Vi 3 Dallas, PA Wednesday, August 21, 1991 35 Cents : By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staft Writer The proposed sale ofland now used by area Little $950, 000 came as a complete surprise, according to members of the Back Mountain Baseball Inc. Asso- ciation. “We had no part in the negotiations for the sale,” flatest League and softball teams has angered members of Back Mountain Baseball, Inc., the organization that operates programs for 65 teams and 900 young- ters. The Dallas School District plans to sell property to an affiliate of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. The district wants to sell 12.6 acres of land along Country Club Road on which the administration building and the former Dallas Township School is located, as well as playing fields for the leagues. The Dallas School Board's approval of the site's sale to the Wilkes-Barre General Realty Inc. for Dallas {eachers reject offer By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Individuals familiar with ne- | gotiations over a new teacher ] contract in the Dallas School District have told The Dallas Post that the teachers’ union ‘negotiating committee has re- B jected the administration’s lat- est salary offer. The sources said the dis- trict’s latest offer was for $2,200 annual raises for each year of a two year contract. The teachers are reported to . be standing firm on their re- . quest for a five-year contract with. ‘an annual increase of .approximately 10 percent. That would mean more than 90 percent of the district's teach- ———— au SAAS ——— . said Back Mountain Baseball's president Larry Lettie. “If the district had consulted with our officers we Tight have been able to negotiate some sort of a ea “A 10-year lease on the lower field is not long enough. With the money we have invested in the past two years we were looking to a long term lease. These fields are the home of Back Mountain Base- ball, we don’t want to relocate. A two year lease on the upper fields is nothing. We have 65 teams in- cluding baseball and softball and 900 kids and still growing. If we lose any part of the fields we will have to cut back on teams. How do you tell young kids ‘you can't play, we don’t have the room?” Lettie continued. “We don't want to leave; we want to stay here. We are on a course where softball is getting so big, we were going to build a complex for the sport on the . upper fields. We would never have invested money in the lights and the’ new refreshment stand but the district assured us the land would not be sold,” - Lettie said. He explained that the association has had three 5-year leases at $1.00 each time for the field's use and that he understood Wilkes-Barre General would also lease the field for $1.00. I 1s school land sale angers Little League group “We did not have any say in the leasing, however i and that is our concern,” Lettie said. “We need to negotiate for all the fields and for a longer length of | time. We are talking long, long term. These fields should be here for Back Mountain Baseball long after I am gone,” Lettie stated. “We are in the process of obtaining counsel and hope that we will be able to come to an amicable settlement with the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital | administrator,” make use of the buildings as a medica /physieal fitness center. We are interested in keeping the fields for our Back Mountain boys and girls and we hope to come to some agreement.” ___ explained Lettie. “As we under- stand the circumstances, they plan to renovateand Still smiling after 7 years Charles and Olive Bartlett of Dallas stand proudly by their 1948 Packard at the Lehman Antique Car Show held August 18. Restoration of the car, a seven year endeavor, has garnered the couple many awards. (Post Photo/Charlotte Bartizek) 07S would receive an annual DAMA to face 2 lawsuits over trash Program | By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff Two attorneys say they will file ' lawsuits against the Dallas Area Municipal Authority (DAMA) and municipal officials, claiming the —authority is infringing upon the rights of citizens and private haulers to make and fullfill con- tracts. “They are denying the individ- ual homeowners the freedom of choice,” said Attorney Phil Med- ico, representing Searles Sanita- tionand C&K Sanitation, who said the suit would be filed Monday afternoon. Medico would not say what damages will be asked in the suit, but alluded to substantial amounts. “There are a number of com- munities who go out to bid and give a bid to XYZ hauler, but they allow other haulers to operate shoulder to shoulder,” said Med- ico, naming Wyoming Borough as an example. “They've made a re- sult of any violation by the home- owners a criminal offense by the 1 taking of property without due process of law,” he said, referring i to DAMA’s threat to put liens on residents’ homes if they don't pay their bills. Medico charged that DAMA got ] into the recycling business only because it would soon lose its primary job of handling Sewage : waste. ness of sewage treatment,” said Medico. “Now they want to get involved with municipal waste collection. They did that because there were special interests at stake, specifically the jobs.” Tom Bagley, executive director of DAMA, said that while the Authority will be connecting its sewer lines with the Wyoming See DAMA, pg 8 “DAMA is going out of the busi- | ..ing is set for September 5. salary. of $65,000 by 1995-96, ts to the administra- tion. Repeated attempts to reach ‘Dallas Education Association president William Wagner were unsuccessful. The person who answered the phone first at Wagner's home said Wagner was attending a legislative pic- nic and later said he would return the calls, which he had | not done as of early Tuesday afternoon. The next negotiation meet- District says teachers won't budge Editor's Note: The following