4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA
Wednesday, March 12, 1997
Le EDITORIALS
-
Citizens should speak
about phone tower
“+ Before the Dallas Township supervisors enter into an agree-
ment to lease township land for construction of a 285-foot tall
cellular phone transmission tower, they owe the citizens of the
township an opportunity to review the plans and to voice their
~ opinions about the project. If and when they do so, they may
find that many people value a relatively uncluttered hilltop over
the financial benefits of the lease, or they may not.
+. The supervisors appear to have jumped at the chance to pick
up a few dollars for the township, giving little or no consider-
ation to how the people who live in town feel about such an
intrusion on their skyline. But even low-tax advocates might
shrink at the thought of a structure the size of a 28- story
building thrusting into the sky near the township building. The
advantages — car phone calls free of static and income to the
township — may be less attractive than preserving what's left
of our disappearing country views.
“Citizens also should have the opportunity to weigh the value
of the lease payments against the loss of use of township land
that will be committed for the tower, and other obligations the
township may incur in the relationship with Cellular One.
“Given the lack of attendance at township meetings, it's
possible nearly everyone in the township is content to leave all
aspects of their town’s operation in the hands of the supervi-
sors. That is a mistake in any community; elected officials need
to hear from citizens in order to have a basis on which to make
decisions that affect taxes, development and other quality of
life issues.
There is no legal requirement that officials allow public
opinion to sway their decisions in a case like this, but that
doesn't prevent the Dallas Township supervisors from going:
out of their way to inform people about significant activities
that might affect their lives. This surely is one such occasion,
and before they sign anything the supervisors should hold a
well- promoted meeting to fully inform citizens of all aspects of
the proposed agreement.
Ready, set, go to an
interesting election
This election cycle promises to be a lively one in the Back
Mountain, particularly in races for seats on the Dallas and
Lake-Lehman school boards. In the Dallas district, there will be
a choice of candidates for the first time since 1993, when
Maureen Banks, Joseph Kunec, Thomas Landon and James
Richardson — whose seats are up this year — were elected to
the board.
The heightened interest has been sparked by several issues
that surfaced in the past year or two, among them the high
school s switch to “intensified scheduling,” a dispute between
a “parent and football coach, and the ongoing discussion of a
replacement for the Westmoreland Elementary School. While
each of these is important, we trust that the candidates see the
prospect of serving on the board as an opportunity to contrib-
ute to the overarching goal of any school system — to provide
the best education possible for our children.
' Lake-Lehman faces a different set of problems, dominated by
the district's weak financial position. The next board will need
the wisdom of Solomon combined with a bit of the Midas touch
to set the system on firm footing while maintaining the spirit of
cooperation between parents, teachers and students that
pervades the district.
~The underlying vitality of our democracy derives from com-
promise forged out of competing ideals. While elections can
become combative and personal — something we hope will be
absent here — the alternative of no contending opinions saps
the strength of a system that is meant to reflect the majority's
preferences, not the dictates of a ruling class. We look forward
to a spirited and informative election, and pledge our resources
to bringing the candidates’ ideas to readers as fully and fairly
as possible.
Publisher's notebook
* I'm all for the state getting out of the liquor sales business,
but let's be honest about it. A report published in the Sunday
Times Leader included a price comparison of prices at PLCB
stores and privately-owned stores in Maryland and Delaware.
So far, so good, except anyone who pays attention to liquor
pricing couldn’t help noticing that the prices in the out-of-state
stores were so low they must have been special sales. The
distortions shouldn't be surprising, since the survey was
conducted by a company that operates stores in the other two
states. It's probably a safe bet they'd like to have stores in PA,
too.
Your Sports & News items
are welcomed at The Post
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
Dennise Casterline
ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC
Kylie Shafferkoetter
REPORTER
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PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING
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OFFICE MANAGER
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Like ducks, or rather geese, on a pond. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek.
LETTERS
School board should listen to the children
Editor: To Ernest Ashbridge
and Board Members.
Why don’t you call a special
meeting and listen to the chil-
dren. These are little people that
will tell you how they love that
school, teachers, they feel secure
and happy there.
Guest
column
15 (SD BY [WE REVI ELS
Got the winter blahs? Find
yourself walking back and forth
in the house, then looking out the
windows to see what your neigh-
bors are doing? And they're look-
ing back at you?
