a By CHARLOT M. DENMON Stafff Writer After rejecting Superintendent Gerald Wycallis' recommendation to add only two classrooms to the Senior High School, Dallas School Board directors voted to spend - $3,241,382 on a capital improve- ment program that will add five classrooms to the school at Mon- day night's meeting, raising the prospect of a tax increase for the district's property owners. The program approved will in- clude the addition of four class- rooms and an energy management system to the Dallas Elementary School. The Senior High School will get the five classrooms, a new home economics room, boiler replacement, asbestos removal, replacement of windows and sky- lights, a new band room ceiling, Back Mountain Real Estate — A RD 00 Shs X Ri 2 3 ———— CS _ Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 11, 1989 Dallas school board recommends $3.2 million spending plan upgraded labs, and other interior alterations. The classroom work is estimated to cost $1.4 million and the interior improvements $850,000. Work at the elementary school is budgeted for $650,000. The addition of five classrooms to the high school was approved by all board members present except John George. James Richardson was absent. George said that he approved of the addition to the elementary school, but the additional class- rooms in the senior high school made no sense to him. He said since the senior high will accom- modate more than 900 students and there are only 550 students in the building now, even moving up 150 ninth grade students in Sep- tember would make a total of only 700 students. “I don’t want to see Dallas High School made into a private school,” George said. “This program will mean another tax increase, and most of the Dallas taxpayers can't stand another increase. Why can't we try the high school program for another y«ar or so,” George asked. pointing out that residents have just learned that there will be a nearly 16 mill property tax increase from the county. page 14 | ALLASSDOST | EE — 25 Cents aaa In answer to George's question about the tax increase, Wycallis said the bond issue would proba- bly be about 7.7 mills but that the alt district was hopeful that the Penn- sylvania Department of Education would cover about 50 percent oF the renovation cost. School board president Ernest Ashbridge told George that pre- See SCHOOL, pg2 1989 The present day home of The Dallas Post is in the 309-415 Plaza on the Memorial Highway. to you during 1989. all materials that are submitted. readers: in the spring of 1889. ‘This week's issue of The Dallas Post is the first in it's 100th year of publication. That distinction makes The Post one of the oldest newspapers in the region and in all of Pennsylvania. A year-long series of events and special coverage are planned to celebrate this milestone. : The Dallas Post has been published by many individuals and in many locations in its first century of service to the Back Moutain communities. ' We are proud to be its stewards during this important time. Its history and that of the region are intertwined, and we hope to relate a bit of both Unfortunately, The Post's files and records have not been kept up as they might have been, so we hope readers will join with us in filling in the many gaps in its story. For example, The Post began publishing in 1889, but the earliest copies of the newspaper that are readily available are from 1929. Those and each year since are in storage at the Back Dallas Post that they may have in their possession. We would Te delighted to add them to the newspaper's historical files, but if anyone has an issue from the years prior to 1929 we would like to at least see and perhaps photograph it. Similarly, we would like to publish stories and photos of the area through the years, so if you have an old photo or a recollection of historical note, please share it with us. We promise to be careful with These are some things we would most like to locate and share with our - A copy of the first issue of The Dallas Post. At this time we don't know exactly when the first issue was published, except that it was - Any issues between 1889 and 1929. - Photos of Dallas and other Back Mountain communities. Age is not the only criterion for value. A photo of any building or person of historic significance is appropriate. - Stories that convey a sense of the region in days gone by. If you have a particular recollection that you would like to share, call us and we'll arrange an interview. - Photos or drawings of buildings in which The Post was located. The newspaper has had several different locations through the years, and we would like to catalogue as many as possible. We hope our readers will participate in this celebration of The Post's and the area’s history. We only get one chance to have a centennial, so let's make the most of it. | The Post begins 100th publishing year 1898 In its early days The Post was published from this one-room building at the corner of Huntville Road and Norton Avenue. 