-, - RE er ae = — ee pr er BR Se ee &® Ed a aa P Ee Vol. 108 No. 19 Candidates wind down campaigns By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff DALLAS - As the days dwindle closer to election day, eight candi- dates vying for one of the four open seats on the Dallas School Board are gear- ing up for the big day. The only in- cumbent in the race, Maureen Banks, is seek- ing her second term. “It's been interesting and alearning experience,” said Banks of her first term. “It's not at all what I thought it would be in every way. You go in thinking you can accomplish this and this and then you find out that everything is wrapped in red tape.” Banks is currently the only woman onthe board. When asked if their was a specific issue that encouraged her to run for another term on the board, Banks simply answered, “A lot of people asked me to.” Initially Banks was not sure if she could meet the obliga- tion because she is finishing up a master’s degree. Dr. Brian Redmond, a geology, and chemistry professor at Wilkes University who is running for the board is concerned primarily with the education of the students. See CAMPAIGN, pg 4 Board takes excursion on By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff Sly ds aN 24 Aw = Dallas, Pennsylvania DALLAS - The Dallas School Board took a cyberspace tour of the nation during its regular meet- ing May 5. A demonstration of the new Distance Learning Lab at the high school took them to New Jersey, California and right up the road. The new technology consists of a pic-tel system which allows video conferences with other school dis- tricts or learning centers. The lab was created out of space once used as a garage, but with its serene blue walls and molded wood trim you would never know it. The lab contains three televi- sions, three cameras, micro- phones, an overhead projector and fax machine. “The total operation runs from a Kodak box the size of a small suitcase,” said Dr. Gil Griffiths, superintendent. The lab is set to open in September to individual classes and develop- mental programs with the Berwick and Bloomsburg districts. Completed in February, the lab was made possible by a $48,000 grant through Northern Tier from Dr. Dan Paul. The total cost of the lab is $57,000. The Dallas School District is one of 65 districts that own the system this year. Accord- ing to Jack Wega, distance learn- ing coordinator, Dallas is the only school in the Luzerne Intermedi- ate Unit that has the system. "We are looking where we're going with this,” Wega told the board and few members of the public on hand. Wega listed some of the potential uses of the lab. “A lot of training, electronic field trips, community use and businesses could use the lab as a video con- ference center,” he explained. The demonstration took the board and crew on a video trip to talk with Ruth Brown, a coordi- nator of instructional technology See EXCURSION, pg 8 POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Jeff Peters, left, and Jim Sidorek took a close look at the new ladder truck that just arrived at the Shavertown Vol. Fire Dept. Donations of aluminum cans and other contributions helped make the down payment. Donations are still needed to pay the balance. info highway By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff SHAVERTOWN - After a year and a half of public support and fundraising, the Shavertown Vol- unteer Fire Department has put a down payment on their new fully equipped fire truck complete with 75-foot ladder. “The guys are really excited,” said Gary Beisel, fire chief. “We think we made the right choice and bought the right truck for the community and the department.” The Spartan Gladiator 75 LTI fire truck is four years old with only 9,000 miles on it. It was bought from a department in East Amherst, NY for $325,000. “The last price we had gotten back for a new truck was $510,000. This truck saved us nearly $200,000,” explained Beisel about the 36 ft. long, 11 1/2 ft. high firefighting vehicle. It seats eight firefighters, holds 1000 ft. of four inch hose, harbors a 1,500 gallons per minute pump and holds 4,000 gallons of water. “It’s everything we wanted and the previous owners took excel- lent care of it,” said Beisel. “Al- though it does not have a bucket like we wanted (at the top of the ladder), we realized when we Fire co. takes deli very ol ladder truck looked at the $510,000 price that we had to look to make some concessions.” The Shavertown Fire Dept. was the first department to inquire about 'the truck, with 26 other hopeful departments in line. “We thought, ‘we either do it now or never,” Beisel said about the de- cision to purchase the truck. The fire company used $25,000 made from aluminum can dona- tions to make the down payment. Beisel roughly estimated the total from all the fundraisers during See LADDER TRUCK, pg 8 Council incumbents say there's more to do By JENNIFER JUDGE Post Correspondent HARVEYS LAKE - Along with the four new faces vying for a position on the Harveys Lake Bor- ough Council are three incum- bents running for re-election, leav- ing Harveys Lake voters several different options onvoting day. The incumbents seek- ing re-election are George P. Andrews dJr., Ed Kelly, and Francis Kopko. George P. Andrews Jr. says he ‘moved. to Harveys Lake in 1989 because he's always enjoyed being around the lake. Andrews has served on the Harveys Lake council for four years and is cur- rently vice president. He is