The Post NEWS Sunday, September 12, 2004 3 Bargain bear eS FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Beth Grose and Jessica Kus, Dallas, pick out some treasures at the Prince of Peace rummage sale that was held last week. Rain and gloomy skies didn't keep people from turning out to search for bargains. Noise (continued from page 1) Mark filed an appeal and the zoning board voted in his favor. Mark has hired an acoustic specialist who identified some solutions such as installing a @ insulated roof over the isting metal roof; putting en- closures around the presses, which Mark said is not a practi- cal solution since it hampers production; installing new ab- sorption pads under each of the four legs of the presses; and buying an additional press to be used during first or second shifts, thus minimizing third- activity. He stressed that he will not commit to any of the potential- ly costly solutions without a thorough investigation. He added that it could take at least 30 days if not more to come to a decision. “l am willing to spend the @ required to do some- “1 am willing to spend the money required to do something if | know it's truly going to benefit.” Randy Mark Pulverman’s owner thing if I know it’s truly going to benefit. I'm not going to plant trees, I'm not going to do things just to say I did them. I want to do something that’s go- ing to make a big impact, ” he said. Vice Chairman Frank Wagner has been impressed by Mark’s responsiveness. “Randy Mark is here to try to resolve this or he wouldn't be here. I congratu- late him.” Matthew Krivak, who lives in Orchard View Terrace, one of the neighborhoods affected by the noise, wasn’t so optimistic. New solicitor in the dark on factory noise issue By CAMILLE FIOTI Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — Attorney Thomas Brennan was intro duced as the township’s new solicitor at the Sept. 7 board of supervisors meeting. He re- places Michael Melnick, who resigned Aug. 21. Brennan is a Dallas Town- ship resident with an office in Kingston. Melnick came under fire at the August 3 meeting for skip- ping a highly anticipated zon- ing hearing in July. Residents have been attending the town- @®: meetings for months rotesting the thumping sounds coming from Pulver- man Enterprises. Melnick issued an enforce- ment notice to the sheet metal plant’s, owner, Randy Mark to cease and desist with the objec- tionable sounds or face legal action. The zoning hearing was a result of an appeal to the no- tice. The hearing continued If You Want Perfection... Try Our Sicilian Style Pizza, = Our Wings & Other Menu Items Eat In Or Take Out! without Melnick. The township lost. “Where were you?” asked Matthew Krivak of Orchard View Terrace. “We had no rep- resentation,” he said. Melnick apologized and said that he was at another meeting and was tied up. Melnick had also been work- ing on revising the noise ordi- nance. The current ordinance states the maximum allowable decibel level is 72. Noise test- ing performed by sound engi- neers hired by Pulverman indi- cated the plant is in compli ance. Residents have been pushing for a change to lower the decibel limits, but Pulver- man, will be grandfathered into the current ordinance. Brennan indicated that he had not received anything from Melnick. He added that al- though he isn’t completely fa- miliar with the case, he’ll try to address the concerns as quickly as he can. send someone to her home. “I've always stated that I'd be willing to take corrective action if I knew what would be effec- tive,” he said. Mike Kovalick and other neighbors also complained about loud, crashing sounds created by employees tossing scrap metal into dumpsters be- fore 6 a.m. each morning. Mark explained that small containers are set up at each work site to collect the scrap metal. He has instructed his employees not to dump the metal into the large dumpsters after dark. “By the time morning comes, those bins are overflowing, and their first objective is to un- load” Mark said. Mark said he will continue to attend the meetings to try to work with residents until they can find a solution that will sat- isfy everyone. “We need a solution, not someone saying, ‘I'm looking into it." “ Matthew Krivak Orchard View Terrace “We need action, not reaction. We need a solution, not some- one saying, Tm looking into it.’ “ Ruth St. George, a frequent vocal critic of Pulverman, said that because of the noise, her health has suffered and she was recently hospitalized. “I have been up constantly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is getting out of hand” she said. “No one has ever come to my house to listen to the thump- ing, the pounding, and I live di- rectly across from the building on Lower Demunds Road.” Mark assured her that he will School tax rebate period ending Dallas Borough Tax Collector Mark W. Van Etten reminds Dal- las Borough residents the last day to pay the 2004 Dallas School District real estate and per capita taxes during the rebate period is Wed. Sept. 15. Van Etten will be available at the Dallas Borough building on Wednesday evening between 6 and 8 p.m. Residents can mail tax payments to: Mark Van Etten, P.O. Box 447, Dallas, PA 18612. He can be reached at 675-1878. The rebate value on 2004 school taxes will end Wednesday, Sept. 15. All payments must be postmarked on or before Sept. 15 to be eligible. The Kingston Township tax collector’s office is open Mondays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Payments also may be dropped off any time in the mail slot located in the vestibule of the township building at 180 E. Center Street. Lynn D'Alessandro, VMD, invites you to visit Animal Hospital Pet friendly atmosphere Complete pharmacy Efficient staff Pet products All major vet services We accept major credit cards Office hours by appointment - 570-298-0800 Bank on Rt. 309, Tunkhannock (KeToTo} (To Mole (oTXR {{e] 0 MATE @ HT o TT 41 (19 11o W170 TR oT=3 AWZT=T 0 Jo || fo Ley) FARES E| You'll Get a Lot of Mileage Out of Our Multi-Car piscount. if you drive two or more cars in your family, we may be able to save you money. Call me... Stop by... Log on ~- it's your choice! GORDON-SMITH Insurance Agency Charles W. Gordon, Associate Agent Lauren M. Smith, Agent 570-675-5234 smithL68@nationwide.com Nationwide’ Insurance & Financial Services Nantrawge Is On Bar fife” Matioravide Mulad? Imsuraniy Company and Altiliazed Companies, Home tffce Uolembag, OH 832152220 Homeowners charge runoff ruins property By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff KINGSTON TWP. — Janet and John Sauchak brought con- cerns about the state of proper- ty near their Fernridge Court home to the supervisors’ Sept. 8 meeting. A long discussion centered on drainage and uncompleted work by the developer, Gerald Fisher. Janet Sauchak listed at least three items she said should have been addressed by Fisher, but have not. They were an im- properly installed storm drain, a street light that was never put up and a pile of rocks she said were supposed to be used to construct a drainage basin but were only dumped and left in one place. “That has to be cleaned up,” she said. “If Mr. Fisher won't do it, who is responsible?” Supervisor Jeffrey Box, who was township manager at the time the development was put in, defended the decision to ac- cept the street. “The lion's share of these issues were com- pleted,” he said, or the street would not have been accepted. Sauchak also said a new neighbor’s landscaping and gut- ters have diverted water runoff onto her property. Township solicitor Ben Jones III told the Sauchaks that if changes were made to the subdivision’s drainage plan, action can be taken, but hard evidence is needed. “Simple soil erosion in itself is not a violation,” Jones said. Sauchak said the grade had been changed dramatically, and she could produce photos to support her position. She said the runoff had ruined a stone wall and cracked the driveway. The Sauchaks left with a promise from zoning officer Bill Eck that he would visit them at home the next morn- ing to review the situation. Eck said the neighbor is on notice that the drainage issues must be corrected by the end of Sep- tember. The local property tax has brought in 92 percent of the $194,500 estimated in the 2004 township budget, enabling the township to weather a fiscal storm that arose late last year. The supervisors adopted a 10-mill property .tax last De- cember when it appeared rev- enues would fall short of spend- ing in 2004. So far, more than $178,000 has been received, said Kathleen Sebastian, town- ship clerk. As a result, the gen- eral fund showed a balance of nearly $337,000 at the end of August, even after a $248,807 semiannual payment was made on debt service for the town- ship office building. The township had not im- posed a property tax since 1994. In other business: e The Green Road paving project, which was supposed to be completed in June, may get done by the end of the month. Work has been held up for sev- eral weeks while the contractor waited for UGI to move electri- cal lines. That work should have been completed last week, said township manager Eddie O'Neill, and the contractor has indicated it will take two or three weeks to finish up. The supervisors will delay until the work is done a deci- sion on whether to seek dam- ages of up to $500 per day be- yond the contracted comple- tion date. e After discussing three bids to install a railing at the front of District Justice James Tup- per’s office in the old township building on Carverton Road, no motion was offered to accept any of them. The brick wall has separated from the walkway and is being held up by wooden stakes. O'Neill was asked to in- vestigate other contractors for a metal railing and for rebuild- ing the wall. 8"X1 0” - fiption:______ L = > =4 m p, oO > pl oO $25 FIRST PRINT $15 EACH ADDITIONAL -_— —_ (aty) copies in 8x10 siz appeared: Paget C- Bee ene - ow mow ow KI Co —— ! ‘ ' r ' A ' ' FA Her SI SR BE BE SEE oy £70k EEE - a IRI NH TR we we ee we ARR 5
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers