Arena board to boost insurance [The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.]

Aug. 09--WILKES-BARRE TWP. -- Board members who oversee the Mohegan Sun Arena voted Wednesday to increase professional liability coverage for them individually and as a group.

The insurance coverage was on the agenda for the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority's regular monthly meeting at the arena.

At the request of board member Angelo Answini, the authority looked into getting more than the $1 million in coverage now in place.

Joyce Insurance Group of Pittston said Hiscox Insurance Co. could provide $3 million in aggregate coverage. The premium would increase to $7,676 a year from $6,729.

The policy would provide liability coverage for directors and officers and employment practices.

Board member Dave Palermo asked if he and other board members were covered individually aside from their roles on the authority.

Solicitor Murray Ufberg explained the coverage applies to them as individual authority members.

In addition to Answini and Palermo, Robert Baran, Donna Cupinski</person>, Jack George, Ed Harry, George Horwatt and Kathy Kane voted for the increased coverage.

Board members Hal Bloss, Jonathan Comitz and Kathleen Lambert were absent.

Cupinski, board chairwoman, provided the board with an update on the new center-ice scoreboard expected to be ready for the upcoming Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey season.

"CBS Outdoor has started production of the panels," Cupinski said. A representative of the company was at the arena Wednesday to go through the production room to plan for the layout of the equipment, she added. "So everything is very well on production for that," Cupinski said.

Work also is progressing on the $287,000 updates to the suites. In May, the authority approved the work to replace the flooring, furniture, countertops, appliances and flat-screen televisions.

The board met for a little more than an hour, with most of their discussions taking place behind closed doors.

For nearly 40 minutes, the board held an executive session to discuss pending litigation with the builder of the arena, Oscar J. Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton, Wis., Ufberg said.

Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella dismissed all but a $300,000 claim of the builder's multimillion-dollar breach-of-contract suit in May 2004. The authority countersued and the parties are scheduled for trial later this year.

In addition to the Boldt suit, an issue arose that could be the source of litigation, Ufberg said.

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