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Vol. 99, No. 21
Wednesday, June 1, 1988
25 Cents
Parades and services
marked Memorial Day
in the Back Mountain
American flags flew in the breeze
on homes, businesses and in ceme-
teries this past weekend throughout
the Back Mountain, in honor of the
thousands of American veterans
killed in military action since the
time of the Civil War to the
present.
arades in communities of the
Back Mountain traditionally hon-
ored the deceased veterans and °
services were held at honor rolls
and in cemeteries where wreaths
were placed on the gravesites.
As they have done for more than
20 years, Jackson Township Fire
Company’s Ladies Auxiliary held
its’ annual Memorial Day services,
Saturday, this year in front of the
re hall's honor site on Chase
Ea Road.
Irene Kasko Preslipski, who has
assisted in coordinating the serv-
Aces for many years, participated
in the service. The Very Rev.
ert Nahas offered his tradi-
nal memorial prayer and the
Rev. Laurence M. Olszewski,
C.S.C., vice president of external
affairs, King’s College, delivered
the spiritual memorial address.
Captain Henry Chance, U.S. Army
Reserve, was the main speaker.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts also
took part in the memorial service.
A panorama of red, white and
blue fluttered in the wind at Chapel
Lawn along the Harveys Lake
Highway where tall flags reached
gerd the sky and small individ-
1 flags on each veterans grave
paid honor to the servicemen
buried there.
{@The parade of flags at Chapel
‘wn have become an annual trad-
ition and is an awe-inspiring sight
to passersby.
Daddow-Isaacs American Legion
Post 672, Dallas, held its annual
Memorial Day Parade,
Lake-Lehman
graduation
#ate is set
for June 10
The senior class of Lake-Lehman
High School has scheduled its com-
mencement and class activities.
Commencement will be on
Friday, June 10 with picture, infor-
mation and practice sessions to be
held between June 3 and June 10.
Speakers will include Mrs. Jean
iy a teacher at the high
ool; Matthew Reinert, Valedicto-
n; Lori Rogers, Salutatorian,
and Rev. Michael Shambora,
paster of the Lehman United Meth:
odist Charge.
Other activities include moving-
up day and the senior brunch on
June 3, Class Night at 7:30 p.m. on
June 8 and the senior picnic on
June 9.
Lehman United
Methodist
confirmation set
for June 5
The Lehman United Methodist
Charge Youth will be confirmed at
special ceremonies on June 5 at the
Fetown UMC at 10 a.m. and the
Lehman UMC at 11:15 a.m. by
Rev. Michael Shambora.
The youth have fulfilled their
requirements by attending classes,
doing assignments, participating in
various field trips, and being
instructed in church history and the
history of the UMC. Those being
confirmed are: Joani Ide, Sarah
Sorber, Amanda Jones, Jason
Gearhart, Tracy Margellina,
Robert VanGorder and Ron
Edwards. Those participating with
the class were: Mrs. Judy Dawe as
co-teacher, Mrs. Genevieve Hall,
and Mr. Curtis Swanson, Mr. Jim
Lee and Rabbi Shovlin of B’nai
B'rith.
Families and friends of of the
youths are cordially invited to
attend the celebration, as the young
persons confirm the vows made for
them at their baptism. Then, on
June 12 the youth will lead in the
worship services.
Monday,
beginning at 9 a.m. from the Amer-
ican Legion Post Home. The
Legionnaires, members of the
Legion Auxiliary, Honor Guard,
Dallas High School Band, Dallas
Fire Company and scouts partici-
pated.
A memorial service was held at
the honor roll in the center of
Dallas after which the marchers
proceded to Warden Cemetery
where services were held for the
veterans. The trumpeteers then
marched to Chapel Lawn where a
service was held.
It would not Be Memorial Day
without the Sweet Valley Firemen’s
parade which has been held for
more than forty years. Marchers
paraded along the main road to the
Ross Township Elementary School
for the Volunteer Firemen’s Carni-
val beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Floats, the Lake-Lehman Band,
boy and girl scouts, fire companies
and other units participated and
fireworks were scheduled for 9:30
p.m.
A Memorial Mass: was held at
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Carver-
ton with Holy Communion distrib-
uted at 10:00 a.m. Families and
friends of deceased loved ones had
spent days putting flowers on
graves and placing lighted vigil
candles beside them. The candles
burn for seven days and when
people drove by Monday night,
hundred of candles flickered like
red fireflies in the darkness of the
night.
Parades were not held in every
Back Mountain community but all
the ‘cemeteries from the smallest
and oldest to the newest and larg-
est displayed flowers or plants of
every color and flags commemorat-
ing veterans waved in the breeze,
honoring those who died in the
service of their country.
REMEMBERING — Several services and parades were held in
the Back Mountain to commemorate Memorial Day.
