4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, June 5, 1991 ‘Don't unnecessarily stop Hansons plan Is a closed, broken-down amusement park more valuable to Harveys Lake than 170 condominiums? On the surface, those seem to be the options facing borough officials as they review a development proposal from the owner of the former Hanson's Amusement Park. But the question could be different, because the existing C-3 zoning of the property allows uses such as a bowling alley or penny arcade, which could be operated on the property without any special approval. One thing seems clear; the owner of such a valuable piece of property won't wait forever to develop it some fashion. The borough must decide what form that improvement will take. The immediate problem is to decide if and when to rezone the 27 acres from Recreational Commercial to Multi-family Resi- dential. Hanson's is the only commercial property in that area . of the lake, as nearby land is zoned R-1 (single family homes), R-2 (two family) or R-3 (multi-family). Undoubtedly the C-3 zone was created specifically for Hanson's when zoning was - first implemented more than 20 years ago. With the amuse- -ment park long since closed, the commercial use is inconsis- tent with the area. Many opponents of rezoning are alarmed about the impact building 170 townhouses might have on municipal services . and traffic. Those are valid concerns, and it is right to have .them addressed before building is permitted. But no one ‘should confuse the process of rezoning with that of obtaining a building permit. To rezone the property now does not waive the Hansons' responsibility to meet all demands borough officials may place on whatever is finally constructed on the . property. It makes good sense to encourage proper development of vacant land, and it is right to expect the developer of such a valuable property to foot the bill for many of the costs inherent in adding so many housing units to the borough. Surely the Harveys Lake Borough Council can reach an accommodation ‘by which the project moves ahead while it meets the strictures that will assure that it is a net credit to the community. We all must share in paying for education As with school districts across Pennsylvania—and the na- tion—Dallas and Lake-Lehman are stuck between a rock and a hard place. While many parents and teachers demand that the variety and quality of curricula be maintained, others decry the rapid escalation in property taxes that pay for the schools. Something's got to give, because the only constant seems to be a steady increase in school budgets. School administrators say declining state and federal contri- butions have increased pressure on local tax sources. In the Dallas district, for example, while revenue from the state is pro- jected to be $5,782,028, an increase of $817,306 from the prior year, the extra money is more than used up by the cost of special education instruction and pension fund contributions which, fomerly paid by the state, must now be borne locally. The bottom line is that while revenues are projected to rise by 7.4 percent, expenses are slated to go up 9.4 percent. What can be done? For starters, school administrators have to take a hard look at what we can afford to offer-in public education. Some classes will have to grow in size as retiring teachers aren't replaced, others may have to be dropped .. entirely. Another suggestion is to cut back on sports programs, > or to charge the students who take part in them, since - extensive sports activities aren’t within the mandate the public schools serve. One thing is certain; everyone from taxpayers to teachers will have to play a part in seeing that schools can «.-afford to offer the educational quality we need at a cost that -*.doesn’t place an undue burden on our society. Ti PALLASC 0ST Published Weekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 Telephone: 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek Editor and Publisher Associate Publisher Peggy Young Charlot M. Denmon Advertising Acct. Exec. Reporter Sri Rich Johnson Paul Rismiller Reporter * Olga Kostrobala Composition ; Classified/typesettin 4 Jean Hillard Ypesenng Office Manager MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ' AND THE PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION Just hanging out (Photo by Charlotte Bartizek) Letters Says public and all levels of government must pull together to make school systems work Editor: You have given detailed cover- age to the necessity for local school boards to increase local taxes to provide for public education. Un- fortunately your coverage has been one-sided and neglected the most important aspects of this financial crisis. Local school district budgets for special education have been forced to increase because of: 1. The lack of funding from the Federal Government to cover their originalcommitment of 40% to fund the cost of programs mandated by federal law (Individuals with Dis- abilities Education Act formerly Education of the Handicapped Act). 