) @ yd —a oN Vol. 110 No. 16 SE Be t . The Dallas Post _ Dallas, Pennsylvania SS INeh iz [=Nele)Y [VISIR gi =tcXe] alu | = oY NR WSFA WN (HE = Z| VV-\NEs[ei S (elo Mal ich i =1 oars April 21 thru April 27, 1999 “Rec center land identified, plans laid for funding drive By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff DALLAS - [t's been a topsy-turvy path for the non-profit corporation working to develop a regional recreation area for the Back Mountain. But the wandering route may end in a better place. Normally, the first task in such an effort is to line up the several million dollars in funding needed, then start looking for a suitable piece of land. But Dr. Gil Griffiths, the Dallas Superinten- dent of Schools who is leading the group, was leafing through areal estate publica- tion a few months ago when an ad caught his eye. He called the agent, who con- tacted the owners, who seemed delighted at the prospect their land might be of use to the whole community. “We'd love to help,” they said. As an added bonus, the approximately 80-acre parcel was more than double the size Griffiths and the committee had in mind. Concept drawing of rec facilities, pg 8 “I thought we would have difficulty finding land,” Griffiths said last week. Instead, the group is now scrambling to arrange funding. Not only that, an adja- cent property of 50 acres may also be available from a patient owner. “The land- owners are being very accommodating; they're very interested in the project,” Griffiths said. The land is between Outlet and Firehouse roads in Lehman Twp. The immediate task is to solicit $20,000 that can be put down as a binder on the properties. After that is taken care of, the committee is planning a capital cam- paign to raise funds to complete the land purchase, which Griffiths estimates at $750,000, plus the cost of surveys, per- Once the land is acquired, Griffiths said it would cost another $6 million or more to develop outdoor#@nd indoor fa- cilities. Dr. Wallace Stettler, who chaired the successful fund drive to build a children’s wing on the Back Mountain Memorial Library, will be on board for that phase of the project. “We're going to be out pounding on doors” to raise funds, Griffiths said. See REC CENTER, pg-8 | | Working Ross school expansion held up by roof BY KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff LAKE-LEHMAN - The planned expansion of Ross Elementary School is the subject of contro- versy in a district facing the ex- pense of renovating or rebuilding at least two of its schools. Ross Elementary students are desperate for room to learn. Class size at Ross has continued to in- crease at a time when other schools in the district are receiv- ing money to reduce teacher to student ratios. “There is a great and immediate need for expan- sion,” said Wendy Hauze, of the PTO. The 50-year-old structure serves 136 children in grades K- 4. There are six classrooms in the main building and a modular kin- dergarten room that was added approximately 20 years ago. Be- cause of space constraints at Ross, fifth and sixth grade students now attend schools outside the town- ship. “Our library is virtually inac- cessible due to the addition of another group of first graders, remedial reading courses are now held in a second floor room that used to serve as a closet and See ROSS SCHOOL, pg 8 together on outdoor beauty ‘By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff DALLAS - Students big and small gathered at the Dallas Elementary School on April 14 * to begin work on a school yard habitat. Juniors and seniors en- rolled in Ecology Il at “ithe high school pro- vided: the muscle needed to shovel, hoe, rake ‘and weed a hilly section of the prop- erty. A i patch of Robert Stevens, land en- a senior, helped ~~ closed by a dig a new outdoor 108 border area at Dallas i ne De Elementary. with berer- nials and sunflowers. The plants, donated by Agway and the Wilkes-Barre Walmart, are being nurtured by elementary school children in their class- See PLANTING, pg 3 §. ®1 pre Wa # I~ N/3 Scary science Michael Peeler, a seventh grade student at Gate of Heaven School, used his father's tarantula for a science project at the school's mits and other required items. POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK annual science fair, held last week. All classes take part in the annual event. More photos on page Bloomers have the Armory all dressed up for spring By MEIRA ZUCKER Post Correspondent KINGSTON - After a cold and dreary week, wouldn't you like to visit a fairytale land of lush plants, scented flowers, and exotic land- scapes? Then fly down to the Kingston Armory this Friday through Sunday tovisit “The Land of Fairy Tales,” this year’s North- east Pennsylvania Flower Show. The Back Mountain Bloomers Garden Club presents the annual show. which serves as a major fundraiser for the educational programs of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. Lora Friefeld, Flower Show chairperson, emphasizes the com- munity aspects of the show. “It's educating the public,” she says. “The money goes back into the community.” “We depend on the fundraising to bring things to the commu- nity,” points out Freifeld. Money raised from the Flower Show funds education projects of the North- eastern Pennsylvania Philhar- monic. The Philharmonic provides free children’s concerts, outreach to area schools, and other educa- tional opportunities. Friefeld re- minds people that the price of a concert ticket only covers half of the cost of an event. Louise Mattas, Back Mountain Bloomers President, tells show goers that “I think they are going to see some fantastic landscapes.” "The unique designs, the fantasy theme, and the tremendous work of the volunteers and exhibitors combine for an exceptional expe- POST PHOTO/KASIA McDONOUGH The Back Mountain Bloomers are working this week to prepare the Kingston Armory for the annual Northeast Pennsylvania Flower Show. From left: Lynn Kelly, Ann Stine, Louse Mattas, Mike burchie, Cora Hurt and Janet Flack. They are members of the Bloomers and of the Orchid Society. rience. Mattas was still preparing by painting pedestals in the days before the show. “I do it out of a general love for seeing beautiful things,” she says. “I enjoy flowers and working in my landscapes.” Linda Thoma, a previous co- chair of the show and previous president of the club, says, “We're just bound and determined to put on a top-rated show.” She cites the hard work of vol- unteers as key to creating the perfect environment. As co-chair of the vendors and garden market, Dallas resident Nancy Brown aimed to bring in new booths this year. Featured will be clothing, garden sculp- tures, plants, and hanging bas- kets from Garden-n-More, Naturals by Renata, Wearable Art, and others. Floral designers will have arrangements for sale. “This year, we had people calling us,” says Brown. “This is one of the ways I serve the Philharmonic,” says Brown. “There's a great feeling when it all comes together.” The love that people have for the earth, men- tions Brown, helps make the event enjoyable to work on and attend. Visitors to the show will be able to view the many competitive flo- ral contests, which all are follow- ing the fairy tale theme. Ann Stine is the consultant for Class 101, The Semi-Formal Table. “The sub- ject is ‘The Wedding Feast’ from Snow White,” says Stine. The judges will award ribbons to the best individual interpretation of the topic. Other classes include “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall,” “Oh Beauty,” and “Oh Beast.” The Back Mountain Bloomers anticipate this year’s theme will be especially entertaining to chil- dren. Louise Mattas mentions that that there will be a section where costumed volunteers dressed as Mother Goose and a Fairy God- mother will read children’s sto- ries. “This year is going to appeal to a larger audience,” she adds. Educational exhibits aimed atages 1-7, 8-12, and 13-17 will also be of interest to younger visitors. The show succeeds due to the efforts of many volunteers and several businesses that donate their time and money. KW Car- pets and More has lent carpets to cushion areas of the Armory. Jim Harkins, of Penn State Feed, has provided supplies, trucks, and even recruited carpenters to cre- ate the right atmosphere in Kingston. See FLOWER SHOW, pg 6 No support evident for 57% NUI rate hike State trying to have company taken over by better operator By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff DALLAS - No customers showed up for an afternoon hear- ing about a 57 percent rate in- crease request by National Utili- ties Inc. But the evening session was packed by customers with complaints about the company’s service and quality. An attorney for the utility thought the low turnout at the 2 p.m. session was a positive sign. “Our record of customer ser- vice and water quality has steadily improved over the years, as evi- denced by the reduction of com- plaints we have received,” said Anthony Lomma, attorney for National Utilities Inc. (NUI). Util- ity representatives expressed their continuing commitment to im- proving standards and said the annual increase of $477,026 is necessary to meet the cost of fu- ture upgrades. See RATE HIKE, pg 2 14 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar..............i.. 14 Classified............. 12-13 Crossword................ 14 Editorials. ....... hc. 4 Obituanes................... 2 SCHOOL. ..ite.ivenisensdiion 11 Spors..........inii i. 9-10 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@aol.com The Dallas Post MAILING LABEL- Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612-0366
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