CR FE Ee em gS EN A Fda da rs ame RJ a a & Vol. 99 No. 40 \ ® Dallas Borough okays Shaskas subdivision By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Shaskas subdivision approved Members of the council signed final approval for the Shaskas sub- division since there is nothing the borough can do to stop the develop- ment as it is legal according to borough codes. No action on Hearthstone Pub Dallas Borough councilmen agreed to defer further action on the former Hearthsone Pub building until the October 18 council meet- ing following Borough solicitorJohn S. Fine that he had contacted owner Jim Post who said he is waiting for a clear title to the property before he will do any work to bring the build- ing up to standard. The decision was made by the officials at their adjourned meeting October 4 at the municipal building. Lake Street will get speed signs Borough manager Robert Brown reported that the state had approved speed signs for Lake Street but the state wants council to be respon- sible for enforcing the speed limits. Molski, Spencer to Water Commission John Molski was named princi- pal delegate and Bob Spencer alter- nate delegate to the Back Mountain Water Commission for Dallas Bor. ough. Part-time patrolman removed Part time policeman William Hagenbaugh'’s removal from the list was approved by the council and the secretary instructed to send Hagen- baugh a letter notifying him of the action and requesting that he return his I.D. card. ‘New stop sign to be installed A motion was made and approved that a new four-way stop sign be installed at Norton and Spring Streets. Regular wideting will be October 18 The regular meeting of the coun- cil will be October 18, atthe borough : municipal meeting. Deer Meadow rezoning is read and voted The rezoning ordinance for Deer Meadows was read at length by the borough solicitor and after presen- tation, members voted the same as they had at a prior council meeting, Brobst, Carroll, Tupper, Eyet, Shaf- fer, yes; and Machell, no. Truck bid awarded The council members approved unanimously that Bradco Supply Company be awarded the bid for the borough's new 1989 Ford dump truck in the amount of $18,000 with trade in. Committee heads will begin preparations of eXperises for the 1989 budget... yi Dallas, PA Come and get ‘er Wednesday, October 12, 1988 * Joe Darling, Hilderbrant Road, Dallas, sits with the family harvest. Norman Darling and his sons harvested these pumpkins Saurday: (Photo h oy Charlotte Bartizek) ~ Shavertown, may face a killed an undetermined number of by SARA J. LUNDBERG Managing Editor The Jackson Township Muncipal Authority answered residents concerns at their monthly meeting Monday night after announcing the selection of a contracter for their $3 million state-mandated sewer project. The main question on taxpayer's minds at the meeting seemed to be the project cost and whether Jackson sewer Fen begins or not the sewer system would ’ benefit the area as a whole. “I expect the total cost to residents to be approximately $300-350 a year,” said Richard Kindler, who is chairman of the authority. According to Kindler, this cost reflects the present yearly DAMA sewage treatment fee of $151 a year, and the balance of the $350 approximate annual cost would include debt service costs torepay a $983,000 state PENNVEST loan. The authority was awarded the low interest PENNVEST loan to help finance the project which was ordered by the state more than five years ago. The loan has a 20 year term and a 1 percent interest rate. A $2 million federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also be utilized towards the financing of the project. Kindler said the authority can - See Sewer, pg 3 Shavertown Water Co. to fix Hassold Well BY SARA J. LUNDBERG Managing Editor Shavertown Water Company is the recipient of one of the first state grants awarded by the Pennsylva- nia Infrastructure Investment Au- thority Board (PENNVEST). Last week PENNVEST awarded the Shav- ertown Water Co. a $50,000 grant, as well as a $197,599 low interest loan for the purpose of clean water applications. The money will be used to clean up the Hassold Well. The well was discovered to have cancer-causing contaminants, and closed down last December. Company vice president Jean Eason said it plans to build an aera- tion tower at the well. The aeration process involves pumping water up into a tower and aerating the volatile organic chemicals (VOC's) through- out the system. The VOC's are va- porized and dispersed into the atmosphere, resulting in clean wa- ter at the well. After treatment the well will be put back into service. Eason said it will cost about $200,000 for the treatment system. The company will proceed with the project as soon as the PENNVEST funds are available. A 90 day treat- Please call if you experience delivery problems. This week The Dallas Post begins using a new computer program for its circulation lists. If there is any problem with delivery of your sub- scription, please call the office at 675-5211 so that we may correct it promptly. The office is open Mon- day through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ment period is expected. “The PENNVEST aid has helped to make the clean-up of the Hassold well possible. Without the help the clean-up would have been much more expensive for the company, and it would have taken a longer period of time before the treatment process began,” said Eason. The loan will be repayed through consumer billing over a twenty year period. Shavertown Water Company serves 900 customers in the Back Mountain area. DER representative Mark Car- mon said that any private company or municipality may apply for a PENNVEST loan. The applications are reviewed by the regional DER office and then forwarded to the state PENNVEST office. The criteria CLEANER WATER - Residents of the Back Mountain hope their water for the aid is set by PENNVEST legislation and competition is tough, said Carmon. Rod Snyder, a spokesperson from the Governor's budget office said that criteria for PENNVEST aid is based on environmental impact, public health safety and economic development. Governor Casey signed the legislation authorizing the PENNVEST legislation on March 1, 1988. PENNVEST will provide $2.5 billion during the next 25 years for upgrading water and sewage sys- tems throughout Pennsylvania, according to Snyder. Snyder said the DER will test the treated water at the Shavertown Water Company's well before it is opened to the public. quality will improve when planned improvements are completed. xX 26 Cents Oil company may be fined for gas SP in Creek A local service station seve br Pern Fern Oil Co., Route 309 in penalty for a gasoline spill from the station's underground tanks which leaked into Toby's Creek last Fr iday and ex DERspolesperson Mar Carmon said Sunday that tests o asoline : tanks at the Texaco station filled tanks. Gasoline: pn out a large drainage pipe and ‘extended intoaone- quartermileateacfTo of To oby's. Creek. N ¢ Fire personnel and rep est tives from DER spent much creek. Work using absorption ma mate- rial to stop the gasoline flow niothe creek continued over the weekend. “The service station il be 1 be monitored by DER, * * said mon. Carmon said the Pern Fern 1 Co. station will probably face afine for the environmental ‘hazard ro m DER and the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. The gasolinespilldoes not pose a public health problem : as long as the contaminated soil is removed promptly. = He. owner of the Pad Citizens 9 roup, officials share concerns over region's growtr BY CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Municipal officials from eight Back Mountain communities and officials from two school districts expressed similar concerns on the rapid development in the Back Mountain as those of Back Moun- tain residents at a dinner meeting held at Penn State, Wilkes-Barre last Thursday. . Approximately 60 officials joined with members of the Back Moun- tain Citizens Council for the dinner and afterwards shared their con- cerns and objectives with one an- other. Dr. James Ryan, university ex- ecutive, told those in the room that the last three years' growth is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’. “My guess is that in the next three years we will see development in- crease five to six-fold. Completion of the bypass will also aid in increased development like you have never seen,” Ryan told the officials. “Penn State University is a land grant institution. We have arespon- sibility to help communities deal with issues and bring citizens to- gether to assist in resolving these issues. “The Back Mountain Citizens Council never intended to be an adversarial group but a group to work with municipal officials and school boards,” Ryan stated. “Many communities are affected by the rapid development; we hope to address and discuss growth. The most successful method of doing this is partnership of public officials and the community,” Ryan con- cluded. Former Kingston Township man- ager Fred Potzer recommended that officials take a look at other coun- ties where there has been rapid growth. “Growth can be positive if there is unified planning, development regu- lations, environmental resources. We're entering an econcomic ren- aissance,” he said. He told the audience that an average of 37,000 to 39,000 cars daily travel the Cross Valley Ex- pressway and that influx of traffic will increase, he said. “There have been 150 new homes built in Kingston Township alone in the past three years and 450 more new ones on the drawing board,” Potzer said. “This will have an im- pact on police, fire companies, and highways. In Dallas Township the growth is similar.” Potzer said the growth will spread to other communities and the prob- lems have to be addressed collec- tively. He mentioned storm water management and said that ground water from 19 communities runs into Toby's Creek. Potzer felt that there should be regulations con- cerning use and protection of the watershed. He cited the positive thipgs the Back Mountain communities have done together, such as expansion of DAMA to include Jackson Town- ship, Harveys Lake and Lehman Township; cooperation of Back Mountain police departments; a four-municipality communications center which serves nine service units; and a six-municipality pur- chasing plan. “Now we need to go further, we need to work together with the Back Mountain Citizens Council formed after two meetings. The purpose of tonight's meeting is to get input from municipal leaders, not to work against one another but to work together. We hope to bring in profes- sionals and other leaders for semi- nars and other aids. We can't put our heads in the sand, development won't go away. The Back Mountain will continue to grow and we hope for a sharing of ideas and officials taking part in programs as they develop. “We're not experiencing natural growth but accelerated growth. We have had 50 percent increase in population in seven years. Big companies see the Back Mountain area as the ‘No. 1’ place to buy or build,” Potzer concluded. Citizens Council member Nancy Eckert added that the council wanted to work with the municipali- ties, to combine their resources and to develop some area-wide compat- ible zoning regulations, long term transportation facilities and ade- quate recreation areas. Howard Grossman, executive director of the Economic Develop- ment Council of Northeastern Penn- sylvania and a resident of the Back Mountain, explained that growth is spreading in Monroe, Lackawanna, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties and is having an impact on communities in all areas. “The goal is not to stop develop- ment but to manage it. There are many resources available such as the Department of Community Af- fairs, County Community Office, and others at the regional ands state vel “There should be a close connec- tion between the schools and mu- nicipalities,” Grossman said. “Most of the growth is in housing and the | Route 309 corridor. TheBackMoun- tain is becoming a bedroom com- munity and we need to Saenitien | See Citizens, pg 3 ‘Inside : Religion... a School
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