KIT OUT! PANDED “Classified Section € Money-Saving Coupons The Dallas Post SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Vol. 112. No. 27 Dallas, Pennsylvania 50 Cents July 4 to July 10, 2001 . Local youth sports groups divided on value of rec complex ® By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff LEHMAN - As plans move forward for the Back’ Mountain Sports and Recre- ation Complex, youth sports organiza- tions” have mixed feelings about the proposed park. The Back Mountain Youth Soccer Association can’t wait to get on the field, but Back Mountain Baseball, Inc. would rather stay put. Back Mountain Baseball, Inc., has been involved with some of the meet- ings concerning the proposed regional complex. The question for the organiza- tion is - should it continue to rent, or 16 mill hike pegged to construction A One board member says increase could “have come gradually By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff DALLAS - In an 8 to 1 vote, the Dal- las School Board passed the budget of $21,314,708 for the 2001-2002 school 1 year. With a 16 mill increase, the board ap- proved tax millage at 190 mills, a per capita tax of $10, and an earned income tax of 1 percent (which is shared equal- ly with municipal governments which have enacted such taxes.) “I didn’t feel we needed to raise taxes that high at this time,” said school board member Frank Natitus, the only board member to vote against the bud- get. The increase in millage will go to the new building projects, it's a brick and mortar issue, Natitus said. “We've done a lot of good things that had to be done.” Since the school district will be build- ing over the next three years, Natitus said he felt the increase could have been lower and done over a two to three year period instead one big tax hike this year. The district was able to cut $355,933 from the tentative budget due to the re- duction in the bond issued for the Dal- las Middle School renovation and ex See TAX INCREASE, pg 8 buy its own field of dreams? Since 1960, Back Mountain Baseball has called land owned by the Dallas School District on Church Street in Dallas its home. Instead of moving to another parcel of land, Back Mountain Baseball would prefer to stay at its ex- isting ball park, said Jack Snyder, league president. “We would like to stay were we are at,” said Snyder. Everything Back Mountain Baseball needs is already there, he said. Tom Dougherty, vice-president of fundraising for the league, agreed with Snyder. The Back Mountain Sports and “Our preference is to purchase the property and stay where we are ” now. Jack Snyder President, Back Mt. Baseball » Recreation Complex is a first-time in- vestment for the area, said Dougherty. “We have a responsibility to over 1,000 kids to provide a place to play ball,” said Dougherty. It may be six to eight years before Back Mountain Baseball Fun in the sun Smiles and sun fill the air At the Kenneth A. Young Memorial Park this summer, kids are doing what they do best, having fun. Squinting into the midday sun, clockwise from top: Joe Bevevino, 11, Mark Covert, 11, and Anthony Dejesus, 11, are regu- lars at the Dallas Borough Day Camp. More photos on page 6. can move there, he said. “Our preference is to purchase the property and stay where we are now,” Snyder said. The time has come when stands need to be expanded and Back Mountain Baseball would like to add batting cages. “We want to start investing,” Dougherty said, but the league is hesi- tant to make a large investment in the property without owning it. Dougherty said there has not been a conversation between Back Mountain Baseball and the Dallas School District about the land yet. He said the organi- zation is getting ready for possible ne- POST PHOTO/HEATHER B. JONES Kids will share their good fortune with summer visitors ® 1 Youth group puts together welcome packs for Russian orphans By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent @ DALLAS - “They come here with only the clothes on their backs,” said Kevin Cottle, a member of the Dallas United Methodist Church junior high youth group, of the 67 Russian orphans who were soon to arrive in the U.S. Last Sunday Cottle and six other youth group members — Tony Banta, Nina Banta, Billy Barnes, Adam Cottle, Leandra Barnes and D. J. Donovan — assembled a variety of sundry items and goodies in canvas welcome bags. ee They prepared them to give to the chil- dren, who were scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Airport July 3. Three buses picked the children up at the airport and drove them to church-sponsored homes in Chester County, the Williamsport area and the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton area. The children come here for the sum- mer through the World Links Associa- tion, founded in 1996 by Tatiana Suslin. Since 1999, World Links has been working with Kidsave Internation- al to bring older Russian orphans to bi es 8 si all POST PHOTO/SANDY PEOPLES The youth group pauses from their work for a moment to pose for this picture. From left, first row: Tony Banta, Nina Banta, Billy Barnes, Adam Cottle, Kevin Cottle. second row: Leandra Barnes, D. J. Donovan. America to stay with host families. It is a camp program with the hope that each child will find a “forever family.” Children ages 5 through 15 participate, living with host families who have ex- pressed a desire to adopt them. There is a six-week period during which a mutu- al evaluation takes place, then a deci- sion is made about the child staying with the family. This is the first year the Dallas youth group prepared welcome bags, but it is the third year the adoption program has brought children in need to Pennsylva- nia. In May 1999, 25 children were sponsored and adopted. Last year, 25 children and seven of their siblings were adopted. This year, 67 children will come, and it is expected each will find a safe and loving home where they can become a permanent part of a fami- ly. Lynn Banta, Harveys Lake, is on the board of directors of Kidsave Interna- tional, and she and her family are mem- bers of Dallas United Methodist Church. She and her husband, Richard Haas, and their son, Tony Banta, trav- eled to Russia in March, 1999 to adopt a child. “We brought Nina home with us,” said Lynn Banta. “She was a tiny 6-year-old who was starving and suffering from frostbite. We had thought about adopt- ing an infant, but when we saw all of the older children that nobody wanted, we said no, we would bring Nina home with us to love instead of a new born. Nina is now a thriving 8-year-old who is adored by her older brother, Tony.” “We saved one child,” said 13-year- old Tony Banta, “but there are hun- dreds more. They have nothing. Kids need things. When I heard that 67 of them were coming this year, I asked my friends to help me have a car wash. Some money was collected from church members and from other people we knew. Some businesses gave us money and things like toys, stuffed animals, school supplies, combs, tooth brushes, See RUSSIAN KIDS, pg 8 gotiations in the near future. On the other side of the coin, the Back Mountain Youth Soccer Associa- tion (BMYSA) cannot wait to get out on the fields at the Back Mountain Sports and Recreation Complex. Since BMYSA formed in 1974 it has not had a place to call home. “We're taking land where we can get it,” said Dave Rosnick, league president. “Right now we are all begging and pleading for the same fields,” he said. Many fields BMYSA practices and plays on are used by other sports in the area. See REC COMPLEX, pg 8 Combined police force could work, study implies J Cost savings, morale boost possible if borough, township get together By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff DALLAS - A combined regional police force for Dallas Borough and Dallas Township may be in the near future. For the past three months the Gover- nor’s Center for Local Government Ser- vices has been working on a feasibility study for a regional police force be- tween the two municipalities. David Duffy, peer consultant with the Gover- nor's Center, briefly presented an overview of his findings on June 28 to a number of Dallas Borough and Dallas Township officials. “This is something for you to build on,” Duffy said about the report he pre See POLICE, pg 8 TINDER |" 14 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar............io cies 14 Classified...............- 10-13 Crossword..................... 10 Editorials..............c..ciiees 4 Obituaries.............cixeeeuss 2 SCHOO. otis viii iinnsiintaens 7 SPOS ccoviis. itivvnnsenses 8-9 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@ epix.net The Dallas Post Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612-0366
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers