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By TOM OBRZUT JR.; Times Leader Staff Writer
Sunday, January 29, 1995     Page: 3A

WILKES-BARRE — Economic development along the Susquehanna River could
become predictable, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski told a group of young
professionals on Saturday.
   
The development that could be spurred by a proposed $14 million inflatable
dam and the creation of successful small businesses are the key to the area’s
future, the Nanticoke Democrat told more than 30 young professionals at the
Ramada Hotel. It was an informal session designed by Kanjorski to listen to
their concerns about the future.
    Some of those who attended are members of Wilkes-Barre Tomorrow, a group of
about 200 young professionals who promote, inform and aid in the planning of
the community’s future.
   
Kanjorski said the dam project will serve as a magnet for economic
development in downtown Wilkes-Barre. He also said the lake the dam will
create will serve as a catalyst for residential development, including the
kind of affordable housing that Wilkes-Barre Assistant City Administrator
Christine Jensen told Kanjorski the city needs.
   
“Once you ignite that spark, the private sector will take over,” Kanjorski
said.
   
But igniting the spark sometimes takes time. Projects, such as the dam and
a proposed $39 million arena/convention center in Wilkes-Barre Township, often
face months of public scrutiny before beginning, Kanjorski said.
   
“Projects are like a meatball,” he said. “They land on the floor and lie
there.”
   
To provide private sector incentive, Kanjorski said a Small Business
Investment Corp. would be established locally within the next year to make
money available to small businesses.
   
The Small Business Administration provides funding to establish such
corporations at the rate of $4 in federal money for every private dollar
invested, up to a maximum of $35 million of federal funds, he said.
   
Also, the Small Business Administration will soon open an office in
Wilkes-Barre along with a “war room” at King’s College. The “war room” will
give would-be business owners information about the community in which they
plan to locate.
   
All of these will be tools to start local small businesses, Kanjorski said.
   
Now, small businesses are difficult to start in Northeastern Pennsylvania
because there is no venture capital available and no support system in place,
he said.
   
“Keep the independence,” Kanjorski said. “Create entrepreneurship. Stand on
your own, not as a part of a large corporation.”
   
Corporate allegiance tends to dilute community spirit, Kanjorski said. In
Northeastern Pennsylvania, that spirit is still alive and small businesses can
help that spirit thrive.
   
“We still have community,” he said.
   
Peter Kanjorski, the congressman’s nephew, said the legacy of his parents’
generation is infrastructure improvements, such as the proposed arena. But he
agreed the local area’s future depends on the development of private
businesses.
   
“We’re talking about us — our generation,” he said. “Perhaps we can talk
to people that moved away to take a look back. That’s where the future lies.”
   
TIMES LEADER/DON CAREY
   
U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, speaks to a group of young
professionals about the future of the area during a luncheon Saturday at the
Ramada Hotel in Wilkes-Barre.