The Dallas Post Dallas, PA February 20, 2003 74 Business @- ine from page 1) Back Mountain has always been somewhat of a bedroom community, there has always been industry. She believes that is changing, and to the detriment of the area. “The Back Mountain always had offices, and industry, so there was a balance. The con- cern now is that the balance has tipped,” said Banta. It was Banta’s Twin Stacks property that both Epix moved from, leaving a temporary hole to fill and taking 170 employees with them. She and others in the busi- ness community say they worry that with industry and larger companies moving out of the area, the ability of smaller busi- nesses to thrive is compro- mised. “The real blow is those 170 people went to lunch, laid away jewelry at the jewelry store; not any more,” commented Banta. addition to Common- In @® other large companies have eliminated jobs. They say they are stable now — even in an upswing — however, they also show a steady list of job cuts. In the 1980s Payne Printery, incorporated in 1959, was ex- panding at such a rate it out- grew its facility on the corner of Lake St. and Centerhill Road and built a much larger loca- tion across from what is now Twin Stacks. “The company at one point was double the size it is now,” said Frank Cuniuf,. Chief Fi- nancial Officer. He said over the course of the Carol King The next program in the YA series is a babysitting course of- fered by the American Red Cross on Saturday, March 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Partici- pants will learn how to perform first aid and. get, professional help fast; to identify common safety hazards and prevent in- juries; to perform basic care routines like diapering, feeding and dressing; to handle bedtime issues, and more. The cost per person is $25 and includes a babysitter’s handbook. Checks should be made out to the American Red Cross. Interested young adults, ages 12 to 18, are invited to stop in the library with their advance payments and register at the main desk or in the Children’s Room. Call the library at 675- 1182 if you have any questions. Computer classes: Another series of computer classes will be held at the library starting Saturday, February 22. Call the library for further details. There is no fee, but attendance is lim- ited, so register early. “If you have 400 more people working in the Back Mountain and they need to pick something up, they stop at the local stores. When those jobs move out of the area, well what moves with them is all the local buying power they had.” President, Back Mt Lynn Banta . Business & Professional Association last recession the company went from 100 employees to 60 and now employs 50. He said the company is stable now and sees only short-term, temporary layoffs that correspond to fluc- tuations in print orders. “This is a really good example of a company that’s come a long way,” said Cunuif, adding that the company has been ex- periencing substantial sales growth in the past year. “We do see that we're going to continue to grow and there will be addi- tional opportunities at our com- pany for employment,” he said. Cuniuf said that being in the Back Mountain is an advantage for Payne. He said most of their competitors are in New Jersey and New York; “costs in those markets are generally higher, because overhead is higher,” he said. Commonwealth and Epix, on the other hand, found moving out of the Back Mountain to Wilkes-Barre to take advantage of a tax-free Keystone Opportu- nity Zone (KOZ) zone to be more profitable. Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises (CTE), the parent company of Commonwealth Telephone, Epix, CTSI, and Jack Flash dsl, still has offices in the Back Mountain. Out of the corporation's 1,200 employees, about 350 jobs are still within Dallas, said David G. Weselcouch, Senior Vice President of investor rela- tions and corporate communi- cations. Weselcouch said that since 2000, CTE has both eliminated positions and moved jobs cor- porate wide, cutting the num- bers of jobs in the Back Moun- tain. (Weselcouch didn’t have specific Back Mountain fig- ures). In addition to Commonwealth Telephone and Epix moving en- tirely to Wilkes-Barre within the last two years, 300 positions were eliminated in 2000. In 2001, employees were moved out of Dallas to other locations. In the first quarter of 2002, 100 employees were offered vol- untary retirement. This year 75 positions in Dallas, almost ex- clusively management, were cut as part of a “realignment,” We- Young adults program March 8 at library Daffodil Day: The library is again assisting the American Cancer Society in promoting its annual Daffodil Day! The flowers are priced at $7 for a bunch of ten daffodils. Orders must be placed at the front desk by Feb- ruary 28, and will be available for pickup on March 19-21. Think spring! Librarian's report: The annu- al report to the Board of Direc- tors provides many interesting statistics. Net proceeds from the 2002 Auction totaled $70,163.75. The Friends of the Library organized a half dozen activities and fund raisers, in- cluding the Spring Luncheon, which brought in over $21,500. Volunteer hours were estimated at 8,314, but probably the true total was much greater. The to- tal circulation figure for the year was 94,184; 2,876 books and materials were added to the li- brary collection; and active bor- rowers for the year numbered 176,757. New display: The new display consists of some lovely tea sets, loaned by mother and daughter Ellen and Emily Machovec. Book review: The Monday morning book discussion group read “The Founding Brothers,” by Joseph J. Ellis, in January. It Trucksville Nursery School bookfair The Trucksville Nursery School Building Committee will sponsor a Bookfair at Barnes & Noble in the Arena Hub on Thursday, February 20 from 6-9 p.m. The Bookfair benefits their new Education Wing. Vouchers are needed and will not be available in the store. Please call 696-3899 to obtain vouchers or if you need additional information. dealt with six different episodes and sets of personalities in the early history of our country — the duel between Hamilton and Burr; the dinner at Jefferson's home at which two major topics were discussed: the assumption of national debts by the states, and the location of the future site of the new nation’s capitol; the “silence” about the troubling topic of slavery, reached by members of Congress fearful that, if faced head-on, would deal a mortal blow to the coun- try; George Washington's prece- dent-setting farewell address; John Adams's administration and political partnership with his wife, Abigail; and the friend- ship and fascinating correspon- dence between Jefferson and Adams. It was agreed that the detail in which these historic events and personalities were described made them more real. There was a division of opinion as to the style of writing; the majority felt it was masterful, a minority found it soporific. Comparisons with modern politicians were in- evitably made in our discussion, and we commented on the strength of the women in Ellis’s work. Mary Higgins Clark's first book, “Mt. Vernon Love Story,” was recommended for reading by the group. @usy. CHARGE IT! r \. MasterCard. The Dallas Post * 675-5211 EE VISA I The Post now accepts Visa & Mastercard for all your subscriptions, classified ads, and display ads. For maximum convenience, call our office at 675-5211 with your account and we will set you up immediately. & \ selcouch said. “There has been a slight decline in the number of jobs in Dallas.” Weselcouch said the deci- sions to eliminate or move jobs were “related to strategy and or to space considerations.” “We're organized today in a manner that would allow us to be productive and efficient,” said Weselcouch. Weselcouch said he doesn’t see the likelihood of adding po- sitions in the near future, but he doesn't see any changes to the negative either. Energy Converters Inc. will close entirely in March, leaving 100 employees without work and unlikely to find similar work in the Back Mountain. Founded in 1973, Encon also had a period of high productivi- ty that dwindled in recent years. At the time it completed a 20,000 foot expansion in 1997, Encon employed 230 people. By January of 2003, the number had been reduced to 100. “The business association and people who are affiliated depend on the medium and small businesses out here, be- cause it brings more traffic,” said Tony Macri, past BMBPA president and owner of Over- brook restaurant. Banta agrees. “If you have 400 more people working in the Back Mountain and they need to pick something up, they stop at the local stores. When those jobs move out of the area, well what moves with them is all the local buying power they had,” she said. Learn to be a lifeguard at YMCA The Greater Pittston YMCA will be starting a New Lifeguarding Class, on the Guard II on March 8. Learn the aquatic. safety to pre- vent accidents and to save lives in and around water. This program is for anyone 16 years of age or older who has good swimming skills, you must be able to do front crawl, breast stroke, side stroke (left and right sides) elementary back stroke. Classes start Saturday, March 8 and run for eight weeks from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jerry Yakobitis is the Certified Lifeguard Instructor. CPR and First Aid is required and will be taught. Participants must attend all 8 classes. For more information call the Greater Pittston YMCA at 655-2255. PROPERTY TRANSFERS The following property transfers were recorded at the Luzerne Coun- ty Courthouse the week of January 24-Feb. 5, 2008. Francis McManus et ux to Joseph Nardone Sr. et ux, see deed, Dallas Twp., $280,000. Mark C. Smart et ux to David W. Trego et al, see deed, Dallas Twp., $325,000. Constance M. Peters to Catherine Marzouca, Lot 10 ptLot 11, Dallas Twp., $109,000. James Powell to Ronald Matusiak Jr. et ux, 1.66 ac Lot 1, Dallas Twp., $305,000. David Schuler et ux to Shawn J. Pulver, Lot 48, 48B North View, Harveys Lake Bor., $7,000. Joseph Borosky e tux to Shawn J. Pulver, Lot 103A North View, Har- veys Lake Bor., $4,000. Gerald Schraeder et ux to Sid Halsor et, 2.566 acres, Harveys Lake Bor., $227,500. Wayne J. Evelo et ux to Michael A. Kotulski, Lot 3, Harveys Lake Bor., $38,500. Donald Britt et ux to Asa J. Krash- nak, 1.5 acres, Kingston Twp., $150,000. Sid Paul Halsor et ux to Gary Navestad et ux, 19 Shaver Ave., Kingston Twp., $110,000. Daniel J. McCabe et al to John R. Rice, see deed, Kingston twp., $57,000. Vincent Locascia et ux to Suzanne Morris, see deed, Kingston Twp., $90,000. Carol A. Martin trustee to Kimber- ly A. Marth, Lot 36A, Kingston Twp., $76,900. Joseph Mizzer et ux to Glenn Bozinski et ux, Lot 41 Sunrise Est., Kingston Twp., $190,000. Robert Smith, co partner to Bryan M. Kull et ux, Lot 27 Windsor Farms, Kingston Twp., $57,000. Eli Shapiro et al to Brian Caracino et ux, Lot 29 Hillborook Frams, Kingston Twp., $425,000. Charles Kamus et ux to James Ratowski et ux, Lot 30, Kingston Twp., $140,000. Charles Gelso co partner to Victor Spaciano Jr., lot 19 Winsdor Farms, Kingston Twp., $76,000. Henry J. Zielinski Jr. to David Wood et ux, Lot 2 Deer Meadows, Lehman Twp., $52,008. W.H. Conyngham & Co., Inc. to William Conyngham et ux, lot 1 Hayfield Farms, Lehman Twp., $16,500. To subscribe, call 829-5000 Not so long ago, inmates were sent to die in this room. No hand to hold. No one to tell their sins. Alone. Prison officials at State Correctional Institution, Dallas, thought that a hospice program, using inmates as caregivers, might be more humane. But could convicted murderers be compassionate enough to care for dying men? Find out, Sunday, Feb. 23. Watch for it, Sunday, Feb. 23 only inthe - TIMES*LEADER www.TIMESLEADER.com or toll free 1-800-252-5603 Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
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