4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, August 5, 1998 EDITORIALS Twin Stacks center bodes well for Back Mountain A physical and spiritual renaissance is taking place where just a couple of years ago only grime and despair could be found. The 50-year-old former Native Textiles building, once the Back Mountain's largest source of employment, is being reborn as a commercial and retail center, and it is raising some eyebrows along the way. When Native abandoned the plant in May, 1995, it was feared the structure would go the way of too many “outdated” build- ings, and become a vacant eyesore. That fate was deemed even more certain because of the presumption that toxic wastes and dyes permeated the property, since, as everyone in the Back Mountain seemed to know, six-legged frogs and other mutants lived in the small pond by Rt. 415. Even economic development officials, whose calling is supposed to be to attract commerce and jobs to the region, gave the old factory short shrift, particu- larly since it is located in what many see as an upscale bedroom community, not a fully functioning region where people can live, work and shop. Fortunately, Lynn Banta, who grew up in Luzerne, and her husband Rick Haas hadn't heard that the building was a lost cause. They replaced resignation with a dream that new uses could be found for a place that possessed the charm of another era, but needed a great deal of work to meet modern needs. So, like the frogs, the certainty that the building would never be useful again was a will-o-the-wisp, vanishing before our eyes as Twin Stacks Center opens for business. As it does, its direction is startling even to the developers. Not only will the building soon receive a shiny new face, the rear portion will be home to about 200 jobs and several new enterprises instead of the expected 50,000 square feet of warehouse space. Add the employment opportunities when the retail stores, offices and restaurant are completed, and the Back Mountain will have at least 300 more jobs, new places to shop and dine, and an attractive addition to the landscape. Banta and Haas deserve every bit of credit for their commit- ment to the development, since it is their vision — and money — that has turned a potential detriment into a symbol of the Back Mountain's vitality. But they are quick to thank others who have helped, especially officials in Dallas Borough and county commissioner Frank Crossin, who helped smooth the building's path from abandonment to usefulness. Maybe the people of the Back Mountain deserve a pat on the back as well, for fostering the kind of spirit that makes this a welcome place for people with dreams instead of fears. Publisher's notebook I have a confession to make, and I hope you won't think less of me after you read this. I .. I, um, well, I don’t have the absolute latest computer equipment. There, I said it. Oh heck, now it’s out, so you might as well know the whole story. Not only is the computer this is written on three years old, it uses operating software that’s at least four generations behind the times. And the word processing program itself; well, let's just say it’s version 4.0 and leave it at that. I feel much better now that I've come clean. You see, I've just been reading the latest issue of a computer magazine, and feeling very inadequate. You know the ones I mean, books so stuffed with ads that it’s hard to find the stories, and when you do the writers assume that everyone has the latest and greatest equipment. This becomes really annoying in the question-and- answer columns where I hope to pick up a little free information or a shortcut. But no such luck, even if the newest OS has been shipping only a month, you can bet most of the answers presume you own it. - Then there's the pocketbook problem. I don’t dare calculate what it would cost to bring all of our computer equipment up to date, I just know it’s more than I want to contemplate. Actually, we're not alone. When Windows 95 came out, and then Windows 98, businesses were slow to buy in, having so many systems to upgrade and software and add-ons that might not be compat- ible. Besides, who needs 500 megahertz chips to type? Certainly not me. Letters, columns and editorials The Dallas Post attempts to publish opinions on a variety of topics in many forms. Editorials, which are the opinion of the managment of The Post, appear on the editorial page and are written by the editor unless otherwise indicated. Any artwork represents the opinion of the cartoonist, and columns are the opinion of the author. Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: e Letters should not exceed 500 words. e No writer may have more than one letter published during a 30- day period, except as a reply to another letter. e Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a telephone number for verification. * Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the writer. » The Post retains the right to accept or reject any letter, and to edit letters for grammar and spelling, as well as to eliminate any libel, slander or objectionable wording. In addition to letters, we welcome longer pieces that may run as columns. The author or subject's relevance to the Back Mountain will be the prime consideration when selecting material for publication. 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 Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Jessica Appolo ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Ruth Proietto Olga Kostrobala PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Jill Gruver ) OFFICE MANAGER SE A LR Ts eRe td PRINTED WITH \ PENNSYLVANIA SOY INK] NATINAL NE NN SPAPER NEWSPAPER Ben Bennett, from Virginia, visiting his grandmother and grandfather Evans at Harveys Lake, played with "Goldie" on the shore. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. A Case for consgayation Alene N. Case We've all heard more than we want about El Nino this year. There have been hurricanes in the Pacific, fires in Florida, drought in Texas, and floods in many places. There have been animals starving on the beaches, fisherfolk ; with nothing in their nets, and houses crashing into the sea. All over the world, the weather is affected by a few degrees warmer water in the tropical eastern Pa- cific Ocean. Here in the Northeast, we also have been affected. But, ours is a lighter side of El Nino. As the polar front jet stream shifted north it allowed us to have an unusually mild winter and a wetter-than- normal spring and early summer. This has meant early peach crops, farmers’ markets filled with local produce, gardens and or- chards that did not ex- perience the usual late-season frost, and a longer than usual boat- ing season on the local lakes. Perhaps the most stunning effect of our El Nino weather has been the incredible abun- dance of flowers. In our yard, the forsythia had never been as full nor bloomed as long. The combi- nation of no heavy freeze during the winter and plenty of moisture in the spring has made almost every flowering plant - trees, bushes, vines, annuals and pe- rennials - blossom prolifically this year. State Park. Indiapipe at Frances Slocum The lighter side of El Nifio The two photographs accom- panying this column illustrate the lighter side of El Nino quite well. Mountain laurel is the state flower of Pennsylvania. I was sort of wondering why un- til this June when it was spectacular wherever we went. It is a common un- derstory bush (sometimes a small tree) that grows throughout the Ap- palachians. There is even a town in western North Caro- lina named Kalmia after the generic name of the moun- tain laurel. The name Kalmia de- rives from the Swed- ish botanist, Peter Kalm, who travelled to North America early in the 18th century and was more impressed by the mountain laurel than by any other flower he saw here. Mountain laurel is closely re- lated to azalea and rhododendron. They are all in the Ericaceae fam- : ily, or heaths. Showy flow- ers and evergreen leaves characterize many, but cer- tainly not all, of the mem- bers of this group. Cran- berry, Labrador-tea and blueberry are also among the 2000 species of heath plants with which many of us are familiar. Deer are among the few animals which can browse mountain laurel without ill effect. Humans and goats should not eat the leaves. Mountain laurel wood is very dense and was a favorite of spoon makers in former times. As | have learned more about our state flower, | have come to understand the rather ornate language with which Neltje Blanchan began the discussion of mountain laurel in a 1900 book called “Nature's Garden”: “Itwould be well if Americans, imitating the Japanese in making pilgrimages to scenes of supreme natural beauty, visited the mountains, Mountain laurel, the state flower, on Shaver Hill. Photos by Alene Case. rocky, woody hillsides, ravines, and tree-girt uplands when the laurel is in its glory.” Another plant that has bloomed prolifically this year is the Indianpipe (some books use it as two words and oth- ers as a hyphen- a. ted word). Th ec natural- ist at Frances Slocum State Park alerted me tg the area of dark moist wood where I took the pic- ture. But, we have seen many others in woodlands closer to home. Perhaps you, too, have noticed this strange little flower. Yes, the Indianpipe is a flower. It is not a mushroom or fungus as many people suppose. It has no green chlorophyll because it gains allits nourishment from the fungi in the soil that decompose wood and other debris. Such a plant is termed a “saprophyte.” And, this ghostly white plant is very closely related to the heaths, including the mountain laurel. Some refer- ences actually include the Indianpipe in the Ericaceae fam- ily, but most’ put it in the Monotropaceae, meaning that which turns once. The flowers point downwards until seeds be- gin to form and then they “turn once” upward. Another member of that group is a pinkish plant called the pinesap that you might see in the sandy woods of New Jersey. No matter what your favorite flower, itis probably going to bloom better this season than in recent memory. It is a good year for hiking, picture taking, gardening, and simply “smelling the roses,” as the old song advised. Enjoy El Nino's lighter side. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news? A: Only in The Dallas Post ONLY YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - Aug. 12,1938 THE FEDERAL HOUSING BOOM HAS HIT DALLAS Thirty four men were busily at work laying out a road and build- ing four new houses this week at the Goss Manor Development as the Federal Housing boom struck Dallas. Further down the Tunhannock/Dallas Highway route the Luzerne Lumber Co. was building two houses facing on Center Hill Road. Announcement was made yes- terday that Dallas School Board will meet within a week to appoint a new teacher for the Commercial Department. The appointment has been held up for some time because of the absence of Super- vising Principal T.A. Williammee who has been investigating quali- fications of applicants. : 50 Years Ago - Aug. 13, 1948 AMERICAN LEGION PLANS FOR NEW DALLASHOME Daddow-Isaacs Post, American Legion has approved plans for a new $15,000 home at the junc- tion of Center Hill Road and Me- morial Highway. The Quonset Hut type structure similar to the Naval Armory in Kingston will be erected parallel to Memorial High- way and will have ample facilities to serve as a meeting place: for civic and fraternal organizations as well as for the Legion. A dozen or more $12, 000: $17,000 homes all F.H.A. -ap- proved will be built shortly gn a new plot of land being opened along the Tunkhannock-Dallas Highway in the vicinity of Goss Manor. Two of the two story homes will be built facing Rt. 309 while the others will be built along a new street which is being con- structed at right angles to the highway and in the direction of the Lipp farm. 40 Years Ago - Aug. 8, 1958 BACK MOUNTAIN SHOPPING CENTER TO OPEN SOON Construction is moving along rapidly with every expection that the new Back Mountain Shop- ping Center at Shavertown will be open shortly after Sept. 1. Work- men are now installing plate glass store fronts and refrigeration and many of the cases have already been placed in the new Acme Markets. A strike in progress for the past four weeks, has completely closed the big Armour Leather Co. plant at Noxen. About 150 men are out in protest against an increased work load in the hide cutting de- partment where the installation of new machinery has reduced the number of employees from six ‘to three. The company contends the new equipment makes it pos- .- sible for two men to handle be- tween 600-650 hides a day but is willing to make a concession and .- have three men do the work. 30 Years Ago - Aug. 15, 1968 BMT LIBRARY CUSTODIAN COLLAPSES FROM BEE STING - Dr. Robert A. Mellman an- nounced there are still openings for an Industrial Arts teacher and Physical Education instructor in . The: the Dallas School District. resignation of four new teachers * at so late a date angered Director :' Andrew Kozamchak who said it | was a hardship for supervising * brary apparently suffered a near- . collapse when stung by a bee early © principal and students. Earl Layou long-time custodian ° at Back Mountain Memorial Li- Wednesday morning. Dallas Am- bulance delivered him to Nesbitt : } Hospital. Diagnosis was he had not suffered a heart attack but ;: was sensitized to bee stings. 20 Years Ago - Aug. 10, 1978 NEW RECREATION BUILDING TO BE BUILT AT LAKE Groundbreaking for the new : recreation building at Harveys .- Lake is set for Aug. 10 at 3accord- : ing to Harveys Lake Borough : Council President Robert: DeRemer. The 24 x 40 foot build- - ing in Sandy Beach area of the y lake is being financed primarily - through a grant of $27,700 from : Pennsylvania Department of Com- * x J are we letting Harveys Lake go = down the drain?” was the ques- - tion posed by aresident at Harveys Lake Borough meeting last Thurs...” Complaints by residents of condi-_ - tions at Center Street and alsd on. Rte. 415 near Idetown were. munity Affairs. “Are we beautifying America or : stressed at the meeting. Various: properties were discribed as “junk’+. yards” some infested with aban- doned vehicles and rodents. ® LD) © » @ » L 2
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers