> 8. ald es a N ¢ 1880 1% NY C0 =A >) CM OO NE 0% Vol. 100 No. 3 "A Centennial Edition" Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 25, 1989 25 Cents Gary Allabaugh named Dallas Borough Manager - By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer The Dallas Borough Council named Gary Allabaugh, Amherst Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, as the new borough manager at its meeting Tuesday night in the municipal building. : In a 3-2 vote with one absten- tion, Allabaugh was appointed to serve a six-month probationary period at an annual salary of $5,000 for the part-time position. Councilmen Jerry Machell and William Berti voted in the negative, Don Shaffer, Timothy Carroll and Russell Eyet voted affirmativelyand Harold Brobst abstained. Allabaugh was one of three applicants for the position; the others were Robert Spencer, Or- chard West, Dallas, and Katherine Strosnider, secretary to former borough manager Robert Brown. Personnel chairman Russell Eyet said all three candidates were very Gary Allabaugh qualified. Allabaugh is a graduate of Meyers High School and has an associate degree in business administration from Luzerne County Community College. He also studied architectural drafting at Wilkes-Barre Vocational-Tech- nical School. He worked for Wilkes-Barre city from 1973 to 1986 with the De- partment of Public Works. In 1986 he went to Murraysville, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where he served as Director of Public Works until recently, when he returned to Wyoming Valley. Alla- baugh said his hours will be flex- ible since he is associated in busi- ness with his father. He said he plans to keep the office open morn- ings as it has been in the past and he will have an ‘open door’ policy. In his position as borough manager, Allabough will be chief administrative officer of the bor- ough and responsible to the Dallas Borough Council. He will direct and supervise the administration of all departments of the borough and see that all laws, provisions of the borough code and acts of council are sub- ject to enforcement. The manager will also prepare the council budget and finance reports relative to various departments. When interviewed during his first week as borough manager, Allabaugh said he had found coun- cil members very receptive and former borough manager Robert Brown cooperative in assisting during the transition. Allabaugh said he hopes to operate as smoothly as the office has in the past. In other business the council members voted unanimously to purchase a POW-MIA flag to fly beneath the American flag on the same pole at the borough building to honor all veterans unaccounted for who served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II. The council also approved offi- cers and employees tobe appointed for an indefinite term of office as follows: Chief of Police John Fowler $21,450 annually; patrolmen Robert Jolley, $15,800; James Martin $13,554; and James Drury, $12,800; all part-time policemen _ $6.50 per hour and crossing guards ‘$4.75 hourly; Ralph D. Parsons: road department $8.10 per hour; Donald Chamberlain $7.10 per hour; and part-time road workers $6.50 per hour; Mrs. Strosnider, borough clerk $6 per hour; Wil- liam Baker, treasurer, $360 annu- ally and the communications clerk operations setat $18,000 peryear. Council approved a motion that Solicitor John Fine start legal proceedings to have the former Hearthstone Pub building on Main Street torn down. Council members also com- mended retiring manager Robert Brown for the outstanding job he had done as borough manager during his two and a half years tenure with the borough. 7 Dallas Borough or Dallas Boro? Does Dallas live a double life? Not really. Incorporated in 1894 as Dallas Borough, like many similar communities, Dallas found the name didn't always fit the situation. So, when space is a problem, Borough becomes Boro. As outgoing manager Bob Brown explains it, police car doors say Boro, "because they're small." (Photos by Charlotte Bartizek) School directors work hard to contribute to area's students Deer Meadow foes plan own subdivision But their plan doesn't require rezoning land One of the primary opponents of rezoning land in Dallas Borough for the Deer Meadow Estates de- velopment has filed subdivision plans of his own with the Luzerne County Planning Commission. But the plan as filed calls for no rezon- ing or variance from the existing C- 1, or conservation zoning. Robert W. and Beverly Jean Jones, of Reservoir Road in Dallas presented a plan on November 17, 1988 to divide their approximately 20 acres of land into four lots of varying sizes. This was the second ‘application for subdivsion of the property within the year. In June, 1988, Jones applied for and was granted a subdivision that allowed the creation of a five acre lot which was subsequently sold. In the January 11 issue of The Dallas Post, a letter from the Dal- las Borough supervisors mentioned that a person opposed to the Deer Meadow rezoning was “presently trying to subdivide his property for building lots in an area overlook- ing the Reservoir...” Donald Shaf- fer, president of the Borough ' Council, confirmed Friday that the Jones plan was the one referred to in the letter. Residents opposed to the Deer Meadow subdivision have consis- tently raised the change in zoning from C-1 to R-1 as their primary concern. Under R-1, houses may be built on as little as 7,000 square foot lots - approximately 1/6 acre. The present plan for Deer Meadow calls for lots of about 1/2 acre, and “Harveys Lake residents upset by garbage service By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Several Harveys Lake residents attended last Tuesday's council meeting to express concern about the borough garbage collection. They told council members that some residents are having a diffi- cult time complying with the re- quest to deposit their bags of gar- bage at the end of their streets. The new garbage collector, low bidder for 1989, has requested that some residents who live on small side streets deposit their bags at the end of the street in order to aid in the collection. There are six areas in the borough which are affected. Council member