4 0 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 3,2001 5 2000 Review (continued from page 3) to be sold at auction. George Andrews, Harveys Lake Borough Council president, was looking into the prospect of a rec- reational trail around the 200- acre lake. Lake-Lehman school board member Lois Kopcha questioned the wisdom of taking out a short- term, high-interest loan for Ross renovations when the district had a substantial amount of money in its capital reserve account. The Giants beat the Tigers 6-2 to win the Back Mountain Major League Baseball championship. July 12: Five students from Lake-Lehman High School won second place at the national level of the annual History Day compe- tition. Elizabeth Blidner, Melissa Brady, David Fine, Robert Roderick and Jennifer Sutton won for their video documentary, “Yield or Perish: The Theft of the Black Hills." John Comilz, their Ad- vanced Placement European His- tory class teacher, accompanied them to the National Competition at the Unjversity of Maryland. The 54th Library Auction was, as always, a great success. This year there were more activities for children, including "bid-Time Sto- ries” read by actress Prudence Wright Holmes; the auction chicken dish was served for the first time since 1977; and Sue Hand's 25th painting for the auc- tion was the biggest and most lucrative ever. Foreman Burkavage was au- thorized by the Dallas board to move ahead with designs for the middle school, and decided on a pool that was more elaborate than griginally planned. Harveys Lake Borough officials began drafting ordinances to re- strict the size of new boathouses on the lake. July 19: St. Paul's Lutheran held the groundbreaking cer- emony for its new church. The church will be moving from the 2- acre site in Shavertown it has occupied for 75 years to an 11- acre site in Dallas Twp. which will “allow for a more spacious build- ing. Orphaned children from Rus- sia came to visit the Back Moun- tain via an American program called Kidsave in hopes of finding adoptive parents. Andy Chacko of Dallas and Dan Conte of Harveys Lake brought home medals from the 20th An- nual National Veterans Wheel- chair Games. The Back Mountain Minor League softball team won the Dis- trict 16 Championship with a tour- nament record of 5-0. July 26: Harveys Lake Bor- ough received a Growing Greener grant totalling over $80,000 to be used for repairs to Old Sandy Bottom and Sandy Beach Creek, and for the resolution of drainage problems behind the Municipal Authority building. Councilman Daniel Hanson announced inten- tions of applying for another grant to remedy the Hemlock Gardens drainage situation. Weekend programs at Frances Slocum park taught local kids about nature. The Back Mountain Major League Softball All-Stars won the District 16 championship. August 2: The cleanup from the gasoline spill in Jackson Twp. in January continued, and homeowners affected by the spill were given the choice of an out- right property buyout by Sun Oil Co. or an incentive to stay. The DEP reported contamination lev- els in the wells were declining, and the bulk of the gasoline-satu- rated soil had been removed. “Defend Our Watershed” gained support from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties and beyond in its quest to enforce the pre-sale designation of the former water- shed land as a conservation area. Parents of children at Ross El- ementary expressed concern that class sizes of around 30 students were too large for satisfactory in- dividualized attention. August 9: Shavertown Volun- teer Fire Co. made plans for a big block party to celebrate its 75th birthday. . John Gilligan, who was travel- ing in Australia with fellow DHS students Adam Morgan Nolan and Maura Popson on the People-to- People program, wrote an‘article "about the students’ adventures and impressions of life Down Un- der. Several Back Mountain health- care providers affected by changes atWVHCS were making plans for opening independent practices. Dallas Middle School renova- ticns were underway and had been 4( percent completed. Graduation 2000 lock-in party. August 16: The Shavertown Fire Co's successful block party, which was also a fund-raiser, in- cluded lots of food and games, and a DJ in the evening. Four people were injured in a two-car crash on Rte. 309 in Shav- ertown; the cars collided in the passing lane and one of them jumped the curb and plowed into the side of Cook's Pharmacy. Sun Oil, after claims that it was being “unresponsive” to Jackson Twp. officials, made an effort to improve communication. Students in Dallas and Lake- Lehman school districts prepared to go back to school, and ‘official practice sessions for fall sports began. August 23: According to school administrators and PTO repre- sentatives, the transition between the Westmoreland school and the brand-new Wycallis Elementary ~ building went well. “The students love this building. They were thrilled,” said Kathleen McCarthy, principal of Westmoreland and Wyecallis. Attorney Bruce Phillips, a neighbor of the Dallas school dis- trict, threatened legal action un- less telephone poles used to re- route a power line away from the site of the new field house were removed. Harveys Lake Borough submit- ted its application for the Growing Greener grant to take care of the Hemlock Gardens sewage and drainage problems. August 30: Offset Paperback, Dallas, was presented with the 2000 Governor's Award for Safety . Excellence. Michael Gallagher, President of Offset, Joseph Macarevicz, Vice President of Manufacturing, and Robert Chaney, President of GCUI Local 137-C accepted the award from Lieutenant Governor Mark Schweiker. Brian Ziller, a 13-year old from Shavertown, volunteered for his 5th straight year at the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon for the Mus- cular Dystrophy Association. Stephanie Reisch and her daughter Kim made a trip to Ko- rea, Kim's birth country, to learn more about her heritage. Construction was stepped up on the new DHS stadium and fieldhouse, and over at Lake-Leh- man, PNC Securities representa- tive Ray Lowery encouraged the school board to do something for permanent financing for their own schools’ renovations. September 6: Charles Dolloff's 15-year and ongoing construc- tion of his Harveys Lake dream house was a nightmare for his neighbors, who complained about runoff problems, soil erosion, and Dolloff's mobile home not being removed from the site. Cassie Mericle’s own dream came true when she got to go to Branson, MO to hear the bands and go to the Lawrence Welk The- ater, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish foundation. The DHS athletic program added girls’ tennis to its roster of sports for the first time. September 13: This year's Luzerne County Fair drew record crowds of 75.000 people in over 5 days. The new DHS stadium was 72 percent complete; although not finished by the Sept. 1 deadline, the construction was sufficient to allow the first home football game of the season to be played. Dallas and Lake-Lehman jun- ior football squads were both un- defeated three weeks into the sea- son. Cindy Kreidler. a breast-can- cer survivor, planned to partici- pate in the 3-mile Race for the Cure. which benefits the Breast Sherri Kuderka held a caricature done for her at the DHS Cancer Foundation. September 20: The day was bright and sunny for the Idetown bicentennial on the 17th, and hundreds of people flocked in to celebrate with members of the Ide family. David Ide, the Bicenten- nial and Memorial Committee chairman, was master of ceremo- nies and dedicated the stone me- morial. The Lake-Lehman High School Brass Ensemble played, and the 24th Connecticut Militia Regiment in full regalia fired a volley and had a Presentation of Arms. There was a procession to the Old Ide Burying Ground to place markers on the graves of and her mother Dolores Goble of Dallas brought home six ribbons between ' ‘them ' from. the Bloomsburg Fair. October 11: Local ambulance companies were faced with hav- ing to find a new paramedic ser- vice after WVHCS announced it was doing away with its in-house paramedics. Banks have been opening left and right in the Back Mountain, the latest being the First National Community Bank. which opened a branch next to the Shavertown post office. Jackson Twp. zoning officer “John Krupa announced he had cited American Asphalt for min- ing in an agricultural area. Gerry Olenik of the DEP reported at the supervisors’ meeting that the soil removal has been completed by Sun Oil and water contamination levels dropped. A group from Trinity Presbyte- rian, including Pastor Mark Harper and DHS students Jeff Burkhardt and Maria Stevens and Lake-Lehman freshman Crystal McCaffrey went to El Salvador for 10 days to convert an old haci- .enda into a retreat center for un- derprivileged youth and adults of the city of Colima. October 18: The Twin Stacks Center was officially dedicated and its new clock unveiled on Oct. 12 at a special ceremony. Husband- and-wife team Richard Haas and Lynn Banta worked hard for two years to transform the disused Natona Mills/Native Textiles building into an attractive office- and-retail center. The clock, de- signed by local artist Jason Graboski held two ducklings that he helped rescue from a storm sewer at the Meadows Nursing Center. Idetown founder Nehemiah Ide and his wife Mary Bennett Ide, followed by a reception in the social hall at the Idetown United Methodist Church. Seven LLHS and five DHS stu- dent athletes were suspended from school and disciplined for underage drinking. The Lake-Lehman school board continued its discussion of con- tracts for the district's transpor- tation