Board to decide dome’s fate

By Howard Frank Pocono Record Writer

The Hamilton Township Zoning Hearing Board will decide the fate of a church’s effort to take over the Pocono Dome sports complex on Aug 10.

The announcement came after testimony was closed in a special exception hearing for the South Korean-based World Mission Society Church of God in its effort to get approval to use the sports dome as a church.

Testimony from church missionary and spokesman John Power revealed the church would celebrate an event annually that could draw 800 worshipers to the Sciota site, which is accessible via a one-lane bridge.

Power referred to the spring event as a Passover convocation, that would include worship and celebrations. The church would hold several smaller convocations during the year, probably attracting between 200 and 500 people at a time, Power said.

“That is one of the benefits of this facility,” he said. “We can gather together like that on an annual basis.”

He had estimated in prior testimony that the initial church congregation would be between 20 and 50 worshipers.

Hamilton Township solicitor John Dunn attempted to determine the command structure of the church and its hierarchy for making decisions. His efforts were futile, with Power saying that five east coast missionaries had made the decision to buy the dome. But Power could not say who in Korea approved the purchase, nor could he state who he reports to.

Power said the church is a non-profit entity exempt from taxes, which amounts to about $90,000 in revenues for the Stroudsburg Area School District should the church buy the dome.

“We would seek tax exemption at that time,” Power said.

Zoning Hearing Board Chairman Karl Dickl noted the loss to the school district in his cross examination of Power, and asked, “Would you consider payment in kind to offset those taxes?”

“We haven’t discussed that,” Power said. “We are open to any discussions with the community.”

That was a concern to many in the classroom packed with about 75 residents at the Monroe County Safety Center, where the hearing was held.

“The school district is headed for a rough ride the next few years, and I don’t think we can sustain the loss,” resident Jane Harten said.

Blue Ridge Hook and Ladder Fire company Chief Leon Clapper testified to the danger posed by the physical structure of the dome and the access to the property should an emergency take place. He said that the structure did not contain sprinklers, although it was supposed to be installed in the dome’s original plan.

Resident Doug Metzger asked if the fire company could reach the top of the dome with his equipment.

“Negative,” Clapper responded.

Metzger discussed the effect on response time in an emergency, should dozens of cars try to leave the facility’s property using the one-lane bridge, or if another fire company responded with specialized equipment.

Dickl asked Clapper, would a 20 to 40 minute delay in response time be critical?

“It would be humongous,” Clapper said. “It would probably be the difference between saving lives and body bags.”

Other concerns regarded limited sewage capacity with hundreds of worshipers at the facility at the same time. Residents also shared their concerns about falling property values with the traffic be generated by the church’s use of the dome.

George Denger, a coach for Keystone Athletic soccer club, said the dome was the best indoor facility in a 100-mile radius.

“It allowed our club to develop more players to go on to college,” he said. “That’s helping the community at large. This is an asset as it now stands as an athletic facility.”

Church attorney Geoffrey Worthington was granted a 10-day extension to the record to submit a memorandum of law. The township was granted a five-day period to respond to the brief.

Wayne Bank, which owns the sports complex, agreed to sell it to the church for $2.9 million.

The Aug. 10 meeting will be held in the Hamilton Township Municipal Building’s meeting room, where a final decision on the special use exception application will be announced.