$100,000 Could Preserve Decaying Hotel For Future Rehab/ Experts Pitch To Put
Sterling In Mothballs

Abandoned Silk Mill Destroyed By Blaze

By PAMELA C. TURFA pamt@leader.net
 Tuesday, May 22, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D 





RICE TWP. - The owner of a landscaping company says he has satisfied the
state Department of Environmental Protection, which issued a notice of dumping
and burning violations on company property earlier this month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stanley Zukos said Monday afternoon he has been cleared by a DEP inspector
to continue operations at the Ground Works Landscaping site on Park Drive off
Blytheburn Road. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On May 10, the state agency sent a notice of violation to the company,
whose main address is listed at Wheatfield Lane in Fairview Township. The
company had 15 days from the time it received the notice to respond. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zukos said a DEP inspector toured the property last week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The inspector, who could not be reached Monday, gave the company the
go-ahead to continue pushing back decomposed material on the property, Zukos
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The DEP notice was the latest in a string of problems between the company
and area residents, Rice Township and the state. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In April, a fire on the property burned out of control, threatening nearby
homes and a vehicle, said Leonard Levanda of the township board of
supervisors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In early May, several Park Drive residents complained about dumping and
burning on the property during the monthly township supervisors meeting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Levanda said residents were concerned about what might be on the property. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The supervisors encouraged residents to call the DEP and instructed
township solicitor Joseph Farrell to look into possible violations of township
ordinances. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In addition, the township issued a citation for the April fire, contending
it was not properly extinguished, Levanda said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zukos said he has pleaded not guilty to the township citation, which is
pending before a magistrate. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He also said there is no evidence his company was responsible for the fire
or for burning of tires, which he says were not on his property and were not
discarded by his company. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zukos said he burned a bag of trash several hours before the fire. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We had been back to the property numerous times'' and there was no
evidence of any fire left from the earlier burning, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since the fire, he has reported the dumping of seven or eight more tires,
he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zukos also insisted he does not bury anything on the property, and that the
DEP has complimented his efforts to clean up the site. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After the fire, Levanda said he inspected the property. ``It looks like a
landfill, like an ugly dump,'' he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Residents complained the fire left a black residue on their houses, he
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``When he burns, it stinks,'' Levanda said. ``So, God knows, what he is
burning. It does make everybody very nervous.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An estimated 50 people, including toddlers and young children, live in as
many as two dozen houses on Park Drive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pamela C. Turfa, a staff writer, may be reached at 829-7177. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Landscaping Company's Dep Violations Fixed, Owner Says Stanley Zukos Says Inspector Has Given His Business Approval To Resume Work At Rice Twp. Site.