In the
photo above, Leonard Harvey addresses the crowd at Warden
cemetery during
the 53rd annual
service organized by
Daddow-Isaacs Post 672 of the American Legion.
Below, a Jackson Township ceremony included a
Irene |
Henry Chance, 402nd MP, Sam Wilkes,
placing. Shown are, from left,
wreath
sok O Praslipaki, Gpbay
oy Scout Troop 232,
Dallas,Bill Puchalsky, Cub Scout Den 4, Trucksville, Ricky
Macri,
College, Very Rev.
Den 5, Rev. Laurence M. Olszewski,
C.S.C., King's
Herbert Nahas and Grace Fielding,
president of the Jackson Township fire department auxiliary.
Machell Avenue proposal is
withdrawn, will be resubmitted
BY CHARLOT DENMON
Staff Writer
Dallas area residents who
attended last Thursday’s hearing
on the proposed construction of 15
townhouses on Machell and Sterling
Avenues came away with their
questions unanswered when the
developers abruptly withdrew their
request for a variance and said
they would reapply immediately.
Developers Flack, Wallach and
Moreck Ltd. of Kingston had origi-
nally requested the hearing before
the Dallas Zoning Board after
Zoning Officer Drew Fitch had
denied a building permit because
he was of the opinion the construc-
tion of the 15 townhouses on the 51
acre parcel of land required a
variance of the borough’s zoning
law.
Borough solicitor Robert Opel
presided and explained the purpose
of the meeting to the more than 100
persons attending.
Atty. Mark McNealis, counsel for
the developers, stated that since
the area was zoned R-1, it was his
clients contention that single or
two-family dwellings could be built
on the Machell Avenue properties
without a variance, whether
detached or semi-detached, sepa-
rated by vertical walls, with the
exception of mobile homes. Atty.
McNealis stated that protesting res-
idents must bear the burden of
proof that the proposed two-family
dwellings would be in anyway inju-
rious to the neighborhood.
Zoning officer Fitch advised the
need for a variance because of the
necessity that there must be a
minimum sideyard of at least 10
feet for a single dwelling and 20
feet for a double dwelling.
Atty. McNealis stated that each
side yard would be in excess of 20
feet so his clients believed that a
variance was unnecessary. In
answer to Atty. Opel’s question
whether or not the developers had
a sketch of the project, McNealis
said that the developers had
presented drawings of the plot plan
to the zoning officer and requested
that these be posted, which was
done.
Flack, Wallach and Moreck Ltd.
planned to build one dwelling on
the lot bounded by Machell Avenue
and the other units on 100x150 feet
lots, according to Atty. McNealis.
McNealis then stated that his
clients believed that the zoning
officer was in error in advising the
developers that a variance must be
requested before a permit could be
granted and asked that the zoning
board appeal the firm’s application.
Atty. Chester Newhart, who rep-
resented a group of residents
opposing the townhouses, chal-
lenged part of McNealis’ presenta-
tion claiming that McNealis was
introducing a new argument which
was not publicly advertised.
At that point Atty. McNealis
requested that the developers appli-
cation be withdrawn with the
understanding they could reapply
immediately without prejudice, and
the board granted the request.
Once an application is filed, the
zoning board will schedule a new
hearing within 30 days and hand
down a decision with 45 days from
the date of the hearing.
Taxpayers may
challenge Dallas
school board vote
BY CHARLOT DENMON *
Staff Writer
Dallas School Board’s adoption
last week of a tentative budget of
$11,394,711 which increases real
estate taxes by 10 mills, if adopted,
has met with the protests of many
taxpayers. And some residents are-
planning to investigate whether the
meeting violated laws for the con-
duct of public meetings.
William Bachman, who has two
children in the Dallas Schools, had
the initial impression that the
school board was in violation of the
Sunshine Laws in the manner in
which the directors conducted the
meeting.
“Having been active in municipal
government and chairman of a
municipal board, I know how par-
liamentary law should work,”
Bachman said, ‘“The purpose of the
meeting should be explained and
there should be an opportunity for
public input.
“It didn’t take the board mem-
bers more than one and a half
minutes to approve the tentative
budget after director Ernest Ash-
bridge’s financial report. There
was no discussion among the board
members and the budget appeared
to be just pushed through. I
checked with the Department of
Community Affairs later and the
official in that office said there
might have been a violation. If that
proves to be the case, we can’t let
the future of our school district be
based on an improper. and illegal
act.”
Bachman said that anyone who
wants to accompany a group of
parents who plan to determine’ the
validity of the meeting, is welcome
to do so.
Unlike past protests by tkpay:
ers, the increase in millage in the
1988-89 budget is considered too low
by a number of taxpayers con-
tacted.
The consensus of opinion from
those taxpayers surveyed by The
Dallas Post was that although they
were not pleased about higher
taxes, they realized that in order to
provide quality education to stu-
dents an increase in millage was a
necessity.
