There may be snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures in the air, but Back Mountain Baseball is organizing for its spring schedule. Initial registration will be held Saturday, Jan. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Shavertown United Methodist Church, Pioneer Avenue, Shavertown. Noteworthy additions to the 1983 season include the formation of a 13- year-old only Teener Hard Ball League, in addition to the regular teener program; the opening of Little League softball to nine-year- olds; and the expansion of Senior » League softball from seven to nine teams. Charlotte Kelley, secretary of the Association, explained the changes have been made to create more opportunities for youngsters to play ball. The 13-year-old league will provide younger teeners with an extra year of assured participation. It is geared to encouraging those who -are fearful of trying out for teeners with an opportunity to in- crease their skills and better prepare for teener acceptance the following year. It is further a chance for participants to accustom rather than 60-foot diamond. The association continues to work on building its auxiliary. Player registration forms include a spot for parents to volunteer their time to the auxiliary, and they are urged to do so. The auxiliary is organized specifically to handle refreshment stands at games. Co-chairpersons of the organization are Kit Karuza and Dorothy Shotwell. Back Mountain Baseball is divided into three hardball and two softball divisions. Little League hardball, consists of a Farm Winter or summer, the weather is always ‘a topic for conversation. This winter, until the past weekend, most Back Mountain residents ‘commented on the unusually mild winter we have been having. Few residents remembered it being so mild with such a little snow and ice over such an extended length of time. The heavy snowfall last weekend changed the trend of the conversa- tion. Remarks now center around » amount of snow that fell, condi- ion of the roads, and numerous community and church cancella- tions. To Parker Fuel Oil, the snowfall meant the kickoff of his 2nd Snow- fall Contest. Cliff Parker will award three prizes to the three persons, who come closest to guessing the amount of snow to fall between Jan. 1, 1983 and March 23, 1983, as measured officially at the Wilkes- Barre Scranton Airport in Avoca. First prize will be 100 gallons of fuel oil, second prize, Honeywell Fuel Saver Thermostat and third prize, dinner for two at Picketts All entries must be postmarked by Saturday, Feb. 19 and only en- tries on the entry form are eligible. Copies of this form may be obtained at the Dallas Post or at the Parker Fuel Co., corner main Road and Lower Demunds Road, Fernbrook. Mail all entries to Snowfall, The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, Pa. 18612. No purchases are necessary to enter the Snowfall Contest. of energy do not hesitate to take this opportunity to win fuel, energy- saving equipment or dinner for two. Roads get priority Continuing our series of local outlooks for 1983, the Dallas Post spoke with Kingston Township supervisory board chairman, Herb Hill, concerning future happenings in that community. Hill noted the new year will see emphasis on road re-surfacing and drainage in some of the problem areas of the township. Paving work, which had been held up last year, is scheduled for contracting in 1983. Hill said previous work ‘on water mains by Shavertown Water Company made it impossible to complete resurfacing in 1982. Therefore, projects in many areas of the Township will receive at- tention in the near future. The township is also planning to install underground drainage on steep roads making up Rose Village. This will eliminate a long- term problem with water flow, precipitated by heavy rains. Hill said the Recreation Com- mission is looking to improve upon the summer recreation program. This is presently in the planning stages with a goal of including more children from the community. With police arbitration com- pleted, Hill sees relatively smooth sailing throughout most of 1983. League, Minor League and Major League. To qualify, boys and girls must be eight years of age by Aug. 1, and may not turn 13 before that date. For hardball teeners, partici- pants must be 13 by Aug. 1 and may not turn 15 before that date. Softball has the same cutoff dates with Little League consisting of nine through 12-year-olds; and senior division, 13 through 15. The association also sponsors an American Legion team for 16 to 18- year-olds. All divisions will be registering on the announced January date. Approximately 750 children who play Back Mountain Baseball can be seen on fields throughout Dallas, Shavertown and Lehman from May to August. Games are held on Dallas School District fields, but practices are on fields in all parts of the community. The association’s Mountain bordering on Beaumont and Wyoming. Since its inception in 1950, Back Mountain Baseball has grown to become one of the largest leagues of its kind in the entire Eastern United States. Officers for 1983 are Frank Joyce, president; Robert Shotwell, vice- president in charge of fields; Gene Shelley, vice-president in charge of sponsors; Ann Mannix, vice- president in charge of equipment; Ed Gall, vice-president