MONGAUP - Federal legislation that would fund planning and design for a planned National Park Service (NPS) Upper Delaware visitor center is still awaiting the approval of a joint House-Senate conference committee in Congress, a NPS official said this week.

Upper Delaware NPS Assistant Superintendent Sandra Schultz said the Senate made some changes to the House-approved version that would provide $900,000 for the project. The two houses will have to sort out the differences in committee.

Upper Delaware Council officials earlier this month had erroneously announced that the long awaited funding measure, part of a transportation appropriations bill, had cleared Congress.

WAYNE COMMISSIONERS BACK AVOCA IMPROVEMENTS

HONESDALE - The Wayne County Commissioners are supporting improvements and expansion at the Wilkes Barre-Scranton International Airport. The $57 million project includes a new terminal building, a parking garage, circulation roadways, and related projects. Pending state budget approval, construction of all facilities is scheduled to begin in May 2001.

The commissioners of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties have contacted Governor Ridge for assistance and called on county officials from the region for support.

BUSY WEEK FOR GAMBLING PROPONENTS

MONTICELLO - The Grossinger family name joined in the Sullivan casino controversy last week as Mitchell Grossinger Etess, whose family ran the famed Liberty resort, was rumored to be in talks with Catskill Development. The sponsors of the Raceway Cayuga casino location are supposedly seeking management help from Etess' employers, Mohegan Sun, the Connecticut-based Indian casino.

Catskill Development's rivals, Park Place Entertainment won the support of the Village of Monticello for its Kutshers-Mohawk casino when it announced Park Place would mirror the $5 million annual village payoff earlier offered by Catskill Development.

Meanwhile, in Albany, the state's lobbying commission announced an investigation into the roles played by Donald Trump and Park Place's Arthur Goldberg in the recent decision by the state Legislature to table a bill requiring legislative approval of new Indian casinos.

MAN CRITICALLY INJURED IN HIT AND RUN INCIDENT

LAKE HUNTINGTON - The Sullivan County Sheriff's Department is investigating a July 18 hit and run incident that took place about 7:15 p.m. on Route 52.

Sheriff Dan Hogue said Wednesday morning that the victim, David "Bubba" Hellen, 51, of Lake Huntington was struck by a vehicle while he was on a wireless phone with the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department making a complaint about youth-related vehicle activity. Hellen suffered severe head injuries and was airlifted to St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie.

Deputies arrested James R. Rodriguez, 19, of Lake Huntington, who was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. Hogue said other charges are pending.

No other details about the incident were available as TRR went to press.

UDC GRANTS DEADLINE COMING UP

NARROWSBURG - Upper Delaware Council (UDC) member towns have until close of business on July 31 to file applications for the fiscal year 2000 UDC Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) program.

Developed to assist local planning efforts, the program has distributed more than $430,000 to Upper Delaware towns and counties since its inception in 1988.

For more information about the grant program, contact Senior Resource Specialist David Soete at 914/252-3022 or by e-mailing udcsoete@ezaccess.net.

Announcement of grant awards will be made at the UDC's monthly meeting on September 7 at 7:30 p.m., in the Tusten Town Hall.

SULLIVAN WILL EDUCATE CONSUMERS

MONTICELLO - A new Consumer Affairs Department was endorsed by the Legislature's executive committee last week, as the resolution stated, "to educate taxpayers in Sullivan County regarding various consumer issues."

Legislator Jodi Goodman (RC-6) chair of the consumer affairs and technology committee says the measure will move Sullivan County into education at a new level. Aside from its weights and measures inspections at gasoline stations, the county has few consumer enforcement responsibilities. Goodman says she did not plan to expand that in any way, but to create an aid for consumers being bombarded by more and varied choices of products and services than ever before.

The resolution approved last week directs the county attorney to prepare the enabling legislation for the new department and it provides $25,000 for staffing costs through the remainder of the year.