4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, August 16, 1995 - - ‘The Dallas Post Time to pull the plug on National Utilities No company treats its customers with as much contempt as National Utilities. But no matter how frequently it fails to provide even minimal service, this pariah of a water supplier continues to hold its license, to collect payments, and to have its profits assured by the Commonwealth. It is a ridiculous and disgusting condition, and one which ought to be remedied by yanking the company’s privilege to do business in Pennsylva- nia. From Shickshinny to South Abington to Lehman to Harveys Lake, this company has left a trail of destruction and ill-served customers in its wake. The water it provides — when it is able to fulfill it responsibilities at all — is inferior, it doesn’t maintain its facilities, and when National Utilities does attempt mainte- nance it invariably leaves a sloppy mess behind. The latest outrage occurred at Harveys Lake, where the company refused to own upto aleak that damaged a home after being ignored for months, even as other customers went without water all spring. This follows by mere months com- plaints in Lehman that the company failed to properly repair a roadway that had been dug up several times as the company incompetently attempted to fix a leak in Oak Hill. People with longer memories will recall that National Utilities was the delinquent owner of the Shickshinny-Mocanaqua Water Company, until the state forced it to sell after years of poor service. It is time to end this farce. Representative George Hasay should begin proceedings to strip National Utilities of its remaining holdings, but only after it has been forced to contribute the funds necessary to put them in decent shape. And the shameless principals of this worthless enterprise should be barred from ever again owning or managing any enterprise that could affect public health. Hooray for George Isaacs’ recycled’ building Three cheers for George Isaacs and his architect Lynn Wallack, who are in the process of having the former “Duke” Isaacs auto dealership building recycled. We usually think of soda cans and newspapers when talking about reusing mate- rials, but this is the same principle on a grand scale. The metal- frame main building will be taken down and reassembled in Wyoming, by a building contractor who sees the wisdom — and savings — of putting a perfectly good structure to use. Wallack says the new owner plans to reuse the wiring, insulation and other items inside the building as well as the steel frame and shell. ~ Perhaps we Americans finally are learning that there are al- ternatives to the slash and burn approach we have taken with outdated structures. While this building had no particular esthetic value, the materials and energy that will be saved in this process are impressive. It may all come down to economics, but it makes good sense to use bottles and buildings again. whenever possible. The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Peggy Young Grace R. Dove ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC REPORTER Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Jill Gruver OFFICE MANAGER : MEMBER 7 | 2) PRINTED WITH NIN PENRGYIVANIA e SOY INK ASSOCIATION ig NEWSPAPER “As Iwas | saying The start of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Triathlon Sunday was a mad dash into Harveys Lake. POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK - The old New Yorker magazine used to have a department called “The Clouded Crystal Ball” which they used to chronicle touted events which turned out wrong. Not the new New Yorker - an utter disaster - but the old one with Peter Arno and James Thurber cartoons. | miss them. But I digress. My crystal ball is far from clouded. It tells me we are in the formative stages of a “Colin Powell for President” sell. This campaign is there if you want to look at the facts. Fact #1: A recent Time cover said, “Will he run? If Powell has the nerve, he could change Amer- ica.” (Jeez let us hope so ‘cause it sure needs changing.) A profes- sor McCawley at the U of C said, “Presumably Time didn't want to insult Powell by presupposing that he doesn’t have the nerve, so they said “has” instead of “had.” Fact #2: A Daily News pix showed Powell and his wife over the caption: “Will he be like Ike?” - And theyadded, “Officially he says he doesn't plan to decide his polti- cal path until after a publicity tour for his September book, My American Journal. Fact #3: After this background lead: “He owns a sprawling home in a white Washington suburb, loves tinkering with old Volvos and enjoys the image of a leader whose skills have nothing to do with skin color,” aJune Newsweek piece says Powell would like to the first broadly popular black candi- date for national office. A friend says he is a practical guy and he wouldn't make racial themes an issue. “He wouldn't have to, the symbol of his pres- ence would be enough.” But if he does run, Powell will have to dis- cuss those issues in detail, and Newsweek says America will be listening carefully. LETTERS | Harveys Lake's