August 2007 - poconobusinessjournal.com

Transcription

Pocono Business Journal
Seven Bridge Road, RR# 5 Box 5198
East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
www.pbjonline.com
POCONO
Regional Business News & Resources
THIS MONTH
• Leadership Pocono – Class of 2007 Graduation p. 12
• Protecting Groundwater .............................p. 9
• Stormwater Control Costs for Business.... p. 6
• Stream Restoration Projects...................p. 16
• Watersheds: Questions Answered...........p. 11
• Focus List:
United Way Agencies.............................p. 16
• Op-Ed:
PA Chamber on Taxes and Budget............p. 4
• PBJ Columnists:
Business Lawyer......................................p. 3
HR Toolbox . ............................................p. 4
Marketing Momentum ...........................p. 7
Regional Healthcare Report.......................p. 10
Residential Real Estate Quarterly ........p. 13
Sustainable is Attainable . ......................p. 3
QUOTE
“We have had to learn, painfully and
repeatedly, that building in flood plains
is not good business. It causes a lot of
problems aside from the impact to the
landowner, the homeowner and the business owner, directly or indirectly. Often,
the rest of us pick up the tab, when you
consider that tax dollars that go into
state and federal funding to try and
help people rebuild or relocate them or
do stream repair to prevent their house
from falling into the stream.”
- John Jose, watershed specialist with
the Pike County Conservation District
– Full story on
Page 6
OBSERVE
1 World Wide Web Anniversary
2
5
16 26 First Income Tax (Congress enacts first income tax in 1861)
American Family Day
Roller Coaster Day (roller coaster patented in 1898)
Women’s Equality Day
(1920–19th amendment
ratified)
QUESTION
When were the majority of
homes built in Monroe County?
See PMCC Business Magazine ad
for the answer on page 10.
www.pbjonline.com
August 2007, Vol. 3, Issue 8
Annual Pocono Economic Forecast
Options to Maintain Balance Between
Development and Water Quality
By Lisa Alexander
The Pocono Mountains and surrounding area have
seen explosive growth in recent years. With this surge
of economic development, some residents are worried
we have started to compromise the pristine environment and clean water for which many have moved
here. With advanced planning and cooperation between
the business and residential communities, municipalities, and other governmental agencies, we can have
a prosperous economic business sector along with
cleaner and better water quality for all.
The Pocono Mountain area currently has streams that
are designated “high quality” or “exceptional value” by the
PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). These
terms, referred to simply as HQ & EV, are used by the state
to determine standards that give these waters additional
protection under local and state laws.
Businesses that operate in the region can affect our water
quality greatly, both negatively and positively. How a business discharges its wastewater is important. There is point
see WATER
QUALITY
page 8
Debate Ensues After Redesignation of Stream
By Ken Clark
Tension between the environmentalist and the developer is such a constant in any region that it almost
falls under the category of natural law. For months,
however, the relationship between the Brodhead Watershed Association and the Inn at Pocono Manor was a
refreshing exception.
As Jim Cahill, vice president of Matzel Development, which bought the Inn in December 2005, laid
out plans for a major expansion, Theresa Merli, president of the Association, offered suggestions and Cahill
complied, often going above and beyond environmental
demands with innovative technologies which Merli applauded.
Merli admires the way Cahill plans to return waste
water to the watershed, by routing it back through
toilets and urinals at the expanding Inn, and by treating
it to near purity and using it in winter to make snow
for the Inn’s winter sports activities, thus allowing it
to seep back into the watershed when the snow melts,
rather than discharging it into nearby streams.
Additionally, Cahill says, state-of-the-art cooling
towers for the hotel’s air conditioning will be capable
of evaporating 250,000 gallons of waste water a day
directly back into the atmosphere.
“They have had a very open door policy with us,”
Merli says. “We have been very impressed.”
“She is president of the organization, and I’ve found
her to be a really nice, good person to work with,”
Cahill says of Merli.
Then, on July 2, cordiality ended, all because of two
streams that flow across Pocono Manor’s 3,000-acre spread
in Tobyhanna and Pocono Townships.
For years, Indian Run and Upper Swiftwater Creeks
have been designated by the Department of Environmental
Protection as cold water fisheries, a ‘high quality’ designation, but now, the Watershed Association, which has the job
of seeing to it that pure waters in the great drainage basin
stay pure, is petitioning the DEP to upgrade both streams to
a designation of ‘exceptional value’.
Cahill says if the redesignation is approved, it is likely
to damage the development plans he worked out “at great
expense” in anticipation of a slots-casino license that went
to Louis DeNaples for Mount Airy in Paradise Township
instead.
However, even if Pocono Manor cannot become a
casino, Matzel Development is intent upon expanding the
property and making it a premiere destination resort. A successful upgrading of the two streams will not shut down that
project, but it will burden it with much more stringent, and
probably more expensive, environmental requirements.
“We worked out everything with them, so here I was,
thinking that I had met the environmentalists head-on and
listened to what they had to say and incorporated their concerns into my plan, and everybody was happy,” Cahill says.
“Then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, these people want
to do this to me. I’ve got to tell you, I am upset because I
see REDESIGNATION page 5
2
Pocono Business Journal | August 2007
www.pbjonline.com
POCONO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Twin Willow Publishing Company
Seven Bridge Road
RR#5 Box 5198
East Stroudsburg, PA 18301-9209
570.421.0100 | fax 570.421.0404
www.pbjonline.com
PUBLISHER / EDITOR
Marynell Strunk
REPORTERS
Lisa Alexander
Ken Clark
Robin Gaffney
Kathy Ruff
CONTRIBUTORS
Tom Ford
Richard J. Henley
Heidi Hewlett
Victoria Mavis
Dominick J. Sacci
Lesley Smith
Chris Storm
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Danielle Eberhardt
Robin Gaffney
Lynn Schwarz
COPY EDITOR
Joan Groff
SALES
Phyllis M. Hilkert
PRODUCTION/DESIGN
Jason Trump
CIRCULATION
Robin Gaffney
COPYRIGHT: PBJ is protected under the federal Copyright Act. Reproductions of any
part by any means or facsimiles without the express written permission of the publisher
are not permitted. Reprints of PBJ articles are available. For rates and information
visit http://www.pbjonline.com/reprints.html. PBJ cannot be responsible for the
return of unsolicited material, manuscripts and photographs without the inclusion of
a self-addressed stamped envelope. Information in this publication is gathered from
sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information
cannot be guaranteed. Submission of information does not guarantee inclusion. PBJ is
published monthly from offices located at Seven Bridge Road, East Stroudsburg, PA
18301. PBJ serves business owners, managers and professionals in the four county Pocono region: Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne. Subscriptions are available for $30 per
year or $60 for two years. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Pocono Business
Journal, RR#5 Box 5198, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
ARTICLES
Efforts to Control Rising Water Equals Costs for Business, Taxpayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6
Protecting Groundwater Has Impact on Current, Future Water Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 9
Watersheds: What are they? Where are they? What do they do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 11
Restoration Projects on Tap to Correct Impaired Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 16
DEPARTMENTS
• Business Briefs – Who’s Who/What’s What. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14-15
• Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 17
• Columnists
Business Lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3
HR Toolbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4
Marketing Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 7
Regional Healthcare Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 10
Residential Real Estate Quarterly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 13
Sustainable is Attainable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3
• Editorial – PA Chamber: A Few Words About Taxes and Budget. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4
• Focus List – United Way Agencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 16
• Register – Deeds and Mortgage Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 18 - 19
Advertisers Index
Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. . . . . . 6
SUBSCRIPTION FORM
If you would like to guarantee receiving the Pocono
Business Journal monthly, please mail subscription
form along with check made payable to:
East Stroudsburg University of PA. . . . . . . . . . 11
Seven Bridge Road
RR#5 Box 5198
East Stroudsburg, PA 18301-9209
Hemlock Point Lodge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Journal Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Michael Baxter & Associates
Commercial Real Estate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Name:_______________________________
Nassau Broadcasting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Company:____________________________
Pocono B2B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Title:_ _______________________________
Address:_ ____________________________
Pocono Medical Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Phone:_______________________________
Pocono Mountains Business Magazine . . . . . . 10
City:________________________________
Pocono Mountains Economic Development. . . . 8
Pocono Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
State:________________________________
Zip:_________________________________
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Sherman Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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Viamedia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Thank you for choosing
3
NEWS
Business Succession Should Happen by Process, Not Crisis
The Business
Lawyer
Tom Ford
Through a great deal of time, effort and hard work,
you have built a successful business. Now – start thinking about leaving.
Maybe you already are. Are you looking forward to
retiring somewhere warm and dry? Maybe someone has
offered to buy your business, or you want to pass it on to
your family. Other common reasons for leaving a business are death or serious illness of a partner or spouse,
divorce, health, and competitive pressures. Whatever the
cause, some day you will leave the business. The key to
getting the most financial and personal satisfaction out
of that day is not to wait until a crisis. Start your succession planning now.
Unfortunately, most don’t plan. Instead, business succession becomes a sudden event, rather than a
process. It is no surprise that roughly two-thirds of all
businesses fail to transition to a second generation of
ownership, and less than a quarter of those make it to a
third.
Business succession planning requires a systematic
evaluation of each of the transition elements. At a minimum, you, your management team and your advisors,
will need to analyze the business ownership structures,
the imperatives of the departing owners, future owners and the business, and future ownership alternatives.
These analyses then need to coalesce into an integrated
succession plan.
The integrated succession plan needs to address two
main transfers: the transfer of authority – control over
the business operations – and the transfer of assets – the
business wealth. It is not unusual for the assets to be held
by a different, or larger, group than those holding operational control – especially in family-owned businesses.
The major issues to be addressed in a successful
plan of succession are easier to state than to resolve.
They include: selecting a successor, intergenerational
conflict, competing generational agendas and goals,
training, and timing.
Effective business succession planning demands,
among other things, honest reflection, candid communication, realistic evaluation of potential successors, trust
and patience, and many difficult choices. The process requires the participation of owners, would-be owners, key
employees, family members, and professional advisors.
In the closely-held business, planning for succession
is disrupted easily by vanity, greed, and emotion. Experienced outside professionals can guide the team through
these distractions by keeping everyone focused on the
goals and offering creative solutions. Your succession
planning team will include, at a minimum, a business
accountant and a business lawyer. Other professionals
frequently called on to assist in various elements of the
planning include insurance professionals, business brokers, business coaches, and financial planners.
Succession planning often starts with the business
accountant. The company’s CPA usually already has a
good working relationship with the owners, key employees, and family members. The accountant is familiar with
the personnel, the business, future plans, and the personal interrelationships at play in the business. The accountant will play key roles in the business valuation, prepare
many of the analytic tools that the process requires, and
is often involved in implementing succession.
As important to the succession planning team is
the business lawyer. A business lawyer with sufficient
training, expertise, and experience is essential. Legal
advice and drafting the implementing documents should
always be done by the business lawyer. Your business
lawyer will need to address issues arising in the areas
of contract law, corporate law and governance, asset
protection, employment law, and dispute resolution, to
name only a few. Business experience and good communication skills are, of course, very important.
Everyone on the team – constituents and professionals – must be able to work well together and bring their
individual talents to the table to reach the ultimate goal
of a successful succession plan. The process can be long
and require a great deal of effort. The professionals will
guide your business team through a great many materials and tools in the process, including, very typically,
things like financial statements, budget projections, a
business valuation, business entity selection, gifts, sales,
wills, trusts, employee stock ownership plans, family
limited partnerships, installment notes, private annuities, insurance, employee benefits, employment agreements, consulting agreements, pension plans, buy/sell
agreements, non-competes, leases, licensing agreements,
insurance, and annuities.
A daunting list, but we are talking about your life’s
work. Business succession planning is about your
business continuing on after you are done with it, about
maximizing your return from all of that work, about
investing in your future.
When should you start your succession planning? If
you haven’t started, call someone tomorrow.
Tom Ford is a principal at Smithford Business Lawyers,
LLC, with offices in Stroudsburg and Wilkes-Barre. You
can reach him at 1.800.728.1406, by e-mail at tford@
smithfordlaw.com , and read his blog at www.pbjonline.
com/blog.
The Importance of Minimizing Sediment Pollution in Stream Ecosystem
Sustainable is
Attainable
Chris Storm
Erosion is a natural process that has been occurring since the beginning of time and has shaped all our
local streams and rivers. Every time it rains, erosion
occurs on some level. But, when people conduct activities on their property that increases the probability
and the amount of erosion, this is when we need to be
concerned. To address this, the Department of Environmental Protection, along with the County Conservation Districts, administers the 25 PA. Code Chapter
102, Erosion and Sedimentation Control Program to
help minimize the effects of accelerated erosion.
Accelerated erosion is defined as the removal of
the surface of the land through the combined action
of the human activities and the natural processes, at a
rate greater than would occur because of the natural
process alone. Whether it is agricultural plowing and
tilling or residential and commercial development,
these activities possibly can increase the amount of
erosion and the subsequent sedimentation to our waters of the commonwealth.
Now you may be asking yourself, what effect does sedimentation have on our local streams?
Sedimentation not only degrades a stream’s water
quality, but it also affects the aquatic organisms that
that are classified as high quality or exceptional value
live in it. Fish populations can be affected greatly by
high amounts of sediment in the water. Large amounts
have stricter regulations under the Chapter 102 Eroof sediment can diminish aquatic insect populations
sion and Sedimentation Control Program for any type
of construction activity.
which fish need for their food base as well as can
If you would like any more information or just
cause respiratory problems and death for sensitive fish
species, such as trout. The time of year when sedimenhave questions regarding either the Chapter 93 or
Chapter 102 programs, feel free to contact DEP at any
tation is most destructive to fish populations is during
of their regional offices or your local county conservathe fish’s spawning season. In most cases, a fish egg
requires more dissolved oxygen to survive than a full
tion district for more information.
grown fish. If enough sediment is deposited over the
fertilized eggs, the sediment will suffocate and kill the
Chris Storm has been the District Technician for the
eggs. Thus, this can result in an overall decrease in the
Carbon County Conservation District since July
2002.
fish population of the receiving watercourse.
The overall quality of
the water in the stream is also
affected by sedimentation.
Water that is cloudy with
sediment will heat up faster
than water that is flowing
clear. As the temperature
of the water increases, the
amount of dissolved oxygen
decreases. As the dissolved
oxygen level decreases, the
amount of organisms that
the water can sustain will
also decrease. Sediment
runoff also can contain other
minerals (iron, sodium, etc.)
and nutrients (phosphates,
nitrates, etc.) that can be toxic
at certain levels to a stream.
To help protect water
quality in our streams and
www.pbjonline.com
POCONO
rivers, PADEP, under Chapter
93 of the state regulations,
denotes different classifications for each stream. Streams
Contact PBJ
for Ad Rates.
www.pbjonline.com
e-mail: [email protected]
4
EDITORIAL
A Few Words about Taxes and Budget from PA Chamber of Business and Industry
PA Chamber of
Commerce
Lesley Smith
Mandatory Combined Reporting is Bad for
Pennsylvania
Last session, the General Assembly and the governor took
steps to improve Pennsylvania’s uncompetitive business tax
climate and poor reputation for business friendliness by enacting modest business tax reductions. The logical next step, then,
would be to build on these positive reforms in order to put
Pennsylvania’s competitiveness on more solid ground and send
the message that the state is “open for business.”
Instead, the Rendell administration and its allies in the
House have chosen to advance a proposal – mandatory unitary
combined reporting – that would hurt Pennsylvania’s competitiveness. Combined reporting is a multi-billion-dollar tax
increase that would also impose massive administrative and
litigation costs on Pennsylvania’s job creators. Instituting
combined reporting would have far-reaching and harmful effects. It creates a specific disincentive for multi-state firms to
do business in Pennsylvania because they incur Pennsylvania
tax liability on current operations in other states – even if those
firms have already paid all of the state taxes to the other state
governments where the operations are located.
In addition, combined reporting discourages new businesses from locating here because predictability is one of the
most important factors in decision making for business leaders.
The decision to invest in Pennsylvania jobs and infrastructure
only comes after it is determined that the value created by the
enterprise will be sufficiently greater than the costs to justify
the investment. The uncertainty created by mandatory unitary
combined reporting would effectively tell prospective investors to go somewhere else.
Pennsylvania employers already pay more than $22
billion per year in state and local taxes, in addition to innumerable state fees. This represents 42.5 percent of all state and
local taxes collected in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania’s
economy simply cannot endure higher business taxes and
policymakers should not be fooled by the reckless rhetoric that
suggests the business community is not paying its fair share.
Additionally, supporters of combined reporting legislation
are flat out wrong to say they are implementing the recommendations of the Business Tax Reform Commission. Not only
is it not the same proposal, any mention of the commission’s
recommendations should come with clarification that the
administration’s purpose for the commission was disingenuous
from the start and the scope of it its work was severely limited.
The governor never charged the commission with determining
how to improve Pennsylvania’s tax structure. He charged it
with figuring out how to implement combined reporting.
And when the governor initially proposed combined
reporting, he said it would address “abuses” in the tax system
and would bring in $100 million in additional revenue for the
Commonwealth. The Revenue Department already has the
power to address abuses, as evidenced by recent tax settlements. Combined reporting, in addition to being unnecessary,
is estimated to capture nearly half a billion dollars, and many
experts suggest this number is underestimated. This discrepancy demonstrates that many honest taxpaying companies
- and the jobs they provide Pennsylvanians - would be hurt by
this proposal.
Government must remove the obstacles on business that
infringe on its ability to create and sustain quality jobs for the
long term. Instead of imposing burdensome new taxes and
reporting requirements on businesses that would have farreaching and harmful impacts on large and small employers
and result in lost businesses and jobs in Pennsylvania, elected
officials should lower the uncompetitive CNI tax, which is
currently second-highest in the nation, uncap the net operating
loss carry forward restrictions and implement a single sales
factor for CNI apportionment.
New State Budget Holds the Line on Multiple Tax Increases
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry recently applauded pro-business lawmakers for holding the line
on tax increases in the 2007-08 state budget.
The Commonwealth’s job creators were looking at a more
than $1.2 billion increase from seven new and/or expanded
taxes that had been advanced by the Rendell administration as
part of the governor’s original budget proposal.
“On behalf of our more than 24,000 statewide members
and customers, the Pennsylvania Chamber commends lawmakers for recognizing that after positive steps were taken last year
to improve Pennsylvania’s business tax structure, now was not
the time to backslide,” said Floyd Warner, president of the PA
Chamber.
Warner also credited lawmakers for resisting the administration’s call for a new electricity tax, one of the final sticking
points in the budget negotiations. The tax on residential, commercial and industrial users is not part of the budget. However,
legislative leaders agreed to hold a special session on energy in
September.
“There are some good concepts in the governor’s energy
strategy that make sense to pursue,” Warner said. “But a new
tax and nearly one billon dollars in bond debt is not necessary
to explore alternative energy.”
The electricity tax would have been particularly detrimental to small and mid-size energy-intensive companies.
Warner said controlling spending goes hand in hand
with preventing burdensome tax increases on businesses and
residents, and noted that the new budget is a step in the right
direction in that regard.
“Although the budget’s spending increase is more than
what some lawmakers had wanted, it nonetheless represents a
smaller increase in the growth of government spending than
previous state budgets,” he said.
Victoria Mavis
Government entities and various organizations release an
economic forecast based on an examination of activities, trends
and other factors. Many business and industry observers use
those forecasts to plan strategies to move forward in their own
ventures.
Similar to economists, employers should develop a
human resource forecast to plan both short- and long-term
strategies to meet current and future needs. The shrinking
labor pool, expected by the retirement of aging baby boomers,
places more urgency on that practice as employers will have to
learn to do more with less – fewer people, resources and funds.
PBJ READER’S RESOURCE
www.wef.org
Water Environment Federation
The vision of the Water Environment
Federation is to “preserve and enhance
the global water environment.” The entire Web site is dedicated to advance its mission of providing information, education, and resources to water quality professionals and the public. It only takes one or two clicks of your mouse
to have an entire menu of reproducible
fact sheets. The site also keeps visitors upto-date on Regulatory Affairs pertaining to
water and sanitation issues on the
federal level.
Robin Gaffney
Have
something
to say ???
Lesley Smith is the director of communications for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the state’s largest
broad-based business association, with a membership representing more than 50 percent of the private workforce. More
information is available on the Chamber’s Web site at www.
pachamber.org.
Send Letters to the Editor
at [email protected].
Remember to include your
contact information.
So, what can employers do to prepare for a tightening
market of skilled laborers?
Employers can begin doing more with less by investing in
and using technology to its fullest potential to streamline operations and improve efficiencies and productivity. Using your
free time, between appointments or during a break, to check
email and phone messages can help you stay on top of your
obligations better. Making the most of those minutes through
using, wireless technology, for example, can help you manage
your time more effectively and efficiently. Reluctance to invest in technology that could manage
your time and responsibilities better can limit your productivity and create unnecessary demands on your time. Many
smaller companies typically use a peer-to-peer network to
support their in-house administrative functions. But as the
business grows, markets change and demands quicken, that
technology outlives its usefulness, and the company may be
served better with a dedicated server.
Yet, many business owners tend to procrastinate in
researching and investing in technologies that can help them
manage their businesses more efficiently.
That procrastination also trickles into examining the
human resources arena. For example, when was the last time
your company reviewed its insurances? Did you know employers can process benefit enrollment forms or train employees
online? When did the company last perform a human resources
program review to see if it meets new compliance standards
or learn about and adopt a better way to handle your people
programs?
Handling your people programs more effectively can
include incorporating technology into your training programs.
As the Internet matures, employers can tap into a variety of
web-based training programs designed to train employees,
supervisors and upper management. Using that technology can
prevent additional costs for gas, tolls and meals and improve
productivity by decreasing time spent on the road.
It goes without saying that if you are not focused on
technology, you are either driving yourself out of business or
you’re driving yourself nuts. You are going to lose one way or
the other.
The key is to remain vigilant in knowing what technology
can do to improve your operations and be willing to take the
time to educate yourself on what technology has to offer to allow you to run your business at the highest level of efficiency.
Plan Ahead For Current, Future Needs
HR Toolbox
Victoria Mavis is the President/CEO of Core People Resources,
LLC, a Web-based human resources expert system which is
designed to help small employers reduce the risk of financial
exposure associated with employment issues. The company is
located in Wind Gap. Vickie has over 17 years experience and her
expertise is in providing businesses with practical and affordable
approaches to their ‘people’ problems through the use of Internet
technology. www.corepeopleresources.com. You can reach her at
[email protected]
5
EDITORIAL
REDESIGNATION... cont. from page 1
thought I had a working relationship with the Brodhead Creek Watershed Association.”
Merli says the Watershed Association board of
directors unanimously approved the petition to upgrade the two streams to a designation that would
forbid any form of degradation on the part of a
developer, not only in the Upper Swiftwater Valley,
but also across the entire watershed.
“We were hoping that they would be a co-petitioner with us -- that they would support what we
are doing -- but there is concern on their part that
it won’t be good for them, that it will somehow
affect their ability to develop their property if this
stream should be correctly designated,” Merli says.
“We understand that developers do have to jump
through a tremendous number of hoops to follow
through on their projects, and we are empathetic
to that, but it is our mission -- it is our job-- to do
what we can to make sure that these streams are not
degraded.”
Cahill says Merli proceeded with the petition
without ever viewing his development plans, which
include expansion of the existing hotel and a commercial development which may include “one of
the biggest outdoor outfitting places that wants to
be one of the first stores that’s put on the property
just because of our high quality cold water fishery.”
“This is a retailer that the Poconos would die
to get,” he says. “I would venture to say if the
(overall) project did get built, it would win national
recognition for the innovative techniques used on
the site regarding reuse of effluent.”
Cahill says a prime draw in his bid to turn the
Inn at Pocono Manor into a national destination
resort is the trout streams that flow across the property. He says Orbitz, the travel agency, has designated Upper Swiftwater Creek as one of the top 25
fishing sites in the nation, and that many guests will
flock to the Inn for that reason alone.
An upgrade of the streams in question, from
cold water fishery to exceptional value, would not
bar fishermen from casting flies into their waters,
but Cahill fears extreme developmental restrictions as a result of the designated upgrade might do
violence to his other expansion plans.
“We don’t think that’s correct,” says Merli. “We
think that’s a misperception. A lot of times, people
think when you do something like this, you are
trying to stop development. From what we have
seen of their development plans, which are very
thoughtful, very sensitive to
the environment, this should
not affect their plans.”
Cahill, of course, disagrees
and says Matzel Development
will vigorously protest the
petition before the DEP.
“I’m as green as the next
guy; I’m a conservationist,” he
says. “But I’ve already given
up land once (through seizure
by eminent domain) for the
tree-huggers and the environmentalists, and I feel that this
is just another tack to take
more of our property.”
Merli is standing her
ground.
“It is in our best interests
to maintain the high quality of our water resources,”
she says. “It’s not just about
environmental protection. It’s
about protection of the reason
that people move here, the
reason that businesses move
here. We have an extraordinary area. It is in the benefit
of our economic development
to protect our assets and, in
many people’s opinion, our
water resources are one of our
greatest assets.”
The next volley in the
ongoing war between environmentalists, who want to
preserve the world as it is,
and developers, who want to
change it to accommodate
growing populations and businesses, probably will be fired
at state DEP headquarters in
Harrisburg. Neither side in the
current controversy shows any
sign of backing down.
“We will fight the petition,”
says Cahill.
“He does his job, and I do
mine,” says Merli.
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Driven By Excellence
Guided by Caring
No one cares more about your health than the Pocono
Medical Center, especially when it comes to providing
treatment, preventing illness, and promoting wellness.
From the exceptional heart team at the ESSA Heart
and Vascular Institute to the highly skilled physicians
leading the Mattioli Emergency Center, we’ve paved
the way in healthcare excellence. The nationally
recognized expertise and patient care provided by
the Dale & Frances Hughes Cancer Center is just one
testament to our ability to merge cutting-edge technology
with world-class service. Driven by excellence and
guided by caring, we’ve worked hard to build our
reputation as healthcare leaders, and we plan to work
even harder to keep it.
www.poconohealthsystem.org
6
NEWS
Efforts to Control Rising Water Equals Costs for Business, Taxpayers
By Kathy Ruff
Over the past five years, flooding has left its mark in the
Poconos. Between September 2004 and June 2006, three
major floods saturated areas around streams, creeks and the
Delaware River.
Businesses affected by each of the floods included
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, located in Shawnee on
Delaware, The Village Farmer and Rock-Tenn, located in
Delaware Water Gap. During and since that time, these and
other businesses have undertaken efforts to minimize the
effects of any future flooding.
Those efforts included a $1 million investment to build
a levee around a rear building that sits along
a tributary of the Delaware River on property
owned by Laird Technologies, an electronics
designer and manufacturer located in Delaware Water Gap.
While the levee protected Laird from
another hit during the flooding in June 2006,
the solution represents a costly alternative
and one inadequate for widespread relief.
“If you find yourself damming and building levees and giant flood control projects,
usually those projects are extremely costly,
and the public pays for those to a large
degree,” says Craig Todd, district manager
of the Monroe County Conservation District.
“As you flood-proof areas and levee areas,
you protect those areas behind the levee, but
you pass the problem down the stream.”
A more universal approach involves
protecting existing flood plains, areas where
waterways will flow when water spills over
banks during flooding events. By allowing a
waterway to overflow unobstructed onto its
adjoining floodplain, the tremendous energy
carried by floodwaters is spread out, thereby
lessening flood damage.
“Stormwater (control) is an excellent
way to mitigate and minimize impact from
flooding, so there are a couple approaches to
resolve and minimize impacts from flooding,” says Todd. “One is how you use your
land. Two is encouraging groundwater
recharge instead of letting the stormwater run
off. Three would be not to build in areas that
flood.”
In the Poconos, as in other areas of the
state, growing demand for new residential,
commercial and industrial development has
led to the loss of flood plains.
“We tend to move into and build on flood
plains,” says John Jose, watershed specialist
with the Pike County Conservation District,
Blooming Grove. “We have had to learn,
painfully and repeatedly, that building in
flood plains is not good business. It causes a
lot of problems aside from the impact to the
landowner, the homeowner and the business
owner, directly or indirectly. Often, the rest
of us pick up the tab, when you consider that
tax dollars that go into state and federal funding to try and help people rebuild or relocate
them or do stream repair to prevent their
house from falling into the stream.”
Compaction of soils, due to development of roads, rooftops and sidewalks in and
around flood plains, adds to the potential for
additional flooding by increasing stormwater
runoff.
“There is a lot (municipalities) can do to
enhance protection of flood plains on people
and the environment with their minimum
land use regulations all the way up to and
including basically a prohibition on flood
plains,” says Jose.
Pike County’s Shohola Township
adopted ordinances that require incorporating conservation design standards into the
development of residential subdivisions.
The standards help to conserve forestlands,
minimize the amount of impervious surfaces
created and move toward more effective and
innovative stormwater management strategies.
Innovative stormwater management strategies represent one issue recently addressed
by a task force created by the Delaware River
Basin Commission to minimize impact of
flooding in the basin and turn a negative into a positive.
“One of the things that should be addressed in terms
of flood loss reduction is stormwater management, and that
really has to do with trying to control run-off as close as
possible to the point of origin to provide for infiltration and
prevent worsening of downstream flooding,” says Clarke
Rupert, spokesman for the Delaware River Basin Commission. “The idea is to try to treat the stormwater as a resource
not as a waste and to make adjustments site-specific adjustments to be able to try to keep that water, and give it the
opportunity to recharge. It’s not only a water quantity issue,
it’s also a water quality issue as well.”
