Vol. 112. No. 26 50 Cents June 27 to July 3, 2001 . Boar members say taxes should be reduced J New Lake- Lehman budget keeps taxes the same for 4th year By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff LEHMAN - The Lake-Lehman School Board approved the 2001-2002 school year budget with a 6 to 3 vote at the June 19 meeting. The plan leaves tax- es at the same level they have been for four years. Board members Lois Kopcha, Angelo DeCesaris, and Joseph Kapitula voted against the $18,415,531 budget. Revenues have been projected at $17,986,572. The $428,959 shortfall will be covered with a transfer from the fund balance. “I will vote no because we have been overcharged since 1996,” said Kopcha. She ques- tioned the fairness of the mill- . age since the district has been able to put over $4.2 million into the capital reserve over the last few years. Kapitula agreed. “We've been overtaxed too much already,” Kapitula said. Millage will remain the same in the district at 221 mills for Luzerne County residents and 42 mills for Wyoming County residents. Kapitula . said he thinks it's time to reduce the millage. DeCesaris said the 2000-2001 budget had a $790,000 cushion built into it. “In 1998, we bud- geted a $100,000 excess, we ended up with $1.3 million ex- See L-L BUDGET, pg 8 Act 50 group, one short, plugs along By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff LEHMAN - “Are we still in ex- istence?” asked Act 50 Commis- sion member James Baloga of Lake-Lehman School District Solicitor Peter Savage. At the Lake-Lehman School Board meeting on June 19, the board accepted Moderno Rossi's resignation from the Act 50 Commission. The only vote cast against accepting Rossi's resig- nation was by school board member Charles Balavage. The Act 50 Commission, as stipulated by law, is to consist of five members appointed by the school board. The commission has to make a recommendation to the school board with the next month on Act 50. Short one member, the remaining commis- sion members wondered if they could go forward. Act 50 of 1998 is intended to provide taxpayers with addition- al tools to control the growth of school property taxes and to en- @ hance local control of a school See ACT 50, pg 8 Precious cargo Lauren Kelly carried the Bible from St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Shavertown Sunday. It was taken to its new home, along with other items, in a symbolic procession. The church’s new home is in Dallas Township, where the Bible will take its place on the altar in the new sanctuary. More photos in this week's Community Photo Album, pg 6. POST PHOTO/JIM PHILLIPS St. Paul’s parishioners take emotional journey to church’s new site 2 After 75 years in Shavertown, church moves to larger quarters in Dallas Township By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent SHAVERTOWN - On Sunday, June 24 members and friends of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Shavertown embarked on an emotional journey, leaving the church home they have known for 75 years to travel to their new place of worship off of Rt. 118 in Dallas. As if on cue, the rains of the previous day were replaced by sunshine, and the morning proved to be a beautiful time for new beginnings. Nervous smiles and excite- ment could be seen on the faces of the overflow crowd that came to pay their respects and say good bye to this familiar place. Over 300 families are members and attend worship services at St. Paul's. Earlier in the week, Pastor Charles Grube sat alone in the old sanctuary. The organ and pews were gone and the walls were bare. The most noteworthy object in the room was a huge structural crack in the wall at the back of the sanctuary, a crack that seemed to say it was time to go. “Everyone is excited about the move,” said Pastor Grube. “We have been preparing for this day for five years. But there is also sadness in the thought of leav- ing this place we have called home for three quarters of a century.” The cornerstone had recently been removed and relocated in the new building. It contained a rusty metal box which held a copy of the church bulletin from By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff LEHMAN - Complete with mouth guards, shin pads, ban- danas and sticks, the next gen- eration of Lake-Lehman field tion to the sport last week. Six years ago, the week-long senior project which gave girls fourth through sixth grade one introductory week of field hock- ey experience. Now the Lake- Lehman Field Hockey Clinic has turned into a tradition. This year Angie Basta, Megan Tribendis and Gina Coombs took on the project of making field hockey players out of 56 el- ementary school girls. “I hope they not only leave with a love for the sport of field hockey, but how to work as a team,” said Angie. The clinic teaches the girls basics like shooting and drib- bling, said Megan. For most of the girls, this clinic is their first exposure to the sport of field hockey. Seventh grade is the earliest girls can participate on an orga- nized field hockey team. But for many, the interest is there well Program introduces girls to joy of field hockey hockey players got an introduc- | camp started as a high school | POST PHOTO/HEATHER B. JONES Coaches for the 2001 Lake-Lehman Field Hockey Clinic, from left: Gina Coombs, Megan Tribendis, and Angie Basta. before they are in junior high school. Fifth grader Sarah Sorber said she came to the camp be- cause her older sister played field hockey. Sarah would like to follow in her sister’s footsteps and play one day. Girls like Sarah are the future players at Lake-Lehman. Giving them an early introduction to the sport and how much fun it can be, Angie, Megan and Gina hope to attract the younger girls to the field. “It’s been a lot of fun, and the girls are having a good time,” Gina said. She has watched some girls really come out of their shells as the week pro- gressed and she is proud of the younger girls’ hard work. Megan doesn't know who is having more fun, her or the girls. “Every day when I wake up I get more excited about coming to the clinic,” she said. The experience of organizing the clinic has been a lesson in itself for Angie, Megan and Gina. They began working on the project in April. “It's taught us a lot about organization. This has also given me a greater appreciation for practices and my coaches,” Angie said. Assistant coaches Meredith Edwards, Jenna Fine and Megan DeCesaris have been a tremendous help to the clinic. Angie, Megan and Gina said they could not have made the clinic happen without the help of the parents and fellow team members. The clinic is not only a senior project which fulfills a gradua- tion requirement for the three organizers, it is the biggest fund raiser for the field hockey club. The clinic fee of $65 pays for shirts, sticks, balls and other items needed for the clinic. The fee also helps support activities of the Lake-Lehman Field Hock- ey Team. the dedication Sunday in Octo- ber 1925. There was also a copy of the October 25, 1925 edition of the old Wilkes-Barre Record newspaper. The top portions of the memorial windows were also removed and will become part of the new building. “The new sanctuary will dou- ble our seating capacity from 180 seats to about 360 seats,” said Pastor Grube, “and we have purchased 11 acres, which will give us a lot of room for future growth and parking. We also in- corporated handicap accessibili- ty into our construction plan so that everyone who wants to may worship with us. ‘We broke ground a year ago, and it’s hard to believe that we are finally on our way.” See ST. PAUL'S, pg 8 POST PHOTO/JIM PHILLIPS Gail Smallwood passed the sym- bolic torch as it moved up the driveway to the new sanctuary. sr 16 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar Classified Crossword Editorials Obituaries School CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@epix.net 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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