2 The Post NEWS Sunday, November 23, 2003 Mom pleads for her son’s return to school | By KALEN CHURCHER For The Post LEHMAN TWP. — At the November 18 Lake-Lehman School Board meeting, Joy Cragle asked members to re- consider the punishment levied against her son, Josh, one of four students who par- ticipated in an incident that left a fellow football teammate with a fractured jaw, among other injuries. Josh Cragle and the other three students were handed temporary expulsions until Jan. 16. Joy Cragle made her impassioned plea before a seemingly unsympathetic board. “My son has been through a lot of criticism, a lot of public humiliation, and he has recent- ly been released from a deten- tion center after 14 days,” Joy Cragle said, frequently wiping her teary eyes. The high school is sending work home for the students to complete. Time absent be- cause of the expulsion will not count against days required for graduation, said Robert Roberts, acting superintend- ent. Cragle read a letter her son wrote to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Ciavarella, who presided over his assault charges. In the letter, Josh wants to be back in school and have the opportuni- ty to talk to younger students about hazing, school violence, drug and alcohol abuse and detention centers. He said he and the other boys punished, Ryan Arcangeli, Brandon Wren and Chad Derhammer, are pre- pared for community service and want to coordinate a dance to benefit Toys for Tots. “lI am really not a bad kid,” he wrote. Cragle had the backing of several people who support a change in punishment. Ed Chesnovitch called the incident a “prank gone wrong.” The Jackson Town- ship resident criticized how Roberts responded to Harris’ injuries. Chesnovitch said 911 should have immediately been called instead of Roberts wait- ing until the next day. “I think you should be held accountable,” he yelled, point- ing at Roberts, who did not comment. “I think you should go; I think the coaches should go.” There is a possibility part of that statement will come true. Board members voted 6-3 in favor of opening the head foot- ball coach position for the 2004-2005 school year. Bob FOR THE POST/DON CAREY Joy Cragle pleads Tuesday with the Lake-Lehman School Board to have her son, Josh, reinstated in school. Josh was temporarily expelled until Jan. 16 for his participation in the assault of a fellow football player. Langan has not been asked to resign but must reapply for the position. Roberts said he met with Athletic Director Rich Gor- gone, who said Langan’s posi- tion should not be posted based solely on the Harris inci- dent. Board member Chuck Boytin said part of Langan’s duties as coach is to supervise the football team. “If proper monitoring was done, in my opinion, this inci- dent would not have hap- pened,” he said. Boytin, along with Charles Balavage, Lois Kopcha, Sheila Gionfriddo, Moderno Rossi and Joe Kapitula voted in fa- vor of the job posting. Angelo DeCesaris, James Mahon and Michelle = Coombs voted against the motion. The School Board convened an executive session after the regular meeting to discuss the matter. Privacy laws prohibit public discussion. Solicitor Charles Coslett said parents could have opted weeks ago for a hearing before the School Board instead of agreeing to the proposed pun- ishment. He dismissed accusa- tions parents were forced into signing the punishment agree- ment for fear of permanent ex- pulsion. Complaints raised again about smoke, noise By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff HARVEYS LAKE — For the second time in two months, Ar- lene Sulewski pleaded for help from Harveys Lake Borough Council about what she termed continuous heavy smoke com- ing from a neighbor’s home. Sulewski, who told council last month she could no longer endure the constant heavy smoke coming from a neigh- bor’s home, explained the burn- ing had slowed down after her initial’ cotincil “visit, ‘but has now resumed. ‘I'm being locked up and force fed smoke in my own house,” she said. “I don’t know or care how to fix it, but it just needs to be fixed.” Sulewski has described around-the-clock burning that produces acrid smoke. She said the owner was bringing in loads of material and burning it on the front lawn and in his garage. Betty West, council presi- dent, explained Tuesday that since Sulewski brought the problem to council’s attention, the property owner’s burning permit had been revoked. Sulewski said, however, that the property owner had begun to burn from what she called a homemade incinerator in his garage. “The borough doesn’t have the authority to revoke burning RAMADA INN Thanksgiving Day Buffet 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Serving a full Thanksgiving Buffet with fabulous dessert display. Piano entertainment. Adults $13.95 e Children Under 10 $6.95 Children Under 4 FREE (Tax & Service Charge Not Included) RESERVATIONS 824-7100 Walk-ins accepted 20 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre inside,” said borough solicitor Charles McCormick. “Do we have any power over excess smoke?” inquired Sulewski. “We've tried everything we can,” responded McCormick. He explained the property own- er had cleaned up the property and that the Department of En- vironmental Protection (DEP) had visited. “Once he’s inside with a wood burner we don’t have any jurisdiction,” said McCormick. He suggested that Sulewski again contact DEP about the problem. Sulewski said she found an ordinance that addresses the is- sue of excess smoke and odors. She asked whether that could be used to reduce the amount of smoke coming from the property. “Let’s try everything we can, up until that point,” said Mc- Cormick. Mark Carmon, DEP spokesperson, said Thursday that staff from air quality and waste management inspected the property within the last couple of weeks and found “no activity that we would regu- late.” The determination means that Sulewski’s recourse will have to come from the bor- ough, perhaps through a nui- sance law, said Carmon. “If they were operating a business out of their home or MAIN HARDWAR garage, that might be some- thing we'd get involved with.” But, he said, the staff that visit- ed the home found no evidence of such activity. Janice and Rick Myers of Lakeside Drive told council, also for the second time in two months, about 24-hour-a-day noise coming from a neighbor. Several residents attended last month’s public meeting to ask for help with the situation. The Myerses said for two months the resident has been using a loud generator to pro- vide electricity to for his home. They asked what council planned to do about the nui- sance. ; West explained the police had been instructed by Chief Jeffrey Butler to cite the resi- dent every time there was a complaint. “As far as the gener- ator, that’s all we can do,” she said, “just keep citing him.” She added that eventually the situation would go before the magistrate where a judge would decide what to do. “We can’t go up there and make him remove it,” said West. The Myerses and another neighbor complained about junk and debris throughout the property. Milton Lutsey, borough zon- ing officer, said he sent non- traffic violations down to the magistrate’s office. He said he CHRISTMASLAND 0% OFF isms pecoation Thousands Of Christmas Items, Lights, Ornaments, Trees, Garland, Brick & Grass Paper, llluminated Figures, Bayberry Candles, And Much More, Catch The Christmas Spirit! 642 S. Main St. + W-B Open 7 Days A Week * 823-3938 also condemned the resident’s dock. In another issue, Thomas Clark of 3 Kitchen Avenue asked council Tuesday night if it would be possible to keep his home address the way it is. The borough is being re- viewed and many addresses are being changed to conform to the “Colorado” system ‘that is recommended by the Luzerne County 911 Center. He said he recently found out the borough isn’t required to make the changes. He suggest- ed it would save the borough a lot of money if council were to forgo the change. West said council was setting up a meeting with EMS to dis- cuss the issue and that some- one would get back to him. In other business ® McCormick completed the first reading of the borough’s 2004 budget. The total budget is set at $776,744. The millage rate is 21. No increase is planned. e A monitoring well has been installed on Old Lake Road near Krueger's gas station on Route 415. The well was in- stalled in October by MEA Inc. to monitor ground water for signs of gas. According to Carol Samson, borough secretary and the person asked to speak on the issue by council, there was a gas leak at the station “well over a year ago.” Township wants liabilitg protection on cell tower By CAMILLE FIOTI Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — The cel- lular phone tower that will be erected on township land in Kunkle by Van Guard Cellular, also doing business as AT&T Wireless, was one of the main subjects discussed at Tuesday night's Board of Supervisor’s meeting. Michael Melnick, attorney for the township said the con- tract between the township and Van Guard needs to be revised. The revisions will be to release the township from responsibili- ty if anyone gets hurt on the property. “Van Guard will be paying $1,000 per month rent and they will carry liability insur- ance. If anyone gets injured, they have to indemnify us if we get sued,” said Melnick. Van Guard must also receive town- ship approval if they wish to sublet the property. In other business e Glenn Howell, Treasurer, said he has received many calls since advertising for bids on the construction of a steel pole building that will be used to house the township mainte- nance equipment. The dimen- sions will be 44 ft. by 64 ft. x 16 ft. high, with two garage doors and a concrete floor. There will be no utilities. The board will review the bids at the December 12 meeting. e An ordinance was passed that will prohibit any resident from keeping broken down, junk cars, trucks etc. on their property for more than 30 days. Fines will be issued and will keep increasing with each noti- fication. e Frank Wagner, Vice Chair- man, said that he made a trip to ‘Harrisburg November 17 where he learned that grants are available through the state to help fire and ambulance de- partments cover the cost of special equipment and training. Currently, fire and ambul workers must travel to Scr ton or Luzerne County Com- munity College in Nanticoke for special training classes . Wagner said that if enough people need specific training in a given area, the state will arrange to provide the training in a local fire or meeting hall. He is awaiting additional infor- mation on what grants are available and how to apply for them. : Addresses (continued from page 1) uments. “Im on a limited budget,” Clark said, and he worries that payments sent by mail to his old address might be delayed. Masias said the suggested addresses were given to Har- veys Lake Borough three years ago. The borough is now veri- fying the addresses, a process that hasn’t been foolproof, said Carole Samson, borough secre- “911 couldnt locate all the people,” Samson said. “We're filling in the blanks.” Samson guessed about half the borough had been covered. The project has been delayed by a shortage of volunteers. She said the 911 center did some verification and the Har- veys Lake Women’s Club, the road crew and the fire depart- ment have done more. The bor- ough will finish up. At this point, Samson said, borough officials have request- ed a meeting with 911 person- nel to iron out problems. It’s important to the borough that the addresses be corrected to avoid liability if an emer- gency responder is delayed by inaccurate information, Masias said. “If we change it, it’s most likely there’s a reason.” Each numeral corresponds to a uniform distance. While the national standard is 52.8 feet, it is much less at Harveys “911 couldn’t locate all the people. We're filling in the blanks.” Carole Samson Borough | Lake, because homes are so close together. Renumbering is only one as- pect of minimizing response time. If a property owner does not use the new number when calling 911, or fails to change the number on the building or mailbox, there could still be de- lays and confusion. That will be alleviated soon when the county begins using new soft- ware that will identify a loca- tion based on its phone num- ber. Masias said in most cases, the system will provide a map and directions. Clark said he understan the need to give specific a dresses to homes and busi nesses on rural routes. But, “I have a permanent street ad- dress,” he said, on a street that he believes hasn’t seen any new construction since 1948. He says homeowners on 50 or 60 streets in the borough face the same situation, with long-time addresses being changed unnecessarily. Send your news to The Post by e-mail. thepost@leader.net Digital photos welcome, too! 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