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Vol. 99, No. 8
Wednesday, March 2, 1988
Assessments mean Group fights to keep kindergarten open
more district $$$
BY CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Writer
An increase in the number of
assessed properties in five Back
tain communities means
an increase in the amount of tax
income to the two school dis-
tricts in the Back Mountain as
well as to the communities in
varying degrees.
Since the completion of the
Cross Valley Expressway which
has made the Back Mountain
easily accessible to the Wyo-
ming Valley business and indus-
trial centers, there has been
more families buying or build-
ing homes in the local areas.
While Dallas Borough, Dallas
Township, Jackson Township,
Lehman Township and Kingston
{@@wnship tax collectors confirm
that there has been an increase
in the assessed value of prop-
erty, indications are that most
of the new building has been in
Dallas, Jackson and Kingston
Townships.
The tax collectors in these
townships, however, as well as
in Dallas Borough and Lehman
Township, point out that not all
of the increase is due to a big
‘building boom’ but some of the
“ditional assessed value is
because of the county’s recent
re-assessment on all purchases, nouer emphasizeds that. these
“were approximate figures since
Crt A
Le Castellani, Kingston
ownship tax collector, and
Thomas Reese, Dallas Borough
tax collector, explained that
each time a property is sold, old
homes or new, or land, the
county reassesses the property
at today’s market value, thus
increasing the tax income.
In Dallas Borough, Reese
stated that in 1987, at the most,
there were only five new homes.
The rest of the increase in taxes
§@pre due to the sales of prop-
In 1987, Dallas Borough had
1294 taxables and in 1988, 1299
736 from the borough
taxables. The dollar income
value in 1987 was $6,368,990 and
in 1988, $6,696,380. Based on the
Dallas School District’s 116
mills in 1987, the school’s antici-
pated tax income could be $776,-
in 1988 as
opposed to $751,282.84 in 1987.
Tax income for Dallas Bor-
ough at 14 mills was $89,165.86
in 1987 and in 1988, an antici-
pated income of $93,749.32.
Mrs. Greg Moyer, tax collec-
tor of Lehman Township, said
that in 1987 and 1988, there were
approximately 10 to 12 new
homes but she did not have the
exact figures available at the
time she was contacted.
Real estate value in Lehman
Township increased from
$5,749,030 in 1987 to $5,963,840 in
1988, according to Mrs. Moyer.
Much of this increase, she said,
was due to resale and a lot of
sub-divisions of property on
which the assessment value was
increased.
Based on the Lake-Lehman
School District’s 123 mills in
1987, tax income to the district
for that year should be in the
neighborhood of $707,130 and in
1988, if the millage remains at
123, increased assessment eval-
uation should mean a tax
income - for the district of
approximately $733,550. Mrs.
she did not have her books
readily available when she was
contacted.
The assessed value in Kings-
ton Township in 1987 was $11,-
596,770 and in 1988, it is $12,302,-
730, according to Tax Collector
Janice Castellani. This indicates
an increase in tax income of
$705,960 which based on the
township’s tax of five mills
would mean an increase in their
tax income of $3,530 and based
on the Dallas School District’s
rate of 116 mills, an increase to
SEE TAX, p3
BY DEBBY HIGGINS
Post Editor
bah ~ ot Fa . 0
On Thursday, March 3, at 7:30
p.m., a group of concerned par-
ents will meet with the Sisters
of Mercy, Dallas, to discuss the
closing of the Mercy Center
Kindergarten. The parents of
the center’s students are upset
and angry because the non-
denominational school they
have choosen to send their chil-
dren to is now considered to
have served its community pur-
pose.
Sharon Mayernick, mother of
a student enrolled in the kinder-
garten program, is spearhead-
ing the fight to keep Mercy
open.
“The Mercy Center Kinder-
garten has been open since 1974
but it has been the best kept
secret in town. Now the Sisters
say the school must be closed
because of declining enroll-
ment.” Mayernick said. “We
parents feel we are loosing a
valuable educational resourse in
the Back Mountain. We want to
keep Mercy open.”
The school, scheduled to close
operations in June, 1988, will
still continue the pre-kindergar-
ten phase, but parents of kinder-
garten-age children like the
choices available to them
through Mercy Center.
“Mercy gives parents the
school. Some children need var-
ying scheduling. The flexible
schedule allows us to determine
how long and when our children
will go to school.”’ Mayernick
said.
The decision to close the
school came after the Sisters
conducted a survey asking par-
ents for feedback about the
program. The findings, accord-
ing to a newsletter mailed to
parents, concluded that other
kindergarten programs are pro-
viding the necessary services
thereby eliminating the need for
Mercy Center’s school. The
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letter also stated that over a
period of time, enrollments
have substantially declined.
“Our group feels that the
survey did not examine the
entire issue of enrollment. Many
residents are not aware of the
Mercy Center Kindergarten pro-
gram so they could not seek
enrollment for their children.
The school has relied upon
word-of-mouth to generate new
student enrollment. There has
been no concerted effort to
advertise the program to the
public. Enrollment has
decreased because not many
people are aware of what the
‘school has to offer.” Mayernick
said.
According to Mayernick, the
school has excellent teachers
who give the needed attention to
each student and the added
effort pays off for the child.
There are facilities to accomo-
date 20 students in each of the
two kindergarten classes. She
said older children who have
attended the kindergarten do
much better as they progress in
the upper grades. This, she
said, is a plus that benefits the
students throughout their lives.
If Mercy Center closes, the chil-
dren will loose that firm educa-
tional foundation.