2. The Commonwealth's (Gov- ernor Casey's and State Legisla- tors) underfunding of the Basic Education Subsidy and plan to retreat from full excess cost fund- ing for special education programs that are mandated by state law and court decrees. Both the state and federal gov- ernments are passing the respon- sibility for funding mandated fed- eral and state programs to local school districts and because of the Commonwealth's antiquated and unfair means for local funding (property tax) of public schools, the local property owner will be required to dig even deeper into their pockets. A third negative result of this lack of financial responsibility on the part of the federal and state politicians is the total disruption and dislocation of special educa- tion programs, students, and pro- fessional educators. The Commonwealth's mandate to provide “throrough and efficient” education for all its school age students has been totally ignored in relation to the Governor's budget proposal and special education. Because the Governor has pro- posed the elimination of Interme- diate Units by cutting their fund- ing by 95% in two years, local school districts (not everywhere, but especially in IL.U. #18) are adopting budgets based on the “worst case scenario” which will require the movement and/or elimination of classrooms, educa- tion professionals, and programs from 1.U.’s to school districts. We are also seeing a revival of the instant cure and/or the laying on of hands, under which special education students at the end of the 1990-1991 school year will suddenly become “cured” and/or in need of less special education (i.e., fulltime special ed instruction to parttime, resource room to to- tally mainstreamed, gifted to non- gifted). Included in this travesty to education we have school board members, who playing the age old political game, wants the spoils of this crisis to themselves and thus we have quotes from Directors such as: The state “is dumping 14 teach- ers on us from the Luzerne Inter- mediate Unit at a cost of between $450,000 to $470,000". Duniping indeed! Has this board member given any thoughts to why Act 1 of 1982 (Transfer of Entities) was enacted? No! The continuum of services, continuation of instruction, pro- gramming and the experience of educators with the students in- volved (an integral part of special education) are of no consideration. The rights of the professional educator to practice their profes- sion without the continued threat of politics disrupting their pro- grams and livelihood is not a con- sideration. It is this type of nean- derthal thinking that necessitated the passage of legislation to give some stability to the employment rights of special educators. Now is the time for parents, educators, legislators, taxpayers and local school boards to work together to provide the best pos- sible education for our children. The record is clear that student potential left undeveloped during the school age years costs society severely later on when a myriad of support programs are needed to maintain adults who were unable to become productive members of society because of a lack of a “thorough and efficient” public education. If everyone works together, this crisis can become a catalyst for reform and not an excuse for the destruction of 20 years of progress in special education. Boyd Weiss, III Vice President Northeastern Region Pennsylvania State Education Ass'n. Only yesterday" 60 Years Ago - June 12, ns ANGLERS ARRESTED AT HUNTSVILLE DAM Fifty six girls graduate from College Misericordia. Four fishermen from Plymouth | were arrested last week for tres- passing on Huntsville Dam and catching bass out of season and fined $10 and costs. Unable to pay the fine they were taken to.-the county jail to serve 20 days. ': “The Avenger” starring Buck Jones is playing at Himmler The- atre. East Dallas team wins its sixth consecutive game in the Back Mountain League to stay on op with a 6-0 record. Ne Wh 50 Years Ago - June 6, 1941 DOLL RESIGNS AS DALLAS PRINCIPAL - New turbines installed by the Dallas-Shavertown Water “Com- pany assure better water supply. Ronald C. Doll, supervising prin- cipal of Dallas Township Schodls, has resigned to accept a perma- nent position at Cranford: - High School, Cranford, N.J. : Engaged - Dorothy of hd Charles Kress; Elsie Gringer ‘4n Joseph Wilson Rauch. i, Wed - Arline Willouby andl din McCartney; Mary Alice Boyle and Edward Mullen. Members of Dallas Band enloy picnic at Harris Park. . 