Rupert also suggests that municipalities develop or
update their all-hazard mitigation plans to remain eligible
for state and federal funding that can, in part, support flood
control efforts.
“The counties and municipalities throughout our watershed are at various stages of developing those plans because
they have to be developed at the county and local level and
then submitted to FEMA,” says Rupert. “It would be good
for businesses to reach out to the local government and
inquire as to where the status of their local community is in
terms of how far along they are in moving ahead with this
process.”
7
NEWS
Making Your Next Marketing Move Strategic
Marketing Momentum
Heidi Hewlett
www.pbjonline.com/blog
The term “strategy” might bring
to mind some childhood favorite board
games, such as Battleship, Mastermind,
Chess and Stratego. But, strategy in the
marketing sense is not as well-defined
nor shaped by the physical structures of a
colorful board game.
Strategic marketing is a system which
helps management make strategic decisions (a decision is made in a time frame
of more than a year) and create strategic
visions (a vision of a future set of strategies). Just as you would analyze your
chess opponent across the game board, you
analyze your real life competitors and any
other factors that might have an impact
on the results of the match. From your
business perspective, you must identify
and understand the needs and motivations
of your customers because, without them,
you wouldn’t have a business. Now, look
at your competitors. In a board game it is
easy – they are sitting right in front of you,
and usually you can count them all on one
hand. It is not often that you play a board
game against a hidden opponent, and, most
of the time, you have the luxury of watching your opponent make his next move.
Unfortunately, your business competitors aren’t as accommodating and transparent in their decisions. As part of your
external analysis, it is extremely important
for you to identify your competitors and
understand their culture, pricing strategy,
performance, image, strengths and weaknesses. Not only do you want to enumerate
your current competitors, but also it is important to factor in the possibility of future
competitors to your business. Understandably, the importance of an analysis of the
context and market in which you will be
doing business is paramount. Size, profitability, trends and success factors within
the market, all will provide you with
important information on which you can
base certain decisions. As you sit there,
eying your opponent over the game board
or battling through the glowing screen (depending upon your generation), you may
realize there are certain environmental factors which may affect your success. Is the
economy strong so that you can pay for the
electricity that is shedding light on your
playing field? Does the necessary technology exist for you to acquire new information and improve your skills? Do you live
in a country which allows you the personal
freedom to continue this board game to a
satisfactory conclusion? It seems strange
to frame the impact of these external factors in and around a board game, but it is
not such a stretch to apply them to your
own business.
In addition to an external analysis, you
also must turn the microscope on your own
business. Performance, sales, employee
capability, customer satisfaction and brand
associations, all are analyzed to provide
a detailed understanding of your organization. Before you can formulate some
strategies, it is important that you review
past strategies and realize your organization’s capabilities and constraints. For example, before you begin your
“Gruenfeld Gambit” move in chess, you may want to
review previous associated strategies for success and
failure rates. This information-gathering will only assist
you in your own strategy formation. With the finalization of the internal and external analyses and information gathering, the strategy identification and selection
process begins. Not only must you select and implement
a strategy for your business, but also you must identify
alternative strategies.
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8
NEWS
WATER QUALITY... cont. from page 1
source pollution, such as a discharge pipe releasing
industrial waste water into a stream. This procedure is allowed legally, provided proper permits
have been issued and the discharge is treated first
to a certain standard, and this is typically the same
way the municipal wastewater treatment plant
(WWTP) operates.
The other point of pollution would be non-point
source, such as stormwater run-off, erosion, septic
systems, lawn and other chemicals. Interestingly
enough, although industries and businesses often
get blamed for water pollution from a legally permitted direct point source, such as a discharge pipe,
according to the PA DEP, these non-point sources,
such as run-off, account for over 75% of the state’s
water pollution problem.
Various industries and businesses, that are
so important to our economy, often need to use
discharge water to function. These systems are
regulated heavily by the state and local authorities.
A certain portion of these systems falls under what
is called SEJ, Social Economic Justification, which
means that there are overlying economic or social
factors that are more important to justifying the
degradation of the stream. One example of this SEJ
classification would be the case that we all would
like to conserve gas, but, at the same time, we need
to drive to work to provide for our families. One
need outweighs the others.
According to Brian Book, environmental engineer for Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. in State
College, PA., there are new technologies out there
that will encourage economic growth and actually
save and improve our water resources. According
to Mr. Book, currently most municipalities operate
under the law of Act 537, which is the PA. Sewage
Facility Act, in which sewage planning is dovetailed with land development. Land development,
zoning, building, and sewage planning are looked
at as an entire system and allow discharge to the
nearest stream, spray irrigation, or to sewers which
go to public systems and treatment plants.
Book explained new engineering technologies
that are changing the way communities use their
water, actually encouraging economic growth while
preserving water, called water re-use technology.
This new sustainable water system will reduce the
evidence of a water footprint.
“Right now, we take our water out of the top of
our watershed. A watershed acts as a natural filter
for our water. We use the water and treat and heat
it. It goes back into the bottom of the watershed via
a stream at 60 degrees, which is too warm for fish.
It loses all that time in the natural filtration process,
as it would flow down the mountain and into the
streams, and the treated water is certainly not as
clean as it was when we took it out of the watershed,” says Book.
Conversely, according to Book, with the water
re-use technologies, the warm, treated water is not
sent back into the watershed but, instead, is re-used
by other businesses instead of these same businesses taking fresh water out of the ground supply. In
a current application of this system, the water used
by businesses and other communities is treated to
better than normal standards, but instead of going
back into a stream, the water is re-used by other
businesses. There is an industrial laundry business using the treated water for laundry rather than
using the fresh spring water from a tap. Large golf
courses use the treated water to maintain and water
the courses.
“Now, instead of taking all that “virgin” water
out of the ground, businesses are using water from
other businesses. This keeps more spring water in
nature and less warm, treated water goes back to
the system where it sometimes disrupts the natural
balance,” explains Book.
Most wastewater treatment plants return treated
water into some other body of water, whether it’s
a stream, a lake, or, ultimately, the ocean. When
warm, chemically treated water enters our eco-system, it always has some consequence. Oceans, bays
and some lakes all have what is called a “dead”
zone. Wastewater from WWTP’s cause algae
blooms that eventually die off, creating low oxygen levels incapable of supporting fish and other
aquatic life.
It is the intent and goal of implementing water
re-use technology to lessen the amount of industrial
waste-returned water to our fresh water supply. The
re-used water could be used for other businesses,
resulting in the lowering of their water bills. Plus,
as the water gets re-used, as in the case of the golf
course, it will seep into the ground where it will
return to our ground water through nature’s own
filtration process and become even cleaner. Does this technology cost more? According to
Mr. Book, the answer is no. The initial costs are
high, but it pays itself back ten-fold over the years.
“You have to treat the water anyway. This is a
low impact alternative where you will eventually
get paid for better water, and the environment is
preserved” says Book.
Preserving Water
From a Private Well
By Lisa Alexander
If you have a business that is not connected to a public sewer and water system,
there are ways you can help protect the
water supply. Make sure you don’t put
any hazardous chemicals down the drain.
Your septic system works like a little natural treatment plant, but hazardous chemicals may not get filtered properly and
will seep into the ground water, affecting
wells. Switch to natural cleaning products;
there are many of them on the Internet and
in health food stores, even some of the
larger grocery stores are starting to carry
them. Also, it will make the indoor air
quality better for your employees.
Vlad Potiyevsky, Registered Architect
and United States Green Building Council
(USGBC), LEED, AP®, located in Paupack, suggests some simple and inexpensive
ways to preserve water in your business
by installing low flow or dual flush toilets,
faucet aerators and sink sensors, and
waterless urinals. All of these will save
a great deal of water. Also, you can use
a grey water system to flush your toilets.
This is a mini water re-use system within
your own office building. You can capture
water from the sink and store and reuse it
for flushing the toilets. Another form of a
grey water system would be to use gutters
and downspouts to capture rainwater and
store it in a cistern for water use in cleaning or other industrial uses your business
may have, as well as for flushing toilets. In
addition, you can use a grey water system
for watering your landscaping.
9
NEWS
Protecting Groundwater Has Impact on Current, Future Water Quality
By Kathy Ruff
Did you know that groundwater not only provides drinking water for over a third of the state’s
residents but also that it provides the base flow
for Pennsylvania’s streams, creeks and rivers?
Of the over 7.7 million people who live in
the Delaware River basin, a 13,500-square-mile
drainage area that drains into the Delaware River
from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey
and Delaware, 49 percent get their water from
groundwater while the other 51 percent get their
water from surface water sources.
“Of those who get their water from groundwater, about a third have domestic wells and
about two-thirds get their groundwater via a
public water supply system,” says Clarke Rupert,
spokesman for the Delaware River Basin Commission.
Protecting the quality and quantity of that
groundwater represents a vital component of the
commission’s charge, including regulations to
limit withdrawals of more than 100,000 gallons
per day. Failure to meet regulatory requirements
can result in fines and penalties through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
According to Rupert, conservation efforts,
such as low-flow toilets and other fixtures in
addition to good housekeeping, help to protect
groundwater.
“By good housekeeping, I mean storing materials in covered areas, placing drip pans under
machinery or material storage areas,”
says Rupert.
“You can also prevent leaks from underground storage tanks and pipelines if you have
those on the business by closely monitoring
inventory in the tanks to determine if product is
being lost potentially through leaks.”
Rupert also recommends conducting regular
pressure-leak testing on tanks and pipe fittings
and other environmental audits. Companies or
homeowners with septic systems should test systems to ensure they are functioning properly.
“The important thing to consider is what we
do on the land affects our water, whether it’s
surface water or rivers, creeks or streams or our
groundwater,” says Rupert. “If we improperly
manage our use of chemicals, fertilizers and
pesticides, if we misuse them, if we overuse
them, if we don’t properly store them, potentially
they could make their way into our water supply
either directly through a leak or through runoff
when it rains. What is on the ground when it rains
is going to run off and makes it directly into the
surface water or into our groundwater.”
Other common-sense solutions to protect
groundwater include taking steps to eliminate
the impact of accidental spills and minimizing or
maintaining existing run-off characteristics when
developing property.
“If you are going to develop a site, you should
try to mimic those pre-development characteristics to the best degree possible,” says Craig Todd,
district manager of the Monroe County Conservation District. “If you are going to discharge, you
should try to clean up your discharge before you
do that. It’s good to have some facility that that
stormwater runs through before that’s introduced
back into the groundwater.”
While many businesses have a relatively
benign impact on groundwater, others may not.
“A gas station with an underground storage
tank, they are going to have to abide by state
regulations and the monitoring of the underground storage tank,” says John Jose, watershed
specialist with the Pike County Conservation
District, Blooming Grove. “As part of their
business process, they are going to have to abide
by any state regulations that are designed to help
protect groundwater. Also, in some cases, municipalities will adopt specific regulations that are
geared toward businesses to provide additional
protection.”
Those additional protections typically occur
through comprehensive planning and land use
regulations geared to protecting groundwater resources, erosion, sedimentation and stormwater
controls or preventing pollution or spills.
“If there are spills or there is pollution of
groundwater, then we do regulate it,” says Mark
Carmon, community relations coordinator for
the northeastern regional office of the Department of Environmental Protection. “If we can
determine the responsible parties, they would be
required and responsible for the cleanup. There
are definitely sanctions as well as the cost of the
cleanup, which can be considerable.”
Fines and penalties can range from thousands
to millions. For example, the Great Wolf Lodge
in Scotrun received an $833,000.00 fine because
their sewage treatment plant was discharging
into the stream.
“All of our statutes and regulations have
provisions where we can require or order a
company to do certain things, and if they don’t,
then what we can do is we can step into hiring
a consultant, hiring a contractor to do that work
and hit them for damages after or hit them with
penalties,” says Carmon. “If it’s a serious situation or if they refuse to work with us, we have
a whole host of enforcement options up to and
including penalties. We can refer cases to the
attorney general’s office for criminal charges.”
According to 2005 United States Geological Survey (USGS) figures, groundwater provides an estimated:
22% of all freshwater withdrawals
37% of agricultural use (mostly for irrigation)
37% of the public water supply withdrawals
51% of all drinking water for the total population
99% of drinking water for the rural population
Source: The Groundwater Foundation,
www.groundwater.org
Groundwater statistics:
• 33.7% of Pennsylvania’s population depends
on groundwater for its drinking water supply.
• 978,202 Pennsylvania households are served
by privately-owned, individual wells.
• 2,513,979 Pennsylvania residents are served
by privately-owned, individual wells.
• 17, 477 public supply wells serve Pennsylvania.
• 1,484,730 Pennsylvania residents are served
by groundwater- influenced public water supply systems.
Source: Pennsylvania Groundwater Association, Inc., www.pgwa.org, citing the National
Groundwater Association’s Groundwater’s Role in
Pennsylvania’s Economic Vitality.
please recycle this paper
www.pbjonline.com
10
NEWS
Pocono Medical Center Commits to Growing for the Community
Regional Healthcare
Report
By Richard J. Henley,
FACHE, FHFMA
As the only hospital in Pennsylvania’s second fastest
growing county, Pocono Medical Center is committed to
keeping pace with the area’s unprecedented rate of growth.
This means responding to the diverse healthcare needs of
our patients by improving our services, while also staying
at the forefront of technological innovation.
Providing quality patient care is a top priority at Pocono Medical Center and is critical to our endurance in the
midst of our area’s exponential growth. I am happy to say
that our commitment to exceptional healthcare recently has
earned us above average scores in the majority of categories used by the federal government to evaluate hospital
quality. As recently as June 26, 2007, the Pocono Record
reported that the Pocono Medical Center exceeded both
state and national averages in 13 out of the 21 categories,
and scored 100 percent in two categories: all of our heart
attack patients received beta blockers upon discharge, and
every one of our pneumonia patients were evaluated for the
level of oxygen in his or her blood. The 100 percent treatment scores in these areas also secured our place in the top
tier, or top 10 percent, of the nation’s hospitals. The data for
this report was obtained by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, that studied the performance
of 4,500 hospitals across the country. Although the report
is by no means a complete measure of the quality of patient
care, it does provide some ground for capitalizing on the areas in which the hospital thrives, as well as areas in which
we could improve.
The recent growth in our cardiovascular, oncology,
and surgery clinical service lines also exemplifies our
commitment to being a leader in providing state-of-the-art
healthcare. The cutting-edge technology driving our ESSA
Heart and Vascular Institute enables our patients to receive
advanced cardiac care without having to leave the area.