providers, but the contracts were still not drawn up although the school year was well under- way. September 27: Daddow-Isaacs Post # 672 of the American Legion in Dallas held a breakfast in honor of Vietnam veterans on the 25th anniversary of the ending of the war. Charles Dolloff further irked his long-suffering Harveys Lake neighbors by chopping up his mobile home with a backhoe and burning it bit by bit in big bonfires in his yard. Dallas Borough mayor Tim Carroll started the Mayor's Club to fund special projects around the borough, beginning with the cleanup of historic but abandoned Rice Cemetery, which was under- taken by Eagle Scout candidate Sean Smith of Troop 155 in Trucksville. Brothers Joseph and John Murray opened their new physi- cal therapy practice, GEM Thera- peutics. on Main St. in Dallas Borough. October 4: A sizeable crowd attended the Library's Fall Wrap- Up Auction on Oct. 1. The band parents expressed their gratitude to the Dallas school board for their new fieldhouse. Sharon and Rudy Kranys of Harveys Lake were given the Harveys - Lake Protective Association's Civic Pride Award for removing the townhouse and cabana on the corner of First St. and Lakeside Drive and replacing them with tasteful landscaping and a boathouse, both ridding the area of an eyesore and making it more environmentally sound. Elizabeth Turner of Shavertown Laura Slocum and made by Electric Time of Philadelphia, is the largest in the Back Mountain. Ambulance compa- nies in the Back Moun- tain were leaning to- wards Northeast Para- medics, the indepen- dent company formed by the WVHCS para- medics, as their Ad- vanced Life Support provider. Boy Scout Sean Smith, with help from his family and friends, began work on Rice Cemetery. Carl and Mona Montross of Lake Twp. celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on; Oct :6: Mr. Montross was a former employee of Native Textiles. ad Hii October 25: Plans for the Back Mountain Sports and Recreation Complex began to come together. David Sutton, Chairman of the Back Mt. Recreation Board, an- nounced that the Department of Conservation and Natural Re- sources (DCNR) was giving the Board a Peer-to-Peer grant to fi- nance the feasibility study and hire a peer counselor. Two parcels of land totalling 130 acres have been selected as ideal for the project. The Dallas Middle School sought to hire an assistant princi- pal after 16 years without one. Oct. 26 in the Natona Room at Stax & Co. November 1: The Black Knights beat the favored Mountaineers 12- 7 in the Old Shoe game, marking the first time in five years Lake- Lehman had overcome Dallas in the contest. Pennsylvania fire and ambu- lance companies were given grants under Act 66 signed by Gov. Tom Ridge. and the Shavertown Vol- unteer Fire Co. was chosen to represent the Northeast region in a check-presentation ceremony. Lieutenant Gov. Mark Schweiker came to Shavertown on Oct. 27 to formally present the check: Fire Chief Gary Beisel acted as master of ceremonies. The Shavertown fire hall was also the scene of a citizens’ meet- ing on the evening of Oct. 26 to discuss the proposed building of a Sheetz convenience store/gas station at the Pendragon Center on Rte. 309. Well over 100 people showed up at the meeting, which was organized by Russell and Sherri Newell of Newell Fuel and Eric May of Pen Fern Oil Co. Wycallis students prepared to participate in the Pennsylvania Student Mock Election. November 8: Not long after a sign for the entrance of the Back Mt. Trail was put up, Kingston Twp. cut down a dozen fully-grown trees nearby, claiming they were “unstable,” possibly presenting a danger to cars below. . The .Dallas Borough Council fired the part-time borough clerk, Sally Buttorff, for reasons never fully explained. Joseph Moskovitz was hired by the borough to serve as its new full-time manager. For Veterans’ Day, Quentin "Cap" Walters of Dallas told of his experiences at Pearl Harbor as a Navy seaman. The Mountaineers soccer team qualified for the state tournament for their second consecutive sea- son when they beat Lake-Lehman 3-1. November 15: Sun Oil Co. made changes to its faulty pipe- line that caused a major problem in Jackson Twp. when it leaked 5,000 gallons of gasoline. The Back Mountain Food Bank announced it-was in need of do- nations in time for the upcoming holidays. DMS students- came up with the same answer as NASA when given a real-life problem to solve as part of the NASA Endeavor project the students participated in. Dr. Michael Speziale, Assistant Superintendent of the Dallas schools and Robert Roberts, In- terim Superintendent of Lake-Le- hman agreed there was a growing shortage of substitute teachers in their districts. College Misericordia’s new Mary Kintz Bevevino Library entered cyberspace when it became a member of the Northeast Penn- sylvania Library