Te A Ta Fn A SN A CE ASC | | EAS Big things allas gins win tourney page 9 Back Mountain Real E ASCPosT Vol. 99 No. 52 Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 4, 1989 25 Cents Lehman Twp. budget holds taxes, hikes fees By SARA J. LUNDBERG Managing Editor Property taxes in Lehman Town- _ shipwill remain 14 mills under the &F 389 budget adopted last Thurs- “day. Total estimated revenue for the township is $416,099, a 12 ‘percent jump in from last year. Sources of revenue other than the property tax include a $5 per capita tax and a 1 percent wage tax. The biggest expenditure for Lehman Township will be road maintenance and police protec- tien. In other business the supervi- sors passed a motion to hike build- ing permit fees. The new fees are based on a sliding scale related to the assessed worth of the prop- erty. For example, a permit to build a $25,000 home will cost $75: for a $100,000 house, $200, plus $2 per every $1,000 of value. By SARA J. LUNDBERG and CHARLOT M. DENMON Post staff oF = A Changes and events which shape Back Mountain municipali- ties may seem to move at a rela- tively slow place, but several proj- ects started in 1988 will begin to show major results by next year at this time. A recent survey taken by the Dallas Post revealed a di- verse sampling of things which will have an impact on Back Mountain municipalities in the brewing in An accident waiting to happen? ice can be nice Changing surface conditions on Harveys Lake don't seem to bother this resident much. (Photo by Linda Shurmaitis) year ahead. Items confronting local officials include: development, rec- reational space, planning and zoning ordiances, sewer systems, environmental issues such as recycling and water quality, and other concerns. JACKSON TOWNSHIP TO GET SEWERS, PARK, NEW BUILDING “It's going to be a big year for Jackson Township,” said township supervisor Thomas Adams. Two big projects will dominate pis officials attention in the next twelve months; a new municipal building and recreational space and a long awaited public sewer system. The supervisors voted unani- mously last year to purchase 21.5 acres of land, 19 acres to be used for recreational purposes, and the remaining portion allocated for the municipal garage and offices. The selling price for the property was $115,000 and the closing is ex- pected to take place by the end of this month. Interested township residents are currently being sought to fill Attorney Gifford Cappellini of Orchard View Terrace, Dallas, says this intersection at the Hess station on Route 309 is dangerous and could result in tragedy. He recently wrote company officials to alert them to his concems. (Photo by Charlotte Bartizek) Attorney says intersection at Hess station is dangerous By SARA J. LUNDBERG Managing Editor What responsiblity does a place of business have in ensuring the safety of drivers traveling by and patrons leaving? Attorney Gifford Cappellini would like to know, and he has put the owners of the Hess Gas station on Route 309 in Dallas on alert that he believes a danger- ous traffic situation exists there that could result in tragedy. Cappellini sent a letter to the Amerada Hess Corporation in Woodbridge, New Jersey Decem- ber 21, notifying the vice president of gas station operations of the alleged dangerous traffic problem at the site, after being requested to look into the matter by his neigh- \ bors. Specifically, residents of \ Orchard View Terrace, New Goss vi ‘Manor, and anyone trying to turn onto Dorchester Drive near the station faces a tricky situation in which Hess gas station patrons, in attempting to exit from the service station are turning into traffic that is properly signaling a right-hand turn onto the street. “I don’t know personally of any accidents caused by this situation, but I know of many near misses,” said Attorney Cappellini. Two possibilities for traffic acci- dents exist on that site, Cappellini said. First, a collision could be caused if a motorist is exiting Dorchester Drive to mgke a left hand turn onto Route 309 at the same instant a Hess patron is attempting to make a right hand turn onto Route 309 from the sta- tion. Also, motorists who are trav- eling north on Route 309 from Wilkes-Barre to Dallas and are attempting to make a right hand turn onto Dorchester Drive are confronted by the possibility of gas station patrons pulling directly out in front of them, thinking they are attempting to turn into Hess. “My theory is that if you know of a dangerous situation but can do something to avoid injury or death, then you should do whatever it takes,” said Cappellini. He added that signs posted at the exit and entranceway of Hess Gas Station warning patrons to yield to oncoming traffic could be a potential solution, barring the like- lihood of turning lights being in- stalled at that intersection. Under the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Act, motorists who are traveling on Route 309 and those who are attempting to gain entry onto Route 309 have the right-of- way. Hess gas station patrons failing to yield the right of way See HESS, pg 3 ack Mountain for '89 spots in a new recreation board, which will play the key role in determining how the recreational land will be alloted to best serve the needs of the community. The property includes a former service station and a two-story building on Chase Road near Huntsville Dam. The service sta- tion will house the township road department, and after the two story structure is remodeled the mu- nicipal offices and police depart- ment will be moved there. The site was once the John Adams Paving Company. The purchase was made pos- sible in part through a $50,000 grant from the state Department of Community Development with the balance of the $115,000 pur- chase cost picked up by township funds. A new sewer system has been on the agenda for the township, and construction is expected to began this winter. The township was ordered to start the project by the state more than five years ago, but held off construction until a way could be found to reduce the local share of cost. The answer came last year in the form of a $983,000 low interest state PENNVEST loan, which will be combined with a $2 million grant- from the Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA) to round out financing of the sewers. Jackson Townhip Police Chief DondJones predicted the new sewer system would bring additional growth to the area, as people near the lines see their property values increase, and developers buy land and hook up to the system. Resi- dents who hook up to the sewers will be responsible for payment of the state PENNVEST loan which has a 20 year term and a 1% interest rate. KINGSTON TOWNSHIP FACES MORE GROWTH Development will continue at a brisk pace for Kingston Township, with hundreds of homes slotted to go up in various spots throughout the community. Major residential subdivisions in various stages of construction include: Cedar Lane Phase I and II, Manor Drive; Sun- rise Estates Phase II, located be- tween Manor Drive and Carverton Road; Summerfields, at the inter- section of 8th Street and Carver- ton Road; Woodridge II, near Sut- ton Road; Woodside II, off Staub and Carverton Road; Maplecrest on Manor Drive and Carverton Road; and Cranes Landing, on Crane Road and Carverton Road. Improved recreational facilities are also on the agenda for King- ston Township in 1989. Center Street Park is scheduled to un- dergo renovation, and the supervi- ‘See 1989, pg 2 By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Businesses and public officials in the Back Mountain will have to accommodate the needs of non- smokers starting February 20. Governor Robert F. Casey De- cember 21 signed legislation that will limit smoking in offices, stores and other indoor public places. The legislation, Senate Bill 26, requires establishment of non- smoking sections in larger restau- rants and requires employers to post smoking policies in workplaces. In a bill signing ceremony at the Capitol, the Governor said that the Clean Indoor Act will protect non- smokers from the harmful effects of having to inhale smoke. The governor was referring from a state- ment made in the past by the U.S. Surgeon General that even non- smokers are at risk of lung cancer and other diseases simply by breathing other people's smoke. The new law, which goes into effect February 20, prohibits smoking in any area designated as non-smoking. How does this affect local bus- iensses, especially restaurants? A quick survey over the past week- end indicated that many restau- rant owners had anticipated such Businesses adapt to non-smoking law Reader's responses to non-smoking areas on page 4 legislation. Some were prepared, some were not. Tom Pickett, owner of Picketts Charge, has had an enclosed smoking area for the past year. The area seats 20 to 24 persons comfortably and if an occasion arises where he needs additional seating for non-smoking, he has accommodations along one side of the no-smoking area. He foresees no problems. The Jersey Shore Restaurant, Dallas, has a dining area for less than 75 persons. Owner John Hummler said the dining area is not set up in such a way that the restaurant can have a non-smok- ing area so signs indicating that fact will have to be posted. Pier III at Harveys Lake does not have a non-smoking area at the present time but the owner, Jen- nie Cerrulli said she will have no problem accommodating non- smokers since she has a separate dining area which she can desig- ~ See SMOKING, pg 3 Up and in? Mount Randy Coolbaugh (33) and his Tiger opponent match one another as they go up with the ball in the Al Pisaneschi Unico Bas- ketball Tournament, Dec. 29, at Dallas Senior High School. Story on page 9. (C.M. Denmon Photo)
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