144 units approved in past 2 years Development pace heats By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Dallas Township and Dallas Borough officials believe that ap- proved developments in their municipalities present no prob- lems and are under control. Leonard Kozick, Dallas Town- - ' ship zoning officer, said that in the past two years, the township has approved approximately 144 homes to be constructed in devel- opments. “One hundred and forty four homes have been approved but in the past two years that many homes were not built by the developers who applied,” Kozick said. ~ Kozick explained that in Orchardview Phase 2, 90 homes were approved but to date only 40 have been built. The Bluff Pointe development was approved for 35 . townhouses but only nine have been built to date. In the Wedge- wood Development along Country Club Road, approval was given for 12 homes but Kozick said only six homes have been built and the ‘Clemson Development on Over- brook Road, designated as Green Brier, was approved for 13 one y homes which have been pleted. “In 1987 55 permits were issued for homes to be built but not all of these were in developments,” Kozick said. “This total includes individual lot homes as well as sub-divisions. In the township we have our own planning commis- sion and zoning board as well as an ordinance requiring capped sewers. Each application is thor- oughly reviewed and a developer must adhere to all of the township ordinances. Roads, sewers, water lines—all of these are constructed at the developer's expense, not the township's, Kozick said. “In 1988 75 permits were issued and again not all of these were for homes tobe built in sub-divisions,” Kozick explained. “No permits are issued until written guarantee is received by a developer that all services such as water, electricity and sewer disposal can be pro- vided. A total of 130 permits for homes has been issued in the past two years, including those on indi- vidual lots as well as those in divi- sions,” Kozick stated. Dalla 10 units built allas Borough Chairman of Dallas Borough Council Donald Shaffer said that as far as he knew there is only one development in existence which is recently constructed. “Village Green, the 10 houses in up in Dallas Township the area opposite the Borough playground area is the only devel- opment which has been completed in the past two years. It was ap- proved, however, before I came on council,” Shaffer said. “It musthave been about 1985, I'm not certain, but the homes were built in 1987. Dale & Dale were the developers and they couldn't build until they had satisfied all the requirements of the Luzerne County Planning Commission,” Shaffer explained. “Jim Wisnieski did the Stone Hedge Development but that is years ago and although Council approved Edwrd Nelen's application for Deer Meadows to build 49 homes, there will be no building done there until everything is settled.” Sewer main will be moved to Machell Avenue The sewer main that is now located on Powderhorn Drive in Dallas Borough will soon be moved to Machell Avenue, according to Tom Bagley, manager of the Dallas Area Municipal Authority plant. "Whether or not the Deer Mead- ows development is settled, the main is being moved to its origi- nally planned site and residents { Water commission may get state grant for survey By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer A new act which recently went into effect in Pennsylvania may make it possible for the Back Mountain Water Commission to receive a State Planning Assistance Grant, according to information chairman Jim Ward told members of the group at last Thursday's meeting. Ward explained that the grant will be available from July 1, 1989 through June 30, 1990, and will come under the Department of Community Affairs. It will be avail- able for projects such as the commission's proposed survey to determine the quality and quan- tity of water in the Back Mountain communities. It is a financial as- sistance grant of 50 percent for participating municipalities which includes the water commission and Back Mountain Citizens' Council as participating groups. Ward explained that the 50 percent of matching the grant could be in cash or services and the Community Affairs office will send the commission a revised applica- tion as soon as it is printed. Ward also told the members that he had received a complaint froma Kingston Township resident in the Carverton area that the water in his well smelled and tasted like kerosene. The resident said that he contacted the Department of Environmental Resources about it but they were not interested and Kirby Health Center officials told him that testing would be $100, which the resident could not af- ford. : Ward said he referred the resi- dent to the State Health Depart- ment. Commission member Joseph Salla said that using an activiated charcoal filtor would absorb kero- sene and purify the water. John Molski, secretary of the commission, reported that the Dallas Water Company's attorney and the Office of the Consumer Advocate’s attorney were trying to work out an amicable agreement for handling expansions on the company's service. Molski said the Bluff Pointe development in Dallas Township is connected but there is no water service. A tentative agree- ment has been discussed that if the new well, tank and service pump that are under construciotn are on line and adequate water service maintained to present See WATER, pg 2 ( inside The Post Calendar... 16 Property Transfers. 5 Classified... 14,15 Real Estate............. 14 Editorials... 4 Religion... iiss a 12 Obituaries.....2 ~ School...... rnin 10 Police News..3 Spons.... CT 13 DALLAS BOROUGH COUNCIL - Tuesday, January 18, 0 L Dallas Borough Building. : DALLAS TOWNSHIP. SUPERVISORS - Tuesday, January 16, 8 p.m. Township building. _ HARVEYS LAKE BOROUGH COUNCIL - Tussday, January 16 pam A HARVEYS LAKE PLANNING COMMISSION - Monday, Ji nu : zr 00p : : : ; 4 1 2 .
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers