L 4 The Post OUR OPINION Help chart a new course for old Lehman building e turnout for a meeting Wednesday could have a great affect on the ultimate fate of the empty Lake- Lehman Middle Level building on Lehman-Outlet Road. Public support will bolster plans by Volunteers of Ameri- ca to convert the building into 26 units of affordable housing for the elderly. A lack of support might signal to funding groups that there is little need for such a facility. We hope the former is the case. The Back Mountain is one of the “youngest” parts of north- eastern Pennsylvania, known more for modern schools and up- scale subdivisions than a senior citizen population. But that doesn’t mean there are no older people here, or anyone who drives a Chevy rather than a Caddy. About one in five resi- dents are age 60 or over, and many of them represent families that were here before the recent boom times. Some are finding it increasingly difficult to take care of their property or to af- ford their taxes. For them, a clean, bright apartment in a revi- talized building could represent their best hope for remaining in the area they love. The former school building has some drawbacks, including the lack of amenities nearby. Lehman center is not exactly Times Square, although this facility and the blooming regional recreation park may attract new businesses, or even modest public transportation. But chances are most of the people who would live in a revitalized building already are accustomed to being beyond walking distance of shops and restaurants. Beyond the anticipated need this conversion would meet, it would be desirable to see a venerable structure used and im- proved, rather than blown up or torn down. The old school may not qualify for historic registration, but it stands as a re- minder of previous generations and their commitment to the Back Mountain's vitality. It seems incredibly wasteful to let that slip away or be replaced by another bland box that offers no hint of what came before. The meeting will take place Wednesday, April 7, at the Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School, beginning at 7 p.m. Anyone who has an interest in planning for the future is wel- come to attend. Homefront support is laudable The Dallas Ladies Auxiliary of Legion Post 672 is a tireless bunch of volunteers who don’t mind devoting their leisure time to supporting American men and women in uniform. They are so dedicated, in fact, that they have been recognized for collecting more personal supplies for shipment overseas than any other unit in the nation. Recently, the Auxilians decided to fulfill a different need, sending good cheer and messages of support instead of shav- ing cream and soap. Their efforts took the form of oversized cards decorated with children’s notes and artwork, signed by anyone who wanted to offer words of encouragement and ap- preciation. We join in saluting the good work done by the Dallas Ladies Auxiliary, as well as the contributions of businesses, organiza- tions, schools and individuals who put time, energy and treas- ure to work for the benefit of the troops. We're sure the men and women serving in the Middle East and around the world are even more grateful for their efforts. EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK There are many ways to support the Back Mountain Memo- rial Library. Some require a commitment of time, others a do- nation of books or items that can be sold at the annual auction. Right now, thousands of families are being asked to do some- thing even simpler — write a check. In an effort to offset a re- duction in state aid, the Friends of the Back Mountain Memor- ial Library have expanded their annual mailing from about 3,000 addresses to 10,000. I hope the response comes in at an equivalent, or even larger, scale. It is a testament to the library’s devoted supporters that hours have not been cut back or other services noticeably reduced this year. Many other libraries, large and small, have been forced to take such steps in the face of lower revenues. While the Back Mountain li- brary has thus far kept up a brave face, chal- § ox TIZEK lenges still exist, and we all need to pitch in to meet them. That we will do so is not in doubt. This community has a more than half-century track record of nurturing the library, starting with the initial $10,000 seed money, raised in less than a week in February, 1945. Since then, resourceful volunteers and conscientious staffers have helped the library grow from the first floor of a house on Main Street in Dallas to the present former school building on Huntsville Road, where more than 15,000 active borrowers check out over 110,000 items each year. The library also offers children’s programs, a used book store, computers and a com- munity room. And this is not even to mention the auction, which is an institution in itself. Please respond to the mailed solicitation with a donation of any size you're comfortable with. If you'd like to help in other ways, call the library at 675-1182. They'll surely find a way to use your interest and talents in the ongoing effort to maintain and improve this important community resource. Send your comments to The Post by e-mail thepost@leader.net Digital photos welcome, too! A carpet of yellow daisies at Darling's Greenhouse in Dallas. Photo-by Charlotte Bartizek. LETTERS Academic achievements deserve equality with sports Editor, In your Sunday, March 28, 2004 edition you have present- ed readers with an excellent large color pictorial of the state champion Bishop O'Reilly boys basketball team with a great tiein to Gate Of Heaven School. Pictures and story ap- pear on page one and page sev- en in the sports section. Good job! Interestingly, on page 10, you present one black and white 7 1/2” x 5 3/4” picture of Bishop O'Reilly students who excelled at a recent re- gional competition promoted by the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science. This com- petition focused on science and mathematics subjects. Each student in the picture placed first or second in special com- petitions. What a fantastic achievement by a large group of 18 students from one school. Congratulations to the stu- dents, the faculty and the par- ents. It seems to me that this academic news is front page material. Why is it relegated to page 10? By the way, I think you missed an outstanding oppor- tunity to point out (and devel- op another interesting story) that Conor Judge appeared not only in the science/math arti- cle, but also in the basketball story. Russell Smith Jackson Township GUEST COLUMN Referendum: Good governance or bad? Local government systems were established in Pennsylva- nia more than 250 years ago, based on the belief that offi- cials elected at the local level best are able to determine local needs. Public school boards, es- tablished by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to oversee the operation of the state’s school districts, are no excep- tion to this rule. However, if some people have their way, school board decisions would have to under- go further scrutiny before they could be implemented. Propos- als under consideration in the Legislature will require school boards to go before the voters for approval of certain tax in- creases. The timing of such proposals, coming on the heels of state and federal efforts that focus on student achievement levels, is filled with irony. As it now stands, school board members are elected to oversee the operations and management of local school districts. Members of the school board are charged with making the best possible deci- sions regarding the use of the available funds. They also are charged with ensuring that stu- dents receive the best possible education, and that all students are provided with the tools to make that happen. With the in- creased attention being paid to test scores and the focus con- centrated on staying off certain lists of “failing” schools, school board members increasingly are accountable for the per- formance of their students, a responsibility they accept. Increasing academic per- formance in a school district is not an easy task. The answer seldom is the same from dis- trict to district, and reaching a solution requires the board’s best thinking. Great patience is needed, because the gap be- tween implementation and im- provement can be several years. Most importantly, these efforts cost money. Even then, there are no guar- antees of success and many times programs must be adjust- ed to attain the desired results. But one thing is certain: School boards need to make intelli- gent, informed decisions to help children achieve. Boards, in turn are accountable for their decisions, and those deci- sions effect both students and taxpayers. . The proposed referendum re- moves accountability from school boards for making. the best decisions possible on mat- ters that affect student achieve- ment. Should a board decide to propose new spending to im- plement new state regulations or the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, only to see it defeated at the ballot box, who would stand account- able before parents, community leaders and others for failure to comply with the requirements of federal and state law? . Furthermore, Pennsylvania's school districts are beset by myriad unfunded mandates from the state level that require the expenditure of millions of dollars. The requirements for such spending will not dimin- ish with the implementation of referendum. This spending cannot be cut or scaled back, nor can spending on required curricular offerings. A history of failed referendum questions therefore would lead to a dis- trict offering the minimum re- quirements to students, along with optional programs and classes. Student activities and other noncurricular programs, such as before and after-school programs, could be cut. School board members are elected to make decisions an stand accountable for then every four years. They were elected based on what voters thought they could bring to the position and on the belief that they will do the right thing. These are some of the princi- ples on which our state and its system of local government were founded. Referendum changes all of that. But ask yourself, will the change be for the better? We think not. Sunday, April 4, 2004 | | ad he | 4 mC This opinion was provided by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Tre POST TIMESeLEADER Community Newspaper Group 15 N. MAIN ST., WILKES-BARRE PA 18711 + 570-675-5211 ~ thepost@Ieader.net Patrick McHugh Ronald Bartizek EDI PUBLISHE TOR Justin Wisnos Erin Youngman ADVERTISIN REPORTER Greg Stauffer AD PRODUCTION MANAGER 70 Years Ago April 6, 1934 NOXEN TO WILKES-BARRE RIDE TO TAKE 7 HOURS The trip from Noxen to Wilkes-Barre, which can be eas- ily made in an hour by car, will consume seven and three- quarter hours on the new combina- tion pas ONLY | YESTERDAY freight train service started on the Bowman’s Creek Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The anniversary of the founding of the Greater Dallas Rotary Club seven years ago will be celebrated at an April 12 dinner-dance. 60 Years Ago April 7, 1944 KUNKLE MAN ON TROOP SHIP SUNK BY ENEMY Pfc. Clifford Nulton, a Dal- las Township boy, was proba- bly one of those who gave their lives when an American transport was sunk in Euro- pean waters with heavy loss of life. Warren F. Hicks, former Dal- las Post editor and now a fighter pilot, has been award- ed the Air Medal and Distin- guished Flying Cross. Items that could be pur- chased at Fairlawn Stores in Kunkle, - Dallas and Trucksville: Ivory soap, 6¢; gravy mix, 9¢; Crisco, 3 Ib. container, 69¢. 50 Years Ago April 2, 1954 390 FOOT WELL READY Dallas-Shavertown Water Company’s new 390 foot well on Ferguson Avenue is waiting only for an official state permit to start supplying water to Druid Hills and portions of Shavertown. A 300,000 gallon water stor- age standpipe is being erected at Natona Mills by the Graver Tank and Manufacturing Com- pany. Franklin Township constable Byron Kester warned dog own- ers, Friday, that if any dogs are found running sheep and catch- ing chickens they will be shot on site, 40 Years Ago April 2, 1964 STARFIRES CUT RECORD Back Mountain rock band the Starfires made their first 45 recording at a major New York studio last week. David Cochran, 34, a resi- dent of Lehman Township, is in fair condition at Nesbitt Hospital after suffering severe face injuries following a dyna- mite cap explosion at a mine stripping operation in Ply- mouth. 30 Years Ago April 4, 1974 12”0F WET SNOW PARALYZES AREA The weather bureau report- ed the area received more than 12 inches of snow last weekend that knocked out power and telephone lines throughout the area. Trucksville residents could soon pay more for their water service. The average residen- tial customer could see their annual cost rise from $79 ‘@ $126. 20 Years Ago April 4, 1984 SPRING STORM BRINGS DAMAGE The awning at the Treat Dri- ve-In Restaurant on Route 309 suffered extensive damage as a result of more than a foot of snow received a week after the first day of spring. Gerald Schultz, Dallas, is a candidate for the position of delegate to the Democratic Na- tional Convention in San Fran-: cisco. Only Yesterday is compiled from the back-issue files of The Post. A i 7 bs 3 El % 'Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Post : WRAL a ea :
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers