L Dallas, Pennsylvania The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 September 19 to September 25, 2003 SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS SPORTS Mounts fall to tough Warriors. Pg 9. SCHOOL Take a STEP toward better parenting. Pg 11. ] CALENDAR Miniature display for a good cause. Pg 16. $500,000 trail grant held up for right-of-way By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff TRUCKSVILLE — Until right-of- way issues are settled, a $480,000 grant awarded three years ago for con- struction of the Back Mountain Trail cannot be used. With an August 2005 expiration date on the State Department of Transportation grant, the clock is ticking for the Back Mountain trail to secure fi- nal easements or deeds to com- plete the trail, planned to even- tually run from Luzerne to Harveys Lake. “It’s so important because we have two years left. It (grant) will run out — we will lose it,” said Judy Rimple, president of the Anthracite Scenic Trails Association. Rimple said great strides have been made in furthering the trail, because many businesses and property owners have been enthusiastic about granting easements for the project. Rimple said the association has al- ready gained 16 easements and deeds for about two miles of trail. But to get the trail to College Misericordia, 12 more are needed. Many types of public entities have granted access to the trail including College Misericordia, dentists Watkins and Medura, Top Value Kitchens and an unspecified church.. However, a piece considered imper- ative to the completion of the trail is a 500-foot span behind Newell Fuel Company on Memorial Highway in Trucksville. So far, the land owner has been hesitant to grant an easement. Rimple called the portion “vital” and said “If we can’t get past Newell, we're done.” The section of trail behind Newell's would connect two large pieces that have already been obtained by the See TRAIL, pg 2 RP Lp ~ 4 section oi | ? ‘es To ry tr ail - DQ £ “ By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent DALLAS — Cooperation and a desire to build the Back Mountain community paid off big on Sunday. “The success of the harvest festi- val is a tribute to a lot of hard work done by caring (DALLAS people with the be- lief that our Dallas and Back Moun- tain communities would be receptive to coming togeth- er and celebrating our heritage,” said Rich Fufaro, chairman of the Dallas HARVEST FESTIVAL Dallas Mayor Tim Carroll stooped to conquer, sort of, as he prepared to smooch with Frank the Pig Sun- day at the Dallas Harvest Festival. Carroll was the winner (?) of a Kiss the Pig contest that was a high- light of the event, at least for those who voted. More photos on page 4. Harvest Festival reaps big rewards “It was such a great day for families to en- joy the festivities and each other.” Mary Manzoni Festival organizer Harvest Festival. And come together they did. It is estimated that four to five thousand people attended what will surely be- come known as the first annual Dal- POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK las Harvest Festival. Parking did not seem to be a problem as most people walked to the festival from nearby neighborhoods or left their automo- biles to board a free shuttle service. It is safe to say that this single event will help transform Dallas and the Back Mountain into a true home- town instead of just a dot on the road that leads the rest of the valley to Harveys Lake and home again. “It was standing room only,” said committee member Mary Manzoni. “It was such a great day for families See FESTIVAL, pg 8 Skateboard noise is a nuisance, neighbor complains By CAMILLE FIOTI Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — Noise from a skateboard ramp in Shrine Acres brought resident Tom Dougherty to Tuesday night’s board of supervisors meeting to protest the ramp and the recent zoning board decision to allow it to stay. The ramp is on property owned by Mike Parsons and is facing Dougher- ty’s family room window next door. He said the decision by the zoning board was based on an ordinance dating back to 1965 that doesn’t prohibit skateboard ramps in neighborhoods. He said he was told by the board that the noise level is no different than that of kids playing in Parson’s pool, or swing set. “It’s not the noise from the kids that is annoying, it’s the noise of the boards” said Dougherty. He said the constant rolling sound of the skate- board on plywood, then slamming back down to the ground is very irri- tating. Shavertown UMC looks to the future by remembering its past By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent SHAVERTOWN — A voice from the past will speak to the congregation of Shavertown United Methodist Church on Service of Celebration Sunday, Sept. 21 11 a.m. Shavertown UMC Pioneer Ave. Sunday, September 21. Attorney Mike Melnick, solicitor for the board of supervisors, said he was not aware of the zoning boards deci- sion to allow the ramp to stay but will discuss the situation with Attorney James Geddes, solicitor for the zoning board. In other news, Jim Comes, owner of Landview Properties Inc., a land devel- opment firm in Roaring Brook Town- ship, requested permission to open a secondary emergency access road in an upscale development off of Lake Catalpa Road. The board agreed that a secondary road is crucial in the event of an emergency. The 250-acre development which has yet to be named will accommodate 74, one to 12 acre parcels with the av- erage being 3 1/2 acres. The mini- mum square footage for homes is 2,400. Purchasers of the parcels can choose their own builder and there is no time frame for building. Landview also developed the Laurel- brook Estates in Bear Creek and Wind- sor Hill in Roaring Brook Township. i lest scores 200d, but will never be perfect A Under No Child Left Behind, every silver lining has a cloud By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff DALLAS — The scores are good, but attendance could be better, says Dallas Assistant Superintendent Michael Speziale. In a presentation at the September 8 Dallas School Board work session, Speziale said that PSSA (Pennsylva- nia System of School Assessment) scores are good in district schools. But attendance is lagging behind stan- dards set by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, and the district may be warned about it. Speziale said PSSA scores charted since the 1995-96 school year to the most recent scores (from last year), show an upward trend in the district as a whole. And most 2002/2003 scores show an increase over the previous year. However, as the Lake-Lehman School District and others in the val- ley were reminded recently, academic scores aren't all the No Child Left Be- hind law has mandated. Attendance could also land the district on the NCLB warning list. “Overall 1 was very pleased (with the most recent scores),” said Speziale, “I think work we've done with the curriculum is indicated in upward trends in all the areas.” Districts are paying close attention to PSSA scores because the NCLB law requires that all schools nationwide have 100 percent of their students scoring at proficient and advanced levels in math and reading by the year 2014. There are similar requirements for attendance and graduation. See TESTS, pg 3 16 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar Classified Crossword Editorials Obituaries CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dallaspost@leader.net The church will celebrate the 100th anniversary of a very generous gift of land given in 1903 by local resident and busi- nessman Theron Ferguson. The community is invited to an old-fashioned tent meeting at 11 a.m. in the church parking lot to commemorate this event. The service will include a special message delivered by Rev. William Summerhill, dean and chaplain at Wyoming Sem- inary. Summerhill, a dramatic actor, will portray Ferguson, as a citizen of the late 1800s. “Part of the service will take place in the sanctuary,” said Rev. Janet Clark, co-pastor of the church. “Then the congre- gation will walk across the street to the tent where they will find Ferguson (Summer- hill) waiting for them.” Ferguson, a layperson who earned his living as a butcher, will preach a sermon in a surre- al fashion, visiting the congre- gation in this century from a century gone by. There is not much known about him. He See SHAVERTOWN, pg 3 POST PHOTO/SANDY PEOPLES Rev. William R. Summerhill, Jr., Academic Dean and Senior Chaplain at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, prepares to portray Theron Ferguson at a special service of thanks at Shavertown United Methodist Church this Sunday. In 1903 Ferguson donat- ed the land on which the church was built. 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