyone and Joseph Long, principal of the Education Center, kicked things off with a walk around the elementary center. Everyone then returned to the education center for refreshments, games, a moonwalk and face painting.
Today, a second program will be held. The PTA is sponsoring a hoedown, complete with dancing, and a chili and apple pie cook off. Cindy and Jamie will be doing the cooking, which includes a sample of food from across the U.S.
Cindy tells me the purpose of this day is to let kids know that exercise isn’t only about sit ups or running or even walking. During the program students will get their exercise by line dancing and square dancing.
“Kids need to know they can exercise in a lot of different ways and have fun,” said Cindy, adding presenting food from different regions will introduce students to food they normally wouldn’t eat.
The chili and pie cook off is open to students and their parents/grandparents. The event is open to the whole community and is free of charge. There will be food, games and fun from 3 to 6 p.m in the Greater Nanticoke Area Elementary Center and Education Center.
Hats off to all those involved with this program, especially Cindy Evans. You are changing lives.

11/10/2006
GNA junior ask board to settle teachers contract
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Holly Mitkowski wishes the school board and teachers would come down to earth.
The future astrophysical engineering major enjoys science. She has been an enthusiastic participant in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, the Science Olympiad, and the Robotics program since she started high school.
But this year the gravity of a contract dispute has her grounded.
Mitkowski, a junior at Greater Nanticoke Area High School, and her fellow students are frustrated because their extracurricular activities have been jettisoned, she told the Greater Nanticoke Area school board Thursday. She asked the board to settle the teachers contract soon so students can get them back.
Although their contract expired June 30, 2005, teachers are still working under its terms as negotiations continue. Board members say teachers won’t help with any extracurricular activities, including chaperoning dances and moderating clubs, without a new contract.
“If they’re not getting paid for it, they won’t do it,” board member Cindy Donlin said.
Extracurricular activities are important to college-bound students, Mitkowski said. Many teach valuable lessons that aren’t always presented in the classroom, she said.
“I’ve known a lot of students to get scholarships through these programs,” she said.
Donlin promised Mitkowski the board would do what it could, including seeing if people from local colleges could help. “Just because there’s not a contract, I don’t think you students should miss out on things,” Donlin told her.
The negotiating committee, made up of Donlin and board members Gary Smith and Bob Rainieri, meets weekly with the teachers union. Main issues are salaries and health care.
They could not talk about how negotiations were going, but Rainieri said teachers have been picketing his business and Smith’s house after school. “You can picket us, but don’t interrupt the kids’ education,” Rainieri said, referring to the teachers.

11/10/2006
An honor for our heroes
Those who served in WWII receive a commemorative medal and citation during ceremony.
By rlieback@leader.net

After receiving a commemorative World War II medal on behalf of her father, a teary-eyed Judy Ruth sat down at her seat and took a Bible out of her purse.
Tucked away between the pages of Revelation was a picture of her father, Floyd Haden Ruth, an Army veteran who passed away on May 28.
“For my dad, military service was his life. He was proud to serve our country, and would be smiling to have the chance to receive this medal. Medals were everything to him.”
And with medals, there are memories.
Many memories need preserving, according to state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne.
To further recognize World War II veterans for the upcoming Veterans Day this Saturday, Yudichak held a special ceremony at the American Legion Post 350 Thursday afternoon.
More than 100 veterans, including the deceased, received a commemorative medal and a special citation during the two-hour service.
“To shake their hands today is to touch history,” Yudichak said. “They present not only American democracy, but indeed the free world.”
Yudichak said the medals were only a “small token” for paying respect to the veterans, but are a symbol for “our lasting gratitude for their sacrifices.”
After the Boy Scout Troop 418, Nanticoke, marched into the room, flags flying, and the national anthem was sung, the Wyoming Valley West choir, consisting of about 35 singers and a single piano player, performed a collage of patriotic tunes, including “America the Beautiful” and “Yankee Doodle.”
The packed recreational room in the American Legion applauded loudly after each veteran was commemorated, tears rolling down many faces in the crowd.
“This was beautifully arranged,” Nanticoke Mayor John Bushko said. “We can never forget our local veterans who fought so bravely for our freedom.”
John Forgach, 74, a veteran of the Korean War, was also ardent about the bravery of the World War II veterans.
“When they (World War II veterans) graduated from high school, they didn’t have the luxury of taking a summer off or going to college,” the former American history teacher said. “They went off to the service and stood until the end. To repeat (Tom) Brokaw, they were the ‘Greatest Generation.’”
At one point in the ceremony, a veteran stood up and congratulated Yudichak on his recent victory to secure his fifth two-year term in the 119th Legislative District.
“My victory was a lot easier won than yours.”