George Gwil- liam told the residents that the contract with the new collector, Barry's Disposal, does not require the garbage be picked up at each house. Bob Rowe told council that his garbage has not been collected since the beginning of this year and a huge pile of garbage is piling up at the end of the street. Rowe said he had nine or 10 bags of garbage that hasn't been picked up in three weeks. Council member Richard Boice said the council is trying to reach a compatible agreement between residents and the collector and if complaints continue the council may have to consider advertising for bids on a new contract. _ Ed Kelly, council president, See LAKE, pg 3 homes selling in the $150-200,000 range. Because Dallas Borough has no subdivision regulations, a subdi- vision plan that requires no vari- ance in zoning is presented to the Luzerne County Planning Commis- sion. The Commission sends cop- ies of the plan to the Borough for their review and input, although the Borough has no authority to accept or reject subdivisions. Jones's original plan was rejected by the County office, and he was given a list of changes that must be made. If they are completed, Stan Dysleski, Subdivision Administra- tor, said he sees no reason not to accept the project. When asked if he had any objec- tion to the Jones plan, Shaffer alleged that there is a problem with the septic system on the prop- erty now, and that untreated sew- age runs from the Jones property into the ditches at the side of Res- ervoir Road. “Jones has a problem out there. His own sewer runs right into the ditches,” Shaffer said Friday. He added, “I think he has a lot of nerve to subdivide while he is opposing Deer Meadow. He's preaching clean environment and then putting raw sewage in the ground.” Leonard Kozick, sewage enforce- ment officer for the Borough could not confirm Shaffer's allegations. “I haven't seen any (sewage),” he said Friday afternoon. “Noonehas ever complained,” he added. When asked if he thought the ‘proposed Jones subdivision posed a threat to the Huntsville Reser- voir, Kozick replied that he had no concerns about septic systems being installed on two acreas on land. “I have no problem with it,” he said. : Robert Jones declined an inter- view with The Post. By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer January is School Directors Month, and The Dallas Post has chosen this time to profile Dallas and Lake-Lehman School Board directors through board represen- tatives James Richardson, Dallas, and Joseph ‘Red’ Jones, Lake- Lehman. Richardson, an automobile dealer with his business in Dallas Borough, is in the final year of his first term as school director. Richardson has not decided whether or not he will run for a second term. “I have been so busy I haven't given it much thought. It passed through my mind, but I really don't know at the present time," he said. Since he has been on the Dallas district's board, Richardson has given generously of his time and knowledge. He has been chairman of the cafeteria committee since in . office, and in 1987 was president ofthe board. Since the inception of Sunshine Laws, which open most meetings to the public, like all directors he is a member of the “committee of the whole”, which means every director is a member of every committee. Richardson said he ran for the | school board because he felt he could help improve the quality of education and keep the schools on the right track. “Since I have been on the board, I have seen a number of goals of the district achieved,” Richardson sald. “Getting the middle school organized was a big step forward and deciding on the necessary renovations to the buildings in the district was another accomplish- ment. Other projects successfully completed were the soccer field, Westmoreland Elementary School conditions squared away, and new boilers installed in the Senior High School,” Richardson said. Richardson explained that most of his time has been spent on the “Our teachers emphasize to the students that athletics get you something, but education keeps you going.” Joseph ‘Red’ Jones Lake-Lehman school director physical facilities in the district. Before the end of the year he hopes to see construction in progress on the Dallas Elementary School. The district is not Richardson's only concern. He is a member of the Dallas Fire & Ambulance and past president of Wyoming Valley New Car Dealers. He is also presi- dent of the Philadelphia Dodge Dealers Advertising Association and has been on the board of that association for eight years. Richardson is a former member of the Dallas Borough Recreation Association and was involved in getting the borough's playground on Burndale constructed. “Overall, the Dallas School Dis- trict has progressed in the past several years,” Richardson said. “We have had a lot of champion- ship teams, we have improved the football field and other athletic areas in the district, the Dallas PTO did an outstanding project in the elementary playground and our educational program continues to move forward. “We have lost some administra- tors but we are doing the best with those whom we have. I believe our program has come a long way, but I still say there is no way you can run a $40,000,000 program effec- tively on one day a month. I dis- agree with the system. There are nine members on the board and at least three board members should be qualified to supervise the op- erations of the district and be paid as full time directors. I realize that’s against tradition but school dis- tricts today are big business and should be operated as such.” Will Richardson run again? He doesn’t know but he says he will give it serious consideration before the deadline. Joseph ‘Red’ Jones of Oak Hill was elected to the Lake-Lehman School District Board of Directors in November, 1981 and took office the following month. He was re- elected in November, 1985 and is now finishing the final year of his second term. Jones, his wife Marie, and their four children have been residents of Oak Hill forl7 years. Three of his children graduated from Lake- Lehman and hisyoungest son, Bob, is a sophomore in the district's See SCHOOL, pg 3
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