Chief
02-01-2007, 07:14 PM
WILKES-BARRE — An all-terrain vehicle park owner vowed to continue his fight in a lease dispute over a piece of land needed to construct a proposed $1.6 billion cargo airport near Hazleton.
The pending sale of 4,300 acres from PCA Corp. to Gladstone Partners could not be completed until Kyle Knosp, owner of Paragon Adventure Park, lost his legal claim to the property. Gladstone Partners and PCA claim Mr. Knosp should be evicted from the 2,500-acre park because he breached his lease and has been delinquent on monthly payments, allegations Mr. Knosp denies.
Lycoming County Senior Judge Clinton Smith ruled Wednesday in favor of Gladstone and PCA by throwing out Mr. Knosp’s appeal. Judge Smith determined Mr. Knosp’s appeal was filed after the 30 days allowed.
The dispute goes back to March when PCA informed Mr. Knosp it was selling the land. Under the terms of the lease, Mr. Knosp had the first crack at buying the property at the same price but declined.
In April, Mr. Knosp was given an eviction notice.
Gladstone filed its suit in June. In August, District Judge Thomas Sharkey ruled in Gladstone’s favor, awarding it more than $36,000. Mr. Knosp filed a petition for relief and Luzerne County Judge Hugh Mundy lowered it to less than $8,000.
Mr. Knosp then appealed that ruling, resulting in Judge Smith’s ruling on Wednesday.
“I’m not trying to stand in the way of progress or their project,” Mr. Knosp said. “I just think they should have come to me, rather than try to do this to me and make me look bad.”
The pending sale of 4,300 acres from PCA Corp. to Gladstone Partners could not be completed until Kyle Knosp, owner of Paragon Adventure Park, lost his legal claim to the property. Gladstone Partners and PCA claim Mr. Knosp should be evicted from the 2,500-acre park because he breached his lease and has been delinquent on monthly payments, allegations Mr. Knosp denies.
Lycoming County Senior Judge Clinton Smith ruled Wednesday in favor of Gladstone and PCA by throwing out Mr. Knosp’s appeal. Judge Smith determined Mr. Knosp’s appeal was filed after the 30 days allowed.
The dispute goes back to March when PCA informed Mr. Knosp it was selling the land. Under the terms of the lease, Mr. Knosp had the first crack at buying the property at the same price but declined.
In April, Mr. Knosp was given an eviction notice.
Gladstone filed its suit in June. In August, District Judge Thomas Sharkey ruled in Gladstone’s favor, awarding it more than $36,000. Mr. Knosp filed a petition for relief and Luzerne County Judge Hugh Mundy lowered it to less than $8,000.
Mr. Knosp then appealed that ruling, resulting in Judge Smith’s ruling on Wednesday.
“I’m not trying to stand in the way of progress or their project,” Mr. Knosp said. “I just think they should have come to me, rather than try to do this to me and make me look bad.”