also temporarily serving on the Plan- ning Commission. He is head of the committees on garbage and recycling and recreation and GEORGE P. ANDREWS JR. growth. Andrews is a graduate of Wyo- ming Seminary and of Wilkes Uni- versity, where he received a Bach- elor of Science degree in com- merce and fi- nance. He spent the past 23 years working in his family’s steel business, Ostrander Steel Company Inc., but has more re- cently taken positions as a real estate salesman for Century 21 and a representative for Oxford Capital. Andrews has served as a mem- ber of the Advisory Committee of the American Institute of Steel Construction and as president of the Mid-Atlantic Steel Fabrica- tors Association. He is currently on the board of directors of the Luzerne County Conservation District. Andrews decided to run when fellow board member George ED KELLY Gwilliam asked if he would be interested. “My family in Nanticoke was heavily involved in politics and I've always been interested in local politics,” Andrews eX- plained. Andrews feels he’s been successful as a council member thus far: *Be- cause of my ex- tensive business j background, I've been able to give insight to my fellow board mem- bers. I feel I am bipartisan. I be- lieve government on the local level should work for the people and politics should not be an issue.” Andrews feels the council's ability to be more bipartisan has helped them accomplish goals. “Members of the council all come from different walks of life. They all bring something different to the table and we all work together to better the community despite FRANCIS KOPKO See INCUMBENTS, pg 8 SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS May 7 thru May 13, 1997 Tower foes plan challenge, urge meeting By JENNIFER JUDGE Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. - With the May 13 Dallas Township Planning Board meeting rapidly approach- ing, township residents who have banded together to stop Cellular One from erecting a 280-foot cel- lular phone tower are working hard to alert residents. “Our plan is to pass out infor- mation to everyone in relatively close proximity,” Roger Landry, who lives near the tower site, ex- plained. “We also plan on calling a few people on planning to make sure they attend,” he said. The proposed tower will be erected on township property if approved by the Planning Board. The township was able to bypass the need for zoning board ap- proval by declaring Cellular One a public utility. Leonard Kozick, Dallas Township Zoning Officer, explained the proposed tower must go before Planning because the cellular company is leasing municipal property. “According to our ordinances, for a lease to be enacted, they must have subdivi- sion approval,” Kozick said. turnout Landry has hired Attorney Mark McNealis to fight the township's = decision to allow construction of - the tower. McNealis has been pro- viding the residents with informa- tion about similar cases in Penn- sylvania. The most relevant case, Landry explained, is the May 1996 case of Bell Atlantic vs. the Town- ship of O'Hara. Landry summa- rized the outcome of this case. "If all you do is cellular service, you . are not a public utility. If a well- known public utility adds cellular service, they come closer to being considered a public utility,” he said. Landry also noted the June ° 1996 case of Bell Atlantic vs. the ° Borough of Baldwin which found that Bell Atlantic was not a public utility. See TOWER, pg 8 Fr. Cusick, stern on outside, recalled as solid, comforting By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff DALLAS - Appearing gruff on the outside, Rev. William F. Cusick is remembered by his parishio- ners as a compassionate man, a caring pastor and a “grand gentle- man.” Fr. Cusick, pastor of Gate of Heaven Church, died May 1 at Mercy Hospital in Scranton. He had left the church because of illness about seven months ago, but had kept in close touch with friends and parishioners, many of whom felt a great loss at his pass- ing. “To me he was a great pal, very straightforward,” said Ed Burnell, who was a reader at Sunday ser- vices for many years. “He's the only pastor that I knew there,” Burnell said Monday, shortly af- ter Cusick’'s Mass of Christian Burial. “I will miss him tremen- dously. I miss him right now; I'm beginning to feel his loss, almost to the point of tears.” Others commented on Fr. Cusick’s kind nature, once they got past the crusty exterior. “I found Fr. Cusick very kind and very understanding,” said Peg REV. WILLIAM CUSICK Canfield, president of the Altar and Rosary Society, a group of women who help maintain and decorate the altar and perform other duties. She said he was comforting in time of need, which she knew from personal experi- ence. “He had the ability to make you feel better,” she said. See FR. CUSICK, pg 15 “We are trying to prove B Adoption is a strong option to abor- tion, says Rev. Kenneth Seegar, himself an adoptee. Pg 3. HB Leapin' Lehman Brad Dieffenbacher sets school, district records for Black Knights. Pg 9. 18 Pages 2 Sections Calendar..........cicciiinins 18 Classified............... 16-17 Crossword......... ium 18 Editorials........onuii 6 Obituanes......... .essisns 15 School. »i.5. iain 12-13 Spoons... 9-10 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING NIB] =D 4 : o The Dallas Post MAILING LABEL- Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. 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