nD D D O 0 p> A, { a fence. The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 14, 1998 11 Compromise (continued from page 1) strip of evergreens, green hedge or dense planting of evergreen shrubs, not less than 15 ft. in width and five feet in height. Kozick said there will actually be a 50 ft. total setback from the fields to the adjoining property. On a drawing of the fields pro- vided by Quad Three Group, Kozick pointed out the 15 ft. bar- rier and an additional 35 ft. be- tween people’s property and the district’s. The school board voted to put evergreens around the field. People whose homes border the district's property also want a “We believe the fields will cause a nuisance if they are not done right. If they are not fenced in, people will park on Westminster and walk over. It's human nature. People won't want to walk all the way from parking near the football field if they can park closer,” said Lamoreaux, who at the very least wants a fence out of the appeal. Steve Kopcho, who also lives on Westminster, said he did not know the district owned the land behind his house when he bought it. “Idon’t mind them building the fields, but they should be farther back,” he said. Many oaks just beyond his yard are to be torn down to make room for one of the soccer fields. Kopcho lives right at the corner of one of the pro- posed fields. Rita Kopcho said she also does not mind the fields, but thinks the district and township should be . more considerate of the neigh- bors and move the setback to 100 + ft “I bought this house with the intentions of having privacy. I don’t want kids going through my yard,” said Kopcho, who believes the township should have noti- fied everyone of the variance. The appeal also claims a hear- ing on the matter was not prop- erly advertised, but that appears not to be the case. The township - placed alegal notice in the Nov. 19 and Nov. 26 issues of The Dallas Post advertising a Zoning Hearing Board meeting concerning set- backs and parking. Kopcho said he only subscribes to daily pa- pers, so he didn’t see the notice. The appeal also states the dis- trict did not file an application before the decision was handed down by the zoning board. The only date on the application is the same day the variance was granted, Dec. 8. Kozick said the application was submitted cor- rectly and dated when it passed. “How could I advertise without an . application?” he asked. Trinity donates brick to library Trinity Learning Center donated a brick to the Back Mountain Library: standing, 2-4 year olds are Corey Hohal, Travis DeBona Chad Oswalt, George Giacobbi, Ryan Hogan, John Butchko. Sitting, Rachel Hohal, David Oswalt, Hanana Giacobbi, Karla Kahler. Free eye care available Jan. 22 Wyoming Valley Health Care System will offer a vision screening compliments of Pugliese Eye Specialists on Thurs., Jan. 22 from 9:30 .m. to 11 a.m. in the Health Resource Center, 667 North River Street, Plains. For more information, please call 552-8600. Lake-Lehman (continued from page 1) cause a disturbance on the bus. According to Oliver, the students in question have become “a seri- ous, disruptive problem that must be addressed quickly.” Allardyce pressed Oliver, ask- ing if he parents of the unruly children had been called in to the school to speak to the principal about the matter. After assuring Allardyce the parents had been made aware of the problem, Oliver reported there was no change in the children’s behavior. Oliver said he feels the district “has exhausted the various means of discipline available to these children,” and that having a second adult on the bus would be “the most expedi- tious way to handle the problem.” But while several members of the public expressed their con- cerns at having to stand this ex- pense, at least one parent agreed with Oliver that having an extra adult on the bus to keep order is a necessity. Joann Wright said she was con- cerned for the safety of her chil- dren on the bus and hoped every bus in the district might have an aide to handle disciplinary prob- lems. Real Est 20 Word 00 Words * 4 weeks ate F s 6 weeks When Allardyce insisted that it was up to the parents of the chil- dren to take responsibility for their children’s action and not the school district, he was applauded by the small assembly of mem- bers of the public. Board member Ronald Payne suggested that having a video cam- era on the bus to record unruly behavior might save the district money, but he was informed that the three district cameras had been either broken or lost. A lively discussion followed among members of the audience and several board members con- cerning why the public had not been told about damage to cam- eras purchased only a few years ago to curtail the same type of problem with students on the buses. Donna Chamberlain, a mem- ber of the audience, asked why the cameras had not been re- ’ paired. Finance Manager Kathleen Williams said the cameras had been purchased with a state grant and had already