8 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, March 12, 1997 Ld. "HUNTING FOR FUN 2 The Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Back Mountain Business and Professional Association will be held Sat., Mar. 29 at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. In addition to the egg hunt, which will begin at 1 p.m., there will be free popcorn, costumed characters, and lots of large prizes. Committee members gathered at Overbrook Restaurant last week to set the plans. From left, seated; John Alaimo, Ellen Alaimo, Peggy Young, Maryellen Giannuzzi. Standing, Tom Robinson, Tony Macri, Fran Ochman. Tower - “(continued from page 1) ers, Rusnock said. He also ex- plained that increased - subscribership may create the need for additional smaller tow- ers in the future. ~ Rusnock explained that tow- ers are built for coverage and capacity. “In certain areas, build- “ings and even trees can block reception of a cellular system. And as the system grows, you have to continually put up cell facilities to handle increased us- age and to provide a better sig- nal,” he said. Len Kozick, zoning officer for Dallas Township, said, “The su- with it. It’s good for the commu- nity.” The township will have to receive height variance approval from the zoning board before the final contract is ironed out with Cellular One. Rusnock said, “We have seen a tremendous increasein 911 calls.” Throughout Northeastern Penn- sylvania, Cellular One has record of 57,000 911 calls in the past twelve months. “That's a signifi- cant number of people whose lives could be on the line if a cellular phone is not available. That's something we are constantly working on,” he said. Construction on the tower could begin as early as summer 1997, according to Rusnock. “We have really gotten excellent coop- eration from Dallas Township. We're very pleased that they are allowing us to put the tower on municipal property. This is addi- tional revenue for the township without a millage increase,” Rusnock said. Candidates (continued from page 1) “Tome, the purpose of the board is to establish a budget and work within that budget. Also, to over- ‘see the administration and set direction for facilities and cur- riculum,” said Kyle. “Ultimately, it's responsible for the quality of education.” Kyle has two children in the district and has never held office. Jamie Kozemko, a staff mem- ber at Penn's Woods Girl Scout Council, wants to put kids first. “A lot of decisions are made with- out considering the students,” she said. Kozemko is a former Girl Scout leader and served as Neigh- borhood Service Unit Director for the Troops of the Dallas School District. She is a former board member of the Westmoreland El- ementary PTO and is presently a member of the Youth Ministry Committee and chairperson of the Youth Group at St. Therese’s Church in Shavertown. “Many issues need to be ad- dressed that aren't being ad- Three will not seek re-election _. Neither Thom Landon, James Richardson norJoseph Kunec are renewing their candidacy for seats ‘on the Dallas School Board. Both men said they have enjoyed serv- ing the community. “I've had a lot of fun,” said Richardson of his 12 years on the board. “I've been there long enough, it's time to let someone else do it.” . Landon said he felt with his other obligations to his work he couldn't give 100 percent to the community. “I have enjoyed serv- ing on the board,” he said. Since he works long hours, “It’s not fair to the board or the district.” Kunec said he would run again but for his wife's request that he spend less time at meetings. "Maybe if I live long enough I'll give it a try next time around," he said late Tuesday. Maureen Banks said she had filed her petition, but said with a smile, “I can still change my mind.” dressed,” she said. In a prepared text, she wrote, “The bottom line in any decision made by the board must always be the emotional, physical and educational well be- ing of all of our young people. They come first.” Kozemko’s daughter graduated from Dallas High School last year and her son is currently attend- ing the school. Candidates were required to turn in completed election peti- tions to the county election bu- reau March 11. Library (continued from page 1) ians and staff. She also pointed out that readers who cannot find a certain book in their local li- brary, can find the closest library carrying the book on the com- puter. “It has lots of benefits for 2veryone involved,” said Yonki. Wheeler believes the automa- tion will enhance the many other changes taking place at the li- brary. “It will fit in nicely with our new addition and renovation,” she said proudly. Many new advances are on the horizon for The Back Mountain Memorial Library. As Wheeler put it, “It’s a facelift that takes us into the 21st century.” got $6.95 each REGULAR $10.95/Ib. Now until Easter Gertrude’s bunnies b the bunc If there's one thing that brings more happiness at Easter than the bunny, it's a bunch of bunnies. Especially the ones you'll find in our Tub O’ Bunnies. With over 30 peanut butter filled milk chocolate bunnies, our tub is a perfect Easter gift for anyone in your bunch. r 2for $13.00 Gertrude ¢2 Hawk. CHOCOLATES Crossroads, Wilkes Barre (Carey Avenue) ‘ Country Club Shopping Center, Dallas (near Insalaco’s) Wyoming Avenue, Kingston - Pittston Mall - Mundy Street, Wilkes Barre (behind the Wyoming Valley Mall) Wyoming Valley Mall (next to Fashion Bug) Easter is early this year ... MARCH 30th! Laser procedure works wonders on eyes By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff SHAVERTOWN - Bob Weisberger of Harveys Lake was sick and tired of wearing contact lenses and glasses. He had struggled with poor vision since birth and his 20/800 score pre- vented him from making out even the largest letters when taking a vision test. That has all changed since his. optometrist, Dr. Curtis Goodwin of Shavertown, steered Weisberger to a new procedure called photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Five days after the laser procedure on his right eye, he could drive legally without a con- tact lens. Now, a month later, his vision in that eye is 20/25 and Weisberger can’t wait to have the left eye repaired. “I would gladly do it again,” Weisberger, 47, said last week, “which I'm going to do.” He plans to schedule an appointment for later this month for the other eye. The procedure itself takes only a minute or two. Weisberger said he was in and out of the office in less'than a half hour the day of his surgery. “There was absolutely no pain before the procedure or throughout it,” he said, but for a few days after it felt like some- thing was stuck in his eye. Weisberger had high expecta- tions, thinking he’d be able to see clearly immediately after the pro- cedure. In reality, it took about five days for his eye to clear com- pletely. The surgery was done on a Friday, and a clear contact lens — a “bandage,” Weisberger called it — was inserted to protect the eye while it healed. The lens came out the following Tuesday, at which point Weisberger said his vision was “terrible.” But the next day, “It was a quantum leap,” he said, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. ~ The procedure, which is rela- tively new in the U.S. but has been common in over 40 coun- tries worldwide, offers several ad- vantages over radial keratotomy (RK), Goodwin says. The primary difference between the two is the instrument a surgeon uses. In radial keratotomy, the doctor makes small incisions in the cor- nea, which is the clear outer cov- ering of the eye. The number of cuts, which are made through about 90 percent of the cornea’s thickness, varies with the sever- ity of the cornea’s distortion. In the new procedure, a computer- controlled laser removes five to 10 percent of the surface of the cor- nea. Precision is assured because the laser must pulse 200 times to penetrate the thickness of a hu- man hair. Weisberger had heard about RK, but was concerned about someone taking a knife to his eyes. Still, he knew he had to do something, since he preferred ex- tended-wear contact lenses, re- moving them only once every week or two, a schedule that can lead to more damage to the eyes. When his optometrist described PRK, Weisberger was interested and became the first patient Goodwin has referred for the procedure. One big difference in the two procedures is the cost of equip- ment. Goodwin said the computer- controlled laser used in PRK costs about $500,000 and takes up the space of a couple of desks set end to end. That makes the procedure a bit more expensive than RK, Goodwin said, but he thinks the advantages outweigh the draw- backs. “The biggest thing is, it's less invasive,” Goodwin said. He said there's also less long-term fluc- tuation in vision after the proce- dure, and it will correct more se- rious vision deficiencies. Weisberger’s vision could not have been corrected so completely by RK, he said. The procedure is not for every- one. Goodwin said it's generally limited to people age 21 or over who don’t have diabetes or cer- tain types of connective tissue disorders, and who have healthy corneas. That's where Goodwin's training comes in; he screens ap- plicants before the procedure is performed and provides follow-up’ examinations. “We work hand-in- hand with the surgeon,” he said. He spent several hours in the classroom at The Laser Center in Scranton, which is the only facil- ity in the region, as well as per- forming the procedure on pigs’ eyes to see how it really worked. While the operation should enable Weisberger to live without contacts or glasses, insurance companies haven't picked up on the savings, and few will pay for either type of procedure; they con- sider it cosmetic surgery. But not Bob Weisberger. “I was happy that he (Dr. Goodwin) was able to lead me to it,” he said. “I've wanted to correct my eyes since I was a child.” Curiously, none of his brothers or sisters has poor vision nor do his three children, Noah, 20; Sarajane, 18, and Hannah, 2. Dr. Goodwin is holding an in- formational seminar on the pro- cedure Wed., Mar. 12 at 6 p.m. at his office at 170 N. Memorial High- way in Shavertown. He also will provide initial screenings at no charge for anyone who wants to - consider PRK. Bob Weisberger of Harveys Lake had his nearsightedness corrected with new laser surgery. He's shown with Shavertown optometrist Dr. Curtis Goodwin, who recommended the procedure. BACK MOUNTAIN RANCH Now open COMPTROLLER OF CURRENCY (6 1996 OUTSTANDING CRA RATING ) ADMINISTRATOR OF NATIONAL BANKS www. grangebank.com MEMBER FDIC Hold on fo Your Assets... Convenience... is something most banks think you must pay for. It's great to drive right up to the local ATM and get everything you need. At Grange National Bank you can use your card as many times as you like for a flat fee of $1.00* per month unlimited usage! *Using ATM cards at other banks subject to their fees, if any. GRANGE NATIONALBANK. Affordable ¢ Friendly ¢ Independent Laceyville: 869-1522 ¢ Back Mountain: 696-6958 ¢ Bowmans Creek: 298-2163 * Edwardsville: 283-4462 Lawton: 934-2178 e Little Meadows 623-2297 © Meshoppen: 833-2131 e Towanda: 265-4711 Tunkhannock: 836-2100 EQUAL HOUSING LENDER = Pa, Ny () Nz
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