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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Wilkes-Barre Area School District&#8217;s plans to build a new high school downtown met another delay Wednesday when a hearing on zoning changes sought for the project was continued until next month.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board agreed to hear the case Nov. 16 of the district, which has proposed building the new school next to Coughlin High School on North Washington Street. The board also will hear a request by Panzitta Enterprises Inc. to convert the Times Leader building on North Main Street into a school to be used by the district during the construction.</p><p>The district has proposed building the new school on the Coughlin property by consolidating grades 9 through 12 from Meyers High School and Coughlin.</p><p>Panzitta and the Times Leader&#8217;s parent company, Civitas Media, have been negotiating a deal to sell the building, and notices were sent to neighboring property owners of the zoning hearing on the developer&#8217;s request to change the use of the newspaper building into a public school.</p><p>But attorney Joseph Persico of the Rosenn Jenkins &amp; Greenwald firm, representing Highmark Inc. &#8212; which is located next to the Times Leader &#8212; said his client was not given the full seven days&#8217; notice required to review the application Panzitta submitted to the board.</p><p>District Solicitor Ray Wendolowski added that Persico would raise the same issue regarding the district&#8217;s plans. Wendolowski asked for brief recess and met with Persico, Panzitta attorney Frank Hoegen, other attorneys, and board solicitor Charles McCormick in the hallway for several minutes.</p><p>When the hearing resumed, Hoegen asked for a continuance &#8220;so that we don&#8217;t start off on the wrong foot&#8221; and in order to avoid an appeal that would drag out Panzitta&#8217;s and the school district&#8217;s projects.</p><p>All parties agreed to the continuance.</p><p>In the only other action by the board, it granted a special exception to Josue Pagan Adorno to set up a barbershop in a home in the 300 block of Stanton Street and install a wall sign with 24 square feet of surface area.</p><p>Several residents spoke up about Adorno&#8217;s request, including David Markowski from nearby Anthracite Street.</p><p>He said he was not contacted by Adorno to sign a petition of residents in favor of the business that was presented to the board.</p><p>&#8220;I just don&#8217;t want to see it go (downhill),&#8221; Markowski said of his neighborhood.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Attorney Frank Hoegen, right, and his client John Panzitta will go before the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board again next month after agreeing Wednesday to a continuance in order to avoid further delays on Panzitta Enterprise Inc.&#8217;s request to convert the Times Leader building into a public school as part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District&#8217;s plans to build a new high school downtown. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102016Zoning1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Attorney Frank Hoegen, right, and his client John Panzitta will go before the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board again next month after agreeing Wednesday to a continuance in order to avoid further delays on Panzitta Enterprise Inc.&#8217;s request to convert the Times Leader building into a public school as part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District&#8217;s plans to build a new high school downtown. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102016Zoning2-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">With attorney Frank Hoegen, left, looking on, attorney Mark McNealis asked to be heard Wednesday by the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board in matters regarding the Wilkes-Barre Area School District&#8217;s proposed construction of a new downtown high school. The board continued the cases until next month. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102016Zoning2-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>With attorney Frank Hoegen, left, looking on, attorney Mark McNealis asked to be heard Wednesday by the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board in matters regarding the Wilkes-Barre Area School District&#8217;s proposed construction of a new downtown high school. The board continued the cases until next month. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Zoning board pushes matter to Nov. 16</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Zoning hearing on new high school in Wilkes-Barre delayed another month