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The four-story Sterling Annex building on River Street in Wilkes-Barre is back on Luzerne County’s delinquent real estate tax auction list, according to county records.
It is among many commercial properties on the list of 2,400 eligible for the main annual first-stage sale on Sept. 28.
The annex was once linked to the adjacent landmark Hotel Sterling, which was condemned and demolished in 2013. City officials are trying to sell the 2.07-acre hotel lot at the corner of River and Market streets to a developer.
G2A-B Realty LLC, owned by Bear Creek Village resident George Asimakopoulos, bought the century-old annex in 2012 for a planned mixed commercial/residential project with views of the Susquehanna River that never materialized, in part due to the company’s inability to cement an agreement for additional parking. The property has been listed for sale.
A total $95,966 in taxes are owed on the annex from 2012 through 2016.
Properties must be auctioned when taxes are at least two years past due unless the owners obtain removal through a court order, enter into a repayment plan or file for bankruptcy to get out of the sale.
G2A-B had entered into a repayment plan to escape a 2014 auction, but the property headed to auction again the following year because the owner paid $13,137 toward the debt but nothing more as required, records show. A judge removed the property from the 2015 sale because the company requested time to resolve an assessment dispute.
A county assessment appeals board reduced the property’s assessment from $1.622 million to $250,000 in 2013, but G2A-B maintained the reduction should be retroactive to 2012, when it purchased the property from the Greater Wilkes-Barre Development Corp. No subsequent court filings could be located showing G2A-B pursued a court action necessary to obtain a reduction back to 2012.
County tax-claim operator Northeast Revenue Service LLC placed the annex on next month’s sale after verifying the 2015 sale removal court order did not apply to subsequent auctions.
The minimum bid is set at $115,222 to cover the back taxes, unpaid 2017 taxes and realty transfer tax. Properties that don’t sell at the September auction will advance to a free-and-clear sale, when all liens and delinquent taxes are forgiven unless bidding competition drives up the purchase price to cover some or all of this debt.
Property owners also can pay the portion of taxes dating back two years and prior — in this sale through the year 2015 — to escape the sale.
• WILKES-BARRE WARD 3 73-H10SW4-002-05B-001 WELLES STREET ASSOCIATES LP, EAST MARKET STREET $1,018,461.52
This is the stegmaier bldg
county officials say this will probably be pulled. subject may be on tuesday’s council work session mtg. sd already approved a pilot on Aug. 7.
it would wipe out old taxes and pay a total $25,000 a year to county and school district annually for 17, 18 and 19 and in 2020 would be taxable unless another agreement is reached.
(real estate is owned by city and ultimate lessees are postal service and us general services which would be immune from taxation)
NOTE two other parcels, the parking lot and the building shell, have no delinquent taxes.
GET STORIES
-WILKES-BARRE TWP 69-H10 -00A-18T-000 PC WB LP WILKES-BARRE TWP BLVD $ 264,772.64
This is the Price Chopper.
The 9.16-acre property had been assessed at $7.1 million but was upped to a value of $9.5 million in 2014.
-WILKES-BARRE TWP 69-H10 -00A-009-000 BEAR CREEK COMMONS LP BEAR CREEK BLVD $ 197,330.72
SKIP THIS MOEs etc. parcel no longer exists was consolidated so nothing to sell
-Hanover TWP WARD 7 25-I9NW4 -015-002-000 STARK HOLDINGS INC ST MARYS RD $ 140,744.80
A 19.23-acre storage building property on St. Mary’s Road assessed at $1,163,400
-WRIGHT TWP 64-M9 -00A-26B-000 W-CAT INC CHURCH RD $ 97,126.93
GET ARTICLES
Owes $50,728 in taxes for 2015 and 2016
-WILKES-BARRE WARD 3 73-H10SW3-002-18C-000 NT CIRCLE ENTERPRISES LLC COAL ST $ 90,462.53
It’s the Arena Bar and Grill CHECK SPELLING
The property is assessed at $632,800
-FOSTER TWP 23-Q11 -00A-26B-000 WHITE HAVEN ESTATES LLL HILLARY DR $ 67,465.16
It is a 7.1-acre vacant commercial tract
The total $55,406.75 in taxes are owned from 2010 through 2016.
WHY NOT LISTED SOONER
we had listed in a 2012 sale but at that point throught the property not existed because had coded research but will put it back in sale
we thought there may have been an issue with the property but it was verified that it is a actual parcel
-17-0926 HANOVER TWP WARD 3 25-J9S1 -001-020-000 J M CALLAHAN & SONS CO INC 360 NEW COMMERNCE HWY $51,506.26
Cold storage facility.
LOOK IN LIBRARY
-17-3684 WILKES-BARRE WARD 14 73-I9NE4 -013-009-000 FUTURE HORIZONS PA LTD 447 NEW GROVE ST $50,298.59
LOOK IN LIBRARY FOR BACKGROUND
he bought this property from repository
he filed an appeal
-17-1656 LARKSVILLE BORO WARD 4 38-H8S5 -004-004-000 SHAWNEE CONCRETE & ASPHALT COR MAIN ST $47,477.89
Concrete manufacturing operation
-17-1054 HAZEL TWP WARD 1 26-S8S8 -01C-001-000 SIDARI AMANDA MARIE ETAL TWENTY-SEVENTH ST $45,654.51
-17-3437 WILKES-BARRE WARD 8 73-H9SE2 -009-007-000 COVERT JACK P ETAL 86 S MAIN ST $39,581.79
Flaming Star Tattoo
FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THIS THAT BACK IN HIS NAME
LOOK UP ARTICLES
HUGE DEBT!
we sold it at an upset sale in 2013.
we transferred the property
covert asked court to nullify the sale.
the county judge upheld the sale
his attorney went to commonwealth court and had the sale overturned
so property had to be transferred back in his name and get it relisted for sale
still on hook for taxes
-17-1710 LARKSVILLE BORO – COAL 38-H9 -00A-01C-000 MT CARMEL COGEN INC NESBITT ST $38,665.24
Office building
-17-0778 FREELAND BORO WARD 4 22-R9NE2 -019-009-000 GUARINO GREGORY 622 CENTER ST $36,177.60
-17-3851 WILKES-BARRE WARD 16 73-H10NW4-005-012-000 HUGHES H MERRITT JR 451 N MAIN ST $34,873.29
funeral home
-17-0902 HANOVER TWP WARD 1 25-J8 -00A-04B-000 TSIOLES NICHOLAS & CYNTHIA 2271 SANS SOUCI PKWY $33,250.45
restaurant
The Parkway eatery
-17-0957 HANOVER TWP WARD 5 25-I8S2 -05B-06D-000 DEFINE DAVID JR & MELISSA 1428 STATE HWY $33,203.11
day care center
=17-1783 LUZERNE BORO WARD 3 41-G9NE1 -016-005-000 MORGAN ROBERT L & EDNA M 80 MAIN ST $32,799.95
multi function commercial building
17-3508 WILKES-BARRE WARD 12 73-H9SE4 -013-029-000 MOVING RIVER MINISTRIES S MAIN ST $32,768.34
-17-0563 EXETER BORO WARD 2 16-E11NW3-008-002-000 JONES LEE ROY 1089 WYOMING AVE $31,919.32
-17-1940 NANTICOKE CITY WARD 13 42-J7SE1 -012-015-000 PS CAPITAL VENTURES INC 102 WASHINGTON ST $31,685.57
Bowling alley. SEE FILE ON WHEN IT SOLD
-17-2925 HAZLETON CITY WARD 1 71-T8SW31-006-014-000 HARRIS T/A REMOND REMODELING 229 E BROAD ST $30,451.21
commercial combo
-17-0983 HANOVER TWP WARD 7 25-I9NW3 -013-017-000 MINERSVILLE LLC 65 OXFORD ST $30,287.13
combo
17-2922 HAZLETON CITY WARD 1 71-T8SW31-006-002-000 AAA AMUSEMENTS RRR US INC 210 E GREEN ST $29,968.64
commercial warehouse on East Green Street assessed at $320,900
-17-2372 PITTSTON TWP 51-E12S6 -002-04B-000 SIRED LLC 26 LAUREL ST $29,848.74
strip shopping center
17-3570 WILKES-BARRE WARD 13 73-I9NE1 -006-007-000 HINE FRANK 540 S MAIN ST $29,537.94
commercial building
-17-3214 PITTSTON CITY WARD 3 72-D11SE3-013-003-000 SAILARINA LLC BENEDICT ST $28,181.98
commercial warehouse assessed at $234,800
-17-2838 WYOMING BORO WARD 3 67-F10NE1-003-018-000 KOPCZA JOSEPH A III 504 WYOMING AVE $27,817.72
funeral parlor
–
17-0489 DURYEA BORO WARD 2 14-D12NW2-003-018-000 BARON ALFRED JR & MARY ANN 715 N MAIN ST $27,060.45
Dental office
-17-3964 HARVEYS LAKE BORO 74-C6S6 -005-003-000 VILLAS AT WATERWOOD, LLC LAKE & NOXEN ROADS $27,043.02
skating rink
-17-0463 DORRANCE TWP 12-O8 -00A-011-000 KLEPPINGER GEORGE R & MARGARET E 1349 S MAIN RD $25,927.17
garage
-17-1349 HUNLOCK TWP 29-I5 -00A-51H-000 TOKAR BROTHERS COMPAMY Route 00935 $25,403.14
former amusement park
-17-1537 KINGSTON BORO WARD 6 34-G9SE4 -010-015-000 DE FINE DAVID J JR 287 WYOMING AVE $25,323.69
day care and apartments
17-0757 FREELAND BORO WARD 1 22-R9NE2 -028-007-000 GUARINO GREGORY 709 MAIN ST $25,227.03
-LIST IS STILL going to be cut down
some may be eligible for repayment plan if not default
Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber building on Luzerne County tax auction listing
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – August 20, 2015Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@www.timesleader.comEdition: FinalSection: local-news
Dozens of commercial properties are among the 2,350 parcels slated for next month’s main first-stage Luzerne County tax auction, including one owned by the entity that oversees local business development, records show.
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund, an arm of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, is listed on the auction roster because it owes $117,155 in back taxes on the South Main Street building that houses the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore and Innovation Center.
Joseph Boylan, the chamber’s vice president of economic development, said Thursday the overdue payment stems from a “clerical error” and stressed the debt will be satisfied so the property won’t be listed for auction.
The back taxes date back to 2013 on the building, which is assessed at $2.15 million.
Properties are listed for the Sept. 24 “upset sale” if the owners owe taxes for at least two years.
Owners must pay off the debt, obtain court orders, enter into a repayment plan or file for bankruptcy to get out of the sale.
The chamber had land on Route 115 in Plains Township listed in the September 2012 auction but entered into a payment plan.
Also on the auction roster is the four-story Sterling annex on River Street, which is next to the lot that once housed the landmark Hotel Sterling and is owned by G2A-B Realty LLC, headed by George Asimakopoulos.
G2A-B owes $54,633 in back taxes dating back to 2012 and was removed from last year’s sale, possibly due to a repayment plan, records show.
Asimakopoulos had discussed with economic development officials plans to convert the structure to residential units with views of the Susquehanna River, but he has not publicly detailed his plans. He could not be reached for comment, but at least one official has said Asimakopoulos is holding off because the parcel has no parking. Development plans for the adjacent Sterling parcel will determine if parking will be available for the annex occupants.
Minimum bids at the first-stage upset sale are set high enough to cover all back taxes and municipal utility liens, which makes it less popular than the free-and-clear auction when all taxes and liens are forgiven.
Among the other auction-eligible commercial properties in Wilkes-Barre:
• H. Merritt Hughes Funeral Home, 451 N. Main St.
• A 0.1-acre lot at the corner of Beaumont Street and Pennsylvania Avenue owned by Robert and Jeanette Jabers that once housed a restaurant.
• A 56,600-square-foot former manufacturing building at 12 Oregon St. owned by several members of the Rockman family that had been pulled from tax auctions for years due to bankruptcies.
• A former taxi garage and office at the corner of South Franklin and Horton streets owned by 777 LLP that is now covered with graffiti and has a parking lot overcome by weeds.
• The Randy’s Printing and Decorating Center property at 516 S. Main St., which is owned by Randall and Sherry Rushton and now contains a for-sale sign.
• The former Taco Bell building, which is now a Subway, at 386 S. Main St. owned by Ferri South Main Street Plaza LP.
• An ivy-coated property at 335 E. Northampton St. that once housed Redick ‘s Wholesale Fruits and Produce and is owned by members of the Redick family.
• The shuttered Academy Super Market building, 121 Academy St., owned by BSE Properties LLC.
• An apartment building at 423 Scott St. owned by Michael Chiriac.
• An appliance store at 240 S. Main St. owned by BDL Company Inc.
• The Schuler Building, a brick commercial/residential structure, at 139 S. Washington St. owned by Arden Fahey.
• A brick building owned by Nicholas Tsioles on Market Street running from Washington Street to Public Square that houses a senior center, the Cheese Steak Factory, Golden Palace, Anthracite Newstand and other businesses.
• A parking lot at 25 E. Northampton St. owned by Northampton Streat PL LLC.
The Keystone Garden Estates, an assisted-living facility in Larksville, is back on the auction list. The property was removed from an auction in 2013 because the owner paid back taxes. The property owner now owes a combined $135,335 for 2013 and 2014.
Also on the auction roster:
• The “Budget Floorz” property on Mundy Street in Wilkes-Barre Township owned by PKOL Realty LP.
• A storage unit facility on Simpson Street, Swoyersville, and factory at 222 Beade St., Plymouth, owned by William C. Loughran Sr.
• Crossroads Shopping Center LLC’s same-named strip mall on the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township.
• The Penn State Seed Co. property, which is owned by Forty Fort LLC, on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort.
• Two mixed commercial/residential properties in the 400 block of Main Street, Duryea, owned by William Balchune and others.
• A commercial store on Sullivan Trail, Exeter Township, owned by Alravin LLC.
• Konefal’s Restaurant and Catering, Main Street, Edwardsville, owned by Sarah Konefal.
• A bar/lounge property on Route 118 owned by Bart and Doreen Schrader
Unsold properties will advance to a free-and-clear sale next year.
The county is holding an unrelated free-and-clear auction on Aug. 24 for properties that did not sell at a previous first-stage sale.
A list of available parcels and information on bidding is posted at www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com.
Sterling Annex property on the market after project investors balk
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – March 5, 2017Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@www.timesleader.comEdition: FinalSection: home_top local-news luzernecounty
WILKES-BARRE — The four-story Sterling Annex building on River Street has been listed for sale as city officials seek development options for the prominent former Hotel Sterling lot next door.
G2A-B Realty LLC, owned by Bear Creek Village resident George Asimakopoulos, bought the century-old annex in 2012 for a planned mixed commercial/residential project with views of the Susquehanna River that never materialized.
Mericle Commercial Real Estate broker Steve M. Barrouk, who is trying to sell the annex for G2A-B, said his client made a sincere attempt to develop the building and invested significant funds on engineering and architectural plans.
However, other project investors dropped out after G2A-B was unable to cement an agreement for additional parking and convince officials to apply an assessment reduction retroactively, Barrouk said.
“The sign was put up to show he’s willing to talk about offers for the building,” Barrouk said, noting the building would be an ideal boutique hotel or could be incorporated into plans for the adjacent lot.
City officials have been seeking a developer for the 2.07-acre lot at the corner of River and Market streets since the condemned Hotel Sterling was demolished in 2013.
The city has sponsored an application for a $1 million gaming revenue grant for the planned expansion of Berkshire Hathaway Guard insurance, possibly on the former Sterling lot.
The annex property is slated to be listed in Luzerne County’s September back-tax auction because it carries $92,600 in unpaid county, municipal and school real estate taxes from 2012 through 2016, county records show.
G2A-B had entered into a repayment plan to escape a 2014 auction, but the property headed to auction again the following year because the owner paid $13,137 toward the debt but nothing more as required, records show. A judge removed the property from the 2015 sale because the company requested time to remedy assessment issues.
A county assessment appeals board reduced the property’s assessment from $1.622 million to $250,000 in 2013, but G2A-B maintained the reduction should be retroactive to 2012, when it purchased the property from the Greater Wilkes-Barre Development Corp. No subsequent court filings could be located showing G2A-B pursued a court action necessary to obtain a reduction back to 2012.
All back taxes would be paid at closing if the property is sold. G2A-B has listed the nearly 30,000-square-foot property at $495,000. It sits on 0.21 acres and includes five parking spaces at the rear of the building, the listing says.
If the property is not sold, G2A-B must pay the debt through 2015 or obtain another court order to be removed from the sale, according to county tax-claim operator Northeast Revenue Service LLC. Due to the default, the owner would not eligible for another tax-claim authorized payment plan until June 2018, Northeast Revenue said.
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Development Corp., an arm of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry that both sold the property and provided a mortgage to G2A-B in 2012, had initiated a foreclosure action last year attempting to reclaim ownership of the property due to nonpayment of the mortgage, but that action was withdrawn, records show.
Built in 1912 as an Elks Lodge, the structure took on its annex name when it was acquired by the Hotel Sterling ’s owners around World War II. The building was used as an ancillary ballroom and meeting space for the hotel before serving as a Luzerne County Community College campus in the late 1960s and 70s and later housing offices. It has been vacant since plans to turn it into a college art museum or art gallery died in the early 1990s.
The structure has three full floors and a mezzanine on the fourth floor, and the interior has been mostly gutted, the listing said, stressing it has a “beautiful facade” and is in a “highly visible location” facing the River Common recreational complex at the “gateway to downtown Wilkes-Barre.”
local-news
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – March 12, 2015Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@civitasmedia.comSection: local-news
The Luzerne County Assessment Office has put the landmark Stegmaier Building on the tax rolls and billed the owner for $337,116 in back taxes.
The action was prompted by recent Times Leader stories highlighting the building’s omission from school and county taxation.
The property had been coded as tax exempt because Wilkes-Barre still owns the land, which meant no real estate taxes were paid to the county or Wilkes-Barre Area School District.
The county is responsible for assigning assessments used for taxation in all school and municipal taxes except Wilkes-Barre city taxes.
However Wilkes-Barre, which handles its own assessments, has been taxing the structure because it is leased and operated by a for-profit entity, Philadelphia-based Welles Street Associates II, L.P.
Assessment Director Anthony Alu created a separate parcel for the building without the land and sent a letter to Welles Street Associates this week billing the limited partnership for taxes he said should have been paid from 2007 through 2014. An additional bill for 2015 county taxes will be mailed shortly, he wrote.
“Although you have been paying city taxes since 2007, you did not advise either Luzerne County or the Wilkes-Barre Area School District of the existence of this lease,” Alu wrote.
His letter broke down the taxes that would have been collected on the building from 2007 through 2014 and said the entity owes a total $337,116 — $126,791 to the county and $210,325 to the school district.
The county assessment is $3.38 million for the office building and a smaller former brewery administration building that was boarded up but never renovated. Alu told Welles Street this value was set during the 2009 countywide reassessment.
“At no time during the reassessment process did the taxpayer appeal such assessment, so the assessment stands,” Alu wrote.
Welles Street can receive a 2-percent discount if taxes are paid within two months after the bill, which was mailed March 9, Alu wrote. Taxes will be at the full amount the following four months, and a 10-percent penalty will be added through the rest of 2015, he said.
Welles Street Associates partnered with Keating Development to complete an $18 million restoration of the deteriorating, historic Stegmaier building on Wilkes-Barre Boulevard. The private partnership leases office space to federal agencies.
Wilkes-Barre officials past and present have been unable to explain the reason the Stegmaier was leased to Welles Street in 1996. The city sold two adjacent parcels to the private developer.
Keating Development was contacted several times in recent weeks, including Thursday, and has not provided a response to questions about the lease or taxes.
While the county has the right to start taxing the building going forward, particularly since the company has been paying property taxes in Wilkes-Barre, the authority to recoup back taxes has garnered conflicting opinions.
Pittston property owners John and Angela Cooper filed a legal challenge in 2013 when the county billed them retroactively for a commercial building that had been removed from the tax rolls during the 2009 countywide reassessment.
The couple has been paying taxes since the county informed them of the error in 2012, but they argued the county had no right to bill them for prior years because it was the county’s mistake.
It’s unclear if the matter has been resolved, but county tax claim records still report the Coopers owing $85,764 in taxes and interest from 2009 through 2011.
Alu has said the law is vague on recouping back-tax payment due to county error, and he opted to take a proactive approach in his bill to the Coopers.
His office was criticized in 2012 when it did not try to force the owners of the Courthouse Towers building on North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, to pay back taxes after Alu discovered a coding error that had caused the property to be incorrectly labeled as tax-exempt from 2006 through 2009.
Memo: Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter@TLJenLearnAndes
PROPERTY TAXES – Aiming to narrow bankruptcy loophole – County looking to stop repeated bankruptcies being used to avoid paying property taxes – Northeast Revenue looks to stop repeated filings being used to avoid taxes
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – August 20, 2016Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@www.timesleader.comEdition: FinalSection: local-news
Property owners can automatically get their real estate out of Luzerne County tax auctions by filing for bankruptcy, but the county’s tax-claim oversee is trying to stop that power from being abused.
“We’re trying to weed out those who may be trying to hide behind the protection and use it as a tool or method to avoid tax sales versus those using the law as it was intended,” said Sean Shamany, of Northeast Revenue Service LLC, which was hired to run the county’s tax-claim office in 2010.
While he wouldn’t discuss specific examples by name, the upcoming Sept. 20, first-stage upset auction includes several big-ticket tax debts that have snowballed for years without any payments.
One example is a Hanover Township residence carrying more than $60,000 in unpaid taxes dating back to 2009.
Owners Stanley and Molly Tarutis filed for bankruptcy in September shortly before the property was auctioned — four years in a row, according to court records and Northeast Revenue.
