Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 21, 2017

Commonwealth Healths plans to connect its two Scranton hospitals once included simplifying a long-standing parking arrangement between Moses Taylor Hospital and one of its neighbors.

However, talks of a land swap between Temple Israel of Scranton and its hospital neighbor fell apart when neither could come to an agreement.

Commonwealths plans for major construction enshroud the synagogue, which was built in 1927, at East Gibson Street and Monroe Avenue.

The synagogue also owns 13,000 square feet, or three-tenths of an acre, that compose two parcels on the opposite end of the block at Monroe and Pine Street. Both the hospital and the congregation use it for parking.

Officials with Temple Israel and Moses Taylor Hospital have a long-standing deal, one that predates Commonwealths acquisition of the hospital in 2012.

As part of the deal, the hospital maintains the dirt lot for its staff. The congregation uses it for special events and on weekends.

A deal would have the two swapping property, with the hospital deeding its lot at Monroe and East Gibson, directly in front of the temple.

In turn, the temple would relinquish the unpaved lots on Pine to the hospital.

However, nothing ever came of it.

After several years of discussions with the synagogue regarding the purchase or swap of properties, Commonwealth Health and Temple Israel were unable to reach an agreement, Commonwealth spokeswoman Renita Fennick said in a statement. We have a good working relationship with Temple Israel and synagogue President Lou Nivert and our hope is that we and they will continue to be good neighbors.

Commonwealth Health is planning an $80 million project to consolidate its services between Moses Taylor and nearby Regional Hospital of Scranton, which is two blocks away.

As part of the project, Commonwealth will recast Regional with a new main entrance, build a new medical offices building along East Gibson Street and, most notably, connect the two hospitals with a bridge.

Starting in 2012, Commonwealth began snapping up homes and leveling them in the two blocks between its hospitals.

In April, the health system unveiled plans to physically connect the two structures. However, drawings show the synagogues lots and the offices of heart surgeon Dr. Lear Von Koch on Madison Avenue undisturbed.

As part of its legacy agreement, the hospital also will continue to let the congregation use its parking garage during holidays and special events

Temple members worried that Regional would relocate its emergency room entrance near the synagogue, which could be disruptive, especially during services, Nivert said.

Any religious institution that all of the sudden finds itself next to a hospital gets apprehensive because they worry about the traffic and looking for a place to park, he said.

However, emergency entrances will be on Jefferson Avenue, plans show , an equivalent four blocks from the temple.

Like Commonwealth, Nivert said the temple wants to be a good neighbor.

We dont consider them bad neighbors or anything, but we couldnt come to an agreement with them, he said.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

See original here:

Hospitals, synagogue trip over each other in expansion plan - Scranton Times-Tribune

Category: Synagogue
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