“Over the past three years there
has been only a five mill increase
in the Dallas District when other
districts around us have increased
their millage as much as 30 mills,”
said one taxpayer, who asked to
remain anonymous.
Taxpayers are opposed to the
recommended cuts in the senior
high school programs such as
driver’s education, secondary in-
school suspension, a part-time sci-
ence teacher and a part-time busi-
ness teacher, and a three-quarter
time nurse.
Bachman and several other tax-
payers objected to the 10-mill
increase explaining that the cuts
being made are in key subjects
such as science and business.Bach-
man also commented on the
The Dallas Post has new owners
this week. The Post and its sister
newspaper, the Abington Journal
have been purchased by Bartsen
Media, Inc., a company formed by
Ronald and Charlotte Bartizek of
Kingston.
The newspapers had been owned
by Pennaprint, Inc., a wholly
owned subsidiary of Press-Enter-
prise, Inc. of Bloomsburg, since
1979. Press-Enterprise publishes the
daily Press-Enterprise in Blooms-
burg and Berwick, the Northeast
Pennsylvania Business Journal, and
Underwater USA, a national maga-
zine for the diving industry.
The Dallas Post is one of the
oldest newspapers in northeastern
Pennsylvania; it will enter its 100th
year of publishing next year. A.A.
Holbrook started the newspaper in
early 1889 after resigning his posi-
tion with the Wilkes-Barre Times.
Holbrook published the newspaper
until 1895. In the years since, The
Post has been owned by several
individuals including Howard
Risley and his wife, Myra, who
bought the newspaper in 1930.
Risley and his wife published The
Post until his death in 1962. Myra
Risley continued as publisher and
remarks made that enrollment in
senior high was on the
decline.‘ ‘Because there is a decline
in one or two classes in the senior
high school should not mean reduc-
ing financial support of other
classes in the lower grades,” he
said.
A retired board member, who
asked not to be identified, said that
another problem is that there is a
need for boiler repairs in the school
that will cost an additional $250,000
but thereis not $250,000 in the
budget nor is there a special fund
for replacing boilers. There has
never been a depreciation fund and
he claimed the district is sitting on
a powder keg without such a fund.
There were approximately 50 stu-
dents at the board meeting, who
requested that courses be left in
the senior high program. these stu-
dents were concerned about their
future.
Several parents said after the
meeting that it was unfortunate
that they will have to seek legal
injunction on the board action but
they will do what they have to do
to resolve the problem. They also
plan to encourage qualified district
residents to seek election to the
board in the future, citizens who
will be willing to do what needs to
be done to improve the district.
Lee Williames, who alse has chil-
dren in the district, was the first
person to pick up the fact that the
board might be out of order.
“They have failed to do long
range planning over the years and
have not sought adequate advice,” .
said Williames. “Without long
range planning, Dallas can’t keep
up with surrounding districts.”
Williames sees no legal excuse
for the district to reduce more
classes in order to hold down taxes.
He said he doesn’t like to pay
higher taxes any more than anyone
else but in order to support the
school district, higher taxes are
necessary.
“There may be a .decline in
enrollment in senior high but what
about the increasing enrollment in
elementary classes,”” Williames
said. “They will be coming up to
the high school in time. If every-
thing in the school was perfect,
there would be no need for a tax
increase but that is not the case.
There is an important need to build
up the science program and add
necessary equipment,” he said. “If
there had been an increase of five
mills each year, there wouldn’t be
a need to raise the millage all at
once. The district sold three schools
but not as it should. Now they have
a problem of overcrowding in ele-
mentary classes and no funds to
finance any of the recommenda-
tions made by the consulting firm
they employed,” Williames said.
“I agree with those taxpayers
who realize that 10-mills is an
insufficient increase for quality
operation of the district. High taxes
are not favored but are necessary
to improve programs and mainte-
nance,’ he concluded.
New owners publish
The Post this week
editor until 1968. Among others who
have published the newspaper was
former Governor Wiliam Scran-
ton.Scranton sold the newspapers to
Ray Carlson in 1975 and Carlson
then sold them to Press-Enterprise
in 1979.
Ronald Bartizek was advertising
director of The Times Leader in
Wilkes-Barre for 4.2 years prior to
purchasing the Post and Journal.
He and Charlotte have both been in
the newspaper industry since the
early 1970's, having worked at daily
and weekly publications in New
England before moving to Kingston
in 1983.
The Dallas Post now occupies an
office’in the Route 309-415 Plaza on
Memorial Highway, only two doors
away from its previous quarters
there. Pennaprint continues to hold
its office for use by personnel
involved with the Business Journal.
Both The Post’s mailing address,
P.O. Box 366 and its phone number,
675-5211, remain the same.
No changes in publishing sched-
ule or format are planned for The
Post. The new publishers’ plan to
strenghthen local news coverage
and to gradually redesign the pages
to make them easier to read and
more attractive.