Network. November 22: Area schools showed a spirit of generosity for the holidays: Lake-Lehman high school students sponsored a Feed- A-Friend program to provide food for 10 local families; the middle school had a food drive in which #* Rev. Charles Grube studied a model of the new St. Paul's Lutheran Church building, which is now under construction. The Luzerne County SPCA held its annual Halloween Costume Contest for pets. and colorfully- costumed contestants converged with their owners at Back Moun- tain Feed & Seed in Dallas. The Back Mountain Business and Professional Association held its first annual Business Fair on they were given lists of things to bring in, and each class that brought in everything on its list got to throw a pie at their homeroom teacher. DHS held a coat drive, DMS held a food drive, and DES had a "Penny Wars” program in which each class filled water-cooler bottles with pennies, later to be cashed in and the money distributed to families in need. The Back Mt. Recreation Board held a community meeting on Nov, 16 to introduce its plans and get feedback from the community. The board announced that Julie McMonagle was hired as the peer counselor as per the terms of the DCNR grant. the'study committee was formed. and more grants were applied for. Residents of Woodridge II in - Shavertown attended hearings in front of the Kingston Twp. Plan- ning Commission to protest the telecommunication tower Nextel Partners proposed building on a parcel of property leased from Daniel Voitek and Mary Lukasavage. November 29: Although spend- ing was increased by 5.3 percent in Dallas Borough's proposed budget. anticipation of higher rev- enues meant there would be no millage increase for borough tax- payers. Marie Brokenshire, who died of a heart attack following a car ac- cident on Nov. 6, was remem- bered fondly by those who knew ,. her. Shavertown UMC planned a special holiday concert featuring Sister Spirit and A Touch of Brass, with proceeds to benefit Habitat for Humanity. DHS PTSO’s coat drive netted 319 coats, six blankets, and three bags of sweaters. December 6: Dallas Twp. and Kingston Twp. saw a marked in- crease in number of commercial zoning requests. The sale of the Dallas Post and Abington Journal to the Times- Leader Community Newspaper Group was formally announced. Dallas School District teachers and the school board agreed to an “early bird” renewal of contracts. The Byron family of Dallas Twp. had their mailbox “decorated” with dead deer parts by unknown van- dals. Kingston Twp. residents had the opportunity to voice their con- cerns about the Nextel tower to the planning commission at the latest in the series of hearings. George Lazur, Jr. planted 100 trees along the Back Mountain Trail as the core of his Eagle Scout project. December 13: Carl Miers, Dal- «las Twp. Police Chief, notified the board of supervisors of his retire- ment, after 31 years of law-en- forcement service. The Kingston Twp. Planning Commission recommended ap- proval of Sheetz's preliminary subdivision application. Cost for the renovations of the Dallas Middle School was esti- mated to be $18 million. The Dallas PTO plans to re- place the wooden playground structure at Dallas Elementary with a new modular one. The food drive for the Back Mountain Food Bank was deemed a great success. December 20: DAMA officially opened its yard waste composting program with a ribbon-cutting in front of the Banded Beast, a hori- zontal grinding machine pur- chased with a Recycling Program grant from the DEP. Gate of Heaven planned for its annual trip to Haiti and took up a collection of used eyeglasses to bring along. The Board of Supervisors in Kingston Twp. accepted the plan- ning commission's recommenda- tion to approve Sheetz's prelimi- nary subdivision plans. Brian Ziller of Trucksville was recognized for his 5 years of vol- unteer work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association by being named Volunteer of the Year for Dallas Middle School in the Pru- dential Spirit of Community Awards Program. December 27: Lyn Sheehan Jr. of Dallas Borough bravely fended off a pair of dogs that were attacking his neighbor Paulette Albosta and her dog. The Kingston Twp. Planning Commission toured the proposed site of the Nextel cell tower behind William Anzalone's house in Woodridge II. Karen Rose will replace 18-year veteran Janice Castellani as King- ston Twp. tax collector. DHS faculty performed in a holiday concert for students and the community on Dec. 22, with the admission price being a toy to donate to the Toys for Tots pro- gram or a cash donation for the Graduation 2001 program. Pennsylvania bear hunters set a new record of 3,070 animals harvested during the 3-day sea- son, 72 of which were taken in Luzerne County.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers