N ) 3 SLBA Fy A TN WY ww e—— BRIGHTON BINDERY CO BOX 336 BRIGHTON: IA 2 ag ~ALLAS ‘OST Vol. 99, No. 10 Wednesday, March 16, 1988 25 Cents alighway to undergo construction - again BY DEBBY HIGGINS Post Editor : Pennsylvania Department of Transportation crews will once again be out in force to begin construction on the Luzerne-Dallas Highway. Joe Compton, Penn DOT project manager, @einsge. to begin Monday, March 21, with the installation of said work is ainage pipe under the roadway. Compton said there have been some problems with poor drainage in certain areas, but the new piping will be installed to update the overall, existing system. Bridge repairs will also be done this year, with the project to start in April, Compton said. Several area bridges will undergo rehabilitation work. The work will be done on the section of highway, beginning at Wasserott’s, and continuing to Ferguson Avenue, Shavertown. Despite the need to revamp and upgrade Route 309, highway construction causes changes in traffic patterns, Compton said. Road crews will be working on the pipe installation during daylight hours, which means two traffic lanes will be closed during peak travel hours. One lane in each direction will be closed and traffic patterns will be subject to speed restrictions and one-lane driving. Pen DOT personel, heavy equipment, and a great deal of @tivity will be on or near the roadway from March until ptember. Compton said it’s important that drivers realize the construction will begin soon. He recommended that motorists remain alert and alter their driving patterns to compensate for the construction on the heavily-traveled roadway. Compton also suggested those using Route 309 should seek alternate routes, other than the main artery, to reach their destinations. He said drivers vehicles. using other routes would not _ experience as many delays, traffic tie-ups, and slower moving Work on the highway will continue throughtout the summer into September. This latest construction is part of the upgrading of the entire main Back Mountain road system. d@he Dallas Post lists some alternate routes for those wishing to make their driving easier. Alternate Rt. 1. Turn off Rt. 309 onto Carverton Rd., Trucks- m. school." Follow Leigh St. to Franklin St. to Old Main Rd. @e: Take first left turn off Carverton, past former Trucksville ake Old Main Rd. to Fernbrook to Rt. 309 at the Mark II Restaurant. Alternate Rt. 2. Turn off Rt. 309 at Luzerne. Take Bunker Hill Rd. to Cavertown Rd. to Midway Manor into Dallas. Alternate Rt. 3. Take left at Harris Hill Rd. light in Trucksville onto Pioneer Ave. Follow Pioneer Ave. to Main St., Dallas. For those motorists traveling to Lehman, Jackson, and sur- rounding areas, driving the Plymouth-Larksville Mountain Rt. will also help avoid major traffic problems by circumventing Rt. Mercy Kindergarten closes despite protests Despite a concentrated, two- week, group effort, The Mercy Center Parents Group failed to convince directors that Mercy kindergarten should remain open. Sharon Mayernick, group or- ganizer and spokesperson, said she received a call late last iday, informing her the Mer- wy Sisters have definately de- cided to close the school in June. Mayernick said the Sisters met earlier Friday. At that meeting, they determined that enrollments were not substan- ~~ tial enough to warrant the "school’s continued operation. “I’m angry. Our group en- rolled enough students in only two weeks to fill one kindergar- ten class session. We were will- ing to work as long and as hard as necessary to enroll 40 for both sessions. The Sisters are going to close the school in spite our determination.” May- ernick said. As of last Friday, 22 students were registered for class. An i®:n house was held Sunday, at which time Mayernick said, parents who wished to register their children for the Kkinder- garten were denied enrollment. “The open house was held but the school would only accept nursery school enrollments. The kindergarten students were turned away.” Mayernick told The Post. “The Sisters’ deci- sion to close the school was final last Friday. The Kkinder- garten. will close despite the prospects of new enrollments.” She said. A memo sent to kindergarten parents from school adminis- trators some time ago, stated because of declining enroll- ments, the school would close. The letter maintained student numbers declined over a period of years, thus necessitating closing the school at the end of this school year. Upon receipt of the notifica- tion, Mayernick said her group immediately formed to con- vince The Mercy Sisters of the great community need for the program. Dallas Legion celebrates #53! Daddow-Isaac Post 672 Amer- ican Legion, Dallas celebrated its 53rd birthday at the regular meeting at the Post Home, Memorial Highway, Dallas, March 11. It was a time to reflect on their past and to ensure a brighter future for their com- munity residents. Many Ameri- can citizens have been served by the Legionnaires including veterans, their families and others. As members of the American Legion they recognize that citi- zenship has the price of service to God and Country, and many have dedicated themselves to paying that price. The Ameri- can Legion continues to be the largest and fastest growing vet- erans organization in the nation because the members care. They have high ideals and goals and have accomplished these through dedication and determination. As they look to- ward the future, the local Le- gionnaires rededicate them- selves to those same ideals- serving their community and their citizens, helping those less fortunate than they and offer- ing hope for a better future. The local Post, was organized in 1935 by a Sgt. Cook, Penna. SEE CELEBRATE, p - 3 GET READY FOR MORE JAMS! — Penn DOT crews begin assemblingequipment and materials for construction work to be done on Rt. 309. The work is scheduled to begin on March 31, and it will continue until September. (Linda Shurmaitis Photo) BY CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer A meeting on AIDS, ‘“‘ac- quired immunodeficiency syn- drome” education scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, at the Lehman Jackson Elementary School, 7 p.m., is sponsored by the Lehman-Jackson Parent Teachers Association. The PTA has joined a nation- al effort to place AIDS educa- tion into every public school talk to their children and teens about the deadly virus. It is different than the state mandated educational program on AIDS to be part of the health education curriculum in all Pennsylvania schools by next