Likewise, our Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center
provides the most technologically advanced cancer therapy
available today. Just last year, for instance, the Center
added “On-Board Imaging” with 4-D adaptive radiation
therapy, enabling the most precise targeting available during CT scans. For the latest in surgical innovation, one does
not have to look any further than PMC’s newly constructed
operating rooms, which provide a nationally-recognized
blueprint that many other hospitals are following. Equipped
with flat screen monitors, leading-edge video equipment,
digital X-ray systems, and fully computerized room functions, our operating suites raise the bar in OR standards.
Our surgeons are also continually responding to changing patient expectations by offering minimally and less
invasive procedures, which reduce recovery time, pain and
scarring for patients.
In addition to providing advanced, technology-driven
care, we are also continually expanding our services and
facilities to meet the changing needs and expectations of
our community. Some of our major planned initiatives incorporate growing more primary care services and bringing
more specialists to the area, all designed to provide patients
with access to convenient, high-quality healthcare. We are
looking specifically at expanding our presence in the West
End and in the Middle Smithfield/Bushkill areas. As part
of an ongoing effort to provide the most comprehensive
care in the area, we also plan to further expand our critical care services by securing a Level III Trauma Program
designation. Also, realizing the area’s growing need for
more women’s health care facilities, we are exploring the
development of a new outpatient women’s care facility. In
addition, we are working to develop a neonatology program
to improve access to care for high-risk obstetric patients
and provide specialists trained in caring for premature infants and babies born with medical complications. Finally,
we have updated our three-year strategic plan to expand the
hospital’s services and facilities in six clinical service lines:
Oncology, Cardiovascular, Primary Care, Musculoskeletal,
Surgery, and Women and Children. Our clinical service
lines are central to providing the comprehensive care
needed within our community. As we grow and develop
the services available within each of the six service lines,
we are able to transform from a once small, community
hospital into a comprehensive, regional medical center.
As one of the county’s largest employers, PMC has
a palpable financial and charitable presence in the community. Last year, PMC was one of the most financially
successful hospitals in our region, and our revenue has
grown more than 11 percent over the past three years. In
order to maintain, and even exceed, this level of growth, we
are committed to providing the highest quality patient care.
Growing with our community is our obligation; growing
for our community is our commitment. With our unwavering dedication to healthcare excellence and quality patient
care, we plan to fulfill this commitment to our fullest potential.
Richard J. Henley, FACHE, FHFMA, is the president
and CEO of Pocono Medical Center and Pocono Health
System. He has more than 25 years of experience in health
care, executive leadership, strategic planning and operations and finance. Henley also serves on the Board of
Governors of the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society of health care
executives who lead hospitals, health care systems and
other health care organizations.
11
NEWS
Watersheds - What are they?
Where are they? What do they do?
By Ken Clark
Pop Quiz. Multiple Choice.
What is a Watershed?
(a) Anything that sheds water.
(b) Any moment or event separating distinct periods of time to engender a profound cultural or
societal change.
(c) A drainage basin or river catchment in a region
of land in which flowing water is drawn into a
specified body of water.
(d) All of the above.
Technically, “All of the above” would be correct,
but, for the moment, the focus is on (c), because
what happens to water -- where it comes from,
where it goes and what happens to it when it gets
there -- is of increasing importance everywhere. The
Pocono region is no exception.
The classic illustration of a watershed is the one
that begins some 14,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains along a line called the Continental Divide.
There, it may be said, if two drops of rain fall a scant
two inches apart, but one falls on the western side of
the divide and the other on the eastern side, eventually they may wind up 3,000 miles apart -- the eastern wanderer in the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay
or the Gulf of Mexico and its westward counterpart
in the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of California.
The example is oversimplified, of course. Rain
drops in question may evaporate, be consumed or
sink into subterranean aquifers before they ever
reach such final destinations, but the principle remains valid.
Rain water or snow melt trickle down mountainsides in dendritic drainage patterns, so named
because they resemble an array of tree roots. The
trickles merge to create brooks, which flow into
streams, which run into rivers, which then feed
into lakes and man-made reservoirs or the aforementioned oceans. But the Continental Divide isn’t
the only North American watershed. Hundreds of
thousands of drainage basins and river catchments
lie between those flowing waters and their ultimate
destinations, both in the United States and Canada.
Watersheds capture and store the precious water
on which, and by which, we live every day.
According to the Environmental Protection
Agency, there are 58 major watersheds crossing 67
counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
alone.
Seven of those lie across the four counties of the
Poconos where they provide an exploding human
population with water to drink and in which to
bathe, do the dishes, fight fires and make the golf
courses green. They feed a booming recreational
industry, keep the forests lush and occasionally, if
not properly respected and managed, allow floods to
roar across the region.
In terms of the national economy, the EPA
reports that “more than $450 billion in food, fiber,
manufactured goods and tourism depend on clean
water and healthy watersheds.” Forget those other
definitions. Water is what it’s all about.
As Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for Water at the Environmental Protection
Agency, puts it on the agency’s Web site: “The
future of the planet and the protection of the nation’s
water resources depend on a
universal understanding and
the appreciation of watersheds.”
We haven’t seen eye-toeye always with that bit of
advice. In years past, farmers
have allowed livestock waste
water, loaded with nutrients
for fish-killing algae, to run
directly into lakes, rivers,
estuaries and watersheds. Old
mines have leached mercury,
corrosive acids and other
chemicals into ground water,
and industrial wastes have
created such infamously toxic
waste sites as the Love Canal.
But Grumbles says things are
looking up, nationwide.
He reports that 85 per cent
of farmers in West Virginia
now have erected animal
waste lagoons to protect their
watershed. Massive mine
cleanups are underway in
Utah, and, nationwide, an
estimated 4,000 communitybased local associations, including seven in the Poconos,
now have rallied ordinary
citizens to protect and maintain their watersheds.
“The human dimension to
environmental protection cannot be underestimated,”
says Grumbles. “Clean water
matters to everyone. It is
the white carpet of sand hill
cranes on the Platte River in
Nebraska. It’s the striking
pink roseate spoonbills in the
Gulf of Mexico. It’s the fascinating upstream struggle of
salmon in the Pacific Northwest. It’s the knobby trunks
of cypress trees in the Everglades. It’s the shiny green
leaves and creamy soft petals
of a flowering magnolia tree
in Louisiana.”
In the Poconos, it’s Lake
Wallenpaupack, Bushkill
Falls, the mighty Delaware
and the dozens of cold, clear
trout streams that make the
region a fly-fishing mecca.
“Water is life,” says
Grumbles.
Lose it, anywhere, and
that second definition of
“watershed” may follow -- the
moment in time that engenders profound cultural or
societal change, in this case,
for the worse.
That’s a watershed event
nobody, anywhere, ever wants
to see.
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12
NEWS
Pocono Leadership-Class of 2007 Graduation
By Robin Gaffney and Nicole Foleno
The Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce
Leadership Pocono class recently ended a successful year with a graduation ceremony held in honor
of the leadership students. The ceremony, held on
June 30th 2007 at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg had over 180 guests in attendance.
“The graduation ceremony was a great way
to end our year of hard work in the program and
share those experiences with so many
people in community,” says Nicole
Foleno, 2007 graduate and executive
director for Pocono Builders Association.
Charles Niclaus, Chairman of
the 2006-07 Leadership Board, and
Elizabeth Koster, Chairman of the
2007-08 Leadership Board, presented
each of the students with an award for
their accomplishments in the program.
“My experience with graduation
was great. It gave us all a chance to
get together, relax and look back on
our journey over the past ten months
and also to look ahead,” says Kevin
Yurko 2007 graduate and financial
advisor for Smith Barney.
Following the graduation ceremony, the Leadership Graduation
Committee held a concert to benefit
Leadership Pocono, The Pocono
Family YMCA and Women’s Resources of Monroe County. The
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concert had an opening performance by Nadeen
Edwards, and the grand performance featured
American Idol Winner, Ruben Studdard.
“Pocono Leadership is a very beneficial program. It exposes you to key local business leaders,
allows you to build lasting friendships and provides
opportunities for you to leverage existing leadership skills, giving back to the community through
volunteerism and board participation,” says Marianne Chester, recent graduate and president/owner
of M Enterprise Solutions.
The Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Program is now accepting
applications for the 2007-2008 class. The application is available online at www.leadershippocono.
org, or by calling the Pocono Mountains Chamber
of Commerce at 570-421- 4433. The first session
will begin with a weekend retreat at Stony Acres on
September 7th.
13
NEWS
Hmmm...Seems Like We’ve Been Here Before
Residential Real
Estate Quarterly
Dominick J. Sacci
If you were a Realtor® in the local market in the
1990’s, instead of it being 2007, you would swear that
it was June 1996. The vacation and secondary market
boom of the mid-to-late1980’s ended with a thud. The
region hit, at that time, a high of almost 4,300 homes
available for sale through the local multi-listing system (MLS); buyer activity was minimal, foreclosures
increased and the property values in our area dropped
25 to 65 per cent. The average sales price of a home
was approximately $95,000 in Monroe County with
the average time on the market of almost two years.
Seem familiar? Yes, but there are two main differences between 1996 compared to the present. Property
values are higher, and sellers are having difficulty
accepting the fact that property values have stopped
appreciating at 12 to14 per cent annually, but they do
understand the challenging market.
As a manager in the late 1990’s, I recall spending
my day justifying to sellers why the market was so
slow. I remember the sellers having difficulty accepting my explanation, because the markets in New York
and New Jersey were still booming.
At least, with the current market lull, sellers and
Realtors® are all on the same page. The New York
and New Jersey real estate markets are just as challenged as we are in the Pocono region. The sellers
finally understand that it is the market, and not “those
Pocono Realtors®” that dictates how and when homes
sell.
Statistics out of the local MLS paint an interesting
picture. Through June, the closed residential sales are
off by 16 percent year-to-date, while the pending sales
compared to this same month last year are off by 30
per cent.
What does this mean? The data suggests that we
shouldn’t be betting on an amazing “summer season”.
Trust me, I know we need to remain positive in sales,
but we also need to balance what is realistic when
presented what is happening in our area. If we stay on
the pace that the listing inventory is currently (4,100
currently), and the buyer activity remains flat, we
could find ourselves with a record high 4,500 to 4,600
homes on the market for sale by the end of the “summer season”.
One statistic that has not been accurate in the
MLS is the average days on the market. Realtors® primarily are still taking six month listings. If a property
was listed with Realtor® ‘X’, doesn’t sell, then lists
with Realtor® ‘Y’ and sells in four months, the true
time on the market is ten months, not the four as the
MLS will reflect. This should change as we start to see
longer listing terms.
My prediction is that this market will not find
itself and decide what it wants to be when it grows
up for another two to three years. There is an average
real estate cycle in the Poconos every five to eight
years. The current cycle started in the fall of 2005. It
is important to realize that
as sellers and Realtors®, this is not a bad market. If
you think it is, talk to a Realtor® who has been in this
local market since the 1990’s. We just need to ride out
this cycle. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Dominick J. Sacci is Vice President and General Manager for Wilkins & Associates Real Estate, Inc. Mr.
Sacci has been tracking market statistics for the last
four years. Market data was compiled from the Pocono Mountain Association of Realtors MLS system.
Readers can discuss the residential real estate market
with Mr. Sacci at www.pbjonline.com/blog
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14
BUSINESS BRIEFS
WHO’s WHO
AUSTIN
BEDNAR
DEGIROLAM
DENNIS
DePETE
GUPTA
MAHER
McCAFFERTY
MILLER
NEVIL OREILLY
PETITO
TALLO
TOMS
TRON
WONG
Austin- Lori Austin has recently been hired as Information
Coordinator of the Synchrium Group. Her background is
focused on the financial and technology market sectors.
Austin’s previous experience includes tenures at Accenture,
Merrill Lynch, Hyperion Capital Management, and Dreman
Value Management. Her role at the Synchrium Group includes monitoring and evaluating grant and loan programs
and in-house administrative procedure. The first project
for the Synchrium Group is the Penn Regional Business
Center, a multi-phase building project on Route 209 in
Marshalls Creek.
Bednar- Tobyhanna Army Depot recognized employee
Michael Bednar for 30 years of service at a recent Length
of Service ceremony. Bednar is a logistics management
specialist, Commodity Management Division, Business
Management Directorate.
Black- Edward T. Black has joined Weichert Realtors®
- Acclaim in East Stroudsburg as a specialist in residential
sales. He serves Monroe and Pike Counties as a member of
the Pocono Mountain Association of Realtors®.
Chatha- Caesars Pocono Resorts has announced the hiring
of Raminder Chatha as Paradise Stream Resort Manager. In
his new position, Chatha will be directly responsible for all
team members at the resort, ensuring guest satisfaction, as
well as building the brand of Paradise Stream Resort. All of
the Paradise Stream department heads will report to Chatha.
Considine- Caesars Pocono Resorts has announced the
promotion of Anna Considine to Contact Center Manager.
In her new position, Considine will provide leadership to
the Contact Center Service supervisors and agents. She also
will provide strategy for promoting the four resorts and
leading her team in meeting Caesars Pocono Resorts’ goals.
Davis- Shala E. Davis, professor of exercise science at East
Stroudsburg University, recently was appointed as the national chair for the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (CoAES). The primary role of the CoAES
is to establish standards and guidelines for academic
programs that facilitate the preparation of students seeking
employment in the health, fitness, and exercise industry. The secondary role of the CoAES is to establish and implement a process of self-study, review, and recommendation
for all programs seeking CAAHEP accreditation.
DeGirolamo- Matthew J. DeGirolamo, MD, joins Geisinger Medical Group in Mt. Pocono as a family physician.
He enters a growing group of physicians. Dr. DeGirolamo
earned his medical degree at St. George’s University
School of Medicine in Grenada, Wisconsin. While there, he
served as a teaching assistant and tutor for courses such as
anatomy and histology and volunteered his time and medical skills at a local children’s orphanage.
Dennis- Tina Dennis has recently been named manager or
Marketing and Public Relations for the Synchrium Group.
Dennis has a well established career as a leading marketing
and public relations professional. Most recently she was
president of Tina Dennis Marketing and Public Relations.
Her knowledge of brand building and message management were forged during her tenure at Knight Ridder and
North American Publishing Companies where she served
as Publisher of New Magazine Products and Vice President
of Communications Products respectively. The first project
for the Synchrium Group is the Penn Regional Business
Center, a multi-phase building project on Route 209 in
Marshalls Creek.
DePete- Donald DePete has recently been named COO of
the Synchrium Group. DePete brings with him decades of
experience in the professional services industry specializing
in technology. He has previously served as the President of
several large firms, among them Software Spectrum (now
Level3 Communications) and KForce Consulting. His
strategic planning and team building experience will serve
as a key component to the ongoing success of the Synchrium Group. The first project for the Synchrium Group is
the Penn Regional Business Center, a multi-phase building
project on Route 209 in Marshalls Creek.
Foley- Caesars Pocono Resorts announces that Maura Foley, Manager of Brand Marketing, recently earned a Direct
Mail Certification from the Direct Marketing Association
(DMA), which is dedicated to direct, database and interactive marketing. Foley participated in the 18-month certification process, which is recognized worldwide, through
assistance from Caesars Pocono Resorts’ tuition reimbursement program. As Manager of Brand Marketing, Foley
is responsible for ensuring that the marketing efforts of
Caesars Pocono Resorts are consistent with the company’s
core values and focused on a positive guest experience.
She serves as the primary manager for the production of
all marketing materials as well as advising the Operations
Team on brand-related issues.
Good- Caesars Pocono Resorts has announced that David
S. Good, Marketing Coordinator, recently earned a Web
Page Design Certificate from the Center for Professional
Training and Development at the University of Scranton.
As Marketing Coordinator, Good is responsible for growing the resorts’ interactive marketing through search engine
marketing and optimization, website analytics and marketing logistics.
Gupta- Manish Gupta, MD, has joined the surgical team at
Geisinger Wyoming Valley to perform kidney transplants
for patients at the medical center in Plains Township. Dr.
Gupta also will perform transplant surgery as needed at
Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Board-certified in
general surgery, Dr. Gupta has given numerous clinical
presentations at transplant conferences in the United States,
Switzerland and Spain. He also has served on various medical advisory committees and quality assurance/peer review
committees.
Hineline- Caesars Pocono Resorts has announced the promotion of Brandy Hineline to Reservations Supervisor. In
her new position, Hineline will be responsible for evaluating reservation agents and providing coaching to strengthen
their skills. Her day-to-day responsibilities will include
developing training programs and providing departmental
updates to all four Caesars Pocono Resorts.
Isaacs/Lansberry- Caesars Pocono Resorts has announced
the hiring of two new members to the marketing team.
Alicia Isaacs has been named Marketing Assistant, and Eric
Lansberry has been named Marketing Coordinator. In her
new role, Isaacs will oversee and manage the marketing
budget. Lansberry’s responsibilities will include managing
public relations, advertising and special events.
Kelberman- Paula Kelberman, professor of early childhood and elementary education at East Stroudsburg
University, was named Outstanding Professor of the Year
at the ESU chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor
Society in Education) banquet.
Maher- Settlers Inn, located in Hawley, welcomes Jamie
Maher, of Honesdale, to the position of Director of Sales
for Meetings and Special Events. As Director of Sales for
Meetings and Special Events at The Settlers Inn, Maher
will handle corporate clients and small group meetings as
well as weddings and family reunions.
McCafferty— Joseph McCafferty has just been promoted
as the AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder branch chief, Firefinder
Division, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Directorate. The branch is responsible for overhaul, repair,
reset, modification installation, testing, and providing field
service representatives to work directly with Soldiers and
their equipment for the AN/TPQ-37 artillery locating system. McCafferty also supports a forward repair activity in
Southwest Asia, foreign military sales and civilian vendors.
As chief, he supervises 29 people.
Miller- The new College of Education at East Stroudsburg
University has appointed Dr. Patricia A. Miller to head
the College, which was known formerly as the School of
Professional Studies. Miller was appointed by Dr. Robert J.
Dillman. The new College of Education allows the university to feature its teacher education programs with greater
appeal to prospective students, faculty and administrators,
and to strategically improve the preparation of teachers.
The offices of Academic Enrichment and Learning, and
Upward Bound, and the Office of Field Experiences and
Partnerships are also part of the new college.
Nevil- Tobyhanna Army Depot recognized employee Douglas Nevil for 35 years of service during a recent Length of
Service ceremony. Nevil is an electronics technician, New
Technology, Research and Development Division, Production Engineering Directorate.
O’Reilly- Pocono Environmental Education Center
recently announced that they have hired a new Director of
Education, Megan O’Reilly. Megan brings over 20 years of
experience in environmental, experiential, adventure and
outdoor education as well as a background and professional experience in ecological research.
Petito- Nicholas Petito has joined Miers Insurance as a
Commercial Insurance Account Executive. He brings to
Miers over twenty years experience in providing insurance
and risk management products and services, specializing
in multi-location property risks. Miers Insurance provides
Insurance Brokerage, Risk Management, and Employee
Benefit services for businesses, families and institutions,
serving many clients in the Pocono region.
Saari- Caesars Pocono Resorts has announced the promotion of Mark Saari to Director of Marketing. In his new
position, Saari will oversee marketing, advertising and
15
BUSINESS BRIEFS
WHO’s WHO
branding initiatives. His day-to-day responsibilities include
managing the marketing staff, developing new marketing
strategies and reaching out to the media.
members inducted into the honor society were recognized
for their outstanding contributions to the profession of
education.
Santarelli- Riverside Rehabilitation Centers announces
the addition of Kendall Santarelli, MS OT, to their staff
as a full time Occupational Therapist. Santarelli evaluates
and treats patients with injuries to their upper extremities,
resulting from repetitive strain disorders, traumatic injury
to the hand, wrist or forearm, arthritis, CVA, head trauma,
developmental delays in motor skills, work injuries or
spinal cord injuries.
Tallo- Tobyhanna Army Depot recognized employee
Matthew Tallo for 30 years of service at a recent Length of
Service ceremony. Tallo is an air conditioning equipment
mechanic, Industrial Services Division, Systems Integration
and Support Directorate.
Staples- William Staples, class of ’93, was named the
Outstanding Educator of the Year for East Stroudsburg University at the ESU chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (International
Honor Society in Education) banquet. In addition, 50 new
Toms- Steven A. Toms, MD, has been named Geisinger
Health System’s director of Neurosurgery and co-director
of the Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Toms has expertise in
treating brain tumors. Dr. Toms will play a central role in
developing Geisinger’s neurosurgery program across the
region.
Tron- Eduardo Daniel Tron, MD, recently has joined the
department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at
Geisinger. Dr. Tron specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of children with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
and liver. Dr. Tron will see patients in East Stroudsburg,
Lehighton, Plains, Danville and Scranton.
Wehrmann- Caesars Pocono Resorts has named Paula
Wehrmann as Human Resources Coordinator. In her new
role, Wehrmann will be responsible for processing new
hires as well as developing recruitment strategies and coordinating all human resource functions.
Wong- Kin Shing “Andrew” Wong has joined Weichert
Realtors® - Acclaim’s East Stroudsburg office. Fluent in
English, Cantonese and Fuzhounese, he serves the residential needs of clients in the Pocono Mountain area. He is a
member of the Pocono Mountains Association of Realtors®.
WHAT’s WHAT
Happenings Magazine has announced that Caesars Pocono Resorts has been named one of 2007’s Best Places
to Work in Northeast PA. After hundreds of submissions
from a variety of businesses across the region, Caesars
Pocono Resorts was one of the four businesses deemed
“Best Places to Work for in NEPA.” The final four were
chosen after employees completed satisfaction surveys
that were conducted and evaluated by Happenings
Magazine staff. Some of the employee advantages for
which Caesars Pocono Resorts was nominated include:
401 (k) retirement plan, health care benefits, as well as
paid breaks and meals. Other benefits include tuition
reimbursement, employee stock purchase plan, adoption
assistance, college work scholarships and discounted
rates on all Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
properties.
The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce announced
the Grand Opening of the Calkins Creek Vineyard,
which is located 10 miles north of Honesdale in Calkins.
The winery is on a sixth generation family farm. The
Stone family invites you to see their wine making process in an old airplane hangar, and then taste the wines
in a large underground wine cave.
Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate has created a new Web address: GotPoconoRealEstate.com as
part of its Web presence and marketing efforts. GotPoconoRealEstate.com will appear soon on all advertisements as well as e-marketing campaigns for Coldwell
Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate. All three of the
company’s addresses including CBPRRE.com, ColdwellBankerIntroduces.com and GotPoconoRealEstate.
com will lead customers to the Coldwell Banker Phyllis
Rubin Real Estate home page.
Core People Resources (CPR), a Web-based human
resources company, recently announced the launch of
its Web-based Employee Resource Center. The center
offers insurance brokers, payroll companies and other
service providers the opportunity to allow their clients
access to a variety of data, forms and programs at the
touch of a fingertip. They also announce the launch of
a new Web-based, specialized on-line training program
to train HR staff on managing HR functions as well as
train employees in a variety of areas. There are over 90
specialized programs from which to choose.
Good Shepherd recently was named by the Pennsylvania Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT) to be
the official Assistive Technology Resource Center for
the region that includes Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe,
Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon, Lancaster and Luzerne Counties. As one of only nine AT Resource Centers in the
commonwealth, Good Shepherd oversees the outreach,
education, evaluation and training efforts of PIAT for the
region. PIAT is a state and federally funded program that
gives Pennsylvanians access to assistive technology devices and services. Every county in the commonwealth
is served by an AT Resource Center. As an AT Resource
Center, Good Shepherd will oversee multiple PIAT
initiatives, most of which are natural extensions of Good
Shepherd’s current services.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Nonprofit and Community Assistance Center (NCAC) announces this
year’s Community Award winners. The winners have
made an extraordinary impact within NCAC’s seven
county region, which includes Carbon, Lackawanna,
Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne. In the
Arts & Culture category, Sherman Theater was awarded
first place for the Sherman Theater Community Collaborative Program.
The Pike County Builders Association was recently
awarded a $5,000 advertising grant from the National
Association of Home Builders (NAHB). This grant is
being used to conduct a “Buy Now” advertising campaign. The purpose behind this campaign is to help
local homebuilders associations in an effort to bolster
housing sales and home building by encouraging hesitant consumers to become confident buyers. The local
campaign, through the Pike County Builders Association, will begin at the end of June and run through Labor
Day weekend. A large area will be targeted as newspapers in the Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey area
will feature advertising. Promotional flyers also will be
available in local businesses to promote the campaign.
Additionally, a radio advertising campaign will reinforce
the entire promotion.
Pocono Environmental Education Center announces
a new campus to their location, Yurt Village, which will
offer Yurt camping. Yurt structures are a cross between
a geodesic dome and a luxury safari tent. The circular,
canvas-covered Yurts have plywood sub-floors, wood
lattice walls, windows, framed door entry and skylight. PEEC’s Yurts are furnished with bunk beds, heat,
electricity, ceiling fans and are now available for rent.
The new Yurt Village at PEEC currently has 4 Yurts that
sleep up to 8 guests in each structure and 4 larger Yurts
that sleep up to 12 guests each. Four of the Yurts are also
ADA accessible.
Pocono Farms Country Club, located in Tobyhanna,
announces they will be hosting the Nationwide Tour
Qualifier for 2007. Pocono Farms will be hosting the
entire field for the 2007 Qualifier
VisionLink, Inc., based out of Boulder, CO., announces
the selection of Pocono Healthy Communities Alliance (PHCA) to participate in a national network of
community organizations which seek to improve local
service delivery through data exchange. VisionLink is
the national leader for community resource management
software, and PHCA has utilized VisionLink’s Tapestry
software since 2003 for PoconoInfo, their comprehensive information and referral system for health and
human services, serving all Monroe County residents.
Pocono Healthy Communities Alliance will benefit by
deepening its knowledge and expertise, interacting with
peers from across the country to learn strategies and
effective practices, helping each other solve problems,
and gaining a place to feel connected rather than isolated
where the wheel is constantly re-invented.
A recent seminar for business leaders in Northern New
Jersey and the Poconos titled, “Strategically Using
Technology to Improve Your Bottom Line”, featured
a(delete) David Mehrtens of Right Reason Technologies in East Stroudsburg as a speaker. Over 30 business leaders attended this members-only event where
technology experts covered such topics as “Growing
Your Business with the Internet and eTools”, “Reducing
Telecom Costs,” “Disaster Planning,” and “Improving
Organizational Productivity”. The event was hosted by
The Alternative Board of Northwest NJ/Poconos.
Sonic Recreation, a new quality recording studio, has
just opened in South Sterling. Built by musicians and
engineers, the studio combines efficient technology, access to the latest and vintage gear, mastering as well as
assistance with the project after the recording is complete. Based around the digital editing system, Protools
(Pro Tools 7.3 with Music Production Bundle and Digi
003 Rack Factory), the studio is tremendously flexible
and offers a wide range of both digital and analogue features. Sonic Recreation also offers vintage and regular
microphones, along with a variety of drum kits, basses,
guitars and amps available for use or rental.
The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce announces
the Grand Opening of Spin Cycle Laundromat, located
at 512 Church Street in Honesdale. Many improvements
and upgrades have been made to the facility. The have
the industry’s only 45 pound dryer within a 200 mile
radius.
A Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting was recently held
for the Trackside Grill, located at 734 Main Street in
Honesdale. Having worked in the restaurant business for
more than thirty years, new owners, Jeff and Sue Hiller,
decided it was time to own their own business. After extensive renovations, now sporting a railroad theme, the
Trackside Grill opened. Jeff notes that their customers
responded well to the changes and have supported them
beyond their expectations.
please recycle this paper
Please send all press releases for
consideration to [email protected]
16
FOCUS LIST
UNITED WAY AGENCIES
Address
Phone/Fax
Web site
# of Employees
# of Volunteers
Years in
Business
Special Events/
Chairperson
Executive Director/ Board
President
PO Box 545
Lehighton, PA 18235
570-377-6400
DND
15 volunteers
16
Donna Lennon, VP of Annual
Campaign
Michael Muffley,
Board President
65
Day of Caring
Great Wolf Community Days
Bizzy Awards
Around the World with Wine &
Chocolate
2007 Campaign Chair: Barbara
Samet
Tim Kelly, Executive
Director
Patrick Ross , Board
President
9
Day of Caring
Blood Drive
3
Campaign Chairperson: Nikki
Keller
Name of County
Carbon
Monroe
PO Box 790
Route 115 and Warner Rd.
Tannersville, PA 18372
570-629-5657
570-629-5680
www.unitedwaymonroe.org
5 FT 1PT
80+ volunteers
Pike
PO Box 806
Milford, PA 18337
570-296-9980
570-296-5571
www.unitedwaypike.org
1/1
Wayne
PO Box 328
Waymart, PA 18472
570-343-1267
570-969-2977
www.uwlc.net (Under Construction until Sept. 07)
13 FT
1000+
Volunteers
Peter Ioppolo, Board
President
Gary Drapek, Board
President
Disclaimer: The companies listed above are located in the four counties that serve the Pocono region; Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne. If you know of a company that offers this
product or service and was not included on the list, please contact Pocono Business Journal to be included in future Focus Lists. DND= Did not disclose.
Restoration Projects on Tap to Correct Impaired Streams
By Robin Gaffney
In the path of progress, sometimes streams
take a hit. Streams are an important part of nature
because they provide water supply, wildlife habitat
and energy generation.
Stream restoration is becoming more popular
due to the damage the area’s streams have seen over
past years. According to the North Carolina Stream
Restoration Institute, stream restoration is defined
as the re-establishment of the general structure,
function and self-sustaining behavior of the stream
system that existed prior to disturbance. It is a holistic process that requires an understanding of all
physical and biological components of the stream
system and its watershed.
Restoration includes a broad range of measures
such as the removal of the watershed disturbances
that are causing stream instability; installation of
structures and planting of vegetation to protect
stream banks and provide habitat; and the reshaping
or replacement of unstable stream reaches into appropriately designed functional streams and associated floodplains.
“Stream restoration projects happen because
certain streams have been impaired by natural and
man-made changes,” explains Theresa Merli, president of Brodhead Watershed Association located in
Henryville.
“Increased development affects water quality,
basically making creeks a dump off,” says Merli.
She explains that, with more parking lots and rooftops in the area due to new development, the rain
runs off these points, which are the highest points,
and drops to the lowest point, which are streams.
Also, the volume of water will increase after a storm
which affects stream banks. Storm water runoff is
caused by surfaces in development and is the most
damaging to streams.
The Brodhead Watershed Association currently
is doing its part in restoring local streams with a recent proposal of a natural stream restoration design
for the Paradise Creek at Red Rock Road, located in
Paradise Township, Monroe County. The grant will
provide natural stream restoration designs for about
a 1,000 foot stretch of the Paradise Creek.
During an evaluation by Robert Limbeck of the
Delaware River Basin Commission, he identified
260 potential restoration projects, done by map and
aerial photo examination. After field evaluation,
most of the sites were eliminated for consideration.
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The report resulted in 16 potential restoration sites
related to roads, bridges, and culverts, and 12 possible sites related to other causes in the Paradise
Creek Watershed. Merli explains that prioritizing the
projects is often a difficult task, and there are many
things to consider when choosing which project to
take on first. The Red Rock Road site was listed as
a priority due to channel migration, incision, and
widening.
Currently, the Brodhead Watershed Association has a project proposal to obtain funding for
the Paradise Creek project. The grant application
proposes to design and permit a natural stream design repair on one of these areas that requires a more
cohesive, wide-reaching approach to stabilization.
This includes a full evaluation of both upstream and
downstream conditions.
“It is interesting to note that Sanofi-Pasteur has
contributed funds to this project already, and we
have received many letters of support from such
organizations as Paradise Township, Monroe County
Planning Commission, and Monroe County Conservation District,” says Merli. Although the project
has not been approved yet, Merli is confident they
will receive funding to move forward.
Success
Expansions
Seminars
Promotions
Growth
New Ideas
17
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
August 1
LeTip of Stroudsburg, 7:01-8:31 a.m., An opportunity to expand your
business. Each chapter has individual business categories so there are
no conflicts of interest...ever! Your chapter becomes your sales force
without increasing staff. Contact Louise Bach (570) 588-4113 or Carole
Miller (570) 426-1676.
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Computerized O’Net Career
Assessments, 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource
Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More information available at
www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us.
August 2
Achieve Business Solutions/TAB, CEO Leadership & Management
Skills Workshop. Noon-1:30 p.m., East Stroudsburg University. $19.95
lunch and materials fee is waived for TAB Members and first time attendees. Advanced registration is required by calling 973-833-0200.
BNI (Business Network International), Bartonsville, 7:00 a.m.-8:30
a.m. Howard Johnson, Rt. 611 & I-80 Exit 302B, Bartonsville. Contact
Karen Sherrill 570-895-4242.
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Website Enrollment, 9:00
a.m.-10:30 a.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More information available at www.pacareerlink.
state.pa.us.
August 3
BNI (Business Network International), The Shawnee Inn, Shawneeon-Delaware, 7:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m., breakfast fee: $10. Contact Victor
Brozusky, Access Office Supply, 570-421-0648.
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Resume Critique, 9:00 a.m.12:00 p.m., Employer Website Assistance, 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Sign up
by visiting Career Resource Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More
information available at www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us.
The University of Scranton Center for Professional Training and Development (CPTD) will offer Advertising Graphics, a 12-hour training
program, on Aug. 3 and Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The course, not
specific to any software, covers creating advertising graphics for use
in newspapers, magazines, the Web and other publications. The cost is
$270, which includes program materials and lunches. To register, visit
www.scranton.edu/cptd or call (570) 941-7582.
August 6
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Find a Job You’ll Love!
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Computer Basics, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Sign up
Northampton Community College, Center for Business and Industry,
Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) Training. 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.,
NCC’s Main Campus, Bethlehem. Cost: $1,675(includes materials).
Deadline to register is July 30th. Call 610-861-5080.
August 7
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Interview Prep: Job Applications, Dress to Impress, Why Should I Hire You? 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.,
Website Enrollment, 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting Career
Resource Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More information available at www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us.
August
August 10
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Employer Assistance, 3:00
p.m.-4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center or by calling
570-620-2850. More information available at www.pacareerlink.state.
pa.us.
NCC’s Main Campus, Bethlehem. Cost: $1,675 (includes materials).
August 13
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Resumes & Cover Letters,
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. e-Resumes, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Sign up by
visiting Career Resource Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More
Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce, Business Card Exchange.
5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Chateau Resort & Conference Center, Tannersville.
Cost in advance: $10 Chamber members, $15 non-members. Cost at the
door: $15 Chamber members, $25 non-members. Call 570-421-4433.
August 14
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Interview Basics, 1:00 p.m.2:00 p.m., Salary Negotiation, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Website Enrollment,
3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center or by
calling 570-620-2850. More information available at www.pacareerlink.
state.pa.us.
Northampton Community College’s Sustainable Builder Advisor Program. 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Fowler Family Southside Center, Bethlehem.
Informational session about becoming a member of the program. For
more information call 610-861-4175.
Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce, Women In Business. 12:00
noon, Grace Park Seniors Living Well, Stroudsburg. Topic: Nurse
Family Partnership: “Helping New Parents Succeed,” presented by:
Ginny Sosnowski of Nurse Family Partnership. Sponsored by Maryjane
Churchville of Northeast Land Transfer, LLC. Cost: $13 Chamber members in advance, $16 non-members and walk-ins. Call 570-421-4433.
August 15
business. Each chapter has individual business categories, so there are
no conflicts of interest...ever! Your chapter becomes your sales force
without increasing staff. Contact Louise Bach (570) 588-4113 or Carole
Miller (570) 426-1676.
a.m.-10:00 a.m., Career Exploration, 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sign up by
August 21
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Interview Prep: Job Applications, Dress to Impress, Why Should I Hire You? 1:00 p.m.-3:00
p.m., Website Enrollment, 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting
Career Resource Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More information
available at www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us.
NCC Offers Dietary Management Certification Review. Prepare to
take the Dietary Managers Association (DMA) Certification Exam
with a course offered by Northampton Community College. The class
will cover nutrition, systems management and administration/personnel
management. Prerequisite: Completion of all parts of the DMA course.
Tuesday, August 21, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. and Tuesdays, August 28 – September 4, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Fowler Family Southside Center, 3 E.
Third Street, Bethlehem. Fee: $89. To register and for more information call 1-877-543-0998.
August 22
business. Each chapter has individual business categories, so there
are no conflicts of interest...ever! Your chapter becomes your sales
force without increasing staff. Contact Louise Bach (570) 588-4113 or
Carole Miller (570) 426-1676.
a.m.-10:00 a.m., Computerized O’Net Career Assessments, 9:00 a.m.10:30 a.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center or by calling
570-620-2850. More information available at www.pacareerlink.state.
pa.us.
August 23
a.m.-10:30 a.m., Update Your CareerLink Resume Using Microsoft
Word, 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More information available at www.
pacareerlink.state.pa.us.
August 24
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Employer Website Assistance, 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center
or by calling 570-620-2850. More information available at www.
August 27
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., e-Resumes, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Sign up by
August 16
BNI (Business Network International), Bartonsville, 7:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
Howard Johnson, Rt. 611 & I-80 Exit 302B, Bartonsville. Contact Karen
Sherrill 570-895-4242.
August 28
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Interview Basics, 1:00
p.m.-2:00 p.m., Salary Negotiation, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Website
Enrollment, 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource
Center or by calling 570-620-2850. More information available at
www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us.
Carbon County Chamber of Commerce, Golf Outing. Registration and
lunch begin at 11:30 a.m. It will be a four-person scramble format with
a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Dinner will follow at 6 p.m., Split Rock Resort
& Golf Club, Lake Harmony. Cost: $95 per golfer (includes registration
gift package, lunch, 18 holes of golf with cart, and dinner). To register
call 610-379-5000.
August 29
business. Each chapter has individual business categories, so there
are no conflicts of interest...ever! Your chapter becomes your sales
state.pa.us.
a.m.-10:00 a.m., Career Exploration, 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sign up by
Wayne County Builders Association, 90-Minute Law School Seminar.
8:00 a.m., The Settlers Inn, Hawley. Full breakfast is served. Cost: $35
for members, $25 for additional attendee from your company, $50 nonmembers. Must pre-register by August 10th by calling 570-775-7393.
August 30
August 17
state.pa.us.
Monroe County Career link, Tannersville. Resume Critique, 9:00 a.m.12:00 p.m., Employer Website Assistance, 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Sign up
August 31
Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce, Monthly Breakfast. 7:30
a.m., Best Western Pocono Inn, Stroudsburg. Sponsor: Blue Cross of
Northeastern Pennsylvania; Special Program: Monroe County Habitat
for Humanity. Cost in advance: $10 Chamber members, $14 non-members. Cost at the door: $12 Chamber members, $18 non-members. Call
570-421-4433.
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Resume Critique, 9:00
a.m.-12:00 p.m., Employer Website Assistance, 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center or by calling 570-6202850. More information available at www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us.
“The First Step: Starting Your Business,” University of Scranton, Small
Business Development Center. Mt. Pocono Municpal Building, 10:00
a.m.-12:00 Noon. Pre-payment of $10 is requested, pre-registration
required. For more information or to register call 1-800-829-7232.
August 20
Monroe County Career Link, Tannersville. Find a Job You’ll Love!
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Computer Basics, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Sign up
August 8
LeTip of Stroudsburg, 7:01-8:31 a.m., A wonderful opportunity to expand your business. Each chapter has individual business categories, so
there are no conflicts of interest...ever! Your chapter becomes your sales
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., e-Resumes, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Sign up by
August 9
a.m.-10:30 a.m., Update Your CareerLink Resume Using Microsoft
Word, 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Sign up by visiting Career Resource Center
or by calling 570-620-2850. More information available at www.
If you would like to have your business event
listed in the PBJ Calendar of Events, please
submit information to [email protected].
18
PBJ REGISTER
NEW CORPORATIONS
The Corporation Bureau at The Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, Department of State has informed the
Pocono Business Journal that it is in the process of
revising the database access for this information.
Therefore New Incorporation listings will not be
available until further notice.
FICTITIOUS NAMES
The Corporation Bureau at The Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, Department of State has informed the
Pocono Business Journal that it is in the process of
revising the database access for this information.
Therefore New Incorporation listings will not be
available until further notice.
DEEDS
(June 2007 - Over $250,000)
Carbon County
Franklin Township
Harold Ruff to Lawrence Higgins, $2,600,000.
Anthony Novak to Joseph Hatten, $283,200.
Kidder Township South
Thomas P Carney Inc to Boris Mindlin, $280,450.
Thomas P Carney Inc to David Nolan, $343,810.
Lower Towamensing Township
Dennis Smith to Jessica Roberts, $350,000.
Mahoning Township
Keystone Nazareth Bank & Trust, 11 Chew Development LLC, $351,000.
Towamensing Township
Barry Altemose to David Zacharias, $285,000.
Monroe County
Barrett Township
Christopher and Melissa Worth to Barry and Amy
Brandon, $295,000. Sheila and Thomas McMillan to Brian and Mary Thomas, $620,000. Ralph
and Randy Canonico to David Spindel and Janise
Tomko, $425,000. Blanche Horsman to Randy and
Ralph Canonico, $260,000.
Chestnuthill Township
Jeffrey and Thanina DePalmo to Karen Collins and
Ronald Parker, $327,500. Daryll Graff to Steven
McClure, $255,000. Robert and Jo-Elynn Vega to
Anthony Romano, $290,000. James and Kimberly Intrabartolo to Joshua and Jennifer Goguen,
$342,500. Michael and Christine Mackin to Alfred
and Sandra Cosgrove, $287,000. Edward and Gail
Duggan to Daniela Maruca, $285,000. Francisco
and Gina Lopez to Michael and Alison Jochen,
$310,000.
Coolbaugh Township
M&E Builders to Paul and Stacey Martino,
$276,800. James LeBlanc to Marco and Vivian
Yoguez, $265,000. Sebastian and Eliza Puchalski
to Erwin and Marilou Villareal, $275,000. Cecil
Buchanan to Kevin and Patricia McWilliams,
$650,000.
Delaware Water Gap Borough
John and Jeanette Buonura to Barry and Kathleen
Kadonoff, $385,000.
East Stroudsburg Borough
LTS Development LLC to Rawlston Cuffy,
$324,900. LTS Development LLC to Sultan and
Semoy Saladeen, $311,900. LTS Development
LLC to Joanne DeSanto and Christine Kennelly,
$368,700. Kenneth Haller to Anthony and Melissa
DeVivo, $287,090.
Eldred Township
Michael Cooks to Megan and Nancy LeBlond,
$465,000.
Hamilton Township
Scott and Terry Rosen to Richard Bolds, $490,000.
Jackson Township
James and Arlene Mullery to Daniel and Sandra
Majestic, $335,000. Todd and Angela Mezeske to
Peter and Urszula Kokoszka, $311,500.
Middle Smithfield Township
Toll PA IV LP to Andrew and Monica Cortez,
$306,865. Jae Sung and Bumil Kim to One Fox Run
Inc, $900,000. Toll PA IV to Wayman Smith III,
$416,895. Toll PA IV to Raymond and Josephine
Foley, $308,487. Karsten and Lorraine Grabe to
Kevin and Gretchen Warzecha, $280,000. Scott
and Mary Beth Farran to Dino and Cindy Morello,
$430,000. Toll PA IV to Manish Sharma, $282,535.
LTS Development LLC to Hyacinth Shaw and
Cadine Brown, $359,800. John Gatt to Thomas and
Julie Aarsen, $285,000. Toll PA IV to Scott and
Deborah Isler, $338,951. Toll PA IV to Michael
Potomic, $289,510. Mark Piskadlo to Ji Y Hong,
$512,500.
Mount Pocono Borough
Mt Pocono Five-O Inc to Horse and Dragon
Limited, $347,708. Russell and Karen Brigham to
Richard Stoute, $250,000.
Paradise Township
Theodore and Victoria Kanellis to Cynthia
Winchell, $279,900. Hunter Revocable Living Trust
to Hunter and McKenna Family Trust, $360,000.
Timothy Helman to Henryville Conservation Club
Inc, $250,000.
