`nutcracker' Enlivens The Holiday

Alex Wrobleski 
Dec. 17, 1994 
Alex A. Wrobleski, 73, Of North Gates Avenue, Kingston, Died Saturday In 
Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, Kingston.

By P. DOUGLAS FILAROSKI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Wednesday, December 21, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE -- For a $300,000 ante, the city hopes to become a player in
the downtown revitalization game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Two weeks ago, the city bought three closely spaced buildings near Public
Square as part of Mayor Lee Namey's plan to breathe life into downtown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now, the question is if the city's investment will pay dividends. Or will
it fail to reap returns, like some other city gambles? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The opportunity is there. The time is right. Let's do it," Namey said
recently after the City Council agreed to buy the former Stein Fur Salon, J.S.
Raub Shoes and The Kiddie Shoppe. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The three vacant buildings are clustered around a corner of South Main and
East Northampton streets, with a city parkade on one side and a parking lot on
the other. Combined, officials say they make an attractive package for a
retail or office tenant, with a visible location and that most valuable of
commodities -- parking. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some local development experts praised the city's decision. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I think it's strategically a good move in trying to control what
ultimately will be the destiny of that important block downtown," said Stephen
Barrouk, president of Greater Wilkes-Barre Partnership, a non-profit agency
which also undertakes economic development initiatives. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Partnership agency recently developed the former Pomeroy's building
downtown. It secured the state Department of Environmental Resources as a
tenant, but still needs to fill the other half of the building. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Considering a dearth of private development downtown, Barrouck said it may
be time for the city to step in and help out. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Right now there aren't a whole lot of takers, and if the city can
consolidate it into one parcel, it may create some opportunities for itself,"
Barrouk said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At stake for taxpayers, however, is the $300,000 the city paid for the
buildings, $7,500 it will lose annually in property taxes, and whatever it may
cost to get the space ready for occupancy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The purchase doesn't mark the first foray into real estate development by
the city in recent years -- all with mixed results. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The first and most notorious came in 1978, when the city paid $1 for the
mammoth former Stegmaier Brewery on Wilkes-Barre Boulevard. The city has been
unable to pay $2 million to demolish it. A study said it would cost $50
million to fix it up for development. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No developers have stepped forward to take on the bulk of the project. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Across the boulevard, the city sold a prime 3.3-acre tract it had owned for
years to developer Seymour Holtzman in 1987. A once-promising deal that
produced an attractive 50,000-square-foot office building turned sour,
however, when Holtzman failed to develop the rest of the parcel. The plan was
to include another 50,000-square-foot building which would have generated an
additional $30,000 or so per year in property taxes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then, two years ago, the city bought the former Percy Brown's restaurant --
located next to the recently purchased lots -- for $60,000. But in the 27
months since, it has done nothing more than build a parking lot there. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Council member Thomas Leighton acknowledged the city's less-than-sterling
track record. Although he supported the most recent deal, there is a danger
the deal could fall flat if the administration and council don't work closely
together on developing the property, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If we're not careful, we could have another Stegmaier, another Jewelcor,
another Percy Brown," Leighton said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the other hand, the city needs to "roll the dice" every so often to try
to reverse an eroding tax base, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The purchase marks the second significant move toward revitalizing downtown
in less than a year. In March, Namey announced the formation of the Community
Development Corp., setting aside $100,000 in 1994 and 1995 to fund the
autonomous marketing agency. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For now, the mayor said the city has no developers showing an interest in
the newly purchased buildings and no plans to make major renovations. But the
new Community Development Corp. could be moved into offices there. The
corporation's board is close to hiring a director, who will begin marketing
the space early next year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The city axed funding for a downtown development post at the Partnership a
year and a half ago in an effort to take downtown revitalization into its own
hands. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the community development corporation was unveiled six months later,
Namey said it would differ from the Partnership's approach in that it would
focus more on downtown than on outlying areas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wednesday, Namey unveiled a 42-page master plan for developing downtown to
merchants and the corporation's board members. In the short term, it calls for
establishing a "downtown for kids" -- a plan that would not require great
financial investment while a long-term goal is pursued. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The concept would include trolleys downtown, special events to draw kids
and their parents to the area and businesses geared toward children -- such as
the cartoon gallery located there now. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The city may also be interested in buying up other buildings on the corner
of South Main and East Northampton streets. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Andy Stetz, whose John B. Stetz clothing store is located among the newly
purchased properties, said he was contacted about selling his property after
his business closes sometime next year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There are at least three other property owners in the block. Joe Rescigno,
who owns Classic Bride, said the city has not contacted him. Owners of
Prestique antiques and an empty building next door did not return telephone
calls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rescigno said he considers the move by the city a good one. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "That would be terrific," he said. "We need someone to do something down
here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The city got a lot of bang for its bucks, Rescigno said, considering he
paid more for his small shop in 1985 than the city paid for all three
buildings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the past couple of years, major retailers such as Woolworth's and a list
of smaller ones have closed up shop in the lower South Main Street area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Merchants say they are looking for help to reverse the tide. Bob Curry, who
owns Wysocki Athletics and The Book and Record Mart on South Main Street, said
the city needs to become an active player. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "At this point, anything the city would be willing to do would be a
positive move forward compared to what's been going on," Curry said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/BOB ESPOSITO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 City officials, hoping to take downtown revitalization into their own
hands, recently purchased three buildings on a corner of South Main and East
Northampton streets. Among them are the former Stein Fur Salon and J.S. Raub
Shoes buildings on South Main Street. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

W-b's Foray Into Downtown Development Has Risks 
To The Mayor, The Purchase Of Three Buildings Is An `opportunity' To Breathe 
Life Into A Sputtering Area

W-b's Foray Into Downtown Development Has Risks To The Mayor, The Purchase Of Three Buildings Is An `opportunity' To Breathe Life Into A Sputtering Area