11/9/2006
Gymnasts vault into Division I
By Jill Snowdon

Neither Amy Bieski or Nikki Lyons ever donned a high school athletic uniform, earned a varsity letter or competed with their classmates in a Wyoming Valley Conference sport.
Both, however, are going to Division I universities on full athletic scholarships.
Bieski, a senior at Nanticoke Area and Lyons, a senior at Crestwood, signed letters of intent to compete at the next level of gymnastics, Wednesday night at Northeast Gymnastics training center in Hanover Township.
Bieski is headed to West Virginia, while Lyons is taking her tumbling talents to Louisiana State University. They are the first gymnasts from Northeast Gymnastics to receive Division I scholarships.
“It’s really cool that I am going to be doing this for a school,” Bieski said. “(Northeast Gymnastics) is a club team and I never played a school sport so it’ll be nice to say I’m a West Virginia Mountaineer and I’m an athlete at their college.”
Both girls are Level 10 gymnasts and took up the sport when they were just youngsters. Bieski has been at Northeast since she was 4 and Lyons since she was 5. At that age, gymnasts are considered Level 4.
Long hours in the gym six days a week, 12 months a year for the last 12 years certainly paid off.
“Our sport is all year round and we train 22 to 25 hours a week,” Bieski said. “It just takes a lot of time and dedication, but it’s very rewarding.”
At the club level, gymnastic competitions are few and far between. The girls compete in seven or eight meets a year, including the state meet, regionals and national competition. Lyons and Bieski have each advanced to the national level, which is where they were recognized by college coaches.
In college, gymnasts compete every weekend for 13 weeks – something Lyons and Bieski say will be an adjustment.
“It’s going to be tough, but my first meet (with LSU) will be in Cancun, so I’m happy about that,” Lyons said. “By the end it will be a lot harder when we get to the NCAA championships.”
Lyons had a long list of colleges that showed interest in her but she narrowed her official visits to Oklahoma, Illinois, Arizona State and LSU. She made her first visit to Baton Rouge and cancelled the others.
LSU has made 18 NCAA championship appearances under veteran coach D.D. Breaux, who has a 495-302-7 career record.
“It’s kind of neat to be one of the first in the area to get a full ride to gymnastics to a top 10 school,” Lyons said. “When I was little my goal was the Olympics but as I got older and saw how hard it was to make it onto the Olympic team, my goal went to getting a college scholarship to a top 10 school and that’s what I got.”
Bieski also had a number of colleges looking to land her on their roster, including Arizona State, Michigan State, Auburn and West Virginia. Like Lyons, Bieski made her choice after her first official visit.
West Virginia also has a well established program under the guidance of long-time coach Linda Burdette, who has compiled a record of 524-211-4 over 31 years.
“The girls were nice and the coaches were nice and that was really important to me because our coach (Lori Dexter) is so great,” Bieski said. “I couldn’t imagine going to a program that didn’t have a coach as nice and supportive as her.”
Dexter has coached both girls since they were no higher than a balance beam. She’s especially proud of their accomplishments because she knows the sacrifices that go into becoming a gymnast at the college level. Dexter trained out of the Allentown area when she was younger and went on to compete for Iowa University.
“They are extremely dedicated, that’s why they are getting full rides,” Dexter said. “They are here six days a week for 12 months so it’s a commitment from everyone...themselves, their families, even their friends.”
As the girls signed their names on the college forms, their families and friends gathered around to celebrate. Another group of eager supporters joined in. They were little girls bouncing and tumbling on the mats, training just as Bieski and Lyons did so many years ago.
“I’m really glad to be set an example for them because Nikki and I put in a lot of hard work and in the end, it really paid off,” Bieski said. “We’re going to school for free and there are so many talented young ladies here that I’m sure you’ll be interviewing many more gymnasts in the future.”

