Vol. 114 No. 46 ® Candlelight service honors Casey Zalenski. Page 8 SERVING THE L The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 November 16 to November 22, 2003 For love of horses, a barn is saved By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Post Correspondent & DALLAS TWP. — Some of Pennsylva- nia’s most beautiful and historic buildings are hiding in plain sight. Located off the beaten path, their seasoned timbers, sturdy construction, and ornamentation are now part of history — testaments to an agrarian culture since passed. They are taken for granted, uncared for and sometimes are hardly standing, until the next winter storm humbles them forever. Or they are rescued by people like Allison and Rob Friedman of Shavertown. There is a glory in the three-story, red gambrel roofed barn the Friedmans have RLS ZEIT GL CE RR GR GE gE : purchased, a lo- It is breathing cal . landmark again. It came 7° Ge comer ! § of Lower Demu- back to life.” nds and Mt. Olivet roads. Built in 1912 and added onto in 1927, it measures 40 by 180 feet, and is rumored to be one of northeastern Pennsylvania's largest dairy barns, once accommodating 70 cows and other farm animals. The largest turn-of-the century barn, when it was completed in 1891, measured 400 feet S... by 100 feet wide and stands two stories high in Vermont. The Friedmans’ barn had three large silos, one on the southern end and two on the western side, none of which remain. Wooden walnut studs placed on end, then glued and tarred into the stall floor, gave bovine hooves some comfort. Teal colored doors with brass hardware, paint-crackled with age and weather, open to small rooms lined with sheet metal or wire mesh. The use of these rooms is lost to memory. The Friedmans have replaced all the win- dows, and re-sided where necessary with red German siding. The Swiss and German im- migrants originally painted their barns red, with a mixture of red oxide from the soil, lin- seed oil from flax, and casein from cows’ ilk. Allison Friedman admits the renovations Rob Friedman About his Dallas barn POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Rob Friedman, holding the couple's daughter Diane, and his wife Allison are restoring one of the See BARN, pg 4 Back Mountain's largest barns. They plan to keep horses there and build a new home nearby. School board members walk when letter is read By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff DALLAS TWP. —- Four board members, includ- ing president Ernest Ashbridge, walked out of the November 10 Dallas School Board meeting. The move prevented fellow board ‘member Frank Natitus from reading a copy of a letter that was sent to board members by a prospective new member. But it also made apparent a growing di- vision over who members of the board want ap- pointed to the open position. Dennis Gochoel, whose candidacy fell short in the November 4 election, sent the letter. In it he requested to be considered for the vacancy creat- “I just thought the public should know that we got a letter.” Frank Natitus School director ed by Anthony Barbose’s November 1 resignation. By law, the board must appoint someone to fill the position by November 30, or the decision will be made by a Luzerne County judge. Natitus brought up the letter two separate times during the meeting. After the secretary fin- ished reading incoming correspondence, Natitus asked whether or not the district had in fact re- ceived a letter from someone interested in the school board vacancy. Ashbridge replied that the letter came to the board members, not the secre- tary. “Isn’t that considered correspondence?” asked Natitus. “Not unless it goes to the secretary,” responded Ashbridge. During the new business portion of the meet- ing Natitus began to read the letter. Ashbridge in- terrupted him and said, “I think with the absence of a quorum, the meeting is adjourned.” See DALLAS, pg 3 Trinity mourns the death of first pastor By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — Plans were underway at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Dallas to conduct a special worship service and recep- tion to honor the founding pastor, Rev. Andy Pillarella, on the 50th anniversary of his ordi- nation to the ministry in April 1954. Instead, Wednesday morning the congre- gation learned the sad news that their beloved former pas- pEEEEEr-—r-T—— tor and friend had [i a lost his long battle with illness at the age of 85. He told me “I will preach the gospel until I can’t,” said Rev. Mark Harper, current pastor at Trinity. “And until recently he preached three ser- | ff mons every Sunday Rey, Andrew Pillarella at Inkerman Pres- byterian Church, Memorial Presbyterian Church in Wilkes-Barre, and the First Pres- byterian Church in Pittston.” Pillarella was widely known for his com- passion and endless amount of energy when hard times came upon anyone who needed help. “He sat with me all night long at the hospital when my son was in an accident many years ago,” said Dana Dungey, a found- ing charter member who served as his secre- tary at the church for 18 years. See PILLARELLA, pg 4 Road project halts budget By'RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff KINGSTON TWP. — Despite holding four packed, rancorous meetings within two weeks, Kingston Township still does not have a budget for 2004. A first reading of the spending plan was on the agenda for the November 12 meeting of supervisors, but after a long debate, it was rejected on a 3-2 vote. Chris Yankovich, Neil Allen and John Ver- sari voted against the budget. Paul Sabol and Carl Goodwin voted for it. As a result, a special meeting will be need- ed to take up the issue. No date had been set for that Thursday morning, but township Manager Eddie O'Neill speculated it would take place near Thanksgiving. See BUDGET, pg 2 Kids take up mother’s Cop training, ®hattle with lung disease mayor says By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent DALLAS — Donna Lee Oa- tridge wants what any mother wants for her children. “I want them to grow up, leave the nest and lead happy, productive lives,” she said. But for now, Tara, her 23-year- old daughter, and Frank, her 19- year-old son, have put their own life goals on hold so they can help take care of their mother. As Frank puts it, “So we can be there for her like she has always been there for us.” Donna Oatridge is suffering from chronic obstructive pul- monary, disease (COPD) and emphysema. She lives in daily discomfort, is constantly teth- ered to an oxygen tank, and has endured repeated trips to the hospital. Her illness can be easily meas- ured financially from all of the bills she receives, but the human cost to the family is increasingly difficult to endure. As most fami- lies come to learn, when one of them is suffering, all of them are affected. Frank, a sophomore at the See OATRIDGE, pg 8 TN POST PHOTO/SANDY PEOPLES Donna Lee Oatridge was flanked by her children Tara and Frank in this photo. Donna is awaiting a lung transplant. By DAVID WEISS and ERIN YOUNGMAN For The Post DALLAS — A potential borough police officer awaiting to be certified by the state did not violate any laws by riding in a patrol vehicle, the mayor and a council member said last week. Another Back Mountain chief of police said Wednesday that such on-the-job training isn’t uncommon at his department. Steven Klinger, Berwick, who was hired by the borough in July, has not been sworn in as an officer and is only observing other officers on duty, said Mayor Tim Carroll See DALLAS COP, pg 3 INSIDE THE PosT 14 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar Obituaries School Dallas edges Black Knights in freshman football. Dallas High Principal Frank Galicki honored by peers. Page 13. How To Reach Us News: 675-5211 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Advertising: 970-7102 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000
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