0 > IN Y Vol. 106 No. 29 LSE KS SE SE Gil i ES a wl i is ER will close Dallas, Pennsylvania $1.25 per month phone line charge will fund countywide 911 system By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN - The Back Mountain Communications Cen- ter has chosen what it believes is the lesser of three evils — to close rather than become a secondary answering point for Luzerne County's new 911 system or at- tempt to operate on its own. After unsuccessfully going to “court to try to operate as a self- contained unit, the center's board has decided to join with Luzerne County's new 911 system when it goes on line next year. “It would have been too expen- sive for us to continue operations, either going it alone or as a secon- dary answering point for the “We % oid have operating, county,” said executive director Paul Sabol. “We would have had to spend nearly $500,000 a year to upgrade our equipment to meet the county's standards. We would have liked to have continued operating, but we simply can’t afford it.” The new county-wide 911 sys- Officials wonder about future cost, pg 3 tem will be funded by a $1.25 per month charge on each telephone number in the county. If the Back Mountain had been able to continue operations on its own, it would have needed court approval to collect the $1.25 charge in the same manneras the county system. Based on 12,953 telephone numbers in the Back Mountain, it would have gener- ated $194,295 per year. Upgrad- ing the Back Mountain's equip- ment, however, would have cost more than twice that amount. Operating as a secondary an- swering point would also have been too expensive, Sabol said. Although the county will collect $1.25 per month ($15 a year) for each telephone line in the Back Mountain, it would have reim- bursed the Back Mountain only about $14,000 a year for calls determined to be true emergen- cies. The member municipalities would have had to pay the differ- ence. “To ask the municipalities to continue contributing to our cen- ter while having residents pay $1.25 per phone line per month to the county amounted to double taxation,” Sabol said. “We didn’t See COMM CENTER, pg 8 By GRACE R. DOVE ~ Post Staff LEHMAN TOWNSHIP - A week after earning his obedi- ence school diploma, Jack the Akita puppy brought home a ribbon for best in class July 16 at the Back Mountain Kennel Club's obedience match. Owners Robert Gordon and Diane Shoemaker of Shaver- town were, of course, very pleased. “We felt very green -_going into the ring,” Gordon said. “We haven't decided yet whether or not we'll enter him in other matches or shows.” Jack was one of 28 purebred dogs to enter the American Ken- nel Club-sanctioned breed and obedience match atthe Luzerne County fairgrounds, open to purebred dogs who haven't earned obedience titles or points at major dog shows. “A match is practice,” said club vice-president Beverly Koptcho. “The dogs don’t earn points, but can earn ribbons for best in class, best puppy and best adult dog. The dogs are judged on their behavior, confirmation (appearance ac- cording to strict guidelines) and temperament.” In contrast to the show dog's .- perfumed, pedicured and pam- -pered image, Jack's pre-show “bath was a swim in Beech Mountain Lake, a roll in the grass at the fairgrounds and a Akita's a prize pup ‘Wins ribbon a week out of obedience class fi ov ay Year wearing a Halloween pumpkin costume,” Diane Shosmaket Wins ing Akitas co-owner thorough brushing. “He’s very laid-back,” said Shoemaker, who bought Jack six weeks ago from Frerose Kennels in Spring Run. “We've built up a good relationship - maybe too good. Jack is a bit spoiled and doesn’t like to be left alone while we're at work.” Jack is a graduate of Happy Tails obedience school, where his teacher suggested that Gordon and Shoemaker try showing him. Because Jack is a “daddy's boy,” Gordon took him into the ring, where the pair walked and trotted together and Jack showed off a few of the man- ners he had acquired at Happy Tails. His rewards are liberal praise, a toy or an occasional snack. : “His favorite toy is a stuffed teddy bear wearing a Hallow- een pumpkin costume,” Shoe- maker said, laughing. “We spent a lot of money on all kinds of puppy toys for him, and he would rather have the bear than any of them.” POST PHOTO/GRACE R. DOVE Robert Gordon and Diane Shoemaker praise their seven month-old Akita, Jack, after he won a ribbon at the Back Mountain Kennel Club's breed and obedience match July 16 at the Luzerne County fairgrounds Jack also gets along well with the family’s cat, Tabatha, the self-appointed queen of the house. “The cat knocked Jack down the stairs when he was trying to get her to chase him,” Gordon said. “She took a swat at him, he ducked and took a tumble. Tabatha