been. repaired several times. She said the con- tractors who had done the repairs on the cameras told her they were “very delicate,” and were easily broken. When Allardyce responded to Williams by stating that “Grant money is still taxpayers money,” the audience had another chance to voice its approval by applaud- ing. Finally, district solicitor Peter Savage offered his advice, saying the school could face litigation ~ problems if the children were re- moved from the bus as Allardyce had suggested. Savage said courts have held other school districts liable for not reasonably accom- modating students. Allardyce responded to Savage by asking “What is reasonable accommodation?” And a member - of the audience asked Savage to state some court opinions to sub- stantiate his reasoning. Another heated discussion took place with noapparent resolution of the ques- tion. Oliver suggested that a pos- sible solution could be reached by hiring the aide on a temporary basis so the board could take a further look at the situation. “If the presence of an adult sitting among these children does not curtail the problem,” said Oliver, other steps will have to be taken. Ina subsequent interview, Price echoed Attorney Savage's con- cerns about the potential for the school district to become involved in a lawsuit not only by the par- ents of the children with objec- tionable behavior, but also by parents of children who may be harmed by this type of behavior. “Hiring the aide to ride the bus is the inexpensive way to solve this difficult problem,” reasoned Price. The cost of having to deal with the possibility of a child be- ing harmed because the board neglected to take action is some- thing the superintendent would prefer not to have to think about. “We have to think of more than LTS the money involved in solving this problem,” said Price. “We need to think of the children.” On other matters, board mem- ber Lois Kopcha asked that some- thing be done to save valuable sports equipment that she said had been “sitting out in the weather.” When asked if the dis- trict had facilities for storing the equipment that had been refur- bished within the past year at an expense of $3,000, she was told by Williams that the district had no building for storage. However, Oliver informed Kopcha that he would find a place to put the equipment by the fol- lowing day. Payne asked that he be shown all capital renovation costs from June 1996 to November 1997. He also asked that he be shown the proposed cost of all projects and the actual costs of those same projects so that he might be able to compare’ the budgeted to-ac- tual costs. The annual financial report as of June 30, 1997 was passed as well as the schedule for upcoming conferences tobe attended by Price and several members of the board. The Dallas Post Deadline: Mondays, 4 p.m. Fields (continued from page 1) building a fence around the prop- erty, to meet one of the neighbors’ objections, but some of them have placed utility sheds and other structures on the property line. At Monday night's school board meeting, Ben Jones III, board so- licitor, discussed pending litiga- tion concerning the proposed ath- letic fields behind the high school. Residents of Westminster Dr. have appealed the Dallas Town- ship Zoning Board's interpreta- tion of the setback ordinance. The township opted for a 15 ft. barrier and setback from the adjoining property rather than the 100 ft. setback ‘outlined in the zoning ordinance. In the ordinance it states that the zoning officer may reduce the setback by 10 percent if “accept- able landscaping or screening...is provided.” The district decided to use evergreens as their barrier. The residents are being repre- sented by attys. Bruce Phillips and Ted Krohn. The appeal states that the township did not prop- erly advertise or post the property informing residents of the pos- sible interpretation of the ordi- nance. Also, the appeal questions whether a variance on the set- - back was handled correctly. Jones said Frank Townend, township solicitor, is seeking an agreement with the residents to start fresh with the next zoning meeting and all procedures will be done by the book. “If accom- plished, the zoning board will hear this anew and rule again,” he said. Since Kozick made an interpre- tation of the ordinance, Jones said he can understand why he possi- bly did not see it as a necessity to post the property. Jones told the board that he suspects the residents will appeal the decision a second time if the decision did not please them. “Any party can appeal on any ground, however frivolous. The district should prepare itself for delay,” he said. “This group of people is holding students hostage in litigation. So (in the meantime) Dallas does not have sufficient playing fields in the district. This will have an adverse effect on the kids growing up in the Back Mountain. It cre- ates an ongoing problem we will have to face,” said Griffiths.
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