Well, have I got the ultimate
panacea. Become a volunteer in
your community!
A long time ago, when I was in
high school, a guest speaker atan
assembly program said something
which I never forgot. He said,
“The hardest thing for a young
person to learn was which bridges
to cross and which to burn!”
If you have been wallowing in
sloth recently, why not join a ser-
vice-oriented organization, such
LIBRARY
By NANCY KOZEMCHAK
The Back Mountain Memorial
Library is featuring a collection of
turtles in the display case at the
library. These were borrowed from
Laura DeCesaris of Wyoming who
is eight years old in third grade at
the Dallas Elementary School.
Laura came home from the hospi-
tal after she was born with a spe-
cial newborn hat that had a rib-
bon on it covered with turtles.
Since then, she has increased her
collection with a turtle made from
coal, a gift from a visit to the coal
mines.
There are several stuffed turtles
she received as gifts over the years
and molded turtles collected from
various nature stores on vaca-
tion. There are jewelry turtles,
gifts from friends and relatives
and some mementos from various
vacations. There are some sea-
shell turtles from Ocean City, New
Jersey which were made by a local
person from shells from the area.
Irealize architects have to make
a living, but the school could be
remodeled. Let them draw up
plans to remodel Westmoreland
and stop catering to them and
letting them push you into a start-
ing date. The children of today
don’t have as much stability in
their lives as we did, all they ask
for is “stay where they are.”
Years down the road if there
are behavior problems galore you
can all blame yourselves, it's a
known fact kids love to copy older
kids.
Nancy Dombroski
Yolunteering in community
can bring fulfillment
as the Lions, the Elks, or the
Moose? Or, how about going down
to your local library and asking if
they could use your help?
Do you have a pleasant dispo-
sition and find that your very pres-
ence makes other people happy?
Go to a hospital and offer to help.
Just speaking to a depressed or
sick patient may be just what that
person needs “to make his day.”
You may not realize it, but your
personality is a gift!
When was the last time you
gave the gift of life—that is, made
a blood donation? Have you ever
volunteered your services to
church organizations? The La-
dies Auxiliary? Drug and Alcohol
abuse organizations?
Burn those bridges of sloth and
boredom and cross over the bridge
to community service. If you have
been bored, maybe it's because
you are boring!
Having recently been elected
as Mrs. Pennsylvania, I wondered
what it was that I could do for my
community and people in my state.
I decided that I'd become a
guide to crossing bridges that led
to more active involvement by our
citizens in community service. I'd
recruit givers!
The ultimate givers recently met
me at a Veterans’ Hospital in the
Lehigh Valley. They were a band
of “Purple Heart” veterans whose
greetings were so heartfelt by me
that I was speechless.
These men, who gave so much
for their country, were praising
the likes of me, when it was I who
was in awe of them...and their
willingness to continue giving.
I will make you a promise: if
you become a giver to society, I
promise that your life will be ful-
filled more abundantly, and you
will love crossing the bridge to
community service for the rest of
your life. A perk: toll free!
Turtles on display at library
The top of the display is adorned
with a large stuffed turtle, which
is loved by all who see it, from
Disney World in Florida, which
came home with Laura. The turtles
will be displayed until April 2.
New books : “Sole Survivor” by
Dean Koontz begins with a cata-
strophic, unexplainable plane
crash. Three hundred and thirty
dead, no survivors. Among the
victims, the wife and two young
daughters of Los Angeles Post
crime reporter Joe Carpenter. A
year later, after a year of grief, Joe
encounters a woman named Rose
who survived the crash, with a
secret.
“Abuse of Power” by Nancy Tay-
lor Rosenberg is the story of a
heroic yet vulnerable police of-
ficer caught in an agonizing tug-
of-war between conscience and
career, a most unforgettable and
fascinating character. The tale is
about law enforcement and those
who devote their lives to it. The
story is intensely real and terrify-
ing of widow Rachel with two chil-
dren to raise.
“The Partner” by John Grisham
is about Danilo Silva who they
watched for days before finally
grabbing him. He lived alone, a
quiet life, in a small town in Brazil
in a modest home, certainly not
one of luxury. There was no evi-
dence of the fortune they thought
he had stolen. He was thinner
and his face had been altered.
Four years earlier, he had been
Patrick Lanigan.
Honor books added to library collection
The Back Mountain Memorial Library announces the addition of
Honor Books for 1997:
In honor of the Anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cacozza, July 19
“Miller's Victoriana To Art Deco” presented by Janet Andes and family
and Roxann Zurla and family.
In honor of Bruce C. and Beth Flannery Rosenthal “The Wired
Neighborhood” presented by Joseph and Janice Savitz.
In honor of Sally Sieber on her 80th birthday, “Wildflower Folklore”
presented by the Friends from St. Paul's Lutheran Church.
In honor of Ruby Bulford Elston on her 100th birthday, “Living
Faith” presented by Margaret S. Corbett.
If you missed The Post - you missed the news!
ONLY
YESTERDAY
60 Years Ago - Mar. 19, 1937
FERN BROOK PARK GETS
LEASED BY NEW YORK CO.
One of the most popular re-
[sorts in the county, Fern Brook
Park which has had several bad
years is to be streamlined by Pierre
Venner of New York who took a
three year lease on the property
recently. The addition of new
equipment and an elaborate land-
scaping plan which will dot the
park with flower beds and shrub-
bery are a part of the plans of
Venner. His last amusement cen-
ter was near Poughkeepsie, NY.
Aided by mild winter weather,
contractors who are relocating a
stretch of Rt. 92 preparatory to
adding another 3-mile stretch of
concrete to the highway, which
connects Dallas and
Tunkhannock are making rapid
progress. With continued good
weather the contractors should
be far ahead of schedule when the
weather permits the laying of con-
crete.
50 Years Ago - Mar. 21, 1947 :
SCARLET FEVER
INNOCULATIONS GIVEN
Through the cooperation of
Dallas Borough Board of Health,
the School Board and other State
agencies, . scarlet fever
innoculations will be given after
the Easter vacation to all stu-
dents of Dallas whose parents
request them. Innoculations will
be given over a five week period
and must be continuous. Be-
cause of the nature of the
innoculations which are given in
increasing doses, Mrs. Robert
Moore, Sr., School Nurse stresses
that any pupil who misses anyone
of the innoculations will be un-
able to continue with the rest of
the program.
Alfred Milner Camp, director of
music at Lake Township Schools
has been appointed music super-
visor at Dallas Township Schools
and will assume his new duties as!
soon as he can be released from
his present contract.
40 Years Ago - Mar. 15, 1957
BOARDS VOTE 'NO' TO
AREA JOINT SCHOOLS
Two school boards, Dallas Bor-
ough and Kingston Township:
voted in separate actions Wednes--
day evening to withdraw from the
Dallas Area Joint Schools at the
earliest effective dateJuly 1, 1958
and to start immediately to pro-"
mote a Union District comprising
of Dallas Township, Dallas Bor:
ough and Kingston Township.
Action was prompted by the block-
ing and delaying tactics employed
by Monroe and Franklin Town-
ships whose directors have con-
tinually thwarted all efforts of
Dallas Twp., Dallas Borough and
Kingston Twp. to work out an
effective school program.
Tenants of two properties
Nationa Mills and Dallas Shoe
Repair, owned by Miner National
Bank have been notified to vacate
them so that the buildings canbe
razed to make way for enlarge-
ment and improvement of the
Dallas Branch. Work on the new
banking structure and adjacent
parking is expected to start early
in June.
30 Years Ago - Mar. 16, 1967
PROPOSED PROJECT 70
BECOMES AN ISSUE
Plagued by rumors, gossip and
questions wanting reasonable
answers the much debated pro-
posed Project 70 Beach Develop-
ment at Sunset Area of the new
Borough of Harveys Lake became
an issue in the primary political
campaign this week with the re-
lease of a letter by Ray E. Roushey,
Republican candidate for Mayor
on the Borough Manager Political
Committee slate.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jeffrey,
Demunds Road, Dallas, celebrated
their 57th wedding anniversary,
March 14. The couple are the
parents of two children, have six
grandchildren and three great-
grandchildren.
20 Years Ago - Mar. 17, 1977
LAKE LEHMAN BOARD
CONSIDERS SCHOOL SITE
A special public meeting, called
by the Lake-Lehman School Board
will consider plans for new el-
ementary school to be located in
the Harveys Lake-Noxen vicinity
of the school district. According
to Director Kenneth Williams, the
purpose of the meeting will be to
explain to taxpayers the need for
a new elementary school and to
»btain from citizens suggestions
or the building project.