puts manners on him.” While waiting for his turn in the ring, Jack took advantage of a small inflatable swimming pool filled with cool water, pro- vided for the dogs’ comfort by the club. He couldn't decide which was better — lying down in the water or drinking it. Gordon and Shoemaker had always wanted an Akita, aJapa- nese sporting dog breed. Akitas are a bit taller than a husky, stocky and have pointed ears, a heavy coat and curled tail. They come in black, fawn, spotted and brindle, but must have black faces in order to be show quality, Shoemaker said. Jack, at seven months and 80 lbs, is a handsome mixture ofblack, fawn and brindle, with white paws and a white tail tip. He was one of two Akitas to enter the match. His competi- tor, Mona Lisa, a fawn-colored See AKITA, pg 8 Is this the fourth Muskateer? By JACK HILSHER Post Correspondent Is Trucksville’s Joe Pavlico a reincarnated D'Artagnan of Three Muskateers fame? He is young, he is handsome, and he walks with a touch of swagger, but he would answer that question with a resounding “No! - My family razzes me enough as it is.” But he does fence. And he recently won his first fencing tournament. Joe Pavlico is day- time novice champ at Luzerne County Community College where fencing is a credit course and gaining in popularity. The college is alone in the county promoting what is sometimes thought to be a lost art, buried in the past. Not so; fencing at LCCC is alive and flourishing, thanks to Eng- See MUSKATEER, pg 3 Joseph Pavlico, right, of Trucksville, is shown in a conventional fencing stance with his instructor and LCCC English professor John P. Pisaneschi. Pavlico was the LCCC daytime novice tournament champion. Both are wearing protective gloves and white duck upper body protectors, but in an actual match would also wear face masks. 50¢ nn [==% OF RE = DALLAS & WE LEHMAN lo tleloll DISTRICTS duly 19 i July 25, 1995 POST PHOTO/GHRACE R. DOVE Executive director Paul Sabol was one of the Back Mountain Communications Center's founding fathers. The center will close after Luzerne County’s new 911 emergency dispatch system goes on line next year. Lehman Township] to revamp zoning By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff LEHMAN TOWNSHIP - The supervisors will hold a public meeting July 31 at 7 p.m for resi- dents to give opinions on pro- posed changes to the zoning ordi- nance. “Most of the changes are clari- fications of definitions and set- backs which we had omitted the last time we revised the ordi- nance,” said supervisor David Sutton. The major changes involve temporary uses and development around reservoirs, he added. Applications for temporary uses must be submitted, along with an engineer's plan, to the zoning of- ficer and show the location and size of all buildings, parking ar- eas, traffic access, landscaping and other pertinent information which may be required. The supervisors will hold a public hearing on the application, then submit it to the planning commission for recommenda- tions. The supervisors will act on the application within 45 days of the hearing. Regulations dealing with res- ervoirs and other bodies of water - prohibit any development or use, including on-site septic systems, within 150 feet from the water's edge of any stream flowing into a reservoir. All land within 100 feet of the water's edge must be left See LEHMAN, pg 8 Road repair bids awarded i By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff KINGSTON TOWNSHIP - Pav- ing and road work were the major business items at the regular July 12 supervisors’ meeting. A $21,522 bid for replacement of 30-year-old concrete gutters at Midway Manor was awarded to R.- N. Fitch and Sons. The supervisors also voted to pay American Asphalt $5,100 after a final engineer's inspection to repair the bridge on Franklin Street, which was badly deterio- rated. The supervisors awarded a bid to Alpha Space Control of Fay- etteville, PA, to repaint the white and double lines on 176,000 feet of township roadways. The proj- ect is estimated to cost approxi- mately $6,000, at .0458¢ per lin- eal foot. The supervisors authorized a $12,025 partial payment to Vin- cent Construction, for paving Goeringer Ave. and Mary Street. The project's total cost is esti- mated at $36,000, for replacing the base, milling and paving. A maintenance agreement with George Isaac for a traffic signal to be installed at Isaac's land devel- opment on Route 309 was also approved. No time frame for con- struction or installation was avail- able. HB Running red light leads to car/trailer truck crash at intersection. Page 2. BM Big tryout John Oliver is in Colorado trying out for the National Junior Baseball team. Page 9. 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