. The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, April 2, 1997 | EDITORIALS Don't let cell phone co's profits sully our skyline “Rich. Rusnok, the representative of Cellular One who ad- dressed the last meeting of the Dallas Township Supervisors — and citizens, we might add, did his best to paint a picture in which a 280-foot tower in one of the township's most visible logdtions was not a stain on the horizon but a life-saving, convenience-adding improvement for which we should be eternally grateful. “His employers are probably proud of his efforts to convince skeptical residents of the relative value of his company’s service. At one point he attempted to use the most base appeal, warning that without the ugly tower we'll see people dying left and right because they can’t make a clear cellular phone call. Bullfeathers. Somehow, with the skillful assistance of fire and ambulance volunteers, we've managed to survive until 1997 and haven't lost a whole lot of people due to interrupted cell phone connections. Rusnok overstepped his bounds with that one, of course, - and with other statements such as the one that the Telecom- munications Act of 1996 forbids municipalities from prevent- ing ‘the construction of a phone tower wherever his company chooses to put it. The truth is that the Act does not supersede local zoning controls; it simply says that communities cannot completely exclude phone towers from within their borders. Rusnok’s distortions notwithstanding, the citizens of Dallas Township, through their elected officials, have the right and responsibility to maintain appropriate zoning standards. Péthaps Cellular One thought they could roll us country bumpkins, teasing us with the promise of a few bucks a month so they could make thousands handling calls and leasing space on the tower. Besides, how many people in this neck of the woods care about esthetics anyway? The answer is a lot of us, as Rusnok and the supervisors discovered at the meeting. But they may yet succeed. The Dallas Township Zoning Hearing Board will entertain a proposal at its next meeting for a variance so the tower can be built on township-owned land. That raises another question; should township property be offered for sale or lease to the highest bidder, or should it be reserved for future uses that may benefit everyone in town? Cellular One has other options, but they find this one the most profitable, and they thought it would be easy. The township isn't desperate for revenue, and shouldn't enter into an agreement that is likely to detract from property values an amount equal to or greater than whatever the lease turns out to be. We urge everyone who has an interest in this issue — and that includes all township residents and anyone else who doesn’t want to see the Back Mountain skyline disfigured by this tower — to attend the meeting Tues., April 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the township building along Route 309. LS SCHED) Publisher S Aolehocke:. I was invited to a “focus group” last week, by a survey firm employed by a health care concern that shall remain unnamed. They wanted to gather impressions about mergers and other changes in the health care system that have already taken place or may become reality in the near future. It was a pretty sophisticated group that had a pretty good understanding of what's happened and what may be coming. A common concern was that smaller communities — and the Wilkes-Barre area is considered small by large firms — would lose services as hospitals merge. Another fear is restricted access to special care. If your health plan is allied with a particular hospital, for - example, will you be allowed opinions only by the physicians who practice there? Gary Booth, an active member of Dallas Fire and Ambu- . lance, sat next to me, and he had insight into questions about emergency care. He said all Wilkes-Barre hospitals were closed to emergency admissions for a day last month, something he hadn't seen in many years of service. That's clearly a problem if it occurs with any regularity; every minute counts in an emergency, and having to travel to Berwick or Scranton will surely cost lives. (XX J A new subscriber called to cancel last week. After getting a single issue, she said the paper had too much advertising in it, and she didn't want it anymore. I wish it were so. Actually, there's a complementary relationship between advertising and news; the more ads we have, the more space we make available for news. The Post runs pretty “loose” compared to some papers, with news taking up much more than half the total space most weeks. That's because we want to get as much of the contributed and staff written copy in as possible. So, next time your item doesn’t make it as quickly as you'd like, to tell some stores they should advertise more. Then we'll have more space for the news, too. Your letters are welcome at The Dallas Post Our office is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or mail your letter to us at 607 Main Rd., Dallas, PA 18612, or fax to (717) 675-3650. The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Dennise Casterline ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Paul Rismiller PRODUCTION MANAGER Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Jill Gruver OFFICE MANAGER MEMBER rd 2) PRINTED WITH NIN PENISYIVANLL SOYINK]| ASSOCIATION eh NEWSPAPER Fowl weather friends. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. THANKS Many thanks to egg hunt volunteers, donors Editor! nl 'e The Secorid annual Back Moun- tain Business and Professional Association (BMBPA) Easter Egg Hunt was held last Saturday for the Back Mountain community and the response was amazing. This year’s hunt drew some 1,000 people including approximately 750 children. Prior to the egg hunt kids were visited by Winnie the Pooh, Barney, the Cookie Monster, and the Easter Bunny and then treated to a magic show by Pat Ward. The egg hunt which followed provided every child with an Easter goody bag and a chance at a raffle for another 130 special prizes donated by BMBPA mem- bers and non-members. The Back Mountain Business and Professional Association wishes to acknowledge the tre- mendous efforts of the all-volun- The economic Viewpoing | pi ad Z hs! Howard Grossman New opportunities may abound throughout the Commonwealth, including Northeastern Pennsyl- vania relative to sports and expo- sition facilities. With the publica- tion of the 138 page report of the Governor's Task Force on Sports and Exposition Facilities, the rec- ommendations in the report should be studied carefully by anyone interested in exploring future state aid for sports and exposition facilities. With the funding already in place for the Northeastern Penn- sylvania Convention Center and Civic Area. the new recommenda- tions do not apply to that facility. There is the case, however, that future expansions or moderniza- tion of facilities within the region that are categorized as sports and exposition type may be affected by the recommendations which are eventually implemented by the Commonwealth General Assem- bly or the Administration. The recommendations range in many directions with respect to subsequent funding or revenue sources to help expand, modern- ize or construct new facilities. With the focus on the potential for new stadiums in Philadelphia and teer Easter Egg Hunt Committee, Doug Stevens, Keith Graham and Tony Kaiser of the security and facilities group of Penn State-Le- hman Campus where the hunt was conducted, and those who just wanted to lend a hand for the event. ‘A special thanks to the Back Mountain Business Asso- ciation member volunteers whose support of events like this are a tribute to the strength of the Back Mountain businesses they repre- sent and our community. They truly deserve our support and thanks. Domino's Pizza, Wendy's, Dough Co., Burger King, Mark II Family Restaurant, Herr’s, TGIF / Metz Inc., Field House Sporting Goods, Humphrey's, Valentine's, Ochman Coin and Jewelry, ENCON, Sen. Lemmond’s Office, Franklin First Federal Bank, Core State Bank, Pioneer Bank, Penn State Seed, American Automobile Ass., Mr. James Finn, Three Guys Pizza, Overbrook Restaurant, Cleary Forest Products, Offset Paperback, Brock Phillips: DVM, Hillman Service Co., Dallas Cen- tre Hardware, Tovon Jewelers, Chris's Auto Repair, Priority Search Inc., Marsh and Yanik, American Asphalt Paving Co., Quality Collision, Pump and Pan- try, They Grow So Fast, Orloski’s, Francis Collini, MD, Peking Chef, TeleMedia, Walt Disney Co., Penn State University Lehman Cam- pus, Kiwanis Club of Dallas, PNC Bank and The Dallas Post. Maryellen Giannuzzi, President Peter Restaino, Committee Chairman Back Mt. Business and Professional Assn. New opportunities in sports facilities Pittsburgh, the potential for use of any of the recommendations in other geographic areas of Penn- sylvania may be downplayed. The fact exists, however, that other regions of Pennsylvania may be affected by the results of the new statewide study. Key recommendations in the study include the following: * Legislation should be passed to create a Pennsylvania Stadium and Exposition Facilities Financ- ing Authority to serve as the mechanism for Commonwealth participation in sports stadium, cultural facility, and convention center projects. e The Authority should be an active participant in the negotia- tion of financial arrangements between the owner of the pro- posed facility and the team owner, convention center operator, cul- tural facility users, and other par- ties that may be essential to the long-term success of the proposed project. e The Task Force recommends consideration for privatization of the state liquor store system to fund the Authority and to provide an endowment for the Authority. e The Commonwealth should closely monitor and oppose the “stop tax” - Exempt Arena Debt Issuance Act (S.1880) currently pending before the US Congress as it would have a significant im- pact upon the abillity of tax ex- empt bond financing to be used for professional sports facility projects. e In order for municipal govern- ments to fulfill their roles in the proposed public-private partner- ships for facilities development, the General Assembly should en- act necessary legislation to em- power municipalities with autho- rization to generate a full range of user-oriented revenue relating to sports facilities, cultural facilities and convention. Sports represents a substan- tial part of Northeastern Pennsylvania's economy and qual- ity of life. There is a strong high school sports tradition across the region. Furthermore, convention and exposition facilities are key to travel development and tourism and to the continuing attractions of a multi-state, statewide and sometimes national perspective to the region. The report should be thoroughly reviewed and assessed by North- eastern Pennsylvania public and private sector organizations. Those who are interested in ex- amining the study and its results may contact the EDCNP, 1151 Oak Street, Pittston, PA 18640. Howard Grossman is Executive Director of the Economic Develop- ment Council of Northeastern Penn- sylvania. He lives in Dallas. ONLY YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - April 9, 1937 NEW PLAN FOR BY-PASS ~~ SKIRTS DALLAS BOROUGH +" | Faced with the possibility of continued opposition in Luzerne to any attempt to construct a high* way which will avoid that borough's Main Street, propo- nents of the long-delayed by-pass : this week were studying a new plan to skirt the borough, thus removing the job from Luzerne’ g- jurisdiction.. Having abandoned two pits” for acquiring a new home, mefmn- bers of the Shavertown Volunteer Fire Co. will have a third proposal presented to them at their next meeting Monday evening and a - final decision on the matter is expected. The movement to buy’ or build a home for the Shaver- town Company has been under consideration for some time and’ early in February with $2,700 al: ready in their treasury, the fire- men agreed to look over proper-. ties with the view of acquiring a home. 50 Years Ago - April 11, 1947 NEW HOMES BUILT ON MEMORIAL HIGHWAY Three homes are completed, three more under construction and the cellars of three more are being excavated on the plot of land on Veteran's Memorial High- way beyond Natona Mills is being developed by Bernard Banks and Alton Steele Co. Before the end of theyear as many as 50 new houses may be built on the plot if the demand for homes meets the ex- pectations of the developers. The big new plant of Natona Mills on Veterans Memorial High- way is rapidly approaching completion. If all goes according to schedule, Sordoni Construc- tion Co. expects to have its part of the job finished by mid-May. Now playing at Shaver Theatre, “Big Sleep” with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. 40 Years Ago - April 5, 1957 DALLAS SCHOOL BOARD ALMOST LOSES CONTROL It required the patience of Job to keep the special meeting of Dallas Area School Boards from getting out of hand Tuesday evening, but acting president Francis Ambrose of the joint board had it and did a commendable job of trying to hold the boards in line and within the framework of the jointure. “We are met here to remove a little difficulty that has arisen in the jointure. I hardly know where the solution of a situ- ation such as this should begin, * Amrose said. “But I hope we can agree to agree.” Commonwealth Telephone Company's Back Mountain ex- changes will have attractive code names after Sept. 1. Dial “ORchard for Dallas”; "NEptune for Harveys Lake", and "GReenleaf for Sweet Valley" will remind everyone that even Telephone Companies have imagination. A huckster from Madison Avenue with a rural frame of mind couldn't have selected better. 30 Years Ago - April 6, 1967 CITIZENS DISCUSS AMBULANCE PROBLEMS Over 50 interested citizens turned out Sunday at Jackson Fire Hall to discuss problems of ambulance service for the town- ship. The meeting was called by the Board of Supervisors who felt a moral responsibility in seeing to it that such a service is available to people they serve; although they are not legally obligated to do so. Dallas School Board awarded bids Wednesday evening for the senior high addition work to be- gin shortly. Grosek & Sons were awarded the contract for General Construction at the low figure of $683,427. A larger library, sci- ence and music area will be pro- vided, courtyard will be converted into a larger dining area and part will be used for instruction. 20 Years Ago - April 7, 1977 THREE ANNOUNCE CANDIDACY FOR JUDGE Three candidates for district justice for District 3-8 presented their candidacies and fielded ques- tions from the floor during the regular meeting of the Dallas Ro- tary Club at Irem Temple Country Club last Thursday. Incumbent Magistrate Leonard Harvey, and candidates Donald Jones and Henry Tuck each presented brief statements regarding their posi- tion and qualifications. ® ) E h 4 Re © ~/ 4 if oN id
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers