Top Court 
Disciplines 
2 Attorneys

Matilda Arcola 
Nov. 25, 1992 
Matilda (tillie Dente) Arcola, Of Luzerne Avenue, West Pittston, Died 
Wednesday Evening At Home.

Friday, November 27, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D QUICK WORDS: KIRBY-NESBITT PARK
WILKES-BARRE 





A long-neglected piece of park land is becoming `an incredible gem' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ******************************* &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; PHOTO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/CLARK VAN ORDEN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A DAY IN THE PARK -- Deborah Vaida, head of Wilkes-Barre's Riverfront Park &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Advisory Committee, enjoys the sights in Kirby-Nesbitt Park along the &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Susquehanna River******************************* &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mayor Lee Namey's park committee is setting a course for Kirby-Nesbitt Park &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By MITCH MORRISON &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WILKES-BARRE -- One year ago, Kirby-Nesbitt Park, a 90-acre undeveloped
tract with wildlife and rare wildflowers, was a battleground. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Environmentalist Charles Urban and Mayor Lee Namey were arguing over
stewardship of the land. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Urban went before City Council to urge increased police surveillance and
municipal support. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Independently, he shooed away would-be vandals and launched annual cleanups
at the park, a combination of lands given to the city by philanthropists Abram
Nesbitt and Fred M. Kirby in the early decades of the century. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Namey dismissed Urban as an environmental vigilante who resorted to
bullying tactics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Namey won. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Looking to the future &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The mayor subsequently established the Riverfront Park Advisory Committee,
an amalgamation of environmentalists, naturalists, college scientists and
samaritans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The committee was given the task of charting the future of the lands which
lie along the Susquehanna River adjacent to the better-known recreational
portion of Kirby Park where children and adults walk the track, feed the ducks
by the pond and toss flying discs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The undeveloped land lies on the river side of the dike, hidden from the
baseball and football fields. Kirby-Nesbitt Riverfront Park runs from the
Veterans Bridge south past Kingston and Edwardsville. The area south of the
Market Street Bridge is part of Kirby Park. North of the bridge is Nesbitt. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Urban, who wasn't named a committee member, no longer touches the park. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I can't. The mayor won't let me," said Urban, who's devoting his time to
beautifying banks along the Susquehanna River from Pittston to Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Urban, who declined requests to sit on a Riverfront Park subcommittee,
railed at the mayor's committee. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since infancy, the Riverfront committee has worked with near anonymity, yet
it's accomplished much, members say. A grant application to undertake a master
plan. Park cleanups. Education walks. Scientific studies. Increased security. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most importantly, unifying numerous interest groups to develop a single
objective. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's better to have all those interested in the park working together
instead of having one guy coming in and doing one thing, and another guy doing
another thing, no matter how well intentioned they were," Namey said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 `An incredible gem' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shouldered against the banks of the Susquehanna River, the forested Kirby
Park section -- a stretch of silver maple, mulberry and oak trees hunkering
above weeds and herbs -- no longer resembles a cluttered junk pile, home to
beer bottles and discarded sofas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gone, too, are the vandals who intimidated strollers and bird watchers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This is an incredible gem in the city," committee chairwoman Deborah Vaida
said on a recent afternoon, strolling through Kirby Park. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Imagine," she continued, her eyes now shut. "You're only a couple of
blocks from downtown. Yet, if you close your eyes, you hear nature. You see
rabbits going through the brush. You're in a perfect escape from all the noise
and traffic." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the solitude, police, still mindful of the unsafe reputation,
patrol the two adjoining parks regularly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nesbitt, the light recreational park teeming with picnickers and children
in the summer time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kirby, the wooded land long ignored but central in the committee's future
scheme. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The advisory committee wields no official powers. The 13 committee members,
who meet the third Wednesday of each month, brainstorm, attach a price tag,
then return to Namey with a realistic proposal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So far, Namey's impressed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They've been very responsible. They're not working in fantasy land," he
said. The committee has solicited less than $1,000 from the city. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The group's mission echoes the Boy's Scouts motto: "To Preserve, Protect
and Display" the Nesbitt-Kirby Riverfront Park. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For each board member, the mission holds different meaning. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bob Wasilewski, local Audubon president: "The park should be as hands off
as possible. I don't want mowed lawns. It should be kept in its natural state.
... We're dealing with an area that's been abused, and we don't want to
inadvertently abuse it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ken Klemow, biology professor at Wilkes University: "I believe it should
remain as natural as possible, but it doesn't mean leaving it as is. Perhaps
we can improve the quality of the park through proper management." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gerald Reisinger, a River Watch member, prefers a diversity that includes
walking trails, herb gardens and small plots designated for research. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The committee spent its first year outlining its objectives. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Along with safety, the committee lists as top priorities: educating high
school teachers to teach students about the park, increasing public activities
and cataloguing the different species. The committee already has applied for a
$25,000 grant to develop a master plan. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Danger threatens &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Year II presents new challenges. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While vagrants and vandals are scarce, a new enemy has invaded the tranquil
mini-forest. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Polygonum Cuspidatum. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you can't pronounce it, there's an easier alternative. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Japanese Knotweed. Brought here as an ornamental plant more than 100 years
ago from the Far East, Japanese Knotweed looks like a soft bamboo that rises
as high as wheat stock. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's used to cure various blood diseases, digestive disorders and skin
problems," Klemow said. "But it chokes out everything including tree
seedlings." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While the older, mature trees are near death, the knotweed is killing the
future line of forest, Klemow explained. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "On a limited amount, they're OK, but we have to remove the knotweed." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That means thousands of volunteer hours to uproot the pesky plant, which
will heighten visibility at the park's entrance, Reisinger said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 `Quality of life issue' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lee Namey says the park committee is here to stay. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Money and professional personnel could strap the cash-poor city, however,
which is considering slashing municipal services in 1993 to avert a tax hike. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While he's prepared to invest in the committee, Namey stresses the group's
ultimate survival will rest in its ability to tap funds from all levels of
government, as well as the private sector. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I see this as a quality of life issue," he said. "It's one of my drives
that I'd like to see. ...But they're being told not to rely only on the
taxpayers of the city. They're not geared to having Wilkes-Barre fund it 100
percent and they know that."

A Long-neglected Piece Of Park Land Is Becoming `an Incredible Gem' 
******************************* 
Photo 
Times Leader/clark Van Orden 
A Day In The Park -- Deborah Vaida, Head Of Wilkes-barre's Riverfront Park 
Advisory Committee, Enjoys The Sights In Kirby-nesbitt Park Along The 
Susquehanna River.

A Long-neglected Piece Of Park Land Is Becoming `an Incredible Gem' ******************************* Photo Times Leader/clark Van Orden A Day In The Park -- Deborah Vaida, Head Of Wilkes-barre's Riverfront Park Advisory Committee, Enjoys The Sights In Kirby-nesbitt Park Along The Susquehanna River.