Pocono News Section

DeNaples Involved in Pocono Property Purchase

DeNaples Involved in Pocono Property Purchase - Friday, August 7, 2009 at 6:20PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Friday, Aug 7, 2009 @ 06:20pm EST
PARADISE TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY - The man who owns the Mount Airy Casino Resort has purchased about 300 more acres in the Poconos.

Demolition crews are busy tearing down abandoned resorts on that property. Louis DeNaples runs the company that purchased the land. He is a Scranton business man.

Paradise Township Supervisor Reda Briglia said, "We're glad that Mister DeNaples was involved in buying the property."

The property borders DeNaple's Mount Airy property. It includes the former Pocono Gardens and Mary Hill Resorts. Briglia said, "They're just dilapidated buildings, there has been vandalism and there's been a lot of graffiti painted on the different buildings."

People who live in the area say the buildings have been magnets for vandals and other trouble makers. Ricardo Rojas said, "The Poconos is supposed to be a nice place to visit and this looks more like the city."

Briglia added, "It's just an eyesore in the township that we're really glad is being taken away at this point." She told Eyewitness News she doesn't know if DeNaples plans to use the land to expand Mount Airy or to build something else. She said, "Things that were discussed when he was doing Mount Airy was housing for 55 and over just things that would be beneficial to the area."

Briglia said the land will include walking and biking trails connected to Mount Airy. They will be open to the public. "We should have a really nice trail network," she remarked.

A nice trail network and fixed up properties could help the township live up to its name - Paradise.

DeNaples did not return calls for comment on this story.