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.