Off Roading help save paragon

[MSalvatore]

Some of you may know of Paragon adventure park in hazleton pa. The owner of the land is trying to break the 25year lease with paragons owner(kyle). Visit there site and check out for yourselves what is going on. Truly disturbing all the corruption. Paragonap.com



Marc

 

[HOBrian]

Marc, this seems to be a big problem! What is the likelihood that the land owner can break a 25 year lease after just 3 years.

:--) 30 million for the land :--)

 

[MSalvatore]

aparently there is alot of political coruption in hazleton. Among other things the land owner the mayor and judge are all friends. There will be tv crews at paragon this weekend for a story they are doing.

 

[HOBrian]

aparently there is alot of political coruption in hazleton. Among other things the land owner the mayor and judge are all friends.

With connections like that I will be surprised if paragon keeps the land :{

 

[MSalvatore]

For those of you into 4 wheeling this affects everyone. We could loose the best place in the east. Please help save it. by signing the petition. Wether you go or just don't want an injustice to be done.



www.petitionspot.com/petitions/savePAP

 

[DWitcher]

Signed it.

 

[biggy238]

If they signed a contract, It can't be broken, by federal law (one of the oldest in the books if I recall) regardless of who's who.



This is granted that the contract didn't allow for the lease to be revoked at any time.

 

[getblown5.9]

www.saveparagonap.com

its pretty much a losing battle already. there is a benefit ride this weekend to raise money for the legal fees PAP needs to fight this... but the local congressman and other officials are looking at the $$$$$ and see that building this cargo airport there will greatly increase the economy

here is what one official has to say:

'At a press conference on the cargo airport earlier Wednesday, state Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township, stated Gladstone had gained "control of the property" needed for the project.

Asked about Paragon, Eachus said the lease dispute is "a very small, marginal issue" compared to the scope and the size of the airport project. He said a small ATV and recreational park is not the focus of his concerns, given the future-altering potential of the airport project.

"Are we going to let some ATV advocates hold up the biggest economic development project in Northeastern Pennsylvania? I hope not. I'm hoping at the end of the day, there's a way to resolve this, Eachus said. '

 

[getblown5.9]

If they signed a contract, It can't be broken, by federal law (one of the oldest in the books if I recall) regardless of who's who.

This is granted that the contract didn't allow for the lease to be revoked at any time.

not sure the details of the contract, but they are basing the revocation on the basis that "paragon ap has failed to pay the lease payments/fees, and that they have damaged the land by cutting trees etc"

but i guess building an airport and other larger industrial buildings doesnt require the cutting of trees

 

[biggy238]

Get the town to enact a sound ordinance?

 

[TowPro]

Get the town to enact a sound ordinance?

there not going to do that, they need the jobs this airport will generate.

 

[MSalvatore]

We will be there to support paragon

 

[CochranD]

Im from approx. 1 county south of that place , and Paragon isnt exactly friendly to the residents of that area. I ride in that area, and know many families around that place and Paragon employes "patrol" their property especially on Sunday( some have side arms... w. t. f. ???) . I often am harassed or threatened by their staff , because of not paying to ride. As far as Im concearned, I hope the place closes, let the rich guys from Long Island run their Humvees someplace else.

There is alot more going on locally with this issue, and the areas future economic growth is at stake, since the area really has none at the time.

Sometimes the newspapers dont report the "entire story" .

 

[Spooky510]

Signed it.

 

[MSalvatore]

Actually paragon is patroled by park rangers and game wardens(side arms). there is also a hunting club adjacent to the property and they patrol all of it for tresspassers and poachers.

 

[TowPro]

Im from approx. 1 county south of that place , and Paragon isnt exactly friendly to the residents of that area. I ride in that area, and know many families around that place and Paragon employes "patrol" their property especially on Sunday( some have side arms... w. t. f. ???) .

I'm with you CochranD. for the last 20 years my buddy has been riding dirt bikes out of 8B's which is next to paragon. I used to go with him but since he started having "run-ins" with the guy who runs Paragon I will not go there. So far he has had guns pulled on him, dobermins sicked on him and enough bad language to make a sailor blush thrown at him from the Paragon guy. All this and my Buddy was still on 8B's land! We ride with GPS, and my buddy knows the land so we know we are staying on 8b's land. There is a state game lands on the edge of the property we ride and we know to keep out of it.



The guy that hastles him drives a Hummer, that ain't a park ranger or DEP guy.

 

[CochranD]

Paragon

I see your name is TowPro, I wondering if you own or work for that outfit that runs trucks down in Limrick area. Ive used them a few times. As for riding in that area, around Hazleton Heights ,Rts 309,424 , I still do if I have time on a weekend. I know "Mr P" who owns the mine area, so if your from that area, you know of whom I speaking of. Ive never been hassled by a PA Game Warden or DEP ,just fellows who indentify themselves as working for Paragon. I`ve even been down over at the campgound and been "checked" by Paragon. I finally got a map from the county of the property plot limits and we rode around on Sunday two summers ago. Most of the corners are not marked. I ride now up off of 54 near Girardville, so I dont have to deal with those guys, besides the place aint that great to ride bikes or 4 wheelers

anyhow , it just to rough.

 

[DTroy]

Paragon has lost the battle. The park will be closing.

 

[brods]

Just to clarify a few things who may not know about PAP offroad park and may be mislead by some of the complaints. PAP should not be characterized as a playground for the rich. Sure there are wealthy people who wheel their H1s and Land Rovers there, so what? The majority of the wheelers are regular hard working people. Many of these people belong to clubs which have invested many man-hours cutting new trails to make the park better for everyone. All this work will be wasted when they close the park.



There may be great economic benefits to the area from the airport, but I thought this country was based on law, not greed. If PAP had a lease agreement for 25 years then a plan to accommodate all parties is the fair way to do things. Evicting PAP for bogus reasons because all the local politicians are in cahoots with the land owner is just wrong!



Besides, can there be no compromise? Is there enough land for both to coexist? Do the wealthy landowners have suitable land somewhere else in the area they could switch the lease to and move the park?



Regardless of anyone’s opinion of the park, it was one of the very few places for responsible wheelers to offroad legally. It draws people from all over this country and Canada who pump money into the local economy. To lose it in such a fashion is just salt in the wounds.

 

[MarkMiller]

Contracts can be broken. If there is enough money legislation is bought and judges and politicians paid for in the name of profit(the owner can either sell it or the gov't will tkae it under eminent domain and make the airport happen). As to the charecter of those that gaurd paragon, I don't know any of them but I am a farm owner near D. C. and when I go chase people off my land that are trespassing I do it armed now. So I can't fault those guys for being cautious. If that is the way it is going to be thoigh they should go through training and be bonded as armed gaurds.

I hate to see Paragon go and have signed the petition but unfortunately money talks and airports are big money.