Pocono Township
National Loan Investors LP to Ridgeley and Jennifer (Wise) Werkheiser, $320,000. Stephen and
Kathleen Gershey to Richard and Sharon Anderson,
$700,000. Thomas and Georgina Ciccone to
Shannon Mosura, $340,000. Carson and Marianne
Griffin to Ronald and Jane Orr, $255,000. Lawrence
and Christine Saccomanno to Zeeshan Shariff,
$314,000.
Polk Township
William Ratti to Evelyn Ugalde, $270,000. Charles
and Lorraine Free to Juan and Cynthia Nunez,
$250,000. Colleen Parisi to Suzanne McPherson,
$340,000.
Price Township
Mae Myers to Mark and Suzanne Bielstein,
$375,000.
Ross Township
Edward David to Glen-Ross Properties LLC,
$855,000. Ann Yale to Kristine Cyr, $404,000.
Scott and Dawn Gehret to Richard DeGirolamo,
$285,000.
Smithfield Township
Steven and April Davy to Jason and Lauren Holmwood, $275,000. Rosemarie and Michael Berardi
to Gerard Armond Powell Trust, $2,204,400.
Monroe-Pike Land LLC to Roi and Linda Emiliani,
$425,000. Monroe-Pike Land LLC to Momdou and
Binta Jagne, $424,500. Monroe-Pike Land LLC to
Edwin McIntosh and Deborah Haines, $440,000.
Stroudsburg Borough
Alexander and Linda Kearn to Fernando and Nora
Quintero, $269,900. Pedro and Damaris Encarnacion to Pedro Polanco, $330,000. William and
Bonnie White to Gayle Donnoli, $280,000.
Stroud Township
Pamela Wood to Richard Mutchler, $700,000.
Lynn Ball to Carol Hunt, $358,000. Harvey and
Ruth Frable to William Guzman and Doris Roman,
$289,000. NVR Inc / Ryan Homes to Osahon
Aguebor, $382,334. Lester Abeloff to McDonalds
LLC, $550,000. George Royle to Christopher Maybury, $600,000. Rudolph Roberto to Fred Zalzal,
$353,940. Trevor and Stephanie Croteau to Sharon
Mendez, $305,000. Edward and Diane Hagerty to
Brandon Brodman and Lisa Koch, $283,000. LTS
Development LLC to Shaleen Brown, $388,400.
Michael and Kimberly Davis to Nilda Guido,
$389,000. Jeffrey Wert to Christopher and Michelle
Getty, $578,000. NVR Inc / Ryan Homes to Giselli
and Charles Lopes, $390,855. NVR Inc / Ryan
Homes to Keith Korchma, $386,640. PMI Mortgage
Insurance to Carol Fox, $285,000.
Tobyhanna Township
Eric and Barbara Botterbrodt to David and Melanie
Marshall, $453,370. Sandra Baker to Joseph and
Divna Buechel, $375,000. James and Helen Rondinone to Frederick and Colleen Kohm, $347,700.
Raymond and Pamela Bender to David and Emma
Wengerd, $1,000,000. Tommy Nguyen to Joseph
and Linda Mamary, $312,544. Suzanne Kiley to Michael and Mary May, $312,500. Robert and Marsha
Haas to Mario and Lisa Diez, $335,000. Steven
Soloman to Stacey Eager-Leavitt, $275,000. William McVail to David Wayne Shannon, $435,000.
Pierce Hardy Limited Partnership to 84 Repa LLC,
$2,627,000.
Tunkhannock Township
Nu-Tech Associates LP to Booterbaugh Holdings
LLC, $422,000. Rosa Zamora to Louis and Claudine Lewis, $255,000. David Wengerd to Frantz and
Marjorie Louis, $256,750.
Pike County
Blooming Grove Township
NAMB Homes Inc to Anthony and Jennifer Paolicelli, $288,000. Leonard Seidner to Robert Yurman
and Carol Sonnenblick, $412,000. JEO Development Co LLC to Elenodoros Theodoulou, $320,000.
Diego and Teresa Lodico to George Scarpitta,
$255,000. Lorraine Miller to Peter and Jean Cipolla,
$310,000.
Delaware Township
Salvatore and Linda Stanzione to Fred and Jenny
Funk, $450,000. Shirley Pestana to Armando and
Helena Pedriera, $262,000. Thomas Bosch to Karl
and Julie Krause, $332,000.
Dingman Township
Kim Polanis to Edward Curtis, $355,000. Vannatta
Realty & Builders Inc to Rene and Zaira Rivera,
$259,900. Teresa and Piotr Wojnas to Elifalet and
Sajonara Rivera, $291,000. Sean and Denice Helferty to Brian Irving, $312,400. BLC Real Estate
LLC to McKean Custom Homes, $392,700. Jesse
Tashlik to Louis and Judith Diemer III, $310,000.
Eugene and Donna McNamara to Kevin and Kristy
Sproul, $330,000. Sunnylands Inc to James Conrow,
$270,000. Amanda Caton to Carols Real Estate
Holdings LLC, $475,000. Erik Nistad to Eugene
and Barbara Cathy, $340,000. John and Barbara
Richardson to Lords Valley Towing, $450,000. Don
and Katherine Johnson to James and Janice Killian,
$560,000.
Greene Township
Ernest and Mary Henzi to Philip Thomas and
Donna Michele, $433,000.
Lackawaxen Township
Michael and Janis Plunkett to Richard and
Vicki Sadewitz, $285,000. Anthony and Allison
Antonucci to Robert and Jill Garofalo, $360,000.
G Anderson Homes Inc to Francine and Angelo
DiMaria, $298,000. Athur and Augusta Marchiano
to Victor and Loriann Giancola, $625,000. Kathleen
and Robert MacDowell to Alejandro and Joselita
Collado, $330,000. Summit Land Development CO
to Diana Newmeir, $270,202.
Lehman Township
Myung Kim to Fredy Delarosa, $250,000. J&S
Real Estate Properties LLC to Cecil and Mardy
Land, $272,950. Romec Inc to Raymond Ortiz,
$259,000. Kalian at Poconos to Grant and Tanja
Titre, $268,900. Bret Leonard to Gary and Kim McCullough, $300,000.
Milford Township
Frank and Helen Celestina to Benjamin and Amy
Willis, $327,000. Mary Lou Flieger to Shane and
Rene Greening, $250,000.
Palmyra Township
Robert and Pamela Russo to Simons Company,
$1,000,000. Anthony and Danice Picozzi to Edward
and Christine Pellikan, $315,000. Robert Gumble
to Peter Helms, $262,500. Bernard and Dana Bieski
to Joyce Israel, $315,000. Lorraine Collins to
Robert and Ellen Blank, $650,000. Craig B Harlan
Intervivos Declaration Trust to Terrence McGlinn,
$850,000. Richard and Donna Haines to Robert
Schargel, $380,000. Mark and Colleen Solazzo to
James and Lillian Coombs, $329,000. Hugh McCabe to Stanislaw and Bozena Blacha, $375,000.
Shohola Township
David and Janet Salmond to Greg Knight,
$395,000.
Westfall Township
Delaware Highlands Properties LLC to Kim Polanis, $262,000.
Wayne County
Berlin Township
Paul and Jody Gilbert to John and Donna Disimone,
$525,000.
Damascus Township
William and Mary Carnes to James and Mary Wilson, $260,000. James and Linda Bright to Kenneth
and Ibis Katzman, $279,000. Mark and Margaret
Molesworth to James and Rose Mary Miller,
$250,000.
Honesdale Borough
Lois Lemnitzer to Charles Kannebecker, $310,000.
Carol Chalmers to Gary Linde, $300,000. Joseph
and Dorothy Petrilak to Robert Zabady, $325,000.
Lake Township
Lillian Kuehlen to Michael and Terry Beer,
$395,000. Ravindra and Jennifer Karve to Fran
Rutigliano, $373,000.
Lebanon Township
Joseph and Nancy Harcum to Bianca Holdings,
$425,000.
Lehigh Township
John and Nicoletta Ohler to John and Charlene
Laboranti III, $275,000.
Paupack Township
Theodore Kostige to RJS Realty, $270,000. Eldon
and Kathleen Lindley to Raymond and Jeffrey Consalvi, $268,000. Donna Geraghty to Christopher and
Jean Pettinato, $260,000. Nicholas and Virginia Sollenne to Alfred and Carolyn Bachman, $675,000.
Salem Township
George and Josephine Mahoney to Sheila and William Morris, $267,500. Joyce Israel to Edward and
Sharon Vanalstine, $415,000. Crescenzo Esposito to
Lee Glassman, $1,250,000.
MORTGAGES
(June 2007 – Over $250,000)
Carbon County
East Penn Township
Duane Schleicher, New Tripoli Bank, $3,100,000.
Northside Heights Mobile Home Estates Inc, New
Tripoli Bank, $3,100,000.
Franklin Township
Lawrence Higgins, Harold Ruff, $1,875,000.
Kidder Township North
Pfeifer Real Estate Development LLC, Berkshire
Bank, $700,000. Pfeifer Real Estate Development
LLC, Berkshire Bank, $360,000.
Kidder Township South
Michael Principe, Jim Thorpe National Bank,
$386,000. Vacation Charters LTD, TD Banknorth
NA, $22,113,000. Big Boulder Corporation, M&T
Trust, $5,000,000. Northeast Land Company,
M&T Trust, $5,000,000. Blue Ridge Real Estate
Company, M&T Trust, $5,000,000. David Nolan,
MERS, $275,000. Joseph Gilroy, MERS, $278,779.
Lower Towamensing Township
Jessica Roberts, MERS, $350,000. Sharon George,
Keystone Nazareth Bank & Trust, $250,000. Alan
Shobe, MERS, $325,000.
Mahoning Township
Darwin Strohl, Financial Freedom Senior Funding,
$412,500. Darwin Strohl, Housing and Urban
Development, $412,500.
Packer Township
Henry Hinkle, Direct Mortgage, $256,010.
Penn Forest Township
Benjamin Perez, Beneficial Consumer Discount
Company, $261,135. Wade Courtney, MERS,
$250,750. Cherokee Valley Homes Inc, Sun Home
Loans Inc, $635,700. Frederick Schriner, MERS,
$261,900. Joseph Nelson, MERS, $272,500.
Towamensing Township
Douglas Mason, MERS, $251,000. David Zacharias, First National Bank of Palmerton, $257,500.
Margaret L Milasch Trust, Seattle Mortgage Co,
$322,500. Margaret L Milasch Trust, Housing and
Urban Development, $322,500. Forest Inn Property
LLC, Wachovia Bank, $500,000.
Monroe County
Barrett Township
Richard Newman, National City Bank, $339,500.
Alexander and Raissa Schefer, National City
Bank, $266,000. Brian and Mary Thomas, MERS,
$405,000. Ziem LLC, MERS, $487,500.
Chestnuthill Township
Karen Collins and Ronald Parker, MERS,
$327,500. Glen Getz, Edward David and Sally
Ostyn, $250,000. Glenn and Wanda Smith, MERS,
$312,454. Harvey and Mary Frable, Nationstar
Mortgage, $268,367. Gerald and Lucy Lopez,
MERS, $276,000. Joshua and Jennifer Goguen,
National City Bank, $274,000. Lucette Hall and
Darryl Aldridge, MERS, $260,000. Mary Howard
and Bridget Gioglio, MERS, $280,000. Joseph and
Sheena Knock, Delval Business Finance, $271,000.
Coolbaugh Township
Thomas and Kelly Masselle, MERS, $320,000. Delores Singletary, Citizens Bank, $255,000. Anthony
and Virginia Okolski, MERS, $276,450. Christian
Charity Foundation, Citizens and Northern Bank,
$1,100,000. David and Emma Wengerd, Citizens
and Northern Bank, $1,100,000. Michael and Lori
Talley, MERS, $251,140. Marco and Vivian Yoguez, Washington Mutual Bank, $257,060. Moritz
Embroidery Works, PNC Bank NA, $600,000.
Northeast Land Co, M&T Bank, $5,000,000. Blue
Ridge Real Estate Co, M&T Bank, $5,000,000.
Alex and Monique Dupiton, Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage, $264,350. Anthony Ayala and Mabel
Batista, National City Bank, $259,350. Kevin
and Patricia McWilliams, Silver Hill Financial,
$585,000.
Delaware Water Gap Borough
Barry and Kathleen Kadanoff, MERS, $300,000.
East Stroudsburg Borough
Anthony and Melissa Devivo, ESSA Bank &
Trust, $754,000. Carmen Valleri, PNC Bank NA,
$3,015,000. Raulston Cuffy, GMAC Mortgage,
$292,410. Sultan and Semay Saladeen, HSBC Mortgage, $290,700. Joanne DeSanto, MERS, $350,250.
Negozi Enterprises, Citibank, $1,500,000. Dein
Properties and Dein Management Compay, National
Penn Bank, $1,000,000. Scott and Deborah Matthews, MERS, $278,400. Mary Samet, ESSA Bank
& Trust, $300,000.
Hamilton Township
Richard Bolds, Jr., MERS, $279,000. Jeffrey
Weekes & Elizabeth Besinger-Weekes, MERS,
$354,000. Doloriese Kresge, Seattle Mortgage Co,
$300,240. Doloriese Kresge, Housing & Urban
Development, $300,240. Stanley and Rose Marie
Zuba, Pocono Community Bank, $300,000. Michael
and Jodi Dornfest, ESSA Bank & Trust, $315,000.
Edward and Barbara Bombay, ESSA Bank & Trust,
$325,000.
Jackson Township
John and Jeanette Alonis, MERS/Equifirst,
$287,000. Salvatore and Anita Trentacoste, MERS/
Decision One, $253,800. Lavinia Bailey-Pitts,
MERS/BNC Mortgage, $308,750.
Middle Smithfield Township
Andrew and Monica Cortez, MERS, $291,521.
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PBJ REGISTER
One Fox Run Inc., Wachovia SBA Lending,
$1,169,000. Marvin and Naomi Wilson, National
City Bank, $313,120. Wayman Smith III, MERS,
$375,205. Raymond and Josephine Foley, Bank of
America, $289,750. Richard and Janis Gommel,
PNC Bank NA, $500,000. Ronald and Annette
Jeter, MERS/Countrywide, $308,560. Denise and
Christopher Hodges, MERS, $410,350. HRP Corp,
Textron Financial Corp, $20,773,170. Raymond
Alvarez and Evelyn Figuroa Alvarez, Wells Fargo
Bank, $394,250. Dino and Cindy Morello, MERS,
$387,000. Lawanda and Andre Bailey, MERS,
$315,000. Hyacionth Shaw and Cadine Brown,
National City Bank, $323,820. Bruce and Marianne
Brandli, Wachovia SBA Lending, $1,169,000.
Thomas and Julie Aaksen, Pentagon Federal,
$285,000. Scott and Deborah Isler, Wells Fargo
Bank, $271,160. Ji Hong, MERS, $410,000. Linda
Williams and Raymond Hausen, MERS, $435,000.