is excerpted from a press release is- sued by the Dallas School District's Negotiating Committee. Marchers support deaf child's cause By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Eighty-five hearing impaired persons carrying signs turned out August 13 tosupport Lake-Lehman student Mark Dutton’s request to ' attend the Scranton State School for the Deaf instead of the Luzerne Intermediate Unit. The 12-year-old resident of the Lake-Lehman District has been attending classes for the hearing impaired taught by the LIU, but he and his family say the LIU does not provide effective communication with Mark. Don Rubel, Jr., Mark's uncle and a sign language faculty mem- ber at Bloomsburg University, supports the Duttons contention that the language used by the LIU is incompatible with the young- sters needs. “Mark understands and speaks American sign language,” said Rubel. “The LIU teaches classes in sign English and Mark has be- come increasingly distressed and frustrated.” Rubel claimed that Lake- Lehman administrators promised the family that Mark would be allowed to attend SSSD in the Fall of 1990. When it was learned that he had to attend LIU classes, the Dutton family filed a request with the state to allow him to attend SSSD. An initial decision in favor of keeping Mark at the LIU was over- turned by a panel of two attorneys and an educator and the Lake- Lehman District was reprimanded Youth Soccer draws 100's Ne « for forcing the student to attend classes against his will. Recently, the family heard that there was to be an appeal to the Federal Court by the district on behalf of the LIU. “These people demonstrating tonight are supporting Mark's transfer to the SSSD,” said Rubel. “They know communication is the essence of education.” Mark's grandfather, Don Rubel, Sr. asked, “Why stop a child from going toschool where he can learn?” Protestors came from as far away as Allentown, Levittown, Philadel- phia and Williamsport to support Mark's cause. They urged the board not to appealand to allow Mark to attend Post Staff contractor. See DEAF, pg 2 In South Abington: same program, few problems By ERIC FOSTER : “J Six months before the Dallas Area Municipal Authority initiated | | a recycling program, South Abington Township, which is located | outside of Scranton, started a similar program using the same But unlike the Back Mountain experience, protests against the system were few and far between. The township signed a three-year contract with Danella Envi- ronmental Technologies Inc., giving them exclusive rights to collect waste and recycables. South Abington residents will pay $153 for the first year of serv- ice, $156 for the second, and $157 for the third - more than the $135 the residents in Dallas Borough, and Kingston and Dallas townships will pay the Dallas Area Municipal Authority (DAMA). See PROBLEMS, pg 8 Ar AAT On August 13, 1991, the Dallas School District's Negotiating Com- mittee increased their initial sal- ary offer to the Dallas Education Association's Negotiating Commit- tee in an effort to come to terms on a two-year successor agreement. The District's latest salary in- crease was made through the state assigned Mediator, Mr. Jim Paley, tothe teacher's representatives. After eight months of bargain- ing, the teacher's negotiating committee still refuses to make any movement in their initial sal- ary demands. The teacher's negotiating com- mittee is seeking a five (5) year * contract with yearly salary in- creases approximately 10% on javerags per teacher. | Soe TEACHERS, TAKING AIM - Paul Shiber, 8, of Dallas, takes a shot after a game 8 : ‘Saturday. gs By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff For more than a dozen years, soccer fever has gripped the Back Mountain. The Back Mountain Youth Soc- cer League played its first games of the 1991 season August 17, with 600 kids in ranging from 8 to 16 playing. The children in the under 8- year-old teams (U-8), will play their first games this Saturday, Aug. 24. “Right now we have over 800 kids in the intramural soccer, starting with U-8 and going to U- 16," said Paul Callahan, president of the league. “Intramural is an instructional league,” said Callahan. “We play to win, but we don’t keep track of the games or standings. At the end of 5 the season we offer a little tourna- ment for every level but U-8." The U-8 teams play on a smaller field, have smaller goals, and only have seven players from each team on the field at a time. “At one time, we were over 1,000 kids,” said Callahan. “We could go over that, but we don't have enough coaches. Unfortunately, that means sometimes we have to turn some away.” Callahan has been coaching for about 9 years. “I got involved because of my son, Sean, was in a U-8 team,” he said. Callahan's daughter Christy is on a U-13, all girls team. “When we're looking for coaches, it's usually a parent with a son of daughter in the league.” See SOCCER, pg 8 or 4 part harmony are invited. Calendar........... 16 Police report............... .... Da Classified.....13-15 Property Transfers........... 2 Editorials............. 4 SChool.........i ibis eennie 12 Obituaries.......... 13 SPONS..c..oi liner ee 11 Community Events MEET THE TEAM NIGHT - Aug., 21, 6:30 PM, for the 1991 Dallas football season, Dallas High School. Parents and friends invited. FLEA MARKET & CRAFT SALE - Sat., Aug. 24, 10 AM-4 PM, Eastern Star Building parking lot, Dallas (behind Acme). Lunch served. Rain date Aug. 25. i ARTS AT HAYFIELD SUMMER FESTIVAL -Sun., Aug. 25, 11 AM-6 PM, Penn State campus, Lehman. Arts, crafts, music, fun for kids, food, one-woman play, "Sojurner," at 3 PM. NEW COMMUNITY SINGERS - begin their fall season Aug. 26 at Mercy Center, Dallas, 7:30-9:30 PM. All women who enjoy singing 3 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, ‘NEWS (03 Pe
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