fall. Pennsylvania was the first state in the United States to make AIDS education in the schools. The Department of Ed- ucation sent a memo endorsing the the AIDS program of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Pennsylvania Medical Society Auxiliary. During the week of March 21 to March 25, an estimated 25,000 students in more than 230 Pennsylvania schools will be taught the facts about AIDS. The Lehman-Jackson PTA has moved one step ahead of the state education program for children by joining the national effort to discuss the deadly AIDS virus in an open meeting. They want parents to be aware of what their children are learning in school. They believe that education is the and encourage all parents to : superintendent, key and learning about the cur- riculum will dispel the fear of the unknown. | ‘Children and teens must know how AIDS is spread,” said Debbie Maskalis, president of the Lehman-Jackson PTA. “Parents must take an active role in making sure their chil- dren are educated, particularly so they won’t panic if someone they know contacts AIDS.” A committee of the PTA de- cided that to hold a public session open to the public was the best way to begin getting information to parents so they set up the March 16 session. The ‘session will include a short film ‘Beyond Fear”, a talk by Dr. Robert Brown, M.D., of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, and a question and answer period. Members of the community will be able to di- rect their questions in an anon- ymous manner to a panel of professionals including Dr. Brown, Dr. Bernie Healey, epi- demologist; PA Department of Public Health; Shirley Summer- field, R.N., American Red Cross, Northeastern Regional Blood Center; Dr. Leo Solomon, Wilkes-Barre Area School District; and Jerry Baranowski, home economics teacher, Lake-Lehman High School. The Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Heanth has already spoken with thousands of stu- dents in this area regarding AIDS. “Education is all we have,” says Bernie Healey, director." “I’m sure the doctors will agree with me when I say that AIDS program to encourage discussion the vaccine is still 20 years away. Waiting until high school to talk about AIDS is too late. Twenty one percent of the in- fected patients are in their ear- ly 20’s. Since this disease has an incubation period of six months to 10 years, it would seem that these kids are getting infected in high school. We need to get the education into the elementary -schoels.” Leo Solomon, cuperintendent of Wilkes-Barre Area School District, said ‘It’s an important issue, we have to make the students knowledgeable about the cause and effects of AIDS.” Solomon’s primary purpose on the panel is to answer ques- tions on how the AIDS educa- tion program has worked in the Wilkes-Barre School District. It has been part of their sex edu- cation classes for about a year now. He will also answer ques- tions on handling parental ob- jection. Solomon said they have about 99 percent participation in the AIDS education program in the district. Fifth grade teachers of the Lehman-Jackson Elementary School said the recent AIDS program taught to their stu- dents was very weil planned and thought out. “The students took the infor- mation given very matter of factly and it was extremely well received,”’ said one fifth grade teacher. Members of the PTA invite and urge the public to attend the very informative meeting. Babysitting services will be available but reservations are requested and may be made by calling Tillie Weaver, 675-3289. Woman injured as jeep enters Lake Serious injury averted Elizabeth Faith Spencer, RD 1, 1980 Jeep Sedan, escaped serious injury Sunday night when her vehicle struck an icy spot on the road causing her to lose control and go off the road in the lake. She was transported to the hospital in the Daniel C. Roberts Fire Company's ambulance. The jeep was towed from the lake by Martin's Towing Service. Department. (Photo by Linda Shurmaitis) Vis JT fi Noxen, traveling north on Route 415, Lakeside Drive, in her Investigating officer was David Weher of Harveys Lake Police Still no money for Jackson sewers BY BONNIE DOMBROSKI Staff Writer The regular meeting of the Jackson Township General Mu- nicipal Authority was held Monday. Chairman Richard Kindler welcomed back Author- ity recording secretary Joann Wright who has been ill. : With the extension deadline only three months away, time is running short to secure the additional funding needed to make the sewer project a reali- ty, according to authority members. : Jackson Twp. Supervisors failed to act last Monday night on an agreement with Dallas Area. Municipal Authority (DAMA) because a price was not stated in the agreement for each user. According to Kindler, Twp. Solicitor Blythe Evans felt this was a cause for concern, al- though Kindler said the pricing is immaterial if the funding cannot be arranged. Kindler said Supervisor Thomas Adams told him that if it is necessary the Supervisors will call a spe- cial meeting to pass the ordi- nance. Kindler plans to contact - Adams Tuesday to see that this is done as soon as possible. Authority Solicitor Don Mec- Fadden is going to formally contact DAMA to see if it is i feasible for them to invest in this project. Before closing the meeting Kindler reflected on the hard 5 times some people in Jackson Township ‘will be facing unless the state comes through with some financial assistance. He said the Authority has present- ed their case well and has gotten no opposition to their proposals. Yet, he said there has been a lack of action on the part of state officials who should be pressing to get the additional funding now before federal funds are lost. Chief Jack Fowler Fowler made Dallas chief Acting Chief Jack Fowler of Dallas Borough was appointed regular Dallas Borough Police Chief by members of the Bor- ough Council at their regular meeting held last night in the Borough Building. Fowler, who has been acting chief will fill the position left vacant by the recent death of Dallas Borough Police Chief Edward Lyons. A Dallas native, Fowler has been a member of the policede- partment for the past 15 years, successfully passing a Civil Service test each time he re- ceived a promotion. It was nec- essary to take and successfully complete a Civil Service test to assume his new position. “I am happy that the Council has the confidence in me to assume that I can fill the posi- tion,” said the new chief follow- ing his appointment. i LN ind wr
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