11/06/2006
Youth task force readies headquarters
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The transformation of the building at 24 S. Prospect St. from Stickney Fire Co. headquarters to Greater Nanticoke Area Drug Task Force and Youth Task Force headquarters is nearly complete.
Although the official grand opening won’t be for a little while yet, members of the anti-drug group recently had a chance to show off their handiwork at the first public event, a Halloween party.
Down in the basement, where the Stickney firefighters once met for refreshments, several 10th graders from Greater Nanticoke Area gathered around task force president Frank Vandermark — who they affectionately call “Uncle Frank” — to assess what needs to be done.
There will be a snack bar and game room, with board and video games. There is a full kitchen, a bar and a small ornamental fireplace, which, even if it doesn’t work, adds atmosphere.
“This place is gonna be hot,” said youth task force secretary Sharon Provenzano.
“I can’t wait for this to be all done. It’s going to be sweet,” agreed task force president Kaila Sakowski.
In the main floor garage, there are pool tables, ping-pong and air hockey tables, and a piano. More play equipment is being donated, Vandermark said.
Upstairs, there is a computer lab and rooms where the task force and other groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous meet. The walls were painted in bright colors by the young volunteers.
Youth task force members, all Greater Nanticoke Area High School students, did most of the renovating themselves, Vandermark said.
The task force board agreed teens would feel it was really their own place if they put in the sweat equity. Which they did, at least twice a week, Provenzano said.
Heavy-duty jobs like the electrical system and air conditioning were provided free by local professionals, Vandermark said.
Next spring, the task force plans to lay concrete behind the building for a basketball hoop and an outdoor picnic area.
The Greater Nanticoke Area Drug Task Force was formed in August 2003 when police, school district officials and community members decided to combat a growing drug problem. The group aimed to give teens a recreation center, and to educate them about drug and alcohol abuse.
At first, meetings were held in the basement of St. Francis Church on East Green Street. But swelling enrollment led the task force board to seek a bigger, permanent home.
Nanticoke council leased the fire hall to the task force in June 2005. This May, council closed the Stickney and Washington Fire Co. buildings because the financially distressed city could no longer afford them.
The Stickney firefighters were reluctant to give up the building at first. They ended up being very cooperative, moving their equipment out of the Stickney building and into the main fire hall on at 2 E. Ridge St. and giving their fire truck to neighboring Newport Township, councilman Brent Makarczyk said.
The task force will honor the Stickney firefighters and their 121 years of service with a permanent exhibit in the fire truck bay, Vandermark said.

11/6/2006
Nanticoke search for developer will cost
There has been no downtown development for 18 months with Impact Pennsylvania.
By smocarsky@leader.net

A new developer will be appointed to handle downtown revitalization efforts, but it’s going to cost the Nanticoke Municipal Authority $50,000 to break ties with the old one.
Mayor John Bushko said Sunday that members of the municipal authority and the Nanticoke Redevelopment Authority voted at separate meetings last week to end a contract between the authorities and Impact Pennsylvania.
Bushko said municipal authority solicitor Richard Hughes negotiated an agreement with Robert Yoder, head of Impact, to release the authorities from the contract for a $50,000 payment from the municipal authority.
The two authorities had been at a stalemate for more than a year on how to proceed with downtown development.
The redevelopment authority owns properties in the city such as the Kanjorski Center and several parking lots, and the municipal authority manages the properties. Both authorities and city council weigh in on downtown revitalization plans.
Bushko said release from the contract is “a good thing,” because no downtown development has occurred in the past 18 months that Impact has had the contract, and he didn’t like its terms.
“One man shouldn’t have all the authority to do whatever they want downtown,” Bushko said, referring to Yoder.
“According to the contract, he would be the sole developer (and) the general contractor and could hire any companies he wanted. The only people he would have to answer to would be the municipal authority. He had all the apples in his cart,” Bushko said.
Attempts to reach Yoder on Sunday were unsuccessful.
Impact had proposed a $23 million plan to redevelop the downtown. Authority members didn’t support Impact’s entire plan, but they wanted to build a new parking garage, which could attract new tenants in the authority-run Kanjorski Center on Main Street.
The 32,000-square-foot Kanjorski Center has been almost 88 percent empty since HealthNow, a Medicare claims processing company, relocated last October to Dallas. With the center’s anchor tenant gone, the authority is going broke, having lost $33,000 in monthly income.
Bushko said the cash-strapped city will have to kick in about $40,000 to cover the municipal authority’s operating expenses for that building next year if no new tenant is found.
“When they run out of money, the city is financially responsible for (the building). We can’t just let it go and forget about it because you lose the building, we lose all our equity,” Bushko said, adding, “We’ll get (the money) somewhere.”
Impact had proposed spending $7.7 million from federal transportation grants on a 324-vehicle parking garage by the Kanjorski Center in hopes that additional downtown parking would attract new tenants.
Last fall, contractors demolished three buildings on Main Street to make room for an office building and parking garage, but the project hasn’t developed since.
Bushko said most members of the authorities and council are impressed with a study with the South Valley Partnership had done on a 10-year development plan, which recommends the use of private investment for revitalization rather than only public funding. He said the municipal authority will appoint a new developer after discussions with the other entities involved.
“Right now, we’re in a perfect position, where all the authorities and council are ready to sit down and talk. Before, everybody was going in different directions,” Bushko said.
Bushko said municipal authority Chairman Walter Sokolowski and board member Steve Buchinski were the only dissenters in the votes to dissolve the contract with Impact. Neither could be reached for comment.
Bushko said Chester Beggs, who sits on both authorities, was the swing vote on the municipal authority. Beggs, Bushko said, previously supported Impact as the developer.
Beggs declined comment for this story.
Bushko said things started running smoother after council approved four new members to the municipal authority he recommended earlier this year – Henry Marks, Henry Kellar, Richard Butler and Ron Kamowski.

