Wyoming Valley West's John Fronzoni Has Certainly Made His Mark On Wyoming 
Valley Conference Diving.

30 Years After Tet: A Vietnam Veteran's View

By DAVID J. RALIS; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Saturday, February 14, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 6A 





WILKES-BARRE- If the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority had to pay
full price for the 51-acre site of its arena, the land would have cost $5.6
million, officials said Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Instead, authority Chairman Kevin Blaum promised to pay $10 to the Greater
Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund, a landholding arm of the Greater Wilkes-Barre
Chamber of Business and Industry. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Blaum, a Democratic state representative from Wilkes-Barre, jokingly pulled
a $20 bill from his pocket and asked for change Friday during a short ceremony
in which an agreement to transfer the land was signed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He also said the $32.7 million arena in Wilkes-Barre Township would not
have been possible without the chamber's donation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We don't have $5.6 million for land," he said. "We have a very tight
budget. But this is the promise that got it all started." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Without the donation, which has been in the works since 1989, then-Gov.
Robert Casey would not have approved a $19 million state grant that will help
the authority pay for the arena's construction, Blaum said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It immediately opened the governor's eyes," he added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stephen Barrouk, president and chief executive officer for the chamber and
a fellow authority member, said, "After almost nine years, I'm extremely
pleased to be here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The transfer agreement contains a provision that would return the land to
the chamber if the arena is not built. But Barrouk said it was "a standard,
routine clause. This is the last piece. The project is a go." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barrouk and Blaum said the Industrial Fund will soon transfer 24 acres to
the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, so it can build an exit along
Interstate 81 that would bring motorists to the arena. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/CLARK VAN

Arena Board Celebrates Donation Of Land 
The Parcel Was The Key 
To Obtaining A $19 Million 
State Grant For The Arena, 
The Board's Chairman 
Says As He Approves The Token Payment

Arena Board Celebrates Donation Of Land The Parcel Was The Key To Obtaining A $19 Million State Grant For The Arena, The Board's Chairman Says As He Approves The Token Payment