40 Years Ago - June 8, 1954 AREA SCHOLS HOLD: GRADUATIONS = | Gross gives $500 Anthra- Flo to Library Auction Committee. Dallas Borough graduated 20 seniors. : Orange defeats East Dallas 4-1. Engaged - Jeanne Louise DeRe- mer and Private Kenneth: Hazlett Hunter; Shirlee Martin and Private Wayne Hoover. Wed - Mildred E. Sawyet and Sterling Eyet Jr.; Eleanor. Do}esr- stein and Robert B. Smith." *; Lehman-Jackson High ‘School graduated 56 seniors. Grassland Field Day attracts huge crowd at Sterling Farms. 30 Years Ago - June 8, 1961 MOTORCADE GREETS | LAKE-LEHMAN BAND Jubilant midnight moloreade greeted the prize-winning L Lehman Band as it returned k™ me from New York State. ~~ #4 All Girl Scouts of Troop 183 won their Curved Bar Award. Library Auction Name-the oy yy contest starts this week wi pony traveling around the ziea and every time takes a ride for a dime, he or she will get an. entry blank. Engaged - Lorraine Cigarski ahd James J. Driscoll; Beverly. Ander- son and Eugene Brobst; Priscilla Mae Hendricks and Wallace Freder- ick Benjamin; Jean Newell ‘and Jack Winters; Alta Lou Hall and Carl D. Hinkle. 20 Years Ago - June 10, 1972 LEHMAN BAND BRIN i: HOME MORE AWARDS! Lake-Lehman Band brings home more awards from the Pageant of Bands at Sherburne, N.Y. Treasurer Homer Moyer outlines the need for funds for the library and asked auction workers for a concerted effortin making the 25th annual Library Auction the best ever. James McGuire is named vice: president of Diamond Manufac- turing Company. i Teeners League opens season with wins posted by East Dallas, Westmoreland and Dallas. Lehman Firemen set their € jth horse show. A Wed - Patricia Ann Inman. and William Engle; Gayle Ann! Boyes and Richard Guy Lipello;' Marie Sowden and Michael Silic. , % Committee chairman ‘John Casner and co-chairman Clarke Bittner have named committee chairmen for the 25th auction. Back Mountain police request mobile radios. W be] Library news Summer reading program for kids and toddlers -By NANCY KOZEMCHAK The Back Mountain Memorial Library has a brand new red /scar- let maple tree on the front lawn, thanks to a donation from Clifford and Barbara Kozemchak of Flourtown, Pa. ~The tree was given to the library to honor their daughter, Elizabeth on her 4th birthday. The library has lost two of the large trees from the lawn due to disease and storm over the past few years. The four trees were planted many years ago | . in a row on the lawn and have provided shade and color for the building. We are planning to re- place the older trees as the need becomes apparent. It's nice to have an Elizabeth tree on the library front lawn. A reminder: Sign up for story hours, 3 to 5 years old and toddler, will be taken at the library starting June 3 through the 8th. The Summer Reading Game will be “Out of This World” and will begin on June 17, sign up anytime after the 17th. Connie Scott, Craft Fair Chair- man, has announced she will ac- cept reservations for a table for the fair from interested parties. The Fair will be held on the 4th of July in conjunction with the 45th an- nual library auction. The library has a memorial and commemorative gift program which is an excellent way to honor a cherished memory or celebrate a special event in someone's life when giving a gift to the library in their name. Memorial books and com- memorative books will be marked with a special bookplate, which remains with the book for its life- time. Further information on this program is available at the library. New books at the library: “The Diamond Lane” by Karen Karbo is an uproarious comedy of modern manners and errors by this ac- _claimed author of Trespassers ~ Welcome here. The novel covers the two most fickle institutions under the sun: the Hollywood Movie Machine and marriage. The results are hilarious and heart- tugging. : “The Letter of Marque” by Pat- rick O'Brian is a Book Club pur- chase which offers the ultimate satisfaction of a historical novel. The story is a creation of a different and higher order; rich humor, erudite asides on natural history, and the subtle interplay of well- drawn characters. An original and profoundly exciting narrative. A small girl was asked where she got her big brown eyes. Her is taking registrations answer was, “I grew them”. Arather profound answer. Another young girl visited a cemetery and wondered why some of the tombstones were so tall. Her mother told her, they were here a long time. She asked, “You medn, they growz: : iii OL 2 Letters invited A * . The Dallas Post encourages readers to share their opinions with the community by writing a letter to the editor. All letters for publication must be signed and include a telephone number so that we may verify their authenticity. We will not publish anonymous letters. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Letters received by Noon on Monday may be included in that week's issue.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers