L Vol. 115 No. 28 The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 July 11 to July 17, 2004 Catch up on all the youth baseball action Page 7 # ¥ SERVING THE C ds ad \ SER “i, PosT OMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Plant noise protestors will get their say Township ordinances are way out-of-date, say residents By CAMILLE FIOTI Post Correspondent ALLAS TWP. — Residents of Ondish Is, Orchard View Terrace, Lower Demu- nds Road and other neighborhoods that have been affected by the constant thumping and pounding sounds coming from Pulverman Enterprises will finally have their day in court. A zoning hearing is scheduled for Monday July 12 at 7 p.m. at the municipal building. A recent sound study indicated that the sheet metal plant is in violation of the noise Dallas Township Zoning Hearing Monday, July 12, 7 p.m. At the township building, Rt. 309 To hear an appeal by Pulverman Enter- prises of a notice of violation of the noise ordinance. A second night will be added to hear more testimony. to plants owner, Randy Mark, in May in- forming him that if he didn’t reduce the noise level to within the limits of the noise ordinance by June 8 the next step would be court action. Mark filed an appeal to the en- forcement order. Township Solicitor Michael Melnick in- formed a large number of residents at the July 6 Board of Supervisors meeting that he and Pulverman’s attorney, Patrick Aregood, agreed to a two-night hearing to allow enough time for each side to present its case. The township’s case will be heard on July 12 and Pulverman’s case will be heard on an- other night to be determined by the zoning board at the hearing. “I think it makes sense because we're go- ing to have to contact a lot of people,” Mel- nick said of the two-night schedule. He wants to meet with residents one by one who plan on attending the hearing, prior to July 12 to prepare individual testimonies. Melnick said that a group testimony is not advisable because Aregood could argue that the residents collectively met and conspired See NOISE, pg 2 FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK ordinance. A cease and desist order was sent ii Lending lots of hands Volunteers turned out in droves last week to help set up the grounds for the 58th annual Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction. People of all ages carried | books and odds and ends from the library basement to tents, while others set up booths, bleachers and the auction block. The event wraps up tonight, with booths opening at 4 p.m. and the block starting at 6 p.m. Above, Kim Litz, Andrew Duffy, and Nick Hetro from Trucksville troop # 155 helped transfer goods from the library basement to the auction tents. New building code comes with price tag But, say officials, property owners will get what they've been paying for By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN — In the old days, before July 1, someone building a typical new home in Dallas Borough plunked down a $450 permit fee, then went about their business. It won’t be that way any longer, anywhere in Pennsylvania. “That’s not the way it was designed,” said Dallas Bor- ough Manager Joe Moskovitz of the old permit system. The fee was meant at least in part to assure the quality of construction by paying the cost of periodic inspections. But in reality, even though the borough had a building code on its books, no inspections were mandated or made. Municipalities had until July 9 to “opt in” or “opt out” of a new, statewide Uniform Construction Code that includes a specified regimen of inspections. Nearly all Back Moun- tain townships and boroughs opted in. “We're fortunate not to have had problems like in the Poconos,” Moskovitz said. There, shoddy construction has prompted a flurry of complaints, lawsuits and investiga- tions. Moskovitz has no doubt that the new code and inspec- tion regimen will be more costly. He estimates the charge for that “typical” home will now be $1,000, plus 20 percent added to offset the borough’s greater administration costs. “I believe that’s a ballpark figure,” he said. See CODE, pg 3 Bugs can be good for your garden By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Post Correspondent FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Hay there Glenn Harvey took advantage of some good weather last week to mow fields along Hildebrandt Road in Dallas Township. A damp spring and pleasant summer should mean good yields this year. ¥ Inside The Post Audit finally done, maybe auditor, too By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Post Correspondent JACKSON TWP. — The township has automated its bookkeeping system with a more current one, has completed a pro- fessional audit that can be used as a baseline in future years, but needs to outsource it payroll and checking system to minimize ex- pense in payroll and health bene- fits. These were the recommen- dations made to the township by The more bugs in your garden the better. That’s the 2 SN Ch Sn SR REN fe fhe ood of Auditors at the July word from Mary Pat Appel, master gardener and coordina- Lake-Lehman Jazz Tee Ds fed re tor at the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Luzerne. ' defini h 1 ¢ oe oid “The more diverse and numerous the insect species in Band makes music emg ! € Toles ‘of the boar, your garden are the better. Naturally you want don’t want ; the auditing firm, and the super- all one thing, like a while on deck visors because communication bunch of aphids, but the What's Bugging You? between them was difficult dur- di the } t : : Page 2 ing this last year’s audit and more diverse Fie sets Cooperative Extension deadli y hard it are the healthier the gar- orkshop 12 P 1 Secti cactines: wero. hard 10 Meet. den will be, because one sat. July 17 ages, 1 Section They suggested reevaluating us- or JUIY 1, bug will often eat the Calendar. .....0.... 12 ing the auditing firm, the Gat- : 9 a.m. to noon Church: cuca fl oe i org gn i others,” says Appel. ~~ Hayfield House Crossword. ....... 5" 8 Attempts to reach the firm for Mr. Penn State campus, Editorials =. Jo va 4 " comment were unsuccessful. The Cert i the’ STi Al Lehman : Obituaries 5 published phone number had SYSIET In Lie gar om. Home gardener’s workshop 5 ah ta ! though that sounds com- * tq discuss prevention and School 10 been disconnected, and a cellular fated. | Hodes Pipi tts en nen i plicated, it really 1s just management of insects Sports 7-9 number obtained from another common sense, timing and disease 5 rang busy through several i b 4 and a little knowledge, Fee of $7 pe r person. ¥ How To Reach Us The supervisors also voted to i fit hs Jody a garden For more information, News: 675-5211 appoint an inspection firm to J healthy while maintain- ca|| 825-1701 ing an insect population. or 1-888-825-1701. thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Advertising: 970-7102 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 comply with the new state-man- dated building codes. Secretary Joy Bird reports that two white plastic swans placed in the pond next to the municipal “First is timing,” she says. Insecticides need to be applied at the right time — that is, when the insect population is low, and when the insect is most vulnerable in its life cycle. “This way you're not wasting chemicals.” FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Plastic swans placed in the pond next to the Jackson Township municipal building have drawn the eye of pho- tographers, but have not deterred Canada geese from landing. Township Secretary Joy Bird said it took the geese only a couple of days to figure out the deception. See JACKSON, pg 3 See BUGS, pg 3
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