no wake speed limit all wet Editor: As a fisherman and boater on Harveys Lake for many years, I was thrilled to read in your Au- gust 9th edition that I am not alone in wishing for the demise of the night speed limit on Harveys Lake. Not that don’t feel the need for a limit, but the solution posed by the Fish and Boat Commission and Harveys Lake Borough is a cruel joke. Having fished and boated extensively in Canadaand New York, itis a crime to return to have a “no wake” speed inflicted upon the night fishermen of Har- veys Lake. This is a speed that is generally reserved for areas where damage could be done by the wake created by a boat. I don't know if our Fish and Boat Commission is aware of it but there are speed limits some- where betv/een “no wake” and “No limit.” Have they considered the possibility of a 25 mile per hour limit, which would allow most boats to get on plane. I have traversed the lake for years at night, limiting myself to that speed for safety’s sake and never had a problem. I could even live with a 5 mile per hour limit, which is about double “no wake” speed but would allow a fisherman to cross the lake at night and return to the marina before it was time for work the next morning. This speed limit exists in New York on the Oneida and Seneca Rivers, where boaters must navi- gate in a narrow restricted chan- nel often occupied by much larger vessels. I have: traveled these waterways for miles and this speed is certainly more reasonable and just as safe. It seems to me that the greatest problems at Harveys Lake are the ones not being ad- dressed. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that on a typi- cal Sunday afternoon, the lake becomes a playground for people under the influence of alcohol, inexperienced boaters on ski machines who do not know of or care about any rules, and chil- dren who have not been taught rules and are too young to operate motorized watercaft without supervision. At one time, I had the consola- tion of knowing that I could get away from this madness by shift- ing my fishing and boating hours to evening and night. But alas, the Fish and Boat Commission has seen fit to punish me for this, making it so time consuming to legally return to the marina that it is no longer worth the effort. As long as they refuse to consider all users of the lake and recognize that a “middle ground” exists, many fisherman like myself will be forced to pursue our sport elsewhere and, perhaps spend our fishinglicense fee in another state. Hopefully they will wake up and convert “no wake” to 5 mph or perhaps 25 mph to at least allow boats to achieve planing speed. At the same time, I would hope . that efforts would be expanded through education and enforce- ment toassure that all other rules are followed at all hours on the lake, without penalizing law abid- ing citizens who wish to enjoy the lake at night. David K. Thomas Shavertown Weed control oil spraying pollutes the water Editor: What's the deal? This week our community wit- nessed three oil spills, two acci- dental and one pre-meditated. Granted, the oil truck that over- turned and the rupture of a resi- dent's home heating oil storage were probably unavoidable, but | Powell dropping hints of run for presidency Fact #4: A long feature in the New York Times National section quotes a friend as saying, “Sup- pose, just suppose, he wants the job. He has nothing to gain by running after it months ahead of time. That makes him look like everyone else.” The general himself says, want to keep my options open. I'm going to do something to try to help make this an even greater country than it is now. Just keep watching. I'll be out there some- where.” Powell, 58, has about finished his memoir to be published this fall. Time bought it and will run excerpts. Then he has a five-week international tour covering 22 cities starting in mid-September, promoting the book. To qualify for the New Hamp- shire ballot there is a filing dead- line of December 22. Plenty of time, but of course my clear crys- tal ball prognosticates it has al- ready begun. And you can be sure I'll tell you I told you so. when Dallas and Lehman Town- ships plan, budget and condone oil spraying along our roadways as aweed control measure, I sense a lack of understanding of our environment and our effect on it. Let's not kid ourselves. The Chesapeake blue claw crabs that you enjoyed, as the triathlon contestants cycled over the oily Back Mountain roadways had just a little taste of home. Who knows, maybe some of those international athletes were impressed by the think-tank at work in the Back Mountain. Kevin Santry Harveys Lake Triathlon volunteers were good representatives of region Editor: I was one of those who “did” the triathlon - but as an artist, I did it in my own way: with a paint- brush, from start to finish. While painting at the intersec- tion by the Hayfield Farm sign at Penn State, I was extremely im- pressed by the patience, dedica- tion, and fortitude of several of the volunteers stationed there. I never before realized the difficul- ties associated with closing off those two roads and the