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Family Service Association honors award winners at Spring Fling event

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Stormwater fee payers learn more about potential litigation

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A property owner has filed a private civil complaint against the Wilkes-Barre Area School District over the purchase of land for the new high school.</p><p>Thomas Dombroski of Dallas filed the complaint in February on his own behalf. He is seeking a $12,000 judgment, the maximum amount allowed in magisterial court and a little more than his unpaid 2018 tax bill to the district.</p><p>Dombroski, who owns property on Jones Street in Wilkes-Barre, said it&#8217;s not his intention to stop the construction of the school on mine-scarred land in Plains Township. The district has been proceeding with plans to build the school for grades 9-12 and consolidate Coughlin, Meyers and GAR. It received state approval of submitted documents to award $88.2 million in construction contracts and scheduled a groundbreaking for April 12.</p><p>&#8220;I just want (the school district) to be on notice that they&#8217;re not pulling the wool over my eyes. I just want to show them they&#8217;re in for a fight,&#8221; Dombroski said Thursday.</p><p>He alleged he has &#8220;suffered damage&#8221; due to the district&#8217;s failure to obtain three independent appraisals of similar plots of land before purchasing more than 70 acres for $4.2 million. He said he&#8217;s not the only one affected. &#8220;They&#8217;re damaging every single taxpayer,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Dombroski said that the district overpaid for the land and, contrary to claims by district solicitor Ray Wendolowski, the deeds do not convey the mineral rights for the coal underground. Each deed specifically stated that the document &#8220;may not sell, convey, transfer, include or insure the title to the coal and right of support underneath the surface land&#8221; and the owner or owners of the coal &#8220;may have the complete legal right to remove all of such coal.&#8221;</p><p>Three appraisals obtained by Dombroski from the district placed the market value of the Plains Township land at a low of $225,000, $515,000 and $800,000.</p><p>Wendolowski labeled Dombroski&#8217;s complaint as &#8220;absolutely groundless&#8221; and will represent the district in the case. Dombroski will represent himself.</p><p>The case has been moved outside the district&#8217;s boundaries and is scheduled for a hearing at 11 a.m. on April 10 before District Justice David Barilla at his office at the Luzerne County West Side Annex, 2009 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort. The hearing is open to the public.</p><p><em>Staff writer Mark Guydish contributed to this report. </em></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">This is a conceptual design of new high school for Wilkes-Barre Area School District. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_WBASD-CONCEPTUAL-RENDERING-BIRDSEYE-VIEW.jpg</photo0><caption0>This is a conceptual design of new high school for Wilkes-Barre Area School District. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted </photoCredit0></div></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>

Taxpayer challenging Wilkes-Barre Area School District’s land purchase for new school