`damn Yankees' To Light Up Kirby Stage 
Play Ball! 
It May Not Be Springtime Quite Yet, But Anyone At The F.m. Kirby Center On 
Feb. 21 Will Welcome An All-time Favorite Sport And A Great Broadway Play, All 
In The Same Evening.

2 Luzerne County Men Indicted On Drug Charges

Friday, January 30, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 13A 





HANOVER TWP. Tax break requested for Offset Paperback &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hanover Industrial Estates is one step closer to claiming Offset Paperback &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Manufacturers as one of its tenantsMericle Development Corp., which plans
to develop 33 acres to be occupied by the publishing company, appeared before
the township commissioners Thursday night to request that the parcel be tax
exempt for three years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Robert Mericle, president of Mericle Development, asked that the land be
designated as a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act District. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Under Mericle's proposal, the property would be tax exempt for the first
three years. Taxes would be gradually phased in during the next seven years.
After 10 years, the property would be fully taxed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Initially, Offset plans to use the site as a distribution center, but could
add manufacturing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fred Lohman, vice president of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business
and Industry, told commissioners that Offset recently secured a large contract
that will increase production by more than 60 million books a year, requiring
expansion of its facilities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It is expected that each location will offer 50 new jobs. Lohman said
Offset employs approximately 700 people, who are paid an average of $12 per
hour. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mericle spokesman Lew Sebia said that even though the site would be tax
exempt for the first three years, the township, the Hanover Area School Board
and Luzerne County would collect more than $700,000 in taxes during the
remaining seven years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mericle said his company would be responsible for paying taxes on the
property if for some reason Offset pulls out of the area. But he added that
Offset made a commitment to stay for 18 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Councilman Frank Alexis said some people might not be happy with the idea
of a tax break. However, he said, "some things have to be sacrificed to go
forward." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Commissioners Chairman Tom Murphy called it "a win-win situat

Hanover Twp.  Tax Break Requested For Offset Paperback 
Hanover Industrial Estates Is One Step Closer To Claiming Offset Paperback 
Manufacturers As One Of Its Tenants.

Hanover Twp. Tax Break Requested For Offset Paperback Hanover Industrial Estates Is One Step Closer To Claiming Offset Paperback Manufacturers As One Of Its Tenants.