Flooded Neighborhoods Fight Hard to Recover Pictures, Story pages 12-13 VOL. 83 NO. 31 ' At a special investigative meeting in Kingston Township Municipal Building Monday afternoon, James I. Williams, representative of the Human Relations Commission of the Governor’s Office, heard three respondents’ statements. The respondents were listed in a com- plaint signed by Charles Vito, president of Safeway Construction Company. Those listed were Dug Road Taxpayers Association, Mrs. John Bellas, president; Township of Kingston, Edward Richards, chairman; and the Pennsylvania Department of Health ( presently renamed the Department of En- vironmental Resources). Mr. Vito, whose company maintains an office in West Wyoming, is the owner and developer of 73 lots in the area of Highland, Terrace and Meadowerest Avenues, off Carverton Road, in Trucksville. The complaint, signed by Mr. Vito May 26, specified the respondents have prevented the complainant from con- structing houses and selling said houses because of the ‘‘race, Negro, and national origin and ancestry, Puerto Rican and Italian of the prospective buyers of such houses.” Present for the investigation were Edward Hall, township supervisor; Michael Stanley, township secretary; Mrs. Bellas; Mrs. Richard Cebrick of the taxpayers association; John Dana, town- ship zoning officer; Ronald Ptashinski, sanitarian with the Wilkes-Barre office of the Department of Environmental Resources; and Leonard Insalaco, en- vironmental protection technician, Water Quality Management. The secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development arrived Monda gg night in the Wyoming Valley area to facilitate housing for flood vic- tims. Secretary George Romney was in the area on the express orders of President Nixon, who had received reports that victims of the tropical storm Agnes flood were not receiving ‘assistamoce at a satisfactory rate. Prior¥to the secretary’s arrival, two changes in handling of temporary housing applications were initiated by HUD officials to ‘‘clear the air of supicions’’ arising from the placement of evacuees. Names and addresses are to be deleted from =l11 housing applications before they go to HUD’s Priority Department. Also there are to be some elimination of classifications from the priority list. Many flood victims have complained Chase Correctional Institute during the weeks since the flood that mobile homes and campers were not being distributed according to the priority list, but according to ‘“‘politics’’ However, temporary housing ap- plicants who fall into the following categories will be given a priority classification under a directive set forth by Jack McGraw, director of management for local HUD operations: (1) persons living in emergency shelter conditions--applicants occupying schools, churches or other facilities on an emergency basis--applicants ex- periencing other unusual living con- ditions which create extreme hardships such as severe health and safety children; physical or mental cir- cumstances requiring continual medical attention. The following categories were dropped under Mr. McGraw’s directive: persons whose skills are necessary to the recovery effort--authorized persons directly engaged in disaster relief ac- tivities (police, fire, local government) -- physicians, nurses and other medical and health personnel. The Wyoming Valley HUD director said the present temporary housing problem is the biggest ever undertaken in United States history, as the June 23 flood was the worst natural disaster ever to hit the country. As of the first of August it was reported 5,400 mobile homes and 1,851 travel trailers were ordered and 1,400 mobile homes and 950 travel trailers have been received in Wyoming Valley. A total of 1,000 mobile homes and 925 trailers have been dispatched or assigned. It is projected that 11,000 families will be housed. 0 “ 4 bi Ask % American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, comprising workers at State Correctional Institution, Dallas, met Aug. 1 to discuss the admini- strative policies being initiated at the in- stitution and to make known their griev- ances to their union officials. Some 50 correctional officers and staff members met at the Russian Club, Ed- wardsville, for a closed meeting. Five would not be allowed to attend the meet- ing. The session was held behind closed doors while the reporters waited outside. After the meeting, Matthew Colangelo, president of the union, and Ernest Rewolinski, union coordinator, told the press that a full statement would be made after a meeting could be held between union stewards and officials and Supt. \ Leonard J. Mack, institution administra- tor. In private conversations with several guards it was learned that they were in favor of having the meeting open to the press——as they felt they did not get as much publicity with their grievances as inmates at the institution got recently with the airing of their grievances. (continued on PAGE ELEVEN) / Investigator Williams told the respondents he had already heard Mr. Vito’s ‘‘side of the story’’ and was on hand to hear their side. Mrs. Bellas asked why a representative from Safeway Construction Co. was not present, and why could the respondents not be informed as to what was said against them by Mr, Vito. The investigator answered that the commission’s procedure to adjudicate a complaint is an administrative pro- cedure, not a criminal one, and that there Dallas Schools An additional 700 children are expected to attend Dallas School District schools this year, it was reported to the board of directors at a special meeting Aug. 1. flood areas and presently are living in trailers at Frances Slocum State Park or with relatives and friends in the local area. Dr. Linford A. Werkheiser, superin- tendent, and Thomas Jenkins, business manager, were authorized by school directors to apply for funds to meet the added financial burden. They will seek additional monies under public laws 71-74 and 71-815, and will file all necessary papers with the U. S. Commissioner of Education. Lacey Atherton and Davis, architects, were named to conduct a building and facilities survey of elementary buildings in the district. It was announced by Dr. Werkheiser that a workshop involving guidance and of the district. FIFTEEN CENTS no need for a construction company agent to be on hand. He also said that any information or remarks gleaned from Mr. Vito at an earlier meeting between himself and Mr. Vito were of a private nature and could not be divulged. was Zoning Officer Dana, in reply to a ported that the question of whom the houses would be sold to had never arisen. (continued on PAGE THREE) William Cutten, board member, made staff be commended and thanked for the exceptional job they did during the flood emergency and for the weeks afterward. Also, Dr. Werkheiser noted many community volunteers performed as a part of the operation and were most helpful. It was learned from Mr. Jenkins that Evacuees will be served luncheeon on thatdate as their final meal at the school. Those who are not moving into trailers or campers will be housed at Keystone Junior College until Sept. 1. Emergency agencies, such as Small Business Administration, Red Cross, etc., are to be out of the high school by Monday also. They, for the most part, are located at West Side Vocational- Technical School, Pringle. Preparations are cleaning and getting all district school facilities ready for school, which begins Sept. 6. Excavation for three duplex houses began this week on the former Risley property at the corner of Huntsville Road and Lehman Avenue, Dallas. Raymon R. Hedden reported Monday that construction will get underway as quickly as possible after excavation for pleted. “Before the flood we were planning to have the units ready for occupancy by November,” Mr. Hedden said, ‘‘but this may not be possible now. We are having some problems getting men for con- struction work.” The contractor-owner added that he would still aim for a November com- pletion date, if feasible. (continued on PAGE THREE)
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