oy We 2 Vol. 110 No. 40 Dallas, Pennsylvania > Newspaper Since 1889 SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS 50 Cents October 6 thru October 12, 1999 his first blessing. Ed and Tammy Lemelin of Shavertown brought the five "older" bassett hounds they have adopted to St. Therese's Church for Critters come for al All creatures great and small, good and not-so-good gath- ered Saturday merning at St. Therese’s Church in Shavertown as part of a “Respect for Life” weekend that included the church’s annual blessing of pets and animals. Msgr. Peter Cyrnes gleefully blessed well over 50 pets in this annual ceremony. Carol & Mike Cooker brought Steeler and Casey for Everyone agreed that Ed and Tammy Lemelin of Shavertown needed many blessings for themselves and the five “older” bassett hounds they have adopted. Kelly the annual blessing of the animals. More than 50 pets received blessings from Msgr. Peter Crynes. More photos on page 3. ittle spiritual boost and Denise Murphy asked for a special blessing for an 18- year-old cat, “Wheezer,” who Denise has had since she was in college. And then there was “Wrinkles,” the 4-year-old miniature bull terrier owed by Don Secor from Chase. It seems that after being blessed and featured on the front page of the Dallas Post three years ago, he has this year spent five days in a hospital for surgery, receiving over 50 stiches, after being attacked by another dog. Says Don, his owner, “He really needs it.” POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dallas ponders $6 million middle school renovations By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff DALLAS - The Dallas School Board Monday discussed its se- lection of an architect and/or con- struction manager to coordinate proposed renovations estimated to cost over $6 million. The board will hear presenta- tions from construction manage- ment firms at the regular monthly meeting next Monday. “There were some thoughts with the last project (Wycallis Elementary) that maybe we should have had a con- struction manager on board from the start,” said Dr. Gil Griffiths, Superintendent of Schools. Dallas Middle School improve- ments, which will include a new roof, removal of asbestos tiles and replacement windows among other upgrades, is expected to cost the district $6 million. “While the dollars are significant the na- ture of these projects is different,” said Griffiths. In addition to the middle school renovation, the district is con- templating improvements to the football stadium which will cost approximately $500,000 and up- grades to the tennis courts which will add another $100,000 to the construction budget. “If we're look- ing to have the stadium ready for the fall of next year, demolition has to begin in March of 2000, which impacts on graduation, the track season and possibly the start of football if construction is not completed by the middle of next August,” said Griffiths. The board is required to move forward in a timely manner be- cause of these constraints and those which apply to the middle } is “I think it makes sense to have more of a long range plan that includes regular maintenance on all our buildings.” Frank Natitus School director school renovations. “The middle school construction would have to completed over two years be- cause it will require two summers of work,” said Griffiths. “That was one issue I had a concern about, making sure we stay on a timeline so were not torn up for a long period of time.” School board members also voiced concerns about the deci- sion to focus on a few projects of pressing importance without es- tablishing a strategic plan. “Like in 1990, when we spent all that money to build a beautiful new library and home ec center at the high school and then decided to move the ninth graders up there,” said Maureen Banks. “If we in- tended to do that we should have renovated the high school to ac- commodate them.” A suggestion was made to seek a district-wide feasibility study encompassing each school on the campus and its grounds. “I think it makes sense to have more of a long range plan that includes regu- lar maintenance on all our build- ings,” said Frank Natitus, school board member. “I don’t want to be saying five years from now, ‘We should have done this and we should have done that'.” #1 POST PHOTO/JIM PHILLIPS Lehman 'tops’' Dallas Andrew George of Dallas, left, and Jason Mahle of Lehman put their heads together in last week's game. More photos on page 10. {6 2 Fd Back Mountain loses | great friend of youth By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff LEHMAN - There is a hole in the heart of the Back Mountain this week, as friends and family cope with the passing of Larry Georgetti. Thelong-time Lehman resi- dent is 'de- scribed by those who knew him best as a cher- ished friend, an admired profes- sional, a trusted mentor, a faithful parishioner and a loving husband and father. “His actions told you what kind of a person he was,” said Sunny Cesarini, Director of Religious Education at Gate of Heaven Church. Georgetti was a lector and Sun- day School instructor at the LARRY GEORGETTI “He was such a neat teacher,” said Cesarini. “He had innovative ideas and he was truly dedicated tc sharing his knowl- edge and his faith with the kids.” That commitment to education enabled Georgetti, who graduated from Mansfield University with a degree in special education, to work successfully with some un- conventional students. “Larry was a teacher at the State Correc- tional Institute at Retreat,” said Jim Welby, a co-worker and friend : See GEORGETTI, pg 8 church. Rash of break-ins could be drug related By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN - A rash of burglaries, which police officials believe are the work of drug users needing cash for the next buy, is shaking the sense of security in quiet Back Mountain communi- ties. The break-ins have been re- ported in Harveys Lake, Lake Township, Lehman Township and Dallas Borough. “We had an inci- dent where items were taken from two cars at the same residence,” said Chief Jack Fowler, of Dallas Borough. “We have a suspect and some information that indicates It's no trick: Towns may reschedule Halloween By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN - Is this a Trick or a Treat? The time-honored tradition of children parading door-to-door on a dark and chilly Halloween night may soon come to an end in some Back Mountain communities. “What we're trying to do is move this event to a weekend after- noon,” said Charles Kane, a mem- ber of the Dallas Borough Coun- cil. Council members, who began discussing the changes at their September meeting, believe es- tablishing a fixed date and time for Halloween activities has prac- tical advantages. “It’s hard for parents who work all day to come home and get the kids dressed in their costumes and go out trick or treating in the evening. Most fami- lies don’t get started until 6:30 or 7 p.m. and then we have kids walking the streets until 9 o'clock or later on a school night,” said Kane. In addition to reducing the number of sleepy students, the change is expected to lower the risk of accidents. “What brought this about was the fact that we have seen a large increase in popu- lation in the Back Mountain and when you combine that with the fact that families from outside the See HALLOWEEN, pg 8 f this is drug related.” Harveys Lake police are inves- tigating a series of burglaries and other suspicious behavior in that community. “We had two more reports of cars being broken into this week, bringing the number to five in the last three weeks,” said Chief Jeff Butler of the Harveys Lake Police Department. “Over the summer, we had some problems with thefts on boats where the perpetrators took stupid stuff like See DRUGS/CRIME, pg 8 26 Pages 3 Sections Calendar.................. 14 Classified.............. 12-13 Crossword................. 14 Editorials..................... 4 Obituaries.............. 2.12 School-.........2...5 11 Sports... 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. 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