ye by Suzanne M. Long A one-room schoolhouse--in 807! Incredible? Not really! For le 50 kindergarten students at- ¢nding school in the Harveys Lake teécreation Building and their 2acher, Mrs. Gail Long, the one- pom schoolhouse is a reality. When the Lake Elementary hool burned down last Feb. 24, its ‘Many months of planning, oordinating and anticipation have een completed with the opening of le new Back Mountain Medical nter on Jan. 21, 1980. The opening i the Medical Center brings to alization the efforts of many Ens minded citizens whose bjective is to ensure all com- unity residents can obtain quality ledical care within their own pmmunity. students were moved into the Leh- man-Jackson Elementary School. Conditions were crowded, especially for Mrs. Long’s kinder- garten classes which were held in the cafeteria. To help alleviate these conditions. the school administration decided to look into alternative buildings and sites for the kindergarten. In declaring the Medical Center open Dr. Lester Jordan, president of the Back Mountain Medical Center Board, noted the ultimate goal remains the availability of primary care physicians to meet the health care needs of community residents with availability on a 24 hours, seven days a week basis. Active plans are now under way to recruit graduates of Family Practice Programs to locate their After looking at many buildings and locations, a decision was made last summer to hold the classes at their present location. “We chose the Harveys Lake Recreation Building,” explained Lake principal Robert Kunkle, ‘‘be- cause it met the stringent require- ments of the Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of practices at the Medical Center. It is felt these physicians will be identified by July of this year. The Back Mountain Medical Center will be staffed by Mrs. Joan Rihan, R.M., office nurse, and Audrey Gerlach, secretary, from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Individuals wishing to be examined by a physician at the Medical Center are urged to call 675-3663 for an appointment. : ati wm Mark Moran) Environmental Resources. The building was examined by in- spectors who approved it for use as a school.” The school district carpeted the building, which is located on West Point Avenue, near the site of the new Lake Elementary School which is under construction. The Harveys Lake Boro painted the building. Portable blackboards, tables, Physicians participating in the coverage of the Back Mountain Medical Center are David Barras, M.D., Ear, Nose and Throat specialist; Leo Landau, M.D. Pediatrician; Shishir Prasad, M.D., General Surgeon; A. Anthony titioner, and Jay Ochereiter, D.P.M., Podiatrist. To subscribe Call 675-5212 Dallas area to benefit chairs, and other school-related items were also furnished by the school district, transforming the building into a classroom, storage room, and restrooms. “Most of the parents involved felt it was a good idea because the youngsters were kept closer to home,” stated Principal Kunkle. Mrs. Gail Long, who teaches one morning and one afternoon session of kindergarten each day at the ‘‘one-room schoolhouse,” ex- plained, ‘We had a good turn out at open house, and most of the parents have visited the building at one time or another. I think most of them are really happy with it.” While these children are separated from the other children in the school district, they still receive the same services. For example, a custodian cleans the building after school, and the children may purchase milk to drink with their snacks. Recently, the children had their vision and hearing checked by the school nurse. According to their teacher, the children do not feel “left out’ be- cause they are not with the other students. Infact, they seem to enjoy it! x (Photo by “They think ‘they're special because they have their own school,” Mrs. Long declared, ‘“‘we had an open house the day before school started and you could just tell by looking at their faces that they were anxious to begin!” Because of the success of the continue to use it as the Lake kin- dergarten until the new Lake Elementary’ is completed. The completion date of the new building is not definite, but will be sometime during the 1980-81 school year if the building remains on schedule. After the school district no longer requires the use of the building, it Building, it will be a site for meetings and gatherings by community groups such as the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. The Lake-Lehman adminstration success, and Principal Kunkle attributes much of this success to the teacher involved. ‘‘Gail Long has been very cooperative and has made the best of a situation who's outcome was uncertain. It’s worked well because she's made it work.” Dallas area, Factoryville and Pocono Lake are among the beneficiaries of improvements announced by Commonwealth Telephone Co. An $18.3-million construction and service improvements program is planned for 1980 for Commonwealth Telephone Company and two of its subsidiaries, Leesport Telephone Company and Lewisberry Telephone Company. This an- nouncement was made by William J. Umphred, president of the company. The $18.3-million program is the second largest ‘in the telephone utility’s history and represents a $1- million increase over 1979's program. The past year’s telephone gain represented 9,143 new phones placed into service. During 1980 the company will install 24 digital remote switching units throughout its service area, replace three electromechanical switching systems located in Gap, Factoryville and Pocono Lake, and construct 1,100 miles of new cable. Art Bowen, Central Area Manager, further elaborated that Commonwealth plans to spend $1,396,000 for service improvements and new construction in the Dallas area of the company. Included in this amount in $536,000 for new installations, special services, and private branch exchange service for business customers; $24,000 for improved long distance tran- smission facilities; $444,000 for improved local facilities; $157,000 for central ‘office switching equipment; $81,000 for land and buildings; and $154,000 for vehicles, tools, test equipment, radio paging and the company’s electronic maintenance center. Specific projects in the Dallas area “include: installation of a remote switching unit at Beaumont; cable relief for Harding and Sweet Valley; and line ad- ditions for Dallas and Harding. Remote switching units allow the company to provide customers with improved grades of service and better transmission, without the need for costly outside cabel con- struction. Commonwealth hopes these cost efficiencies will assist in efforts to maintain local service rates at existing levels. Andrew Pillarella, title. SERS
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