L The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 DALLAS POST THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Dallas, Pennsylvania May 9 to May 15, 2002 ANS Ls OUI United We Stand Vol. 113. No. 19 Cents SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF SPORTS SCHOOL COMMUNITY Lake-Lehman tops Dallas in Dallas Elementary students get a Bank makes donation to food 2a y| junior high action. Pg 9. taste of women’s history. Pg 12. bank. Pg 5. ® Questions raised on payments to township secretary, assistant & By ELIZABETH ANDERSON Post Correspondent LEHMAN TWP. — The restoration of the athletic fields at Lake-Lehman High School will go forward at a price of $1.4 million. In a special voting meeting, Tuesday evening, the Lake-Lehman School Board cast a majority of five affirmative , votes to award Pikes Creek :Site Con- = tractors the bid. for restoration of the football field and track in the amount of $1,371,577. The athletic fields project has been hotly contested by several groups since it was first proposed in Jan 2001 at a budgeted amount of $3.5 million, but a majority of the school board members found the project to be a worthy endeavor and necessary to the district students. The project includes the restoration of the football field, new bleachers, elec- tronic scoreboard, and an artificial turf track. The football field will also be used for soccer and field hockey. The football field is expected to be complet- ed by the last week in August in time for the first home football game, accord- ing to Douglas Trumbower, architect for the project. Trumbower said the track would not be ready until November, due to a 28-day waiting period after the ap- plication of the track surfacing materi- al. Calling the actions of the school board in the Ross Elementary School and the high school construction pro- jects “courageous” and “bold,” Robert O. Roberts, district superintendent, said, “I would like to go on record as being wholeheartedly and enthusiasti- cally in support of this project.” Charles Boytin, board president, pointed out that the district was al- ready busing Lake-Lehman students to other school fields for sporting events and the fields were necessary and in the best interest of the students. J Rich Butcofski played his first home game Sunday By TIMOTHY J. RAUB Post Staff It has been a long time since Rich Butcofski has been able to play in front of his true home crowd. The former Dallas High School and East Stroudsburg University graduate finally got that chance May 4. Butcofski, a tight end/defensive end for the Wilkes-Barre Pioneers, took the field in the Wyoming Valley for the first time since his days with the Mountaineers in the Pioneers’ 44-26 loss to Roanoke at the First Union Arena — and enjoyed the chance to come back and showcase his talent. “It felt great being in front of the home crowd again, it really felt great,” said Butcofski. “I am just taking it week to week, and hope we can just get a win.” A linebacker /fullback at the start of training camp, Butcofski was called on by the Wilkes-Barre coaching staff to make the conver- sion to tight end/defensive end, a whole new world for the Back Mountain native. “I am just trying to do the things they are teaching me,” said Butcofs- ki. “It is really different from playing See BUTCOFSKI, pg 10 Former Dallas standout earns spot on Pioneers roster FRED ADAMS/FOR THE DALLAS POST Rich Butcofski talked with Kevin Nagle, his former teammate at East Stroudsburg, during a practice session before the sea- son began. At the time they were competing for the same positions with the Wilkes-Barre Pioneers, but Butcofski has since been switched to tight end/defensive end. Bare majority okays $1.4 million fields renovation Board members Angelo DeCesaris and Joseph Kapitula voted no to the project. Kapitula said he felt it was a bad time to be spending the taxpayers’ money on an unnecessary project con- sidering the current state of the econo- my. “I can not tell the taxpayers we are going to raise their taxes because we have to put some fields in,” Kapitula said. See LAKE-LEHMAN, pg 3 Supervisor calling for long-range plan BY TIMOTHY J. RAUB Post Staff Supervisor J. Carl Goodwin thinks Kingston Township, and the entire Back Mountain for that matter, needs to start thinking further into the future. Recent issues concerning planning, zoning and the township's water supply have led the rookie supervisor to make good on one key aspect of his campaign platform from November. Goodwin has proposed the formation of a long-range planning commission, which would aid in helping the current planning commission and Board of Su- pervisors make decisions on develop- ment in the township. “I have had this idea since I was elected in November,” said Goodwin. “What has happened with Windsor Farms has only accented and extenuat- ed my desire for this. We are not against development in the township. We just want sensible, reasonable de- velopment.” Topics such as a water study, stormwater management, population growth, recreation and conservation of green space and the development of the township's limited commercial area, said Goodwin are some of the topics he hopes the commission would discuss. He went on to say that he thinks the group should be given free rein to work on a wide range of issues the township is and can possibly face in the future. “The last long-range plan for Kingston Township was done in 1974,” By ELIZABETH ANDERSON Post Correspondent JACKSON TWP. Questions were raised at the May 6 Jackson Township supervisors meeting, about the $71,000 paid in salaries and benefits to the town- ship’s secretary and assistant secretary this year. “We are presently reviewing these fig- ures,” said Supervisor Al Fox. “They ap- pear over budget. Hopefully, by next meeting we will be able to determine why the figures are so high.” Fox said Henry Zbiek, secretary, had been paid $30,000 and Joy Bird, assis- tant secretary, had received $41,000. It was not clear if the payments were made in 2001 or the most recent 12 month pe- riod. Fox said more details would be re- ‘Spring Festival’ planned Saturday By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent See PLAN, pg 4 16 Pages, 2 Sections leased at the next meeting of the supervi- sors. The supervisors are in negotiations with the union representing township employees, including the road crew and the clerical staff, on a contract expiring Dec. 2002. Fox said he was not aware of any other local municipal employees be- ing unionized. He also questioned whether the secretary, Henry Zbiek, was entitled to a pension payment according to the present contract. Fox also alleged a possible violation of the Sunshine Act by the other supervi- sors, saying he was not informed of two executive meetings held April 9 and May 2. A letter from Jeffery Malak, township solicitor, backed up Fox's claim, stating the April 9 meeting to be in possible vio- lation of the act. Fox said important deci- Back Mountain children and their families are invited to a Spring Festival Saturday at College Misericordia. The event, sponsored by the Back Mountain Business and Professional Association, will be- gin at 1 p.m. and include plenty of activities and goodies. There is no charge. “We're going to have games, magic, music with a dee jay, face-painting, prizes and candy,” chairman of the event. “It will be a celebration of children of the See FESTIVAL, pg 8 said Maryellen Giannuzzi, sions regarding the union negotiations were made in his absence and in his name and he was frustrated by his in- ability to act after the fact. While the matter was tabled until the next township meeting, John J. Wilkes, chairman of the board of supervisors, said he would personally inform Fox of all future meetings and meet to set specific dates after Monday's regular meeting. The supervisors signed a new three- year contract with the police department authorizing a 5 percent yearly compensa- tion increase. “Our police department is grossly un- derpaid,” said Wilkes, remarking upon the excellence of the department and the dangerous job the officers are called upon to do. Several residents agreed with Wilkes during citizens’ comments. Presently, Chief Jerry Leedock makes $18.14 per hour, with Sergeant Scott Davis earning $12.82 per hour. Any full- time new hires will be paid $21,000 per year under the new contract. Adopton of the new contract means re- jection of the police services regionaliza- tion adopted by some neighboring munic- ipalities. In an effort to give all residents of Jack- son Township the opportunity to partici- pate in the planning process, the board of supervisors and the planning commis- sion have mailed out surveys to learn what residents want from the new com- prehensive plan. The last comprehensive plan was adopted in 1979. Residents are being asked for their See JACKSON, pg 8 BMT Bloomers help Habitat The Back Mountain Bloomers Gar- den Club has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to provide landscaping for a newly construct- ed residence on Madison Street in Wilkes-Barre. Louise Mattas (past president), left, and Iran Fahmy are shown on the site of the project. The Bloomers have a five-year commitment to work with Habitat to provide plants and shrubs to beautify the properties and to facil- itate continuing lawn and garden- ing education for the new home owners. POST PHOTO/SANDY PEOPLES Calendar... ........couuisseress 16 Classified.................. 13-15 Crossword..........oaiak 10 EdiORAls........uuei ini vis 6 ObIUBIIES........... sivaeeeirrs sa 2 SCHOOL... heii iii 11 SPONS.......0000 ais 9-10 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dallaspost@Ileader.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
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