11/5/2006
Nanticoke cancels developer contract
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The city’s redevelopment authority voted Saturday to dissolve a contract with the downtown developer, clearing the way for a new revitalization plan.
The board opted 3-2 to cancel a contract with Impact PA that gave the Turbotville-based firm exclusive consulting and development rights for projects on East Main Street and Market Street.
Last week the municipal authority voted unanimously to cancel the May 2005 contract after authority attorney Richard Hughes and Impact PA head Robert Yoder arranged an amicable agreement. The municipal authority must make a one-time payment of $50,000 to Impact PA.
The redevelopment authority owns property in the city and the municipal authority manages it. Both share in decisions about downtown revitalization.
Redevelopment authority chairman Walter Sokolowski, who with Steve Buchinski voted against terminating the contract, said it was because he didn’t like the idea of paying Yoder $50,000 to leave when he has done his job so far.
Mayor John Bushko said Yoder has been “dragging his feet” with nothing to show after 18 months. Buchinski said because of bickering among both authorities and council, Yoder was never given clear instructions.
Yoder did not attend Saturday’s meeting.
Impact PA’s plan included a 324-space parking garage and more than 44,000 square feet of new retail and commercial space on East Main Street. State and federal grants would cover most of the approximately $23.4 million project.
City officials and municipal authority members prefer ideas proposed in a regional strategic plan drawn up by Facility Design and Development Ltd. at the request of the South Valley Partnership.
The strategic plan recommends Nanticoke seek private investors for commercial buildings instead of using only government funding and placing parking throughout downtown instead of in just one parking garage.
Now the authorities and council need to select a developer to implement the plan. Bushko said some have already expressed interest.
Chester Beggs, who sits on both authority boards, made an informal suggestion after the meeting to advertise for developers to see if there are even more choices.
In other business, Henry Marks, who is also on both boards, said after the $50,000 payment to Yoder, the municipal authority will only have about $25,000 left. That won’t be enough to pay for maintenance and bills at the 80-percent vacant Kanjorski Center on East Main Street unless the building is sold or rented.
The redevelopment authority appreciated councilman Bill O’Malley’s proposal during this week’s council meeting that the city set aside at least $40,000 in next year’s budget to help with the Kanjorski Center. However, authority members wondered if the cash-strapped and debt-encumbered city could spare the money.
The redevelopment authority wants an assessment done on three parcels of land it owns on Market Street. The authority wants to sell the parcels, which are all paved parking lots that don’t seem suitable for building, to interested neighboring businesses, Sokolowski said. Besides getting money for the lots, the authority wouldn’t have to pay to maintain, plow and insure them, he said.
“It’s a gain for the businesses, and it’s a gain for the city,” Sokolowski said.

11/5/2006
More News

Off to the races at Pope John Paul
Pope John Paul II School will hold its annual Nite at the Races on Saturday, Nov. 18. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the races start at 6:30 p.m.
Purchase a horse for the race and the donation at the door is $2. Donation at the door without a horse is $7. The evening will feature delicious food by Jack Rentko, raffles, and exciting harness racing via the big screen television. You must be 21 years of age to attend this event. For tickets or information call Brian Waugh at 735-0115. The school is located on Hanover Street next to Holy Trinity Church.
St. John’s Lutheran plans dinner
St. John’s Lutheran Church will hold a pork and sauerkraut dinner Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. The church is located at 231 State St. in Nanticoke.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children and free for children 12 and younger. Tickets will be available at the door or call Dale at 902-9051 for advance ticket sales. Takeouts are available.
Library plans fall fair
The Friends of the Mill Memorial Library will hold their annual fair Sunday, Nov. 12, from noon to 4 p.m. The fair will feature crafts, books, Granny’s attic, face painting, food and baked goods. All proceeds will benefit the library. The library is located at 495 E. Main St.
Come out and support the library. For more information, call 735-3030.
The school year is well under way at Greater Nanticoke Area. Students, faculty and staff have been busy.
GNA has a new queen. Students voted and a new queen and her court were named. Senior Amy Bieski was chosen by her classmates as the 2006-2007 homecoming queen. Her court consists of Vanessa Argento, Elisha Capie, Tracie Clothier and Stephanie Danko. The queen and her court were escorted by the Trojan cheerleaders before the Bishop O’Reilly and Nanticoke Area football game.
The proud parents of these lovely young ladies were also introduced. Amy is the daughter of Mark and Patty Bieski, Vanessa is the daughter of Tony and Joann Argento, Elisha is the daughter of William and Frances Capie. Bob and Elaine Clothier are the proud parents of Traci Clothier and Stephanie is the daughter of Matthew and Marion Danko.
Carrie Winters, last year’s Miss GNA, was on hand to crown this year’s Miss GNA. The homecoming court, student council and the Trojan football captains thanked Superintendent Anthony Perrone, Principal Mary Ann Jarolen, and teachers Dawn Marshall and Jean Makarczyk for their help in planning the festivities.
Also, students in all classes elected class officers for the 2006-2007 school year.
Senior class officers are President Amy Bieski, Vice President Jordan Lynch, Secretary John Glowaniak and Treasurer Justin Kreitzer. Junior class officers are President Jason Schenck, Vice President Joseph Hart, Secretary Keira Lohman and Treasurer Rachel Zerfoss. Sophomore officers are President Sean Bieski, Vice President Anthony Kuklewicz, Secretary Amanda Madajewski and Treasurer Nicole Jezewski. Freshman officers are President Breana Young, Vice President John Urbanski, Secretary Brenna McPherson and Treasurer Mariah Grabinski. Congratulations and good luck!
According to Amanda Coughlin, a senior writer for the Trojan Tribune high school newspaper, “The candidates are not only required to meet their positions in office, but they are also responsible to represent their entire class.”
Students who are part of the Advanced Placement class write for the Tribune. James Carey is the advisor. “Students must be willing to take advice from their fellow classmates, suggest new ideas, and be ready to achieve these goals to help make the school year better,” said Amanda.
GNA variety show set
Mark your calendars for Nov. 16. That is the day the GNA Chorus Parents Organization will present its annual Star Search Variety Show ’06. Students in grades eight through 12 will audition Thursday. They are asked to keep their act two to three minutes long and may audition for two acts. Audition forms are available in the office.
The variety show will be held at 7 p.m. at the high school. Tickets are $5 and include refreshments.

11/3/2006
Nanticoke will sell fire station

Council agreed to sell the Washington fire station for $100,000 or best offer, as long as it is only for residential use.
City officials don’t want the building used as a warehouse or for another commercial purpose, and then abandoned to become an eyesore, Councilman Brent Makarczyk said.
So far this year, the city has taken in $2,724,837 in revenues and paid $2,735,513 in expenses, for a deficit of $10,676, Councilman Bill O’Malley said.
The 2007 budget is being developed. O’Malley suggested putting $40,000 to $50,000 in it to help maintain the Kanjorski Center, which the city municipal authority is responsible for, to protect the asset.
Budget issues might lead to “head count changes in the future,” O’Malley said.

11/2/2006
Nanticoke council warned layoffs possible
City officials are working on 2007 budget, but big cuts still need to be made.
By IAN CAMPBELL Times Leader Correspondent

City officials are still some weeks away from a 2007 budget, and unless hard decisions are made layoffs might have to occur, council was told Wednesday.
One saving outlined by Councilman William O’Malley was a potential reduction of $100,000 in health care costs. Police and fire staff had agreed to the change in health care, but other city groups were still to agree, O’Malley said.
If the other employee groups failed to approve the change, then the city might have to look at “possible head count changes,” he said.
The current insurance program would involve an increase of up to $16,000, O’Malley said.
Other insurance savings could come from the creation of an updated inventory of police, fire and street department vehicles to make sure the city was not paying unnecessarily for equipment it no longer owned or equipment no longer needing as much coverage.
O’Malley hoped to have that information by the end of the week.
The city also will need to consider spending about $40,000 on the Municipal Authority in order to protect its investment in the Kanjorski Building, he said.
“It’s in our best interests to protect our asset and keep the building in a good state of repair,” he told council.
With the proposed budget still short “a few hundred thousand,” this will likely add another $40,000, he said.
Responding to a question from a member of the public about the impact of unpaid taxes on the city’s current financial problems, O’Malley noted that unpaid tax costs were not a major part of the city’s problem.
The tax collection rate of 88 percent was high, but at a total of $463,000, city taxes made up a small part of the total revenue of $3 million.
“Even with all taxes collected, we’re still short an awful lot of money,” he said.

11/02/2006
Nanticoke officials fear poll relocations will cut voter turnout
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Some residents and city officials said Wednesday they don’t like having to go to Nanticoke Towers downtown to vote instead of the Honey Pot fire hall.
But Luzerne County Director of Elections Leonard Piazza said finding a polling place that fit federal guidelines in the Honey Pot section of Nanticoke was a sticky situation.
Over the past several months, the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections has consolidated polling places in cities and boroughs.
Nanticoke now has six wards instead of 13. The two main changes were moving voting from the Honey Pot fire station to Nanticoke Towers and moving some downtown voters to Holy Transfiguration Church on Center Street.
Mayor John Bushko, treasurer Albert Wytoshek and residents including Hank Marks complained at the council meeting about the new setup. Bushko worried that voters — in particular elderly people who would no longer be able to walk to their polling places — would stay home on Nov. 7.
“I think they’re going to lose 30 percent of the vote in this election,” Bushko said. “Last time people didn’t come because they were afraid of the (electronic voting) machines. This time they won’t come because they changed the polling places.”
When called after the meeting, Piazza said he did not think that would be the case.
Under the federal Help America Vote Act, polling places must be handicapped-accessible.
“Honey Pot (fire hall) is completely inaccessible and totally illegal if we use it as a polling place,” Piazza said. “It does not even come close to meeting accessibility requirements under federal law.”
When selecting new polling places, the bureau’s first consideration is federal law, Piazza said. The second consideration is parking, and the third is finding a central location.
The problem is, Honey Pot is almost completely residential. Piazza said he couldn’t find anywhere else in the area that would be handicap-accessible. But he’s open to suggestions from residents, although it’s too late to change polling places in time for the election.
“Oh, well, we’ll see what happens Tuesday,” Marks said.

11/2/2006
Officials believe porch fire is suspicious

A fire that severely damaged an enclosed rear porch of a home at 207 Fairchild St. on Wednesday afternoon is being considered suspicious, city firefighters said.
The homeowners, Ernest Turley, 68, and his wife, managed to escape the blaze without injury, fire crews said. Turley said he was in his front yard and his wife was upstairs when neighbors began to shout that the home was on fire. He said he went upstairs to help her get out of the home.
“She didn’t even know,” he said.
Turley said the fire erupted in a part of the structure where there is no electricity. He said he built the enclosed porch about 30 years ago and the fire appeared to begin on an exterior fiberglass panel.
Nanticoke police were called to the scene after fire crews quickly extinguished the 3:45 p.m. blaze and a state police fire marshal was being called to continue the investigation.

10/30/2006
Nanticoke cracks down on skateboarders
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Brian DeWeese sailed down the sidewalk of East Main Street on his skateboard Thursday.
The 12-year-old skateboards almost daily from his home in Glen Lyon to downtown Nanticoke. But lately he and other skaters have been avoiding what was once a favorite hangout: the Kanjorski Center on East Main Street.
Asked what the attraction was, DeWeese nodded at the building entrance. “Those steps,” he said.
The front of the Kanjorski Center is a thrasher’s dream. It’s all concrete, with steps that let you start low and work your way up to the 8-stair jump. There are handrails to skim over and lots of space to practice your ollie.
But DeWeese and his fellow skateboarders are out of luck for now. Nanticoke’s municipal authority just asked for a law-enforcement crackdown on kids hanging out at the Kanjorski Center, and a nearby proposed skateboard park is tied up in a legal tangle, despite community support, financial backing and equipment that’s already purchased.
“The word is out from here to Hazleton this is a very good place to skateboard,” Nanticoke Municipal Authority member Ron Kamowski said.
DeWeese said skateboarders come from as far away as Florida, but he doesn’t know how the word got around.
The problem is, the skateboarders have torn paint off the handrails, waxed the steps, and broken edges off the window lintels, Kamowski said.
“They’re costing us a fortune in damages,” he said.
Skateboarders are especially unwelcome because the municipal authority is using a $15,000 federal grant to get the Kanjorski Center cleaned up, to make it attractive to a new tenant. The building has been 80 percent vacant for a year.
At last week’s meeting, the authority board requested solicitor Richard Hughes send a letter to the police department, asking for a continued presence at the Kanjorski Center. The board is also sending a letter to Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker, asking for a member of the municipal authority to be present at hearings involving skateboarding at the center.
“Whenever we’re on patrol, we try to take extra efforts to go around the Kanjorski Center,” Nanticoke Police Det. Captain William Shultz said.“It’s a beautiful building that doesn’t need to be destroyed by skateboarders,” Shultz added.
Police arrested four skateboarders on Oct. 19; four more on Oct. 21, and five on Oct. 26, Shultz said. They are all being charged with trespassing, he said.

DeWeese is familiar with the increased police presence.
“I got fined for sitting right there one day,” he said, pointing to the sidewalk in front of the Kanjorski Center entrance.
In fact, as DeWeese stood talking with the press across from the Kanjorski Center, a Nanticoke police cruiser went by twice within about five minutes.
“We have nowhere to go any more,” DeWeese complained.
Shultz is in favor of a skate park because it would give kids a place of their own, where they wouldn’t be a hazard to pedestrians or traffic.
An “X-treme Skate Park,” planned as the first attraction in the proposed 134-acre Lower Broadway Recreation Park, has been in the works since 2003. Site plans are done, funding is secured and the South Valley Partnership already purchased the skateboarding equipment, said State Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke.
“The reason progress is stalled is there are legal issues surrounding the land,” he said. “We’re ready to go, but we’re a little concerned about setting it up and not being on firm legal ground.”
Trying to track property ownership is a headache.
Attorney Joe Lach, who is solicitor for Nanticoke and Plymouth Township and is a member of the South Valley Partnership, said he is doing free legal work to try to straighten out who owns what.
On the land where the skate park is supposed to go, there are assorted parcels of property. Some belonged to long-gone coal companies or are easements for defunct railroads. Many are properties where homes and businesses were demolished for flood mitigation after Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972, but some transactions weren’t done properly and titles are unclear.
“It’s like a huge reverse subdivision. It’s like taking a housing development that’s been in existence for 30 years with different property owners and trying to put them back together into the farm,” Lach said. “It turned out to be a lot more complicated than anyone ever anticipated when we first undertook this.”
Yudichak said the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will provide the assistance of experts who have experience resolving similar legal snarls.
“Not being an attorney, I get a little frustrated at just how long it takes to work through some of these legal issues,” Yudichak said.
Lach can’t say how long it will take to sort things out.
“At this point I don’t want to create any false expectations. We’re doing this as quickly as we can,” he said.
DeWeese doesn’t think the skate park will happen any time soon — although he wishes it would.
“I’d pay money to go to one,” he said with a sigh.

10/25/2006
Over $1 million in grants aids area rail
Officials say two Luzerne County projects will enhance jobs and cut truck trips for hauling coal waste.
By jlynott@leader.net

More than $1 million in state grants will be coming to Luzerne County for two rail improvement projects.
The larger share, $900,000, will go to HUD Inc. for construction of a two-track siding to connect to the Delaware & Hudson Railway yards in the Honey Pot section of Nanticoke.
Also, the Redevelopment Authority of Luzerne County will receive $135,282 for track improvements along its rail system.
The funding is part of the $20 million in grants Gov. Ed Rendell announced Tuesday for rail freight improvement projects throughout the state designed to stimulate economic development and reduce traffic congestion.
Calls to HUD’s office in Nanticoke and the redevelopment authority office were not returned.
HUD, operating as Emerald Anthracite II, plans to build the siding to the yards and extend a spur into the Whitney Pointe Industrial Park.
The connection will allow the company to ship coal waste by rail and cut 21,333 truck shipments per year, according to a release from the governor’s office. The project is expected to create 55 jobs and maintain 60 jobs.
The grant awarded to the county redevelopment authority will provide rail service to new customers, create 50 jobs, maintain 400 jobs and reduce truck trips by 26,436 annually, according to the press release.
State Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, who helped secure funding for the HUD project, said it will make the property suitable for development. The site needs extensive reclamation work, he said.
“This gives us the best opportunity to have access to that site and get it out on rail,” Yudichak said.
In addition to the grant to HUD, the railway will receive $1.8 million for work in the Honey Pot yard and to establish a connection to the main line, Yudichak said.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Kirk Wilson said that project has not yet been approved.
Yudichak said the grants, which require a 50 percent match by the recipients, create business opportunities by developing the park and providing access to a main line railroad.
“They really do go together,” he said.
HUD purchased the 400-acre former Daniel J. Flood Industrial Park in 2004 at a Luzerne County Sheriff’s sale for $300,511.
That year the company received a $249,000 grant from PennDOT to build a rail facility in the park to transport culm and fly ash from two mine-reclamation projects in the Nanticoke area.
Last year, HUD was awarded a $100,000 grant to build track and a road crossing in Newport Township to connect with the facility in the industrial park.
In addition to the industrial development on the property, HUD plans to build a residential community on 78 acres designated a Keystone Opportunity Zone. The KOZ program provides tax breaks to property owners through 2010, when the program expires.

10/24/2006
Nanticoke’s municipal authority tries to break free from downtown redevelopment contract
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The municipal authority is trying to break a contract that locks in one firm as the sole consultant and developer for downtown revitalization.
The municipal authority voted Monday to enter a mutual agreement with Impact PA in order to cancel their contract. The firm has exclusive rights to construct commercial and residential buildings on areas of East Main Street and Market Street.
If the redevelopment authority, which owns the properties slated for redevelopment, also agrees to dissolve the contract, the municipal authority, which manages the properties, will make a one-time payment of $50,000 to Impact PA. The city agencies will then be free to hire another developer.
Earlier Monday, municipal authority attorney Richard Hughes said he and the head of Impact PA, Robert Yoder, arranged an amicable end to the contract.
“Mr. Yoder was very upbeat and upstanding,” Hughes said.
“As he always has been with us,” municipal authority president Dennis Butler added.
The previous municipal authority board hired Impact PA in May 2005 as exclusive consultant and developer for downtown revitalization through May 2010. Under the contract, the Turbotville-based firm was responsible for all aspects of the project to include arranging financing, designs, securing tenants and construction.
While waiting for Impact PA to present its plans, Facility Design and Development Ltd. was hired by a local non-governmental agency, the South Valley Partnership, to create a comprehensive plan for revitalizing Nanticoke and Newport and Plymouth Townships.
City council and the municipal authority were impressed with Facility Design and Development’s plans for downtown Nanticoke. In July, council and the mayor expressed interest in using the firm’s plans if the two authorities and city officials could reach consensus on it — and somehow get out of the contract with Impact PA.
However, municipal authority members say it is too soon to tell what will happen as far as hiring another firm.
“There is no other developer at this point,” Butler said. “Nothing will be decided until everything is drawn up and executed.”

10/15/2006
By: Pam Urbanski

Since this past week was fire prevention week, I thought it would be fitting for my husband David, a firefighter in Nanticoke for the past 22 years to write for this column.

Students, faculty and staff from Greater Nanticoke Area, once again welcomed the Nanticoke Fire Department into their schools during National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 8 through Oct. 14.
Fire prevention Week is a decades old program instituted by the National Fire Protection Agency to educate the public about the importance of fire safety. The Nanticoke Fire Department began offering the program to elementary school children after a fatal fire occurred in the city some 20 years ago.
“We felt it is our job to teach kids about fire safety along with the importance of having working smoke detectors in their homes,” said Chief Mike Bohan. “If we tell them how smoke detectors can save their lives, hopefully they will go home and tell their parents what they learned.”
Pre-school and elementary students learned about this year’s theme “Watch What You Heat.” Firefighters spread the word that more fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home. Teaching families and kids how to keep cooking fires and injuries from happening in the first place was part of this year’s program.
The fire department’s Fire Safety Trailer is a great model for this year’s theme and was once ag