'50¢ SIS RAVAN CR No | SR O10] \VIS INI NEI =SSH © | oi 0 | = B VANS BVARST Bl BVAN of = =o 1\V/ PANN BRST OF [OI ©] 5 BD ASH I = 1 [OF BS Vol. 108 No. 21 Dallas, Pennsylvania May/21 thru May 27, 1997 Neighbors oppose rezoning request By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff DALLAS - Many neighbors are concerned about Robert Post's request to convert 70 acres of conservation-zoned property into a residential development. Land conservation, traffic and esthet- ics are some of the reasons nearby . residents are not happy about the proposal. According to a handout given to residents near the Post prop- . erty by Dallas Borough, a conser- ‘vation district allows houses on two-acre lots with a minimum frontage of 200 ft. An R-1 residen- ‘tial district allows each house to be built on 10,000 square feet with a minimum frontage of 70 feet. Post's land is located off W. Center Hill Rd. in the borough. A preliminary schematic subdivi- sion plan given to adjoining prop- erty owners shows 73 lots plotted side by side covering about 70 ‘percent of the land, with a mini- mun lot size of one-half acre. The Dallas Borough Planning Commission will hold -a public hearing on the request May 29 at 7 p.m. at the borough municipal building. Paul Lumia, who lives on W. Center Hill Rd. beyond the Post property, believes the development would change the character of the borough forever. He also ques- tions whether or not zoning ordi- nances mean anything. “To change it to residential is haphaz- ard zoning,” he said. “Why have a zoning plan in the first place if it can so easily be switched,” the Back Mountain Land Trust mem- ber asked. Lumia said he is not against someone subdividing their land, but is against changing the zon- ing to do it. “People have to be responsible. We are a small bor- ough in arural area. The integrity of the land should be kept,” he said. “If you do it once it's all over.” ‘~Lumia points out an alterna- See REZONING, pg 7 A NEW COMMUNICANT Lauren Yurko, one of 50 new communicants at the First Holy Communion service at Gate of Heaven Church May 17, showed her enthusiasm for her new status. More photos on page 5. POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Firefighters proud, but sad about care home blaze By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff HARVEYS LAKE - The heroic volunteer ambulance crews and firefighters who quickly responded tothe fire that ripped through the Country Manor personal care home at Harveys Lake on May 13 ~ will not soon forget that night. They sadly remember not only the nine victims of the fire, but how the quick response, skill and self- less compassion of everyone who converged on the scene that night saved 12 lives. “It was a tragedy,” said Carrie Freeman, assistant fire chief of the Kunkle Fire Department. “Ev- erybody did all they could. They worked really well together and did a really good job..” Freeman's father, Jack Dedson, Kunkle fire chief, feels the same. “The fire companies did a really great job. The Back Mountain can be proud of their fire and ambu- lance companies. worked really well together,” said. Dodson said the response to the blaze was extremely quick. “Our fire company was there within five minutes. The response See BLAZE, pg 3 Everyone he ' Commission sends Cellular One back for new plan By JENNIFER JUDGE Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. - The planning commission sent Cellular One back to the drawing board in its request for permission to- con- struct a 280-foot tower on land owned by the township. At the May 13 meeting of the commission, three representatives from Cellular One presented their bid for subdivision approval. Rich Rusnock, Real Estate Specialist; Kate Naughton, counsel for Cel- lular One, and Andrew Bennett, who designed the site, presented a plan that would erect a cellular phone tower on land behind the township building, just off Rt. 309. This initial plan was criticized by board chairman Bill McCall. “Before you can construct, you have to have subdivision ap-- proval,” McCall said. “You are subdividing this tract from the whole. I have a problem with this because you have only an ap- proximate location.” The township supervisors have See CELLULAR ONE, pg 8 Board okays $8.6 million maximum for new school By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff DALLAS - The planning pro- cess of the K-5 elementary school can resume now that the Dallas School Board has approved an $8.6 million maximum project cost. The board unanimously agreed on the figure during a spe- cial meeting held on May 19. A maximum project cost is nec- essary for the state, architect and district to determine reimburse- ment, building materials and bud- get concerns. about 85 million in reserve. If bids from suppliers come in high or the board decides to spend more than the $8.6 million, the district will have to take out a $3 The Memorial DayP: Parades s American Legion, Dallas will be road, The district has million loan or bond issue. won't decide that until down the said Ernest Ashbridge, board president. Paul Degillio, architect and Sharon Lehman, interior designer from Quad 3, Inc., presented the board with various interior and exterior building materials. Degillio said the approximately 48,000 sq. ft. school would be made of non-flammable materi--* als, such as steel and concrete. The entrance doors and window frames will be aluminum, with insulated double pane windows. Degillio recommended a gas heat- ing and ventilation system for the building. See SCHOOL, pg 8 am. Stepoff me is at 9am. The parade wi Home. Hunter will perform. The main speaker will be Lisa Baker, Northeast Represent for Gov. Tom Ridge and a Back Mountain resident. See page 2 for more Memorial Day events and observances The parade will proceed t to the Dallas Mem on to the Woodlawn Cemetery, located on \ Wendy's Restaurant, then to the Chapel La 415, west of Dallas. Both cemeteries will American Flags on all graves of American \ wreath, Rev. David ait Gate of Heaven ve Rev. Mic Bealla, Dallas Methodist Church will give invocation and ben tion. Dallas High School Band under the direction of leader To By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff DALLAS - Offset Paperback Manufacturers Inc. marked its 25th year in the Back Moun- tain with a celebration at its plant in Dallas on May 15. Lo- cal and state dignitaries were on hand to personally congratu- late OPM for its strides in tech- nological progress and commu- nity support. The plant employs approxi- mately 660 people from the Back Mountain and surround- ing area. The company has roots stemming back to 1907 when Frank Simkin, a Russian immigrant started a small print- ing company called Universal Printers in Winnipeg. That small company grew to be the largest manufacturer of paper- back books in Canada. In the late 1950's, the Simkin family sold their printing enter- prise to Canadian Oil Company while retaining its operation. By 1960, Frank Simkin’s son, Saul, was the only member of the family left at the plant. Saul saw an opportunity in small presses in the United States and believed offset printing would yield higher quality than the commonly used flexography. In 1966, Simkin started Val- ley Paperback in Phoenix, Ari- zona. The company had taken its first step towards its goal by 1968, when the first offset press was purchased. One year later Valley Paperback was pur- chased by VIR Inc., a conglom- erate out of Lansing, Michigan. VTR built a site in Dallas in See OFFSET, pg 8 Offset Paperback notes 25 years in Back Mountain Offset Paperback Mfrs. Inc. employees Soh off their silver coins commemorating OPM’s 25th year in business in Dallas. From left, seated, Mark Umphred, Todd Mayer, Robert VanGorder and Doug “Cowboy” Auchus; standing, Scott Griffith, Todd Adams, Bob McGuire, Steve Wickard, Stan Kotulski and Jerry Zezza HB New PSU leader Dr. Mary Hines, a commu- nity college dean from Maryland, named CEO at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Pg 3. HM Eyes on you ‘Angel Eyes' was the theme of the Lake-Lehman senior prom. Photos on pg 12. 16 Pages 2 Sections Calendar............is: 16 Classified............... 14-15 CroSsWOrd.........ic..u.i 16 Editorials... .......n 4 Obituaries...........cco...s 13 Shook. iia 11 SPOHS......0... evcooiarsvnss 9-10 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING 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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