The parents group contends
that enrollment problems can
be overcome with the help of a
campaign to bring the school’s
existance to the public’s atten-
tion. Mayernick also says the
group will unite to help generate
fundraisers so that the neces-
sary monies are readily availa-
ble to keep the school open.
“We (the parents group) are
ready, willing, and able to help
the Sisters keep the school open
in any way we can. We firmly
believe that the school is a
necessary and extremely benefi-
cial part of our communities.
We urge all parents to tour the
school and to meet Sr. Amalia
who teaches the kindergarten
classes. We ask that anyone :
PARENTS GROUP FORMS — Sharon Mayernick, pictured above, is heading a group of parents ;
who have united to try to save Mercy Center Kindergarten, located on the campus of College
interested in the program ho in
take a look at what Mercy
Center has to offer.” Mayernick
told The Post.
The group hopes the meeting
scheduled for Thursday will be
attended by parents and other
interested residents who feel the
school should remain open.
Mayernick said she feels confi-
dent that parents of children
who have attended the school
and the parents of currently
enrolled students will let the
Sisters know how important to
the community the school really
is. La
Mayernick and the group have
also initiated a letter-writing
campaign to help get the point
across. The group feels the com-
munity will support their efforts
and the outcome will see the
Mercy Center Kindergarten
remaining open for a long time.
The meeting will be held in
the Kindergarten room on the
campus of College Misericordia,
Dallas, at 7:30 p.m. de.
Dallas Post/Linda Shurmaitis ’
Misericordia. The group says the school is a valuable community asset.
Tall ships sailed the Susquehanna
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Harveys
Lake artist, author and amateur
historian, Dan Swire, submitted
| the following article and line art
drawing, based on his research
and study of the Back Mountain.
Dan thanks his wife, Jane, and
the Wyoming Historical and
Geological Society for their
assistance.)
BY DAN SWIRE
Special to The Post
Though most of the Wyoming
Valley had timber, the fast and
steady growth of the area used
up most of the hardwoods
before early 1800. For the
growth of the valley to continue
lumber had to be fetched from
outside the river valley.
During that time, the Back
Mountain was covered with
miles of woodlands. These for-
ests contained hardwoods -
maple, oak, ash, cherry and
birch. The area, in fact, had so
much timber that people like
Matthis Hollenback, Jesse Fell
and others purchased large
tracts of land for lumbering
purposes. Much of the lumber
was used to build homes, barns
and businesses in the Wilkes-
Barre Area, still more was used
. as heating fuel and a handful of
wood was used in the building of
boats and ships.
The abundant hardwoods were
considered to be good trade
materials during these early
years. The mountains on the
west side of the Susquehanna as :
far north as Connecticut Terri-
tories - that area north to New
York - and beyond was the
primary source of these woods.
Due to hardships encountered
when moving timber across
land the Susquehanna River
looked to be an easy access-way
to haul lumber from the area to
trade ports of the coastal United
States as well as overseas.
Two Wilkes-Barre men John
P. and Phillip Arndt tried to
make this dream of lumber
trade a reality. :
This is the story of the ves-
sels; a history of how the dream
was to be realized, and why it
failed.
The Susquehanna River. has,’
at least in the early days of the
Wyoming Valley, been a main
stream trade route. From col-
lection of goods from ocean
going vessels durham boats and
barges would travel, poling
their way northward, bringing
such goods as tea, coffee and
cotton.
John P. and Phillip Arndt two
brothers who had come to
Wilkes-Barre from Easton, Pa.
were engaged in many busi-
nesses but one business in which
they became involved cost John
P. the surviving brother to lose
all he had in the Wyoming
Valley.
The Arndt family had a boat
building and docking yard set
upon the river commons
between Market and Northamp-
ton Streets. At this yard in 1803
the Arndts built a schooner of 12
tons which successfully made
its trip down the Susquehanna
River through Baltimore and
out to the Atlantic Ocean. This
success led John P. Arndt into
an obsession to turn the Wyo-
ming Valley, especially Wilkes-
Barre, into an inland shipping
district. :
By October 1809, John P.
Arndt organized the Luzerne
Shipbuilding Company. On Octo-
ber 20, this published notice to
subscribers of the company
appeared in the Federalist.
“The Subscribers”
k
“To the shipbuilding company
will take notice, that a meeting
will be held at the House of
George Taylor in Wilkes-Barre,
on Saturday, the 21 at 2 o’clock
p.m., to elect a Manager in the
room of Arnold Colt (who has
removed out of the country) and
to do such other business as
may be deemed best for the
company.”
John P. Arndt,
President of the Board
In early 1810 workmen were
already selecting timber to be
used in the construction of a
great ship. On January 19 of
that year stockholders were
informed that $2 on each share
they owned was due. By Sep-
tember 14 the ship was on the
stocks and the building was
progressing forward.
Elisha Mack a former neigh-
bor of many Wilkes-Barre set-
tlers and a ship carpenter was
brought on as master foreman
of construction. Captain Joseph
Chapman Sr. who had com-
manded a ship in the West India
Trade was called upon for final
inspection of the vessel. Chap-
man also was given the honor of
christening her.
After two years and a comsi-
derable sum of money, the bulk
of which was put up by Mr.
Arndt, himself, the completed
vessel was ready to launch. It
- was not the early spring of 1812.
What sight it must of been this
large square rigged full masted oy
ship sitting in its stocks on the
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river common! Her figure head
almost reaching the street line-
the stern posts to the river
bank; an ocean going vessel 200
miles from the nearest seas.
What great hopes and aspira-
tions could the men and women
SEE SHIPS, p9 : Bi