The Tarutis bankruptcy cases all were terminated a short time later — November 2012, December 2013, September 2014 and October 2015 — twice because the filers failed to submit required documents; once because they did not pay a filing fee; and the remaining time because they indicated money would be arriving to pay their debt, court records say.
Northeast Revenue also had approved a repayment agreement in 2011 on the Clifton Court property, but it was voided in 2012 due to nonpayment, the company said. The 1-acre property is assessed at $237,900, records show.
Stanley Tarutis said Friday that he and his wife have encountered challenges paying the debt, and he said he would be willing to discuss specifics at a later date.
Northeast Revenue is considering increased intervention on properties that have a history of repeated bankruptcy filings, said Dyan E. Dinstel, an attorney with Northeast Revenue.
A bankruptcy judge may grant permission to proceed with tax sales —regardless of a pending or future bankruptcy —if Northeast Revenue demonstrates a property owner has repeatedly resorted to bankruptcy solely to avoid sales, Dinstel said.
Northeast Revenue has had success with this approach. In 2011, for example, the company sought court approval to auction a dozen properties belonging to the late Joseph Nowakowski because a series of bankruptcies kept the properties out of tax sales for years, resulting in $325,000 in unpaid taxes dating back to 1996. Northeast Revenue’s push resulted in payment of the debt.
Shamany said a staff attorney specializing in bankruptcy is reviewing all pending cases.
“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “This will take time because there are steps and laws that must be followed, and we can’t step out of our bounds.”
Mounting debt
Another property listed in the Sept. 20 sale — a commercial structure in Wyoming owned by JPM Realty Inc. — has amassed more than $157,000 in unpaid property taxes dating back nearly two decades, records show.
State corporation records list John Mosca as president and treasurer of JPM Realty, and he has advertised the structure at 55 W. Seventh Street as home of his business — Cabinets, Counters And More Inc. The property, which includes 2.33 acres, is assessed at $248,400, county records show.
JPM’s first bankruptcy was filed in 1997 and closed in 2000, and the company again filed for bankruptcy in 2010, court records show.
The bankruptcy reorganization plan that took effect around the time the second bankruptcy was terminated in 2012 called for JPM to make an immediate $10,000 deposit toward the delinquent taxes on the Wyoming property and another Wilkes-Barre Township property the company later sold.
While this deposit was made in 2012, nothing has been paid on the Wyoming property since then, resulting in taxes owed back to 1996, Dinstel said.
The bankruptcy plan said JPM must pay several other creditors and then start paying $3,800 per month until the back taxes are paid in full with 9-percent interest.
Northeast Revenue has listed the property in the Sept. 20 auction based on the argument that JPM should have started making payments toward the real estate taxes by now.
Mosca said he could not comment on the matter Thursday because he was in a meeting. He did not respond to another request for comment Friday.
Monitoring required
The former Great Northern Press property on Gilligan Street in Hanover Township and Wilkes-Barre has racked up $269,000 in unpaid back taxes from 2007 through 2015 and had been in bankruptcy, records show.
Northeast Revenue listed the property in the September sale after a recent review of all delinquent properties that had been coded as bankruptcies in tax claim records prior to Northeast Revenue taking over.
Property owners aren’t required to notify county tax claim when bankruptcies are terminated, and some records about pending bankruptcies forwarded by the county to Northeast Revenue were incomplete, Dinstel said.
In this case, digging was required because the property is owned by South Carolina-based Business Loan Center LLC but was listed as an asset in a bankruptcy involving another entity, Ciena Capital LLC, Dinstel said. This bankruptcy also was more difficult to track down because it was filed outside Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“There was absolutely no information about the bankruptcy in our system from prior to Northeast Revenue taking over,” she said.
The bankruptcy was closed in 2011, allowing the sale to proceed, she said.
The two-parcel property is assessed at a total $851,900, records show.
Properties are eligible for auction if taxes are two years past due. In addition to filing for bankruptcy, property owners can avoid sales by obtaining a repayment plan or convincing a judge to grant them more time. The county also created a hardship program for property owners facing job loss or other emergencies.
First-stage sales are less popular because bidders must pay all back taxes and accept responsibility for liens attached to their purchases. Unsold properties will advance to a free-and-clear auction in 2017, when old liens and taxes are removed.
A total 2,359 properties were listed for the Sept. 20 sale as of Friday afternoon.
The active sales list includes “The Sanctuary,” a failed 27-acre Wright Township development owned by W-Cat Inc., a company set up by disgraced attorney Robert Powell and past county prothonotary Jill Moran. A total $96,600 in taxes are owed on that property for 2014 and 2015, records show.
Conahan: Feds investigating Powell – ‘Kids for Cash’ judge: Feds are investigating Robert Powell and Jill Moran – Disgraced judge makes claim in court filing
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – June 26, 2016Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@www.timesleader.comEdition: FinalSection: home_top local-news news
Three years after he finished serving an 18-month prison sentence for his role in the “Kids for Cash” scandal, former attorney Robert Powell is once again the subject of a federal investigation, according to claims made by former Luzerne County judge Michael Conahan in a Florida lawsuit.
In a recent affidavit, filed in response to a lawsuit Powell Law brought against Conahan and his wife, Barbara, Conahan claimed Powell, former Luzerne County prothonotary Jill Moran and Powell Law itself are the subject of investigations by a number of federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Conahan, who prepared the filing from a federal prison in Florida, did not elaborate on the specifics of the alleged investigation, which has been rumored for months.
SEC public affairs specialist Ryan T. White in Washington, D.C., declined comment on the matter Friday.
Tampa, Florida attorney Keith D. Skorewicz, who is representing Powell Law in the Florida suit, said a message seeking comment was relayed to Powell Friday.
In response, Skorewicz said the action in Florida focuses solely on recouping a debt Powell Law paid that was guaranteed by the Conahans. “I can’t help what Mr. Conahan chooses to say in his affidavit,” Skorewicz said Friday. “That’s up to him.”
Moran and Powell could not be reached for comment directly Friday.
The once-close relationship between Conahan and former law partners Moran and Powell shattered during a county corruption probe that led to prison time for both Conahan and Powell.
Court records show Powell has lived in a Palm Beach Gardens mansion since serving a prison sentence for failing to report the $2.8 million “Kids for Cash” kickback scheme, which involved Conahan, former Luzerne County judge Mark Ciavarella and two juvenile detention centers Powell had co-owned.
The two former judges are still serving federal prison sentences — 28 years for Ciavarella and 17.5 years for Conahan. Conahan is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Center in Coleman, Florida.
Moran, who still resides in the county and works at an area home loan business, was not charged in the corruption probe but resigned as county prothonotary in March 2009 as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors.
Florida suit
Powell Law sued the Conahans in Florida last June in an attempt to recoup defaulted loan payments the firm made on “The Sanctuary,” a failed 37-acre Wright Township development owned by W-Cat Inc., a company set up by Powell and Moran.
The Conahans, who have denied authorizing notarized loan guarantees and described their signatures as forgeries, filed their own lawsuit in March in Luzerne County against Moran, Powell, Powell Law and W-Cat.
According to a May 19 affidavit in the Florida lawsuit prepared by Michael Conahan, who is representing himself, the Conahans’ Luzerne County litigation will include allegations of fraud and civil conspiracy committed by the defendants.
“It is my understanding there have been similar issues of impropriety involving forged, notarized documents prepared by Powell Law Group P.C. by former principal Robert J. Powell when he was actively practicing as a lawyer in cases in Pittsburgh and Scranton, Pennsylvania,” Conahan wrote.
Conahan said he had informed his attorney in the past that he had no knowledge of the loan guarantee and did not sign it before a notary as indicated, but he did not challenge the matter because the loan was satisfied.
He also accused Powell — who was disbarred by consent due to the charges against him — of initiating the Florida litigation, even though Powell and Moran have filed documents saying she has been the firm’s sole managing director and president since on or before Aug. 31, 2009 .
Conahan said Moran stated during a public social event that she did not file or authorize the Florida suit, and he alleged Skorewicz’ firm was hired by Powell, not Moran.
Moran filed her own affidavit May 13 in Florida on behalf of Powell Law, reiterating her claim that she is the firm’s sole shareholder and representative.
The Conahans entered into loan guarantees in 2005 that now require them to reimburse Powell Law $4.6 million, Moran said. Powell Law had entered into a confidential settlement with First National Community Bank to pay off the delinquent debt in May 2014 amid a “total absence of any defense or objection” by the Conahans regarding the guarantee, she wrote.
After hearing arguments from both sides at a hearing in which Michael Conahan appeared by telephone, a Florida judge issued an order June 1 denying Powell Law’s motion for summary judgement.
Ohio litigation
Powell Law also is challenging attempts in an Ohio court by two Philadelphia attorneys to claim a portion of legal fees from an environmental case.
Court filings estimate $125.7 million in payments have been earmarked for Powell Law from environmental litigation involving the former Kerr-McGee Corp. railroad tie manufacturing facility in Avoca.
Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoades LLP says it is owed $2.9 million for its work on the Avoca litigation after Powell got in trouble as part of the corruption probe. Attorney Richard A. Sprague, of Sprague and Sprague, says Powell and his wife also owe Sprague $169,432 for his past legal representation.
The court proceedings are taking place in Cincinnati because it is home to Garretson Resolution Group Inc., the firm appointed to oversee a trust paying out claims to the Avoca plaintiffs.
According to a transcript of a May 17 hearing in the Ohio case, Powell and Moran have an agreement that he will receive 90 percent of the Avoca legal fees paid to Powell Law, while she is entitled to the remaining 10 percent.
However, Powell Law’s cut of the $125.7 million is unclear due to confidential agreements related to advance loan and co-counsel arrangements hammered out by the firm.
Cincinnati attorney Robert P. Johnson said judicial intervention is warranted because his client, the Montgomery firm, would be forced to “play Russian roulette” obtaining payment from Powell Law.
“The problem is that the court has an awful lot of grounds based on the record from which not to trust Powell Law Group and Mr. Powell not to steal everything that isn’t nailed down and to not get a crowbar after that which is,” Johnson said.
Pittsburgh attorney Stephen S. Stallings, representing Powell Law, disagreed with that characterization.
“I take issue with this — or fundamental context of this — which is that they have to chase these funds or they’ll never see them again,” he said. “At every turn Mr. Powell and The Powell Law Group have shown up. At every turn, when they’ve had an obligation, they’ve made it.”
Stallings said the Avoca legal fee payments are being directed from the Ohio trust to another trust and that fears of a “nefarious scheme to misappropriate money” are unfounded.
“He calls it a trust. I call it a shell,” Johnson said at the hearing, describing the structure as an attempt by Powell Law to avoid paying the Montgomery firm.
Powell’s net worth is of interest in a local lawsuit filed by juveniles and their parents and guardians alleging harm over the juvenile detention kickback scheme.
Under a settlement agreement, Powell and Powell Law paid the plaintiffs in that lawsuit $4.7 million, and may be required to pay up to $2.5 million more based on his net worth calculated by the end of this year. Powell’s company Vision Holdings LLC also is part of that settlement.
Error allows – for $198K – bargain – Luzerne County error allows $198,000 home to be sold for $500 – Home bought from county repository for just $500
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – October 1, 2016Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@www.timesleader.comEdition: FinalSection: home_top local-news
Atop a mountain near White Haven is a house constructed a few years ago to resemble a log home, with a large pentagon-style window on 1.38 acres.
It’s partially unfinished but was assessed at $198,900 for taxation purposes based on sale prices of other properties in the private Autumn Mountain Woodlands residential community near Interstate 80, which features mostly new homes.
This property stands out for two reasons:
• A corporation set up by Grigorijs Vilcins was able to buy it for only $500.
• The assessment may be reduced to $1,000.
Vilcins’ company, Mountain Terrace Properties Inc., landed this deal because it was on the winning end of an error and is exercising its rights under the law, according to a review of records and interviews.
Error discovered
Mountain Terrace Properties bought the house at 54 Mountain Terrace in Foster Township from the repository, a pool of tax-delinquent properties.
Repository properties can be purchased at any time and are sold for as little as $500 because nobody wanted them at two prior tax auctions, including popular free-and-clear auctions in which liens and back taxes are removed.
The property was added to the repository in March 2013, and Mountain Terrace snatched it up that November, county records show.
Most properties that land in the repository are rundown structures, land slivers or large undeveloped parcels with access problems or other hurdles — raising questions about why the valuable Foster Township house escaped the interest of competitive bidders who flock to free-and-clear auctions.
The possible reason: it was not listed in a free-and-clear auction as required.
Representatives of Northeast Revenue Service LLC, the county’s tax-claim operator, recently reviewed their records and have concluded the property was mistakenly added to a repository list due to “human error.” Company officials say it’s the first time they’ve discovered such an error.
The company said the property may have been inadvertently lumped in with two other tax-delinquent properties that had been owned by the same person, Daniel McDevitt. These two properties did not sell at free-and-clear sales and went into the repository, where they were purchased by two other corporations listed at the same White Haven post office address as Mountain Terrace, records show.
What’s the check and balance to detect such a mistake?
Northeast Revenue must notify all three taxing bodies — school, county and municipal — of proposed repository sales because they have the right to research and reject them.
Some schools and municipalities have paid little attention to these notices in the past, although that may be changing.
Wilkes-Barre officials, for example, took steps in June to ensure Northeast Revenue’s notices about pending sales were forwarded to the solicitor’s office for a review after discovering no city representatives had objected to the repository sale of an eyesore property the city had slated for demolition.
Prior county manager Robert Lawton had approved repository sales at the time Mountain Terrace bought the property, which meant there was no public disclosure or discussion that could have raised flags about why a property assessed at nearly $200,000 was proposed for sale at $500.
Lawton later determined this process made him uncomfortable and asked the county council to start publicly approving proposed repository sales. Under the current system, details about the purchases are publicly discussed at both a work session and public meeting.
Reduced assessment
The assessment reduction stems from the state assessment law, which includes special provisions for repository properties to prevent them from remaining in limbo with no taxes paid.
The law says the sale price of a repository property “shall be deemed to be the fair market value of the property for tax assessment purposes.” That assessment can’t change until the property is sold, improved or revalued as part of a new countywide reassessment, the law says.
County Assessment Director Anthony Alu said the county has long required repository buyers to file assessment appeals to qualify for this reduction, but some lawyers and property owners have privately questioned the legality of imposing this step instead of automatically lowering the value.
Attorney William Vinsko, who is representing Mountain Terrace, said he is awaiting county judicial rulings on three assessment reductions for repository buyers seeking values mirroring their purchase prices.
“I want to work with the county and other taxing bodies because they have procedures they want to follow, but we believe the law is clear,” Vinsko said. “The goal is to make the assessed value the repository sale amount because we’re trying to keep in conformity with the Pennsylvania assessment law.”
County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo said Friday her office will be completing a review of all procedures involving repository properties.
Alu noted the lowest value permitted in the county’s assessment system is $1,000 — a threshold set by a prior administration as part of the last reassessment that took effect in 2009. Vinsko said his clients have agreed to that amount, even though it’s not technically the purchase price.
Mountain Terrace would pay $15.88 in school, county and local taxes combined with a $1,000 assessment, compared to a bill of $3,160 with the current assessment under present tax rates.
The company owes $10,000 in unpaid taxes for 2014 and 2015 because the owner, who could not be reached for comment, failed to pay as the tax challenge was processed. The property is eligible for an October first-stage sale if the debt or court action are not resolved.
Vinsko said he also is awaiting a court ruling on an assessment reduction request for a former Wilkes-Barre factory at 447 New Grove St. that Future Horizons PA LTD bought for $500 from the repository in March 2013.
Future Horizons owner Alex Zbinovsky, of New York, said he is exploring residential and commercial options for the property, which was occupied by several companies in the past, including Rex Laboratories in the 1970s.
“Until this tax appeal is resolved, I can’t proceed with a development project,” Zbinovsky said.
New owner of old Wilkes-Barre factory seeking local input
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) (Published as Times Leader, The (Wilkes Barre, PA)) – April 9, 2013Browse Issues
Author/Byline: JENNIFER LEARN-ANDESEdition: MAINSection: News
A New York man has purchased an abandoned Wilkes-Barre factory that was stuck in a pool of Luzerne County properties that didn’t sell in past back-tax auctions.
The property at 447 New Grove St. includes the factory in Wilkes-Barre and an adjacent 3.21-acre lot in Hanover Township.
The prior owner, 447 New Grove Street LLC, had paid $500,000 in 2008 for the property, which is assessed at a combined $717,800. However, city officials say that company never carried through with property renovations.
Alex Zbinovsky, who purchased the New Grove Street property through his companies — Future Horizons-PA Ltd. and Future Horizons-Hanover Ltd. — paid $500 each, or a total $1,000.
County officials have been pushing for sales because the tax claim repository has amassed an inventory of 750 properties — significantly more than all other similarly-sized counties in the state. New ownership returns the properties to the tax rolls and eliminates the county’s semi-liability.
Zbinovsky, of Nanuet, N.Y., said he will be reaching out to neighbors to discuss proposed reuse of the factory site.
Neighbors objected in 2006 when Volunteers of America proposed demolishing the factory to build an independent living facility for young adults.
Zbinovsky said Future Horizons is a “very community oriented” operation that has converted abandoned properties into “sustainable green buildings”in Wyoming and California.
The New Grove Street property is in “total disrepair,” he said.
The property was occupied by several companies in the past, including Rex Laboratories in the 1970s.
“At this time we will be exploring options that meet the community’s needs,” Zbinovsky said.
Future Horizons also purchased the former Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 128 on Stanton Street in Wilkes-Barre from a back-tax auction in August.
Zbinovsky said renovations of the lodge are in the works. He declined to specify plans for that building, saying he has not completed the permit process. That building is zoned for a social fraternity, he said.
“It won’t be a bar. We are keeping our options open,” Zbinovsky said.
When he bought the property in August, he expressed interest in converting the 6,500-square-foot structure into an elderly day care center.
The lodge has been in limbo for years because the previous buyer in a 2008 back-tax auction also defaulted on property taxes.
Wilkes-Barre officials have tried to attract buyers for the New Grove Street factory, which is located in the city’s Rolling Mill Hill section, said Mayor Tom Leighton.
“It’s one of those old buildings that will never go back to its original use,” he said.
Leighton said he looks forward to discussions with Zbinovsky about reuse.
“I’m hoping his plan and vision are something that will spruce up the neighborhood,” the mayor said.
Putting on a new face – Projects unfolding involve the private funding that was promised to result from past government investment in the theater project.
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – April 27, 2013Browse Issues
Author/Byline: JENNIFER LEARN-ANDESSection: news
The loud purple facade of the former Flaming Star Tattoos shop will soon be toned down to fit in with the downtown Wilkes-Barre neighborhood’s historical character — a subtle yet significant sign of once-shuttered storefronts being renovated or reopened around the theater complex.
It wasn’t just the color that unsettled city officials who saw the potential for the shop’s row of old architecture on South Main Street. It was the way the vibrant hue stopped midway up the building in an uneven line, accentuating the unfinished progress of the paint job and much of the neighborhood.
“One of the first things the new owners will do is repaint that facade,” said attorney William Vinsko, who bought the building at a Luzerne County back-tax auction for $33,000 last week on behalf of private clients who will be identified when the deed is recorded. The buyers plan to renovate the property at 86 S. Main St. to attract tenants, Vinsko said.
Next door, Joseph and Pamela Masi are redoing the facade and interior of their property, which previously housed Topper’s topless bar, Vinsko said. The Masis, who purchased the property for $85,000 in 2010, have added an ice cream shop at the rear of the property.
Also, at 91 S. Main, Mark Miscavage is redoing the front his building across the street which houses his dental office and the David Blight School of Dance, Vinsko said.
“That whole area is going to be completely transformed,” he said.
More downtown changes
City Economic Development Director Greg Barrouk points to other development activity in older buildings around the theater:
• Several commercial tenants are slated to move into the Hampton Park building at the corner of East Northampton and South Washington streets, which is undergoing a $1.5 million rehab. Owner Nicholas Dye, of D&D Realty Group, said he’s already sold two of the 13 condominiums in the building without marketing them.
• The city is preparing to issue a public request for proposals from private developers interested in overhauling three attached properties at the corner of South Main and Northampton streets, including the former Norton’s dress shop. The city purchased these properties, which face the Main Street lofts above the theater complex, at prior back-tax sales, projecting they would be a key part of downtown redevelopment.
• Michael Taylor and his wife, Ilona, are opening Ocean Gold jewelry store in the former Frank Clark Jeweler building.
“There’s some momentum here, and the momentum is undeniable,” said Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership, which supports downtown businesses. “There’s been a lot of good positive activity occurring in the vicinity of Northampton and Main.”
Newman has a soft spot for this part of the downtown because it largely dodged demolition, particularly after the 1972 flood.
“This section still has the pre-flood character of the older three- and four-story buildings, 20- to 25-feet wide,” Newman said. “Those are the buildings that have historic character.”
Private investment
Newman and Barrouk stressed the projects unfolding around the theater involve the private funding that was promised to result from past government investment toward the theater project.
Dye said he wouldn’t put $1.5 million on the line for his project if he did not see an upswing. The sale of all 21 condominiums above the theater project was a driving factor in his investment.
“We are excited about what is going on in downtown Wilkes-Barre,” he said.
The Hampton building, which had been vacant about a decade, will have a mix of retail, office and residential space. The Ibop Coffee Company is set to open a coffee shop in the building in a week or two. An ophthalmologist also is locating there in the near future, and a beauty and wellness spa is opening this summer, he said.
The building’s 3,700-square-feet of office space will feature a hub allowing small businesses and entrepreneurs to rent individual suites with a shared receptionist to reduce overhead. A basement fitness center for building workers and tenants also is in the works.
The condominiums on the second and third floors will range from 850- to 1,800 square feet and be sold for $130,000 to $220,000, he said. The units have spa-like bathrooms.
“We’re really trying to create a high-end urban lifestyle at an affordable price,” he said.
Luzerne County Councilman Rick Williams, an architect and one of the owners of the corner building next to the former tattoo parlor, said he’s “optimistic” the neighborhood is in a revival. “We’re thrilled these events are happening,” he said. “Like changes to county government, changes to the urban fabric come in incremental little steps.”
Pat Reilly, who operates Downtown Dojo Karate in Williams’ building, which is owned by FCD Realty, said the tattoo parlor next door has been vacant since he opened his karate studio about four years ago.
“I’m excited to hear that it sold. I’d love to see some foot traffic next door,” Reilly said.
Reilly hopes the owners of several empty storefronts in his row and nearby recognize the potential to attract college students, workers and theater goers and choose to invest in building improvements and marketing tenants.
Michael Miscavage, the longtime owner of Top of the Slopes ski shop a few storefronts down from the karate place, said he’s encouraged by activity. He and his family own three buildings in the row, including the vacant five-story Allegheny Building.
Miscavage said he was told the Allegheny was the “fanciest hotel in town” when it opened in 1912. He and his father operated a rooming house there. He recently updated the electrical service and has been making other improvements, though he hasn’t actively sought tenants.
“The downtown was great, then it went downhill. It seems to be getting better with more money being pumped into the area,” he said.
Owner’s viewpoint
Michaelene Coffee, who owns the Place One women’s clothing store, celebrates the Taylors’ plans for the former Frank Clark Jewelers next door and other activity around her but said the attached city-owned properties on the other side of her property are a concern.
Coffee said she wants to invest thousands of dollars in a new awning with lighting for Place One, but not until the deteriorating roof of the Norton’s building is repaired. Shingles from the roof have been blowing off and ripping her awning. She said a bowling ball attached to the city-owned property by a prior owner for decorative purposes also dislodged and landed on the sidewalk in front of her store.
Coffee opened her business in 1991 and doesn’t want to be anywhere else. She’s crossing her fingers a developer won’t be put off by the repairs required to renovate the adjoining properties. “It makes me sick having to look at my awning because I take great pride in my store, but I’m not going to invest that kind of money in a new one until the problems next door are addressed,” Coffee said.
Barrouk said the proposals will determine if developers are interested in the city-owned properties in a “prime location” near the theater.
Real estate developer Joe Amato recently purchased the University Corners complex University Corners complex containing R/C Movies 14 and said he is attracting tenants for unoccupied storefront space, including Judd Shoval’s business, Ambit and Shoval. The loft-style condominiums above the complex are owned by a separate company.
The city will look for mixed-use commercial and residential proposals for its properties at 69, 71 and 75 S. Main St., Barrouk said.
The upper-level facades of the buildings in that cluster and the stretch containing the former tattoo parlor are “magnificent,” Barrouk said.
“We want to keep the historical look of the rest of the block and match what’s been done at the movie theater site,” Barrouk said. “There’s a need and demand for more residential housing within the downtown, and that goes with the city’s philosophy of live, work and play in downtown Wilkes-Barre.”
Heated bidding over Nanticoke property in tax sale
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – August 22, 2014Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@civitasmedia.comSection: news
A former Nanticoke bowling alley fetched the highest bid — $70,000 — in this week’s free-and-clear Luzerne County back-tax auction.
Hazleton resident Pasquale Scalleat acquired the 1.6-acre property on Washington Street after fending off intense competition from three men — Jignesh, Bhikhabhai and Anup Patel.
Bids started at $856.
Attorney John Rodgers, who ran the auction, quickly snapped his head back and forth numerous times between the competing bidders seated on opposite sides of the county courthouse rotunda Thursday to see if they were willing to go higher.
Scalleat said he didn’t expect bidding to exceed $30,000 to $40,000 but was willing to pay more because he operates a demolition and salvage company and won’t have to pay someone else to remove the deteriorating 121,556-square-foot structure. He expects to recoup much of his investment from scrap value.
“We’re very interested in buying up these dilapidated eyesores in our area and getting them back on the tax rolls,” Scalleat said. “The building is a liability, and if kids get hurt, it’s a bad situation.”
The former L.S. Bowl-A-Rama was owned by Ellis Investment Inc. Bowling alley owner George Ellis, of Conyngham Township, pleaded guilty in May 2010 to possessing more than 1,100 marijuana plants and money laundering. The plants were discovered during a raid at the bowling alley in November 2009, police said.
Jignesh Patel said he owns two businesses near the bowling alley site — Ruminski’s Market and the Beer Stop Deli — and wanted to replace the rundown, vacant Ellis property with a new commercial and residential plaza.
“We are trying to make a better city. We love Nanticoke,” Patel said.
Scalleat said he has no specific development plans for the parcel and is willing to meet with the Patels and others to explore options.
Bidders purchased 67 of the 137 properties listed for sale Thursday, paying a combined $420,750, according to Sean Shamany, of Northeast Revenue Service LLC, the county’s tax-claim operator.
Eight properties were removed from the sale because the owners filed for bankruptcy protection. Another 146 properties eligible for sale were postponed to a special free-and-clear auction Oct. 16, largely because Northeast Revenue wanted to ensure all lien holders were sufficiently notified of the sale.
The 70 properties that did not sell Thursday will go into a repository and may be purchased at any time with approval from taxing bodies.
One of the largest properties on the auction roster was removed the morning of the sale: a retail structure at 259 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, owned by Igor Kleyman and Then You Win Inc. The property, which once housed the Rides & Rhythms auto parts store, includes three parcels with a combined assessment of $480,000.
The property owner convinced a judge to delay its auction listing until Oct. 16 after filing a petition promising to pay the back-tax debt now that a commercial tenant has been secured for the building.
Jasmine Rodriquez bought her first home at the sale — a half-double on Regent Street in Wilkes-Barre — for $2,000. She and her cousin, Christina Davis, discussed plans for the property, which is assessed at $38,000, as they waited in line to pay after the sale.
“It’s exciting. It needs work, but I plan to do most of it myself with the help of family,” said the 32-year-old Back Mountain renter.
Development gets approval but with several conditions
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) (Published as Times Leader, The (Wilkes Barre, PA)) – November 28, 2010Browse Issues
Author/Byline: EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post CorrespondentEdition: MAINSection: APage: 3A
The Villas at Waterwood, a townhouse development, received approval from the Harveys Lake Borough Council on its tentative residential plan. Most borough residents are in favor of their new potential neighbors.
Development owners Ken Williams, Matthew DePrimo and attorney Angelo Terrana have received council’s approval on their tentative plan proposal for a planned residential development, PRD, for a 117-unit townhouse development called the Villas at Waterwood on a 33-acre property, the former site of Hanson’s Amusement Park.
A planned residential development regulation offers flexibility in development of areas designated for residential use. Terrana said the term assures the developers meet the zoning requirements at the time the plan was approved.
The approval comes with 61 conditions. The conditions were made to the borough council by Daryl Pawlush, an engineer with Michael J. Pasonick Jr., Inc. of Wilkes-Barre.
Seven of the conditions pertain to the sewer system. Developers need to provide the size and material of sewer mains and lateral lines, sewer plans and profiles and sewer easements with ownership to the council.
Other conditions involved explanation of storm inlet and grates, a copy of the application for a highway occupancy permit, soil erosion and sediment control, wetland boundaries, street and traffic sign placement.
Also, developers need to state there is no intent to dedicate the development’s roads to the borough. Terrana agreed and stated an association, the same as a homeowners’ association, will be developed to maintain the roads.
The tone of the council’s approval was supportive but cautious and residents seem to feel the same way.
Longtime resident Michelle Boice said the property is the only blight in the borough. Since the park closed in 1984, the buildings have fallen into disrepair.
“I would rather see a development there than anything else,” she said.
Resident Jason Miller has mixed emotions on the project, stating he would like to see council discuss the effect 117 homes will have on the borough’s strained sewer system.
Last year, the borough received $550,000 from the Department of Community and Economic Development’s H20 PA Act grant. This money is being used to update, repair and tighten up the storm water leaks to the sewer lines. Hopes were, as more leaks were eliminated, more sewer hook-up permits would be released.
Although council’s RPD approval does not give developers the green light to build, Terrana is preparing for that. He said he and his partners currently have 36 sewer permits and plan to use those to start the first group of townhouses.
“We can build more as they (sewer permits) come available,” he said. “We are betting the house on this.”
Boice, whose parents ran a hotel near the property at one time, said that when the development was first pitched to council, some residents expressed concern over traffic increase. She said, in the hey-day of Hanson’s, traffic was bumper-to-bumper.
“Not all those residents will exit the lake the same way,” she said. “Some may go out Noxen Road while others may use Route 29.”
Looking at old pictures of Hanson’s and several nearby beaches that are posted in the borough’s meeting room, Boice said there was always lots of activity in that section of the lake.
“There were always buses dropping off people who would be coming to one of the two beaches or the amusement park,” she said.
Armand Mascioli, one of the owners of Grotto Pizza at Harveys Lake, has visited the lake since he was 5 years old. He recalls the lake as a busy, social place during the summer months and said the impact of the additional homes will not be an issue.
From a business point of view, Mascioli said the development will bring more people to the lake.
Resident Henry Nardone of Grandview Road was first concerned about possible increase in traffic on his road but, after viewing maps posted in the borough building, saw his road would not be affected.
Bob Cook, a borough resident and local realtor, had some reservations as to where developers would get the water supply to feed 117 units. Terrana said an agreement has been reached with Shirley Hanson to use well water from her trailer park for the first 36 units. A well will be drilled on the development site and an on-site storage tank will feed the rest of the townhouses.
Early this year, many residents were upset at the possible loss of a small boat launch across from Noxen Road. The residents had claimed the launch belonged to the borough but during previous meetings, McCormick researched deeds and found no mention of the small parcel of land.
Developers claim this area is part of their 800 feet of lake side property and they plan to eventually build a marina with 96 boat slips. A large building on the lake side, a former roller skating rink, will be rebuilt as a community center for residents of the development.
This particular area was not discussed at a recent council meeting; however, Terrana said development of the lakeside property will be one of the last pieces to fall into place.
Boice said, overall, residents are supportive of the townhouse project as long as the developers continue to meet the requirements of the borough’s council, zoning and planning commissions.
The approval does come with 61 conditions. The conditions were made to the borough council by Daryl Pawlush, an engineer with Michael J. Pasonick Jr., Inc. of Wilkes-Barre. The tone of the council’s approval was supportive but cautious and residents seem to feel the same way.
Harveys Lake of old is all but gone
Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – June 22, 2015Browse Issues
Author/Byline: Bill O’Boyle In FocusSection: local-news
HARVEYS LAKE — It was once the summer utopia for people of all ages.
We swam, we danced, we rode roller coasters, we boated, we fished, we frolicked on the bumper cars and the merry-go-round.
Harveys Lake — “The Lake” — was our place to go.
And we did. Every chance we got. It was a place for summer residences and temporary, fleeting moments of joy. It was all for one and one for all.
And then over the years, The Lake became a different sort of place. Gone were the dance halls, the public accesses, no more Sandy Beach Drive-In Theater. Sandy Beach still has some sand, but no more pavilion. And memberships are now being sold.
Hanson’s Amusement Park was closed and deteriorating. It’s gone now — all but the former roller skating hall, which soon will be converted into a beautiful residence.
Harveys Lake is different now. It’s private, mostly. You can still get a boat on it and water ski or jet ski. You can swim off a dock or become a member of certain areas.
But the reality is that Harveys Lake is not what it used to be. It’s not that kind of fun anymore.
Maybe it is for those who live there, those who pay high rents, mortgages and taxes. Maybe they still enjoy The Lake the way we all used to.
But gone are those times where memories were made and indelibly etched upon our minds. Gone are the opportunities for young people to lay on the beach and work on their tans while listening to WARM “The Mighty 590” for their favorite tunes.
Gone are those dances in the second floor dance halls of Sandy Beach and Hanson’s where we would try to impress each other while Eddie Day & the Night Timers or Joe Nardone & the All Stars blared out those songs of the ’50s and ’60s.
Gone are the scary rides on Hanson’s roller coaster. Gone is the roller skating rink. Gone are the cheap pizza and hot dogs.
Gone are the picnics by the water. Gone are the times of meeting up with friends and deciding what to do this day at The Lake. Gone is that view of Sunset as you pulled your first car onto Lakeside Drive.
Two more things should be gone — jogging and biking around The Lake on Lakeside Drive. It’s just become much too dangerous.
You could be stone-cold sober and still not be able to react quickly enough to avoid a person as you come around a corner. There just isn’t enough room. The road is too narrow and the margin of error much too risky.
Law enforcement should crack down on speeders on Lakeside Drive. They should watch for impaired or distracted drivers. They should. But it really won’t make a huge difference.
Back in the day, we used to hit Sandy Beach, work on our tans, go for a swim and then head home for a shower and get ready for Friday night with Eddie Day & the Night Timers or the Starfires or TNT. Saturday nights were a repeat, except we would head to Hanson’s for Joe Nardone & the All Stars or Eddie Day.
Sometimes we would go dock-hopping to party with friends, or stop at Hanson’s or the Grotto or Jones’ Pancake House.
The point is The Lake was a whole lot of fun. Beneath the current seal of privacy, I suspect it still is. I’m sure the kids that do get on The Lake enjoy it to the max, just like we did.
But nothing is forever. There’s a rowing club starting up across from where Hanson’s Amusement Park once stood. If you take the eight-mile drive around The Lake, you will still see many of the same sites we used to see. But the veneer has changed. You can use The Lake, with limitations, but you will probably pay a fee or membership dues.
The Lake economy that once thrived on the public is now more restrictive. We can still eat at restaurants and enjoy small sections of The Lake, but access is now limited.
And members of the public who value the aesthetic beauty of The Lake still take their chances by biking or jogging. They really should find a safer place to exercise.
The public welcome mat, while still there, has more conditions than back in the day.
But the view is still spectacular — from the road, the restaurant verandas, and in our minds.
Memo: Bill O’Boyle may be reached at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
REFER TO ONLINE LIST AND PRINT VERSION
LISTING OVER $25,000 starting bids
MAKE SURE SAY AMONG
approximately 2,400 properties
UPSET PRICE IS LISTED LAST
MENTION WHAT THIS PRICE INCLUDES SEE TO DO LIST
Included in the UPSET SALE bid amount would be estimate of 2017 taxes and transfer tax if property is sold.
DO THEY JUST HAVE TO PAY THE TWO-YEAR and prior portion to get out of the sale?
2015 and prior must be paid in full.