Mount Pocono Borough
Horse and Dragon Limited/Debora Cantel, Wachovia SBA Lending, $349,000. Yolanda Harvell and
Rontarin David, Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage,
$250,300.
Paradise Township
Henryville Conservation Club, TD Bank North,
$250,000.
Pocono Township
Ridgeley and Jennifer Werkheiser, First Star Savings, $256,000. Richard and Sharon Anderson,
Metwest Commercial Lender, $560,000. Shannon
Mosura, Navy Federal Credit Union, $345,100.
Joseph Powell, MERS, $331,200. Robert and
Lorna Lewis, MERS/Countrywide, $289,000.
Zeeshan Shariff, MERS/Nationwide Advantage
Mortgage, $282,600. MBC Properties, M&T Bank,
$2,500,000. Katherine Semler, BNY Mortgage,
$300,240. Katherine Semler, Housing and Urban
Development, $300,240. John and Stefanie Brady,
MERS/Wilmington Finance, $301,500.
Polk Township
Timothy Moll, Independent Mortgage, $250,000.
Esterina Valan, MERS/Equity One, $375,000.
Harry Mistysyn Sr., Fidelity Deposit and Discount,
$750,000. Suzanne McPherson, JP Morgan Chase
Bank, $272,000. Joseph and Sheena Knock, Delval
Business Finance Corp., $271,000.
Price Township
Marquise and Joy Frazier, MERS/Countrywide
Bank, $252,000. Donald and Marilyn Washington,
GMAC Mortgage, $287,660. Stephen Horn, ESSA
Bank & Trust, $490,000.
Ross Township
Richard and Marilyn Baughman, MERS, $250,000.
Glen-Ross Properties, Mauch Chunk Trust Co,
$610,000. Glen-Ross Properties, Glen Getz,
$250,000. Paul, Myrtle and Anne Marie Schweigert,
Chase Bank USA, $288,000. Kristine Cyr, Southeast Home Mortgage, $323,200. Edward Buczynski,
The Neffs National Bank, $276,118.
Smithfield Township
Margie Taipe and Luis Alva, ESSA Bank & Trust,
$290,600. John and Deborah Swick, MERS/Quicken Loans, $270,500. Roi and Linda Emiliani, Bank
of America, $340,000. Momodore and Binta Jagne,
MERS, $403,275. Deborah Haines and Edwin
McIntosh, World Savings Bank, $455,400.
Stroud Township
Richard Mutchler, ESSA Bank & Trust, $500,000.
Wieslaw and Stacey Wojtanowicz, PNC Bank,
$500,000. Carol Hunt, MERS, $358,000. William
Guzman and Doris Roman, Wells Fargo Bank,
$274,550. Osahon Aguebor, MERS, $363,200.
Fitzmaurice Community Services, PNC Bank,
$1,160,000. Fitzmaurice Community Services,
PNC Bank, $1,160,000. Fred Zalzal, MERS/Cendant Mortgage, $283,152. Adelaida Pilla and
Volk Bahlke, MERS/Decision One Mortgage,
$324,800. Melvin Crooks and Kim Wine-Crooks,
MERS/Delta Funding Corp, $328,000. Antonio and
Maria Polanco, MERS/Amtrust Bank, $325,000.
Xiaoyi Sun and Yan Mao, National City Bank,
$278,000. Shaleen Brown, MERS, $349,000.
Patricia Alexander, PNC Mortgage, $300,240.
Patricia Alexander, Housing and Urban Development, $300,240. Christopher and Michelle Getty,
Wells Fargo Bank, $417,000. Yimin Zong, National
City Bank, $261,000. Simone Fiankeu-Njatou, ABN
Amro Mortgage, $336,600. Keith Korchma, MERS/
NVR Mortgage Finance, $367,300. Amad Kande,
Countrywide Home Loans, $324,000. Candace
Bunnell, World Savings Bank, $300,000. Maria and
Christopher Flores, MERS, $321,465.
Stroudsburg Borough
Fernando and Nora Quintero, MERS, $269,900.
1001 Phillips Street, ESSA Bank & Trust,
$1,980,000. Anthony and Melissa DeVivo/DeVivo
Properties, ESSA Bank & Trust, $754,000. Anthony
and Melissa DeVivo/DeVivo Properties, ESSA
Bank & Trust, $754,000. Anthony and Melissa
DeVivo/DeVivo Properties, ESSA Bank & Trust,
$754,000. Anthony and Melissa DeVivo/DeVivo
Properties, ESSA Bank & Trust, $754,000. Monroe
County Planned Parenthood Association, Wachovia
Bank NA, $257,000. Pedro Polanco, MERS,
$290,000. Pocono Area Transitional Housing, ESSA
Bank & Trust, $400,000. Krishankant Patel, East
Penn Bank, $1,100,000.
Tobyhanna Township
Erich and Catherine Pieper, National City Bank,
$368,800. David and Melanie Marshall, MERS/
Indymac Bank, $362,696. Frederick and Colleen
Kohm, MERS, $278,160. David and Emma Wengerd, Citizens and Northern Bank, $1,100,000. James
and Maureen Rinehimer, MERS/Taylor Bean &
Whitaker Mortgage, $320,000. Patricia and Steven
Werynski, World Savings Bank, $250,000. Michael
and Mary May, National City Bank, $250,000. Optasite Towers and Optasite Towers Holding, Morgan
Stanley Asset Funding, $150,000,000. Mario Diez
and Lisa Colabelli-Diez, MERS/Lincoln Mortgage
Co, $268,000. Audun and Margaret Gythfeldt, Wachovia Bank, $250,000. Brian and Maryann Ryan,
MERS/Equifirst Corp, $360,000. Maureen Johnson,
National City Bank, $310,750. 84 Repa LLC/84
Re Partners LLC, United Bank, $2,128,653.
Repa LLC/84 Re Partners LLC, United Bank,
$2,128,653. Rosalie and Angelo Bruzzese, PNC
Mortgage, $300,240. Rosalie and Angelo Bruzzese,
Housing and Urban Development, $300,240.
Tunkhannock Township
Wilfredo Vazquez, MERS/Quicken Loans,
$252,000. Cherokee Valley Homes, Sun Home
Loans, $635,700. H. Lloyd Weston, MERS/First
Franklin Financial, $405,000. Brian and Michelle
Sautter, MERS/Quicken Loans, $258,650.
Pike County
Blooming Grove Township
Anthony and Jennifer Paolicelli, MERS/CTX Mortgage, $273,000. Stephen and Anne Marie Thomas,
MERS/Countrywide, $264,000. Peter Vehstedt,
Wells Fargo Bank, $324,000. Peter Vehstedt, Housing and Urban Development, $324,000. Elenodoros
Theodoulou, Pennstar Bank, $256,000. Arline and
Keith Woronoff, Wells Fargo Bank, $350,000. Ram
and Sushila Pathak, Wayne Bank, $300,000. Elliot
and Rita Grossman, $252,000.
Delaware Township
Fred and Jenny Funk, MERS, $360,000. Jeffrey and
Binney Huffman, Wayne Bank, $265,000. Storage
Concepts LLC, Lakeland Bank, $1,170,000. Karl
and Julie Krause, Catskill Hudson Bank, $265,600.
Dingman Township
Edward Curtis, JP Morgan Chase Bank, $284,000.
Rene and Zaira Rivera, Bank of America, $259,900.
Frank and Lei Driscoll, HSBC Mortgage, $311,000.
Elifalet and Sajonara Rivera, JP Morgan Chase
Bank, $275,500. Cummins Creek Contractors, Sussex Bank, $1,200,000. Brian Irving, MERS/Lending
Key, $314,713. McKean Custom Homes, Wayne
Bank, $317,000. Anthony and Jacqueline Depalo,
HSBC Mortgage Corp, $284,770. Huguenson
and Tanya Alexandre, National City Mortgage,
$277,000. Kevin and Kristy Sproul, MERS/GMAC
Mortgage, $264,000. Joseph Purcell, MERS/GMAC
Mortgage, $327,500. Oscar Sylvester, MERS/Countrywide, $312,399. Michael and Jennifer Manheim,
First Horizon Home Loans, $262,348. Carols Real
Estate Holdings LLC, Wayne Bank, $380,000. William Westwood, MERS, $270,800. Tim and Mary
Kelly, MERS/Countrywide, $336,300. Barbara
and Eugene Cathy, Wayne Bank, $306,000. Lords
Valley Towing Inc., Dime Bank, $410,000. Janice
and James Killian, MERS/Countrywide, $371,200.
Christine Ciardelli, Walden Federal Savings and
Loan Association, $304,000. Charles and Colleen
Carroll, MERS/GMAC Mortgage, $276,000.
Damascus Township
Michael and Caryn Decker, Beneficial Mortgage,
$271,324.
Greene Township
Cheryl Krawczyk, Nationstar Mortgage LLC,
$354,156. Jacek Samborski, ESSA Bank & Trust,
$318,750. Ralph Costagliola, New Millenium Bank,
$1,250,000.
Lake Township
Jonathan Chernes and Matthew Drace, MERS,
$552,000. Harry and Elizabeth Gerstenmaier,
Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corp, $297,000.
Harry and Elizabeth Gerstenmaier, Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development, $297,000.
Michael and Terry Beer, MERS, $310,000. Fran
Rutigliano, Wells Fargo Bank, $279,750.
Lackawaxen Township
John and Martha Spreen, MERS/American Home
Bank, $381,900. Dieter and Sharon Schmidt,
LA Mortgage Services, $305,000. Adam Musial,
Washington Mutual Bank, $252,000. Victor and
Loriann Giancola, MERS/Citimortgage, $400,000.
Alejandro and Joselita Collado, MERS/HSBC
Mortgage, $264,000.
Lehman Township
Bruce and Marianne Brandli, Wachovia SBA Lending, $1,169,000. Cecil and Mardy Land, MERS/
Challenge Financial Investors Corp, $264,761. Raymond Ortiz, MERS/Amtrust Bank, $259,000. Helena Carbon, Indymac Bank, $$252,000. Grant and
Tanja Titre, Wells Fargo Bank, $255,455. Teodora
Romano, MERS/Countrywide, $255,000. Frank and
Carla Connolly, MERS/Countrywide, $253,800.
Carolann and Thomas Mills, MERS, $300,000.
Milford Borough
Ellen Bawcom, MERS/Wachovia, $378,000.
Milford Township
Benjamin and Amy Willis, MERS/First Horizon,
$290,000. Don and Mary Smith, MERS/Countrywide, $285,000.
Palmyra Township
Edward and Christine Pellikan, ABN Amro Mortgage, $252,000. Strong Enterprises Inc., Hawley
Oil Burner Service Company, $400,000. Robert and
Ellen Blank, MERS/Wachovia, $300,000. Kevin
and Mary Kennedy, MERS/Countrywide, $417,000.
Stanislaw and Bozena, JP Morgan Chase Bank,
$337,500. Spiritus Investment Group LLC, Community Bank & Trust, $330,000. Paul and Barbara
Walther, MERS, $316,000. William Firestone,
Saxon Mortgage Inc, $841,500. Brad and Cheryl
Alford, MERS/GMAC Mortgage, $368,000.
Shohola Township
Karen Edwards, MERS/Transland Financial,
$254,125. Wendy and Robert Martelli, MERS/
Quicken Loans, $286,450. Bennett and Lisa Futterman, Bank of America, $360,000. Greg Knight,
MERS, $316,000.
Westfall Township
William Cronin, Wells Fargo Bank, $495,000.
William Cronin, Housing and Urban Development,
$495,000
Wayne County
Berlin Township
Thomas and Karen Gannon, Honesdale National
Bank, $300,000. Paul and Lisa Semler, Wells Fargo
Bank, $350,500. Valarie Gavin, Chase Bank USA,
$333,600. James and Susan Corbin, Citizens Savings Bank, $333,000. John and Donna Desimone,
MERS, $417,000. Robert and Elizabeth Burpee,
Wayne Bank, $380,000.
Cherry Ridge Township
Ben Sverduk, John and Dorothy Sverduk, $300,000.
Coming Next Month ... September 2007
Dreher Township
George and Kathleen Harrison, MERS, $308,000.
Dorothy and William Rubrecht, PNC Mortgage,
$292,500. Dorothy and William Rubrecht, Housing
and Urban Development, $292,500.
Honesdale Borough
David and Wendy Malti, Dime Bank, $277,000. Ida
Comstock, JP Morgan Chase Bank, $267,023. Gary
Linde, Dime Bank, $350,000. Robert Zabady, Dime
Bank, $365,000.
Lehigh Township
Lawrence and Erin Beaver, Commerce Bank,
$719,473. Scott and Elizabeth Freeman, MERS,
$417,000.
Manchester Township
Thomas and Beth Renehan, Wells Fargo Bank,
$1,018,000.
Mount Pleasant Township
Ann Marcinkus, Wells Fargo Bank, $270,000. Ann
Marcinkus, Housing and Urban Development,
$270,000.
Oregon Township
Frances and Byron Alarcon, National City Mortgage, $278,000. Leonard and Melody Herk, Wayne
Bank, $417,000.
Paupack Township
Eileen and Salvatore Lamonaco, ESSA Bank &
Trust, $250,000. Terrence and Francine Cardinali,
MERS, $276,250. Paul and Judith Coward, Wachovia Bank, $500,000. Francis and Glenda Henofer,
MERS, $370,000. Mary and Raymond Hutt, MERS,
$375,000. Peter and Lynn Bigelow, Wayne Bank,
$417,000. Kimberly and Philip Arasimowicz, Bank
of America, $454,900. Joseph and Joan Kudrick,
Wayne Bank, $417,000.
Palmyra Township
Justyna and Wojciech Wyka, MERS, $281,250.
Preston Township
Gary and Susan Miller, Washington Mutual Bank,
$361,800.
Salem Township
George Grassie, First Keystone National, $565,000.
Edward and Sharon Vanalstine, Wells Fargo Bank,
$394,250.
Scott Township
James and Denise Kilgore, Community Bank &
Trust, $480,000. Michael Gangadeen, MERS,
$371,000.
South Canaan Township
Ben Sverduk, John and Dorothy Sverduk, $300,000.
Texas Township
Robert Zabady, Dime Bank, $365,000.
Waymart Borough
Joseph and Marjorie Pavlovich, MERS, $250,000.
MERS = Mortgage Electronic Registration
Systems
Disclaimer: Deeds and mortgages recorded as
accurately as possible adhering to the cover dates
in the County Recorders office.
POCONO
Women in Business
www.pbjonline.com
• Working Woman in the Poconos: Hopes, challenges and realities.
• Female Style: Are working styles really that different from male collegues?
• The Balancing Act: Is it just a women’s issue?
• Wage War: How do wages for women differ regionally, nationally to men?
• Handwriting analysis techniques.
• Profile on regional programs supporting women in the workforce.
www.pbjonline.com
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