in charge of softball; Tom Oliver, treasurer; and Charlotte Kelley, secretary. All interested youngsters, regardless of previous experience, are urged to register to play this year. In the event of inclement weather, registration will be held Jan. 29. A second registration is planned for February. More than 200 ducks, quacking and preening around Old Sandy Bottom at Harveys Lake may be a nature lover’s dream but officials say it is a potential health hazard, and will utlimately interfere with summer bathing there. While a move, by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, .to net ducks at the popular bathing spot has met with disapproval by a -number of residents, it is claimed to be for the public’s good. This is not an attempt to rid the lake of its ducks, explained Game Protector Ed Gdosky. ‘‘There are simply too many living in too small an area. The people feed them and keep them there. Life is so good for them there, they forgot to migrate south.” With local hospitality abounding, the ducks have increased in number to the point of becoming a health problem. Gdosky received a request from James and Charlene McCafferty, owners of the beach area, to investigate the .over- population. Both Gdosky and Game supervisor Ted Veslosky determined a definite overpopulation to exist. The decision was made to haul some of the ducks out to prevent water pollution. An attempt to set traps for the ducks was sabotaged. In order to prevent destruction of the traps, the Commission instituted netting procedures. On Thursday, Jan. 13, Gdosky and several other Game Commission people netted 12 ducks and hauled them to Monroe County where they were set free on the Delaware River. This action upset a number of residents who enjoy having water fowl as a part of the lake’s allure. Bob DeReemer, former Borough Councilman, said he really hates to see the ducks go. ‘Everybody loves them. Everybody feeds them,’’ he said. But, therein lies the problem. With people feeding entire loaves of bread, purchased at nearby Taft’s Market, to the ducks, they have become quite content to stay on and bring their friends. Lovely as all of this may be, Charlene and Jim McCafferty, owners of Old Sandy Bottom looked ahead to the summer months and wondered how it would affect public bathing at the beach. It appears DER said the affects could be very adverse indeed. Charlene McCafferty told the Dallas Post the excretion from ducks is considered just as hazardous as human waste. “We wouldn't be able to open up,”’ she said. “It could be a real detri- ment to our business. We like the ducks too, but we make a living at this beach, and we can’t affort to jeopardize that. There have always been ducks on the water here, but they've never been a problem until the people started feeding them. Now, they’re almost tame. Mother nature didn’t bring them here in such numbers. And, if we wait until spring to do something about it, we’ll be too late.” Ed Kupsky of DER’s Water Quality Management Bureau ex- plained his department has been in contact with the McCaffertys and will be sending a field investigator to the area. DER will tst the water for a high fecal coliform count and take steps to determine its cause. Anything over 1,000 per 100 mls of water is considered high and ren- ders water unsafe for public bathing. Gdosky said the Game Com- mission will probably be back in the area netting more ducks. “It will take quite a few trips to get rid of enough to make a difference,” he said. But, he advised, they will all be taken to new homes where they can comfortably fit in and live safely. Shavertown Water Company has received a $26,800 rate increase retroactive to Jan. 1, according to a Jan. 7 decision by the Public Utilities Commission. The company had asked for $58,800, which would have increased billing rates for its 916 customers to $335 annually. The present increase will raise the aver- age customer’s bill from $265 to $287 or about $22 per year. Shavertown Water Company general manager, Joseph Salla, ex- plained the 12.6 percent increase will cover past expenses and in- creased operating costs. Speci- fically, he said, the money will be used to pay for capital improve- ments from 1982. These include work done on School Street, $5,441; Division Street, $9,437.41; Pioneer Avenue, $10,590; and Vonderheid Street, $11,786. Installation of a chlorinator and pump at $9,259 and the cost of lowering depth of wells at Holcomb and Flattop, $6,000 are also included in last year’s capital improvement. During the last seven years, Sallas said the company has re- placed a total of 18.47 percent of its water mains. This translates to 13,566 feet of mains. The total cost of this work is approximately $414,000. He said it is an exceptional figure, considering the size of the company. 3 Additional improvements are planned for 1983, but Salla said he is not certain they will be iniated. He therefore declined to name the projects. He said implementation depends upon the company’s financial picture. While the 1983 budget is prepared but it does not include a request for another rate increase. Salla took over the position of general manager of the company officially on Jan. 1. He had been acting. manager since April, 1982.
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