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SR ALK
VOL. 87 NO. 30
THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1976
DALLAS, PA.
Lieberman to erect a double dwelling
on land at 64 Pinecrest Ave., Dallas,
was revoked by the Dallas Borough
Council members at their meeting
Tuesday night. :
Leroy Roberts, building inspector,
stated that on July 26, he improperly
issued a building permit for the double
dwelling on what he later learned was
an undersized lot. Roberts
recommended that the permit be
revoked as it was not in conformance
with the building code.
Charles Lemmond, borough
solicitor, explained that in areas
zoned R-1, lots must be at least 75 feet
in width if there is sewage available
and, if not, lots must be 100 feet wide.
The lot on Pinecrest Avenue dated
as The sale of the Shavertown
. Elementary School for $102,100 to
William J. Powell, Dallas, was
approved by the Dallas School
District board of directors at a special
meeting, Monday, Aug. 16, at the
senior high school.
The board also stipulated that
proceeds from the sale will be used for
capital expenditures, a change from
the time of the original plan when
proceeds were needed to balance the
budget. At the time of the adoption of
the budget $100,000 from the sale of
the building was included for
operating. Since then, new revenues
have been realized from other
sources.
Ernest Ashbridge, president,
explained that the district has
received an increase in funds from the
one percent income tax and from
-. increased real estate taxes since the
3 July 1 budget was accepted.
aa He also explained that it has been
(4 unnecessary to replace some teachers
: who are on maternity leave, that
liability insurance on buildings is
$7,000 less than anticipated and that
the sale of the Shavertown building
will further reduce taxes and
insurance.
It’s what you might call a ‘low
profile’’ organization seriously
concerned about the local
implications of what may be the
nation’s number one social problem --
yet unwilling to permit its activities to
become the basis for sensational
headlines and news broadcasts.
The group is the Back Mountain
Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse,
an entirely volunteer group developed
.
The directors initially decided to
sell the building when it was
disapproved by the Pennsylvania
Department of Labor and Industry
because of being a frame structure
and because of being an eyesore and
unsafe for children. At one time. it
was under consideration for use as
administrative offices, but that idea
cost of renovation.
The directors said they have no idea
what the buyer plans to use the
property for and have no intention of
trying to find out since use was not
mentioned in the specifications. As
published in this paper last week,
Powell’s only: responsibility for using
the building is to comply with
township zoning regulations.
Use of the money for capital
expenditures by the school district
could include needed improvements
at Westmoreland School, purchase of
the Dallas Intermediate School
modular building by bid from the
federal government or additional
offices for school administration
personnel.
The board also approved the
appointment of Mrs. Gloria Whitman
Continued on Page Four)
Abuse
through the cooperation of local civic
and service clubs. /
The idea for the group began abot
a year ago when Women of Kiwanis
heard a guest speaker from a local
police department describe local
narcotics enforcement incidents. In
communicating with other area
residents about the problem, Kiwanis
Women found several service clubs
and individuals interested ir
back to the time when land in the area
was owned by Parrish and the lots
were only 50 ‘feet in width. New
ordinances restricted the use of these
lots in that no lot of record may be
used for the erection of a family
dwelling. He recommended that
council ratify Roberts’
recommendation, which they did.
Edward Kearney, Pinecrest Avenue
resident, spoke on behalf of the dozen
or more residents who were at the
meeting, and for the 43 persons, who
had signed a petition objecting to the
construction of the double dwelling
home based on the fact that it was not
in conformance with the zoning
ordinances.
He explained that the property in
question was situated between his
property and that, of Thomas
Makravitz and that there was no right
of way for use by persons who might
have occupied the dwelling. He also
assured Jerry Machell, president of
the council, that the residents of
Pinecrest would back council in their
decision. ;
Lemmond told council that there is
no assessment for that particular lot
in the court house.
Kingston Township supervisors
turned down the request of the Rose
Village developer to take over three
streets in the development.
The supervisors recommended in
writing that the developer correct
certain water draining conditions
existing on the roads.
The supervisors also refused the
from R-1 to R-3. ie .
The request of John 'Mesaros,
Manor Drive, to rezone seven acres
from A-1 to R-1 was approved.
Michael Stanley, township
secretary, was authorized to
advertise an ordinance covering
damages by contractors to township
curbing and roads whenever a new
undertaking action = projects but
hesitating to intrude into a potentially
explosive and controversial social
category like drugs and alcohol.
The consideration came back to two
basic questions: what is the true
dimension of the drug and alcohol
abuse problem in the Back Mountain
municipalities? And what can be done
locally to resolve the problem?
And s0' the ronneil was formed
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structure is built and the contractor is
to issue a check in the amount of $250
to the township to cover such
damages.
David Phillips, Pioneer Avenue,
who wrote a previous letter to the
supervisors complaining about the
television cable serviee, wrote
another lefter explaining that the
cable<ompany had taken care of the
problem And that his reception is now
adequate. He stated that the company
has promised to do everything
possible to’ insure proper service and
will initiate a system to record
complaints and correct them even if a
visit to a customer’s house is
necessary.
uniting representatives from womans
clubs, © Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions,
Jaycees and their auxiliaries.
Although law enforcement was not
considered an objective of the group,
police officers and school officials
were invited to present their estimate
of the problem to the council.
A Kiwanian Bernard Banks, was
selected by the council ‘as chairman.
Paul Hession, also of Kiwanis, was
named treasurer and Mary Parente,
the Junior Woman's. Club, is
secretary. ;
The group began quietly studying
the local problem, meeting monthly to
continue its work. The objective:
measure the facts of drug and alcohol
abuse locally and coordinate action
projects by participating civic and
service organizations.
The group obtained the counsel of
two college professors--Keith M.
Kilty, assistant professor of the
graduate school of social work at
Marywood College and Tom O'Neil,
chairperson of the department of
behavioral sciences and social work
at College Misericordia.
A steering committee = with
representatives from each service
and civic club was appointed to work
with Kilty in the development of a
survey to measure the Back Mountain
situation. Misericordia classes in
O’Neil’s department agreed to assist
with the administration of the survey,
which has been planned now for Oct. 5
and 6 in Dallas schools.
Dallas school officials agreed to
cooperate with the survey plan,
asking only that parents be given the
opportunity to decline participation
by their children if they wished, a
concession readily agreed to by the
council. A note will be sent with Dallas
school district students in the survey.
The questionaire will be administered
to students in grades five through 12.
All survey participation is
anonymous and only summary
statistics will be utilized. Lake-
the survey but not included when it
‘survey was previously administered
there by Hershey Medical Center.
Tentative plans call for the
‘administration of an adult survey
following the completion of the school
survey in the Dallas District.
more football on page 13.
expenses of the council has been
provided by private fund-raising.
Some of the clubs provided loans to
the council which are to be repaid
from proceeds from a gourmet club
ticket sale. The gourmet club tickets
provide = bargain rates for area
restaurants. Dallas Kiwanis plans to
operate a booth at the Luzerne County
Fair 'of Dallas Area Fall Fair Inc. to
sell the tickets.
Motorist traveling the Luzerne-
Dallas Highway will see new speed
limit signs posted 45 miles per hour
beginning from the intersection of
Route 309 and 415 and placed
approximately one-eighth mile apart
to the Courtdale line.
PennDOT crews installed the new
speed limit signs Monday afternoon
increasing the maximum speed limit
to 45 miles per hour on the highway
which has been the subject of much
controversy since it was initially
posted 40 miles per hour.
Two persons challenged the
wording of the State Motor Vehicle
Code and when they appealed their
Members of the Dallas Area Muni-
cipal Authority (DAMA) instructed
their engineer consultant Henry
Haley to apply for the necessary
funds from the Community Facilities
State Grant to aid in supplying Stone-
hedge with the much needed sewer
' system.
At the regular DAMA meeting last
Thursday night, chairman R. Spencer
Martin noted that Dallas borough has
agreed to accept responsibility for the
restoration of the roads from their
own funds. This will enable DAMA to
Application for the grant has been
received and must be filed between
Nov. 1976 and Jan. 1, 1977. Haley will
inform Dallas Borough of the appli-
cation. The requested grant will be
for $75,000. A’ serious problem has
been plaguing Stonehedge residents
The council has agreed to keep the
public advised about the progress of
the survey and the results, when
available. For its part the public is®
urged to cooperate in the survey plan, =
consider backing the project with
contributions to the council or through
the gourmet club and participation in
the council, which meets monthly at
Irem Temple Country Club. NT
SF
arrest they were upheld by court ;
decisions handed down by Judges
Arthur D. Dallesandro and Bernard J.
Podcasy.
Jack Culkin, PennDOT assistant
engineer, noted that the department
does not agree with the decisions and
also added that the increased speed:
limit was approved by PennDOT’s
legal department. &
Despite the fact that the signs were
posted and in’ clear view on Tuesday,
motorists were traveling 50 and 55
miles per hour on the stretch of
highway between Shavertown and
Hillside.
and they sought the assistance of
Dallas Borough and DAMA to install
the sewer system in their develop-
ment. Since DAMA is financially un-
able to assume complete respon-
sibility for the entire project, aid was
sought from the borough. Revenue
from the proposed additions will also
figure in the cost of the project.
Haley reported that there is a new
Public Works Bill which could be
applicable to the areas needs. Sewer
Extension 1 was prepared in 1972 and
federal funds were sought for its
completion. Every year DAMA’s
be little chance of obtaining the
project.
The new Public Works Bill could
possibly be the answer to sewers for
(Continued on Page Four)