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By JENNIFER LEARN jlearn@leader.net
Monday, January 31, 2000 Page: 1A
SHICKSHINNY – A politically connected car dealership got a strip of
publicly owned land for free, allowing the business to expand its parking lot.
And although Hasay Chevrolet Inc. has been parking cars and trucks there
for free for the past five years, it still hasn’t paid any taxes on the land.
Borough and county officials can’t explain how the 243-square-foot strip
ended up in the dealership’s hands, but they say they cannot force dealership
owner John Hasay to give it up or start paying taxes on it.
Hasay’s son, George, is a state representative in the 117th District, and
his other son, John, is a district justice in Shickshinny.
The strip, which measures about 13.5 by 18 feet, allows Hasay to showcase
about a dozen vehicles at his U.S. Route 11 dealership. The parcel was part of
the entrance to the old Shickshinny-Mocanaqua Bridge, which was demolished in
October 1994 after a new bridge was built nearby.
There are conflicting versions how the land ended up in Hasay’s hands.
Dealership owner John Hasay said contractors demolishing the bridge told
him he could have the strip to compensate for frontage that was sliced off the
dealership when U.S. Route 11 was widened during construction of the new
bridge. He could not name the contractors, recalling only that they wore
hardhats.
Luzerne County Engineer Jim Brozena said the county, which owned the
bridge, gave the land to the borough. It is standard procedure for the county
to give surplus property to other government bodies that might have a use for
them.
Past and present borough officials say they have no record of selling or
deeding the land to Hasay.
Tax collector Roseann McLaughlin said nobody is paying taxes on the former
bridge property, and Hasay’s property was not reassessed by Luzerne County
after he expanded the lot. McLaughlin could not estimate the tax bill for the
land.
Pat Fondo, who heads the county assessment office, said her office did not
reassess Hasay’s property because nobody can find the deed for the old bridge
property.
Fondo knew of no similar situations in the county.
“We can’t put that property on the tax rolls unless we have some document
saying the borough gave it to Hasay. We can’t assess him for something he
doesn’t own,” Fondo said.
John Hasay said he had no qualms about extending his parking lot because
the widening of Route 11 trimmed about 10 feet off the edge of his property to
accommodate a new sidewalk and wider lanes.
“Our taxes should’ve gone down when they stole my frontage,” he said.
“The state reduced the value of my property, but I don’t like to complain.”
Fondo said the county sometimes lowers the assessment on properties that
are reduced by road projects.
There are no records showing why property taxes stayed the same for the
dealership after the Route 11 project, Fondo said. The change in the
property’s dimensions might have been overlooked, or county officials might
have concluded that the loss of property did not merit a tax reduction, she
added.
Because there is no deed, John Hasay said he might have a right to the
property if it was originally owned by the coal company that sold him the land
where his dealership sits.
The neighboring Shickshinny Assembly of God Church also sits on land first
owned by the coal company. To avoid a neighbor dispute, John Hasay said he
offered to give a section of the old bridge property to the church. A church
representative could not be reached for comment.
Hasay’s son Andrew, who also manages the dealership, said he does not
believe the borough could do anything with the old bridge property.
The elder Hasay acknowledges he has supported various county candidates
through the years, but said politics had nothing to do with the parking lot
land.
Several residents said it is unfair that the family received land for free
and have not paid taxes. None of the residents wanted to complain on the
record, saying they fear retribution, especially if they had to appear someday
before District Justice Hasay.
Call Learn at 831-7333.