EE, HI gsm Dallas, PA Wednesday, November 6, 1996 EDITORIALS Home owners come first in zoning matters : “1 9H Land use is one of the most important issues in communities ww the Back Mountain. Many property owners have the bulk of their savings invested in a home or business property, and they are wise to be vigilant about nearby buildings and land, ‘and the impact the condition and use of them will have on their ‘own property. That is the case in Dallas Borough, where a large turnout is expected for a hearing to consider a request to ‘change the zoning on the former Dallas Family Practice build- ing at the top of Machell Avenue. 2 ‘Neighbors have been concerned about what would happen to the building ever since the office moved to larger quarters in Dallas Township. What began as a small, one doctor office had grown on Machell over the years to house four physicians and a support staff. The office was busy — so busy it needed more room than was available in the old building, which is set in a residential area but had been granted a special exception as a professional office. That exception is now in question, with the owners asking for a change to “offices, including professional, commercial and business.” They are also asking for a variance to'install an exterior stairway and a modest sign. / :+!While some nearby home owners may wish the building would simply be converted to a single-family home, most are more pragmatic, wanting it restricted to the type of office that fleas: disruptive to its surroundings. Certainly there are many uses that would attract less traffic than the busy doctors’ gifice it once was. The challenge for the borough council is to write the special exception in such a way that it protects Hea rby property owners. ‘While we are sympathetic to the owners of the building, we don't think their interests supersede those of the people who make their homes in the area. If council can’t come up with 'Tahguage that leaves no doubt the quality of life for nearby Home owners is not compromised, they should either leave the present stricture in place, or allow the property to revert to the “ore or two family residential status that surrounds it. HH Congratulations to Lake-Lehman field hockey Sewheimer they won or lost Tuesday night, the Lake-Lehman : field hockey team deserves hearty congratulations for an ‘outstanding season. They began the year in perhaps the least enyiable spot possible, listed first in the state in their division. e butterflies that ranking caused were apparent in an early loss, but after getting that out of their system the girls went on pi ——— “they dispatched Lackawanna Trail to move to the district title game, where they scored a hardfought 1-0 victory over Wyo- ming Seminary for the crown. Most teams have stars who carry them to the top of their game, and there surely is no shortage of talent on the field for the Black Knights. But perhaps the most appealing trait of coach Jean Lipski’s charges is the clearly evident emphasis on team play, with a number of players coming up big when the chips are down. “The girls are really team-oriented and they all have a super work ethic,” Lipski says, and the results speak for themselves. And it’s worth noting that many of the same names will appear on the honor roll, indicating they do more than play hockey in their spare time. are ar Publisher's notebook I hope tempers will cool now that the Dallas School Board has voted to put to rest action against Brian Brady, the i assistant football coach accused of meting out too harsh discipline to a player. The 8-1 vote sent a pretty clear message on this particular incident, which was in the end characterized as within the bounds of the football program. But director Reese Finn raises an interesting question when he asks if the same behavior that is accepted in football would be tolerated in another sport, say girls’ soccer. I know there are differences in sports, but does that justify the use of language and other means that wouldn't be brooked at home, work or in the classroom? This incident may be finished business, but there's no reason to think the program won't continue to get extra scrutiny, which is appropriate until everyone's satisfied it is run consistent with all the standards of the school. a Do you agree? Disagree? 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. | The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER vv Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Dennise Casterline Grace R. Dove { ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC REPORTER i Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala 1 PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING |] i Jill Gruver OFFICE MANAGER PRINTED WITH NIN SR Ea LL SOYINK| ASSOCIATION eh INEWSPAPER Spillway at rush hour. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. Let's take back the night and all its beauty A Case for conservation Alene N. Case The little ghouls and goblins of Halloween have once again come and gone. There is, I think, a profound sadness associated with the modern celebration of this ancient holiday. This sadness began in the 60's when some people with twisted minds began to randomly distribute LSD-laced candy to the trick or treaters who innocently knocked on their doors. No longer could children or their parents enjoy the mildly scary traditions of Halloween. No longer were automobiles and imagined objects of the night the only things of which children must beware. It is rather ironic that just at the time that modern science could help us all to be less afraid of the dark by explaining the habits of nocturnal creatures we have be- come prey to the dark activities of some humans. This is true all year round. The two things I fear most at night are drunk or speed- ing drivers and the violence of the drug culture. Ifit were not for the insistence and companionship of our dog, I might never venture out alone after dark. It is time for civilized, honest people to take back the night. If we continue to hide behind our security systems and our night By NANCY KOZEMCHAK The Back Mountain Memorial Library will be publishing a children's cookbook as a fundraiser in conjunction with the Children’s Wing Expansion Capi- tal Campaign. We will be collect- ing recipes—favorite, old or new— and cooking tips for children and other party ideas. The recipes must be tried and true and appro- priate for children (up to age 12) to make. Adult supervision can be a requirement. Official recipe forms are available for pick up at the library. The deadline to sub- mit recipes is November 30. A reservation list for the cookbook orders will be available at the front (Ed lights, how will our children ever experience that half of our envi- ronment that is dark? If we con- tinue to close our parks at sunset, where can one go to stargaze? No, we must leave our secure homes and move about in the dark so thatthose who are intenton doing evil things will know that they are not alone and that they will not likely get away without being no- ticed. If enough of us are out in our backyards making midnight snow sculptures with our chil- dren, the crooks should get the message. “Idream of you walking at night along the streams of the country of my birth, warm blooms and the nightsongs of birds opening around you as you walk.” Thus begins “The Country of Marriage” by Wendell Berry. Do you think such beautiful imagery could ever be created by a mind that had not experienced the night? If you aren't sure, consider these lines from Mary Oliver: “I thought the earth remembered me, she took me back so tenderly, arranging her dark skirts, her pockets full of lichens and seeds.” I appreciate the warmth and security of home as much as any- one else. I also know that we are doing ourselves and our children no favors if we perpetuate the superstitions and fears associ- ated with the night. One of my favorite tapes is “A Guide to Night Sounds” by Lang Elliott. In a most relaxing manner, Mr. Elliott introduces the listener to the in- credible variety of sounds made by insects, birds, alligators, frogs, toads and mammals. From the calls of the common loon to the cries of baby beavers, the tape de- mystifies many noises that might otherwise be frightening or unset- tling. Let's learn all we can about bats- those flying mammals that ‘eat mosquitoes and fruits - so that no one takes seriously the scary vampires of the movies. Let's listen to our feet shuffle through the dry leaves so that noone takes seriously the myth of ghosts. Let's learn the calls of rails and owls, the fighting sounds of raccoons and porcupines, the distress sig- nals of deer and beaver, and the mating choruses of frogs so that we are less spooked by the natu- ral sounds around us after dark. Then, perhaps we can dare to leave our windows open in the summer and listen to the hyp- notic calls of katydids and crick- ets. Perhaps we will waken our children to see the winter display of the aurora borealis or to share in the excitement of a meteor shower. Perhaps we will turn off the lights and the TV occasionally and sit before a crackling fire and share stories and songs. Perhaps we will learn to live in tune with nature whether or not it is dark. Yes, it is time to take back the night. Children's cookbook benefits new wing desk in the library. All proceeds from the cookbook sales will ben- efit the new children's wing at the library. New large print books at the library: “Timeless Healing; the Power and Biology of Belief” by Herbert Benson, MD with Marg Stark weaves a fascinating web of personal anecdotes, scientific re- search, social commentary, and spiritual wisdom to create a pow- erful life-transforming and soci- ety-changing blueprint for health. A concept that may revolutionize health care in the world. “Beauty” by Susan Wilson is a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast. Alix Miller is commissioned to paint the portrait of Leland Crompton. Leland, however, is hideously deformed by a rare ge- netic disorder and tells Alix the portrait will never be hung. As they spend long hours together, Leland learns to love himself and to love Alix with the passion of one man for one woman. “Floaters” by Joseph Wambaugh is the story of Mickey Fortney and his partner Leeds who run a patrol boat on San Diego's Mission Bay. Their tough jobs are eye-balling beauties on pleasure crafts, rescuing party- boaters who have run aground or hauling in an occasional floater who washed up on shore. America’s Cup has brought a new group of crazies to town. “Mourn Not Your Dead” by Deborah Crombie begins when Alastair Gilbert, a commander in the London Metropolitan Police, is found bludgeoned to death in the kitchen of his suburban home by his wife and 17-year-old step- daughter. There is no sign of forced entry. Either he was taken by surprise, or the killer was some- one he had trusted. Gilbert did not always follow rules. ONLY YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - Nov. 13, 1936 LEHMAN CHURCH ‘tet CELEBRATES 80 YEARS The Lehman Methodist Epis- copal Church which traces its origin back more than 100 years will celebrate its 80th anniver- sary dedication of its present church at special services which will begin Sunday evening. ' = The holdings of Sem. A.J. Sordoni at Harveys Lake were in- creased to 3,000 acres with the purchase this week of 1,200 acres on Hickory Knob, overlooking Har- veys Lake formerly owned by the late Albert Lewis. The purchase is reported to be $15,000. It was the third sizable chunk of Harveys Lake real estate acquired by the Senator within the last six months. 50 Years Ago - Nov. 15, 1946 HONEYWELL APPOINTED POLICE CHIEF £5 Special Officer Russell Honeywell has been appointed Chief of Police of Dallas Borough to fill temporarily the position left vacant last week by the resigna- tion of Chief Walter Covert who has served the Borough, both as a special officer and Chief of Police for the past 14 years. Covert explained that matters of health had caused him to make the deci- sion. $1,700 worth of band instru- ments purchased by the Kingston Township School Board for the new Kingston Township High School Band will be on display in the high school auditorium when Kingston Township Band Boost- ers present their second benefit community square dance Nov. 23. You could get - Sirloin steak, 48¢ 1b.; center cut pork chops, 59¢ lb.; Maine potatoes, 50-lb. bag, $1.35; apples, 3 lbs., 29¢; sweet potaotes, 3 lbs., 25¢. 40 Years Ago - Nov. 9, 1956 | DALLAS HIGH GETS ITS START IN A NEW BUILDING State approval of one 'of the four sites prepared for construc- tion of the new Dallas Area High School building was announced by James Hutchison, chairman of Building & Grounds at the Mon- day evening meeting of Dallas Borough-Kingston Township school boards. A full report will be made at next Tuesday night's meeting of the Dallas Area School Board. In the meantime he said he could not divulge the exact location of the favored site. Heavy blasting at the sit€ of the State Institution for Mental De- linquents in Jackson Township frequently rattles windows and shakes glassware off shelves in home throughout the Back Moun- tain area. Moby Dick, starring, Grégoly Peck and Richard Basehart, now playing at Himmler Theatre. 30 Years Ago - Nov. 10, 1966 REPUBLICANS STAY STRONG IN BACK MOUNTAIN The Republican Party retained its strength in the Back Mountain area as revealed in final returns from Tuesday's election. "“Gov.- Elect Ray Schafer was a popular favorite and carried his running mates with him in this sector. T. Newell Wood won over his’ oppo- nent Harold Coslett. Undefeatable Congressman Daniel J. Flood was the only Democrat to run in Hie Back Mountain. The Dallas Mounts Slosed out their season Saturday afternoon by trouncing neighboring Lake- Lehman 35-14 on the winners gridiron. Vandalistm continued jn the sector mentioned in last week's Dallas Post=. A 1957 Dodge owned by Mrs. Betty Lore, Old Lake Hwy, Lake Township was extensively damaged Monday evening. Mrs. Lore reports that the Halloween vandalism has not let up. "= - 20 Years Ago - Nov. 11, 1976 HARVEYS LAKE BOROUGH LOOKS FOR HOME A reconciliation move’ was agreed upon by factions within Harveys Lake Borough Council at the regular council meeting: last week and a public meeting Thurs- day may further ease the differing opinion on the site of the pro- posed borough building. Leaders of both council factions, a minor- ity which favored Sandy Beach for a location for the building and a majority which backs a proposed Sunset area location agreed to invite public participation. Cy AVdsno L
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