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PLAINS TWP. — Residents voiced fear of toxins in the soil, a lack of trust with the company hired to test for those toxins, and the high purchase price for the land without an outside evaluation of mineral-rights value during a mandated public hearing on Wilkes-Barre Area School Board’s planned high school consolidation Monday.
Resident John Suchoski also noted a board member —whom he later identified as Dino Galella — has a for-sale sign in front of his house and questioned if he was leaving the district because of the changes the consolidation will bring. Much later in evening, District Solicitor Ray Wendolowski announced Galella had submitted his letter of resignation from the board because he is moving out of the area to be near his grandchildren.
It was attorney Kim Borland, a critic of consolidation since it was first approved three years ago, who cited the assessments of three separate appraisers hired by the district for the land — about 78 acres — in Plains Township where the school is to be built. It will consolidate grades 9-12 in Meyers, Coughlin and GAR Memorial high schools.
Borland noted the highest assessment was $800,000, and suggested the $4.25 million sale price must be so high to cover mineral rights. Borland also noticed one appraiser said there appeared to be no minerals and another urged a separate mineral rights appraisal that was not done. Borland said an acquaintance familiar with the issue estimated such an appraisal would cost $10,000 or less.
Solicitor Wendolowski said the original asking price was $8 million, and was reduced after extensive negotiations. He also said the district compared the lot to similar land in Plains Township that recently sold in excess of $70,000 per acre, while the district is paying about $54,o00 per acre. And he said the price protects the district from future claims for mineral rights that he estimated could run as high as $20 million.
The district submitted Monday’s public input to the state Department of Education for review and possible action.
‘Not being fair’
The presence of arsenic and chromium in the soil came up several times, as well as large quantities of bottom ash from industrial furnaces dumped as fill decades ago on the former mining site. Dr. Mark Schiowitz noted the high health risk from exposure to either, and asked why the environmental reports did not name the specific type of either chemical. He said the worst type of arsenic is 100 times more dangerous than the other two, and there is a similarly increased risk for one type of chromium.
Wendolowski repeated his previous argument that the state Department of Environmental Protection has reviewed the matter and determined the school can be built there safely as long as land with the toxins — which appear naturally throughout the area —are “capped” and that most soil already has been capped and any that was not will be. Capping can be done with the building itself, with paving surfaces such as parking lots, or with clean topsoil.
Bob Holden, another frequent critic of consolidation, read from reports he had unearthed criticizing the accuracy of Tetra Tech elsewhere, including one instance where its soil findings were allegedly deemed unreliable. “It is indefensible, how do we have confidence in a company like that?” No one from the board responded.
Tracey Hughes argued the board has failed to get input from students and has not made it clear to them how the consolidation will affect them, both when the new school is open (estimated to be in 2022) and when the sports teams are consolidated next fall. “You’re not being fair to anyone in this district,” she said.
Three district employees — Michael Namey, Bob Makaravage and Frank Castano — spoke in support of consolidation. They argued the district cannot afford to maintain three high schools and the move will bring equity in education to all students and improve the environment for their success.
Others raised previously voiced concerns ranging from the increased cost of transporting so many students to a location outside Wilkes-Barre; the impact on property values by closing neighborhood schools; disbelief in the argument that consolidation would save enough money to avoid major tax increases; and the likelihood that so many students in one school will lead to more fights, lower grades and higher truancy.
All told, about 26 people signed up to comment. But several left before they were called or did not show up.
Public comments were preceded by an overview of the project, including a look at financing and costs by financial adviser Michael Judge from CaseCon Capital Inc. and a presentation of new drawings of the floor plan and the school interior and exterior by architect Kyle Kinsman of WKL Architecture, one of four firms working on the building.
Residents can submit written comments on consolidation over the next 30 days at the district’s administration building at 730 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre.
