The Times-Tribune from Scranton, Pennsylvania • 3

Local PAGES SCRANTON, PA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1998 http:www.nepanews.com Ihc Scranton lmc0 Developer Proposes All-Suites Hotel for Casey joined Sentry Hospitality, Ellis Management Corp. and Entertainment and Mortgage Corp. in the grab for the citys brass ring. We think that (all suites) is the best hotel approach, Mr. Habeeb told The Scranton Times.

It will help us exploit a niche that we think is under-exploited in Scranton. The all-suites concept is one of the fastest-growing trends in the industry, he said. Basically, all guest room are suites larger than standard hotel rooms and some have kitchens and separate bedrooms. WeU be carving out a specific market niche, Mr. Habeeb said, noting he does not see his proposed development competing with existing hotels.

Any two hotels will compete, but I believe with the conference center and the all-suites product, we will develop our own stream of business, he said. Nationally, 25 percent of all hotels under construction are allsuites, Mr. Habeeb added. BY VINCE COVELESKIE THE SCRANTON TIMES Another developer has sub-. mitted a proposal for the Hotel Casey project and this one features a hotel comprised entirely of suites.

Robert Habeeb, president of First Hospitality Group near Chicago and a Scranton native, envisions a nationally franchised, 220-unit, all-suites hotel on Lackawanna and North Washington avenues. On Tuesday, First Hospitality southwestern states. We financed $60 million in projects over the last 24 months. We dont think well have any problems getting financing relatively quickly, he said. We already have interest from a couple of lenders.

Mr. Habeeb, born and raised in Scranton, said First Hospitality finds the city a good place to do business because of the Steam-town National Historic Site, the Mall at Steamtown and plans for train service to New York City. First Hospitality also wants two restaurants one operated by the hotel and the other a nationally known partner or franchise. He mentioned a 230-unit Hampton Inn Suites in Chicago owned by the group that partners with Fog City Diner, a sister to a well-known restaurant in San Francisco. Of the 45,000 square feet allocated for a convention center, Mr.

Habeeb said 25,000 would be used as a grand assembly room capable of accommodating up to 3,000 people. Our plan would be to build the hotel on the current site of the Casey and the conference center and parking facility on the Prenos side, he said, adding the complex would be linked by a skybridge First Hospitality has 18 hotels in eight states and six more in development. Scranton would represent the first northeast project for the group, as most existing properties are in midwestem and i 4 1 5 THE PROPOSALS THUS FAR ELLIS MANAGEMENT President Robert W. Ellis has promised to build a facility which can sustain itself, and told Mayor Jim Connors that he doesnt plan to look for handouts once the project Is completed. Ellis proposal is 1 contingent on a feasibility study prepared by Hospitality Valu-atlon Services, The developer is looking at a 150 to 200 room, mid-to- upper level full-service hotel with a 30,000 square-foot conference center earmarked for the current site of Prenos Restaurant.

ENTERTAINMENT AND MORTGAGE CORP. EMC will part-, i ner with Lavin Hotels to build a $33 million to $35 million, 4 250room hotel and conference center on the site of the for-i i mer Casey, EMC does not plan on expanding the project to 1 1 Prenos or the nearby Pearle Vision Center, I FIRST HOSPITALITY GROUP A group headed by Scranton native Robert Habeeb, First Hospitality wants to build a 220 all-suites hotel, some rooms with kitchen facilities and bed- t. rooms; two restaurants, and 45,000 square foot convention 4 center. I SENTRY Introduced by Mr, Connors as the chosen devel i oper in November 1996, Sentry lost its exclusive agreement in May, when the city said the developer was unable to se-. cure permanent financing.

Sentry has since made a $10,000 1 i non-refundable deposit to the city and delivered $25,000 to financial partner Samoth USA of Phoenix to win back the if project, Sentry proposed a 250-room hotel, 41,000 square 4 I- foot conference center. if 4, i Proposed Developer Says Hed Do It Right i BUTCH C0MEGYS THE SCRANTON TIMES Pioneer Days Cowpokes Mackenzie Warren, 4, of Carbondale, center, and her pardners opening day festivities for Carbondale's Pioneer Days celebra-In Lynette Twlrlettes Cowpoke group perforin during Tuesdays tlon. For details on Pioneer Days, see Page 25. i i DA: Chamberlin Probe Is Still Active BY VINCE COVELESKIE i THE SCRANTON TIMES A new hotel-conference center in downtown Scranton cannot be based on numbers from outdated studies, one of the proposed developers said today. We dont think the real study has been done yet-, said.

Robert W. Ellis, president of Ellis Management Corp. in West Even if it had been done years ago, it would have to be done again." Mr. Ellis said he will work with Hospitality Valuation Service, which he described as an international firm that has performed about 5,000 surveys. "They dont run hotels or build them.

They are consultants and their main function is studies and appraisals. The developer said previously he will not build a project that cannot sustain itself. We would make sure that we really have the thing designed to fit the market, he said. In the early 1980s, Mr. Ellis turned down an offer to develop the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western train station, now-, known as the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel.

I looked it over, and I didnt need a study to tell me that Scranton didnt need another hotel, i even though there was assistance available, he said. If Scranton looked the same way today as it did in 1981, 1 would tell you the same thing; Whats the sense of building something if it wont work? You have to. live with it. The city is vastly better now than it was just 10 years ago. You do have hope today, but you better do it right, he warned.

Ellis Management will act as builder, owner and operator. As outlined in a July 1 letter to the city, the developer is looking at a 150- to 200-room, mid-to-upper level full-service hotel. We will build a well-appointed conference center which appeals to almost all segments of the conference market. In addition, we will build a hotel property which will complement the all-encompassing nature of the Please see DEVELOPER, Page 4 However, affidavits filed in a civil case by Mr. Chamberlin and his wife, who uses her maiden name, Kathryn Lesoine, now indicate Ms.

Lesoine planned to publish 4 the photographs, Barrasse said. The civil suit was filed in federal court against the couple by the minors depicted in the photographs and their parents or guardians. Because Ms. Lesoine and her husband refused to talk with investigators, Mr. Barrasse said, his office was not aware of the filed in a civil complaint that may further his criminal probe.

Mr. Barrasse testified Monday in relation to his motion to quash a subpoena the Chamberlins filed in an attempt to" obtain the dis-trict attorneys file involving the criminal investigation conducted into their activities. The district attorney said the Chamberlins, on the advise of their attorneys, did not talk with investigators from his office when it began investigating circumstances surrounding the taking of the photographs. BY FRANK SCHOLZ THE SCRANTON TIMES A criminal investigation into the alleged taking of nude photo-. graphs of minor females by a prominent Waverly couple is alive and well.

Lackawanna County District Attorney Michael Barrasse testified in federal court this week that his investigation of William Lawson Chamberlin Jr. and his wife, Kathryn, is still active. Mr. Barrasse also said his of-; flee is learning things front docu- ments the Chamberlins have i circumstances surrounding the taking of the photographs. Now, he said, we know her possible intent for taking the photographs.

The district attorney maintains that his file on the criminal investigation is privileged and that he should not be required to turn it over to the couple, especially since the probe is still active. Attorneys for the couple are 1 Please see CHAMBERLIN, Page 4 Dropped Anchor Files Lawsuit each year. She was to be paid $85,500 for the first year of the pact, $88,065 during the second year and $90,707 for the third year. She also received a clothing allowance that rose from to to life and insurance and unspecified pension contributions. The suit charges, On Aug.

16, 1996, Defendant (Diversified) breached the agreement between the parties by terminating Plaintiffs (Miss Dunleavy) services as a performer without just cause. The suit claims that Diversified has failed or refused to pay (Miss Dunleavy) the additional compensation to which she was entitled to receive under the terms of the contract. Under the terms of the contract Miss Dunleavy could only be fired for just cause. Just cause included neglect of duties or "behavior in the trade or the community which, in our (WYOUs) sole discretion, is not compatible with the position of a WYOU station performer. Reached today, Miss Dunleavy said she would prefer to have Mr.

Jennings make any comments on the suit. Mr. Jennings did not return a call by press time today. Miss Dunleavy could have ended the contract if she was hired by either ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN or a network affiliate in one of the 20 largest TV markets. She was also barred from appearing on any radio or television station in the ScrantonWilkes-Barre TV market for a year after leaving WYOU.

Miss Dunleavy, now vice president for institutional advancement of Johnson Technical Institute, joined the station in 1977 when it was called WDAU. Except for a four-month hiatus in 1984. Debbie Dunleavy claims termination was unjust. BY RICH MATES THE SCRANTON TIMES I Former TV news anchor Debbie Dunleavy sued the former owners of WYOU-TV on Tuesday for I more than $190,000, saying she was unjustly termi-i nated nearly two years ago. Miss Dunleavy, 46, of West Pittston, left WYOU on Aug.

16, 1996, shortly before the station was sold to Nexstar Broadcast Group L.P. by Diversified Communications Inc. of Portland, Maine. A Diversified Communications executive con-! tacted this morning said she could not discuss the case. At this point, I havent seen the complaint or have been notified that anyone is bringing a suit against us, said Carolyn Barrett, president of Di- versified Communications broadcast division, who is based in Gainesville, Fla.

As soon as I see it, Ill bring it to our attorneys and they can comment on I it from there. Miss Dunleavy was one of six persons who were not hired by Nexstar in the asset-only purchase of the TV station. None of the employee contracts was included in the sale. According to the civil lawsuit, filed in Lacka-! wanna County Court by attorney Thomas W. Jen-J nings of Philadelphia, Miss Dunleavys three-year contract did not expire until June 14, 1998.

Under the terms of the pact, Miss Dunleavy was paid to anchor the 5:30 p.m. news and to co-produce and anchor four quarterly prime-time news specials L- The Red Barons' mascot, The Grump, has something to be less grouchy about as he Is swarmed by the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders during a baseball game at Lackawanna County Stadium. Details of the Red Barons 17-0 win over the Toledo Mud Hens can be found on Page 19. i i. i.