intersec- tion. I never before realized the verbal abuse, insults and split- second decisions that comprise the job of triathlon traffic volun- teers. At that intersection, those vol- unteers (and, I am sure, the vol- unteers at all the other intersec- tions as well) exhibited a profes- sionalism that impressed me so much that | want to verbally and publicly commend them, and also thank all the volunteers who made the triathlon work. No, I'm not an athlete, But I'm proud of the Back Mountain, and very proud of the people who live, work and volunteer here. Thanks to all of you! Sue Hand Dallas Do you agree? Disagree? OF 'H I YESTERDAY 2 CT SR I RST SE HT TE 60 Years Ago - Aug. 23, 1935 WORK STARTS ON NEW HIGH SCHOOL ANNEX Contracts for the erection of a one-story annex to Dallas Town- ship High School were awarded, this week by township school directors. Execution of the con’ tracts will be speeded so work cart’ be started within the next few" weeks. It is expected the addition’ will be ready for use before the: end of the year. The fifth annual field day of Shavertown Chemical Co. will be’ held at Shavertown school grounds beginning at 1 p.m. Fire-- men have planned a program’ which is expected to attract a large throng. The Ladies Aut iary will serve a baked ham sup- per in the dining room of th e’ Methodist Episcopal Church. ~ 38 “ A 50 Years Ago - Aug. 24, 1945 1 TEXTILE FIRM EYES AREA LOCATION i: 9 An old established textile in; dustry operating four large plants along the Atlantic Seaboard, three: in New York State and one in New Jersey is definitely interested in': establishing a new plant in the Back Mountain Area, to handle: the dyeing and finishing prefera- bly in the vicinity of Dallas for" their other operations. According’ » to present plans the plant willc employ at least 200 persons on“ three shifts and have an annual payroll of approximately: $350,000. Plans also call for” considerable future expansion. © With cessation of hostilities ir’ the Pacific area, price control has" become doubly important to Dal- las War Price & Rationing Board .. officials, for it was after WWI that | prices went “sky high,” then. | dropped to an all-time low, caus: | ing panic and depression. Ceiling | prices will remain for some months to come, on all foods, clothing, furnishings and other necessities of life. 40 Years Ago - Aug. 19,1955 | COLLEGE PLANS EXPANSION PROJECT College Misericordia, spurred by increased enrollment and consequent need for expansion, . : plans to erect three ultra-modern buildings at an approximate cost of $500,000. This is the most important building projected for. the Back Mountain area this year. , A Science Building, Music Build- * ing and Club House will face the : auditorium. Contracts for the new buildings will be awarded _ a» shortly and construction is ex- pected to start late in September. . Whitesell Brothers have laid foundation for a new warehouse at theiryards at intersection of Rt. 115 and Memorial Highway. of concrete block construction twill” be 50x100 feet. A truss roof will © afford ample room for the storage ; of all types of building material.” You could get - Cantaloupes 2 Hy 4 33¢; ground beef, 3 lbs. /$1. i chuck roast, 29¢ Ib.; sweet pota- toes, 3 lbs., 29¢; Virginia Leer} Dutch Apple Pie, 39¢ ea. fs | ry om bY) oy > o ¥.¥ A Bi 30 Years Ago - Aug. 19, 1965 1 CARVERTON ROADIN io : 'DEPLORABLE SHAPE' . He Contrary to rumor that the, ici death of Dominic Piledggi put an, end to plans for a 165-acre golf, ... course on the Raymond Goerin-,. ger property at Lake Louise, Mr., i, Goeringer reported on inquiry by. P Editorials are the opinion of the management of The Dallas Post, and are written by the editor unless otherwise indicated. We welcome your opinion on contemporary issues in the form of letters to the editor. If you don't write, the community may never hear a contrasting point of view. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number so that we may verify authenticity. We do not publish anonymous letters, but will consider withholding the name in exceptional circumstances. We reserve the right to edit for length and grammar, this paper, that plans are still intact. A permit was granted last... : week by the Luzerne County Plan- ning Commission for the $250,000 * course in Franklin Twp. Deplorable conditions of Carverton Road was discussed by residents and supervisors alike at a meeting of the Board at King- ston Township Building last week. Jacob Harrison said the thorough- fare is a disgrace and with gas pipeline installation adding to dust and difficult terrain, motorists complain of discomfort and in- convenience. 20 Years Ago - Aug. 21,1975 | LAKE-LEHMANMILK | CONTRACT FINALLY LET Contracts totaling $27,000 were awarded to three area milk suppliers by the Lake-Lehman School Board, but not without difficulty. Deciding how to split contract took three motions. When final ballot was cast, Purvin Dairy had been added to the list of suppliers for the school district. “™ A I SA TV BS Te i A SR SR BN STR SR AT SR CE Se TR RT A DR RTT vee (4% < &
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers