The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Thursday,September 26, 2002 Council of Governments a progressive first step The proposed Council of Governments (COG) involving sev- eral Back Mountain communities — a long-hoped-for ad- vance — seems finally to be nearing reality. Spearheaded by Kingston Township Supervisor J. Carl Goodwin, the concept of regional thinking and planning is long overdue in an area that faces continued pressure from development of housing and businesses. Many local communities already share police and emer- gency services, and participate in buying groups that bargain for better pricing on road salt and other materials. The COG can take such cooperation a step further, and if managed wisely can improve the quality of services provided by all members, regardless of size. There is a great and growing gap between the largest and smallest population municipalities in the Back Mountain. The differences are largely a function of size and geography, as Kingston and Dallas townships outstrip Dallas Borough and other towns in growth rate. But most people would be hard pressed to define the boundaries of individual commu- nities, and we all share in the resources of one another’s towns. Without formal regional cooperation, there could be a growing disparity in access to resources that can be used to improve and protect our quality of life. One glaring example occurred recently in Lehman Town- ship, where a family purchased land and a home only to find that a nearby mining area extends to within 100 feet of their home. That situation cropped up because zoning maps con- tained incorrect boundary lines. Given the importance now placed on planning and zoning, it’s likely more reliable infor- mation would be available if the entire Back Mountain shared a common vision and had the resources to maintain up-to-date maps. The local water supply is one of Goodwin's prime concerns, and he hopes a study of the region’s aquifers will be high on the list of tasks. We are almost entirely dependent on wells, but little is known about the capacity and security of the un- derground sources that are tapped into at hundreds of points. Besides offering the potential to multiply local resources, a COG may help obtain grant funding for worthwhile projects. Both the state and federal governments value and encourage regional cooperation, with the result that these arrangements frequently get a proposal moved to the top of the list for con- sideration. Of course, once a Council of Governments is formed, the real work begins, and success is not automatic. But we'll take a good start for now, and look forward to future results. Publisher’s Notebook Ron Bartizek Now that the National Football League season is in full swing, I know real men (and a growing number of real women) will be glued to the boob tube from Sunday noon until Monday midnight, follow- ing the fortunes of their favorite teams. Some diehard fans will even watch college games on Saturday, and if all that isn’t enough, well, there are now games on Thursday night as well. After all, who does- n't want to spend hours and hours watching 300 Ib. freaks of na- ture trying their best to flatten one another. I admire excellence in any sport — or most any other endeavor for that matter — so I'll check in off and on to see who is having a good day, but sitting through an entire game, never mind a whole after- noon, is more than I can stand. Instead, give me a 5 iron and a spot at the first tee, and I'll be happy to waste half the day. Many athletes who retire from “major” sports attempt to take up the game of golf, and some of them become very good players. But not one that I can think of ever progressed to the point of earning a spot on a pro tour, and many have said they find golf more difficult than the sport they left. This proves to me that golf is a much high- er expression of athletic excellence than those other silly games. It’s also one that a 50-something can play and at least once a round hit a shot that’s as good as any pro can manage. Compare that to get- ting off a touchdown pass with Ray Lewis bearing down on you, and you'll have an idea why golf is a better sport for the masses. Here, I think, are some of the significant differences in the two sports. Football: Played on a perfectly flat field that is manicured to make it easy for players to run, jump and fall down without hurting themselves too much. Every field is pretty much the same, and is exactly equal in dimensions. Golf: Played on courses that are laid out by masochists who think level is for sissies, and who place hazards such as sand bunkers the size of Rhode Island and trees taller than the Empire State Building in all the wrong places. : Football: One player throws or carries a big brown ball while 10 of his teammates protect him from harm. Golf: Each player must hit a teeny white ball with the equivalent of an apple tied to the end of a stick. He has no teammates, and his opponents seem always to sneeze or twitch at just the wrong mo- ment. Football: If the ball is kicked or thrown out of bounds, a nice man in a zebra suit retrieves it and places it in the middle of the field. Golf: Out of bounds? You might as well send the ball by air mail to China, because you'll never see it again. And you are assessed a penalty stroke! Football: Despite the presence of several referees, players take every opportunity to deliver an illegal blow to an opponent’s body. When there's a pileup over the ball, they try to rip it from the carri- er, kind of like a purse snatcher on Fifth Avenue. Golf: Here's the wild and crazy part. Players call fouls on them- selves! Some have even been disqualified from a tournament after turning themselves in for the smallest infraction. Now that’s tough! So, you see, just because an athlete is big and brawny, that does- n't make him (or the Williams sisters) any better than a puny guy who can sink a 30-foot putt for birdie. At least that’s what I choose to believe. The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER unity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DAL A 18612 » 570-675-5211 Ronald Bartizek GENERAL MANAGER Kari L. Wachtel ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. Erin Youngman REPORTER Claudia Blank AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Darlene E. Sorber Terry Quinn OFFICE MANAGER PAGE DESIGN ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - Sept. 23, 1932 POST RECOGNIZED BY PACIFIC COAST GROUP The Dallas Post is among 200 newspapers in thirty-eight states selected by Prof. Roy L. French, chairman of the department of journalism at the University of Southern Califoirnia, for special study by students enrolled jour- nalism classes at U.S.C. this fall. Frequency of false fire alarms in Dallas has led members of Dr. Hanrey M. Laing fire company to issue a warning that false alarms carry a fine of $100,000 if the offenders are caught. Some of the items you could get at the American Stores Co. during their House Cleaning Specials: brooms, 33¢; clothes line, 50-ft, 23¢; scrubbing brushes, each 10¢; white wash brushes, 20¢; Brillo, 2 pkgs, 15¢; yellow laundry soap, 6 un- wrapped cakes, 25¢. 60 Years Ago - Sept. 18, 1942 DALLAS MARINES IN FIRST ACTION AT GUADACANAL Among those that were en- gaged in fighting over the South- eastern Solomon Islands when the Marines invaded the area were three Back Mountain boys. They are: Willard Shaver and his cousins, Howard and Elwood Whitsell. Under a new regulaiton of the State Cuncil of Defense Air Raid Siren test Saturdays at noon will be of three-minute duration. Santa Ragno of Berwick, was elected music supervisor and di- rector of Lehman High School Band to replace Joseph Clauser who resigned. 50 Years Ago -October 3, 1952 MISS FRANCES DORRANCE WILL RECEIVE GOLD MEDAL Miss Frances Dorrance, Dalals, recently retired from the post of Librarian at Hoyt Library, Kingston, has been honoree by selection as one of ten Distin- guished Daughters of Pennsylva- nia for 1952. Miss Dorance will attend a dinner tendered yb Govrnor John S. Fine at the Govearnor’'s Mansion. She will receive a gold medal at the din- ner. Back Mountain's best loved physician, the late Dr. Sherman R. Schooley, who died, will re- ceive the Hemelright Award for outstanding service to the com- munity in a posthumous presen- tation ceremony. Public response for the Fifth Annual Back Mountain Commu- nity Concert has exceeded ex- pectations of those in charge of arrangements and 261 citizens have become patrons and pa- tronesses for the community fes- tival of music. 40 Years Ago - Sept. 27, 1962 FOUR BACK MOUNTAIN MEN ON SHORT TERM DUTY AT DELAWARE AIR BASE Four men from the Back Mountain area performed their 15-day short tour of duty with the 92ND Air Terminal Squadron at. Dovr Air Force Base, Delawere. They are Major Carl Schreiner, Captain Robert Hugh- es, Freight Officer, and Staff Sergeant Willare Newberry, and Major Thomas Garrity. For the fourth time this sea- son, fred Drake, Dallas charcoal- products dealer suffered costly damage from fire, when his gra- gae on Woodlawn Drive, burned down. Thomas Raspen and Larry Wesley were among the eighty seven sworn into the U.S. Army and left for Fort Jackson, S.C. They will continue their school- ing in electronics at rhw missile base in Philadelphis. Both boys are Lake-Lehman graduates. 30 Years Ago - Sept. 21, 1972 HARVEYS LAKE CONSIDERS SEWER HOOKUP TO DALLAS Plans for a sewer system in Harveys Lake Borough appeared to inch closer to reality following announcement by the communi- ty’s municipal authority of a ten- tative agreement with the Dallas Area Municipal Authority for me- tered service. The “Hole-In-The-Wall”, the student government run coffee house on campus at College Misericordai had a grand open- ing for the fall semester. Created last year, when the student gov- ernment remodeled a small lounge area in Merrick Hall.the “Hole-In-The-Wall” features live ientertainment in a coffee house atmosphere. A shipment of food, clothing, bedding, and various other dry goods was received by the Shavertown Fire Company from a group of citizens in Licking County, Ohio. These supplies were distributed among the rela- tives of the firemen directly af- fected by the flood. 20 Years Ago - Sept.22, 1982 MISERICORDIA FILLS LEARNING CENTER POSTS Joan A. Pallante, Shavaertown and Mary R.Siegel, Dallas were appointed to positions at the Center for Learning Assistance at College Miserico4rdia. A new regulation finalized by the Advisory Board of the State Health Department, required all public and private schools to conduct the screening of scolio- sis. Lake-Lehman’s Black Knights opened the Wyoming Valley Cross Country Conference with two wins. They defeated Nanti- coke 17-44 and bested Pittston 27-28. Carol King Evening story e ! hours for kids Children’s story hours — something new! Evening ses- sions, as well as daytime ones, will be held this fall for both tod- dlers and 3 to 5-year-olds. There Hl are vacancies in the following @) | sessions: Toddlers, Thursday evenings, 6:30-7 p.m., starting October 3. Three-5-year-olds: There are still a few openings on Tuesday evening, 6:30-7:30 p-m., starting “October * 1; Wednesday mornings, 9:30- 10:30 and 10:45-11:45 a.m., starting October 2; and Thurs- day mornings, 10-11 a.m., start- ing October 3. Call the library, 675-1182, to register your child gy X for the story hours. Computer classes — Regis- tration for classes being held by the library on the use of the In- ternet is continuing. The choices are afternoon classes on October 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, and morn- ing classes on October 10 and 24. There is a limit of five Per @y sons per class. Call the library, 675-1182, for specific times and to sign up for the session you'd like to attend. Author appearance — Tonight (Sept. 26) at 7 p.m. the Tudor Bookshop will present New York Times best-seller au- thor Nicholas Sparks, who will speak and sign copies of his book in Kingston. ¥ $ Golf tournament — A last- minute reminder of the golf tournament to be held next Monday, September 30, to bene- fit the library. Call the Par 4 Cafe, which is sponsoring the event, for full details and to reg- ister your foursome. The num ey ber. is 829-3011. sidan Book report — The eve ling book discussion group recently read “Boy Still Missing,” by John Searles. Pam Oliveira reported that the group “found the char- acters to be extremely needy without any redeeming quali- ties...and the overall pace of the book to be slow.” In short, a negative review. The next book is the “Secret Life of Bees,” by Sue Monk Kidd. ! The group will meet at 7 p.m. at the Black Duck Grill on Mon- day, Sept. 30. Kingston Twp. offers compost site Kingston Township reminds @ residents that Open Burning Permits are required for all open fires and that Township Ordi- nance states that only wood, pa- per, tree branches, tree leaves and yard trimmings may be burned. The ordinance further states that no hazardous or oth- er objectionable condition will be created by such burning. The Township encourages resi- the Tudor Cafe. \§) dents to utilize other methods of J | disposal of these items, such as the Township compost area at the Center Street Public Works Facility. Residents may haul leaves, branches, and yard trim- mings to this site instead of burning. The compost site hours are: April through November 30 of each year: a.m. to dark; Saturday and Sun- day, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.. December 1 through March 30 of each year: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p-m.; Wednesday, 7 a.m. to dark; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents with questions about open burning or the com- post site may call the Township Administrative Office at 696- 3809, Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. ® @ to 4:30 p.m. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? | A: Only in The Dallas Post Monday-Friday, 7 | @
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers