@°" 118 No. 07 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S. NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 February 25 - March 3, 2007 "DALLAS Post. SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS 8 School choice draws mixed reaction By CAMILLE FIOTI Dallas Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — The announ- Seon that a new high school would be built by the 2009-10 school year brought mixed reac- tions from residents at a special school board meeting last week. The school board voted unani- mously to build a new 223,373- square foot high school at a cost of about $38 million, rather than renovate the existing one. Doug Rohrbaugh of the archi- tectural firm Crabtree, Rohr- baugh & Associates, said reno- vating the current 105,258 square foot building would involve a lot of demolition and would not be cost effective because the build- ing is so outdated. He added that most of the classrooms are 200 square feet smaller than state gui- delines. Financially, there isn’t much of a difference between renovating and building new, Rohrbaugh said. “If this school had 12-foot wide corridors, if this school -had been built in a different generation, if it had a different heating system in it, if it had things of value to it, oth- er than one or two spaces in the building, it would be worth reno- vating, but it doesn’t,” he said. Bob Fernandez agreed the high See HIGH SCHOOL, Page © By GENELLE HOBAN Dallas Post Correspondent ALLAS - Despite sports, video games and loads of other activities available to young boys, Cub Scout Pack 232 still has a growing inter- est in its organization. More than 200 people packed into the basement of the Gate of Heaven School last weekend for the organization’s an- nual Blue and Gold Dinner. Gate of Heaven Church is the sponsor of Pack 232. “The purpose of the Blue and Gold dinner is to commemorate the annual moving up to the next level in rank,” Amy Huntington, an organizer of the event, said. “In the last two years we've seen an increase in our Tiger Cub pro- gram (the youngest of the Cub Scout ranks).” The 53 Cub Scouts in the pack partici- pate in a number of diverse activities throughout the year, including citizen- ship training, character development and personal fitness. Meetings are held twice a month. “I like that we work together on pro- jects to get.up to the next rank,” said 10- year-old Eric Stamer, who lives in Tunk- hannock. “I liked the tiki poles we made for the banquet, too.” The theme of this year’s dinner was “Aloha Cub Scouts.” The school base- ment was decked out with balloons, beach umbrellas, palm trees and leis for the occasion. “I think most parents are eager to put their children in Cub Scouts because of the values and skills scouting pro- motes,” said Huntington whose sons Mi- chael, Christopher and Anthony are in- volved in scouting. “My husband is an of the Blue and Gold Dinner. couting still thrives FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Gate of Heaven Pack 232 leader Dave Carichner gives directions to James Schwem- mer and Karl Carichner (center) about posting colors and the order of ceremony at the start of the Blue and Gold dinner. Eagle Scout and (the pack’s) Cubmaster. I think Scouting helps boys become better young men and helps keep them out of trouble.” Ryan Ell, 10, has been involved in scout- ing for the past two years. He says he en- joys the learning experiences. Eight-year- old Cameron Brennan of Harveys Lake, a Bear in rank, said his den does things like plays chess and goes camping. “I like the camping and talking to my friends,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.” Brennan’s mother, Irene said her son real- ly enjoys the outdoors especially the camp- ing and hiking. After his son Brian joined Scouts, Dan Ghezzi became involved in the organiza- tion. He’s now a Scoutmaster. “At all of the activities we do the boys learn skills and earn merit badges,” Ghezzi said. “We try to take them on an outing once a month. We have 18 active members and two more who just crossed over during the ceremony here.” Members of Cub Scout Pack 232, including Paul Dragon, Tyler Dragon and James Kelly, recite the Scout pledge at the start A 3) Rd V¥ How To Reach Us News: 829-7248 12 Pages, 1 Section news@mydallaspost.com Church 2&6 15 N. Main St. Only Yesterday 4 Wilkes-Barre PA 1871 Obituaries 8 Schools 5 Subscriptions Sports 7 and Delivery: 829-5000 V¥ Inside The Post Dallas field hockey stand- outs headed overseas. Page 7 FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK L Jay Banks, a worker for J.P. Mascaro & Sons Co., empties a recy- cling bins during collection last week. The local trash hauler pro- vides service to parts of the Back Mountain. Is trash fee raise a lot of garbage! By MATT HANNON For The Dallas Post TRUCKSVILLE - Ted Fisher wouldn’t have minded a small in- crease in the cost for his trash re- moval. But he says a 90 percent increase over a two-year period is much too large. “I think the least they could have done was ask us if we would have minded such a huge in- crease,” said Trucksville resident Ted Fisher. “I don’t mind a five percent increase, but an almost 90 percent increase, that’s out of line.” Many Back Mountain resi- dents, Fisher has seen recent rais- es in trash removal fees from the Dallas Area Municipal Authority. The rates have nearly doubled since 2005, when they were set at $28 per quarter. Now, that fee is $55. DAMA executive director Lar- ry Spaciano says the rates are fair. He said if the rates seem high, it’s because DAMA was locked into a rate from the late 1990s to 2005. At that time, states Spaciano, the rates changed to reflect increases that waste haulers were dealing with such as gas prices and larger landfill fees. “We're just trying to give the residents the best program for their buck,” he said. “We have one of the top programs in the county and I think it’s a credit to the citizens.” Spaciano added that DAMA chose J.P. Mascaro & Sons be- cause it would save the resi- dents an average of $187 over a five-year period. Mark Cesare of J.P. Masca- ro’s Wyoming Valley branch said rate increases were nec- essary to pay for fees incurred by the refuse hauler. “We had to pay fuel prices going up, disposal and landfill fees, (Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Transportation), the list goes on,” said Cesare. “There are a ton of fees that go into a business like this, just to keep us in compliance.” Not all residents of the Back Mountain are angry about the increase in fees. Some feel the increase reflects the current times and how much gas pric- es are. “I really can’t complain about it,” said Melissa Sgroi. “It’s such a clean community and I feel they had to raise the prices accordingly. Plus, it’s not like anyone is taking my can and throwing it across the street.” See TRASH, Page 9 THEY'RE OFF... AND HAVING FUN IN KUNKLE FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK More than 60 people attended the Kunkle Volunteer Fire Company's annual “Night at the Races" last weekend at the Kunkle Community House. The patrons enjoyed a night of en- tertainment and food. The event raised more than $1,000, which will benefit the fire and ambulance company. Above,
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