Pocono Dome is suddenly closed
By Howard Frank Pocono Record Writer
The Pocono Dome is closed and its future is unclear.
A sign in front of the entrance says so, and a billboard facing Route 33 in Sciota says it is for sale.
The ambitious 89,000 square foot indoor sports facility in Hamilton Township may have been buried under the weight of its own grandiose vision.
Gregory Bush of Sciota and two associated businesses, Pocono Dome, LLC and Sciota Enterprises, LLC defaulted on a $2.9 million loan from Wayne Bank in Honesdale in 2015. The bank secured a judgment against the three parties for nearly $3 million in Oct. 2015, according to court records.
Wayne never foreclosed. The group owed back taxes on the property, which forced it into a judicial sale. The bank, through its affiliate WTRO Properties, Inc. of Honesdale paid the taxes and became the owner of the property in May 2016.
Wayne Bank originally made the loan of $2,881,875 to Sciota Enterprises LLC in March, 2011. Pocono Dome and Gregory Bush each guaranteed the loan. The entities failed to make all payments when due, accelerating the entire amount to be paid immediately, as per the loan agreement. Interest, late fees and attorney fees pushed that amount up to $2,987,456
The proceeds of the loan were thought to be sufficient to cover construction, furniture, fixtures and equipment costs and provide for some reserves.
Delinquent taxes, along with penalties and interest totaling $416,800, began accumulating in 2013, according to the Monroe County Tax Claim office. The dome fell behind by $153,454 in delinquent taxes, penalties and interest in 2013. In 2014 an additional $113,840 became delinquent followed by $149,505 in 2015. The total amount was satisfied in the judicial sale, which included an auction fee of $7,400.
The huge, rectangular dome and player development center began as the dream of Greg Bush. A sluggish economy and some false starts had Bush doubting that his dream for this 38-acre, state-of-the-art sports facility would come true. Billboards teased of the coming dome for five years before work actually began on its construction. The dome officially opened in Jan, 2013.
Among its features are a turf field, dividable with electric nets that can accommodate two baseball diamonds or one full field for soccer, football, lacrosse, field hockey, softball, volleyball, tennis and pickle ball.
There’s also a one-sixth-mile perimeter track, a full service gym, fitness classroom, dance floor, martial arts, yoga center, locker rooms, café, performance training wing, three baseball tunnel wings, conference and party rooms and a sports rehabilitation and medical wing.
The building was used for senior programs, personal training sessions and self defense demonstrations.
The structure now sits unused on the west side of Route 33, where Collector’s Cove and a beer distributorship brought in weekend tourists and bargain hunters.
Messages left at the Pocono Dome, Wayne Bank and an attorney for Wayne Bank were not returned.
Emails seeking comment sent to Gregory Bush and his wife Sally Bush were not returned.
Story and Photo from the Pocono Record
