J Sunday, August 9, 2009 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 DALLAS TOWNSHIP By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Joseph Sharkness asked the township supervisors on August 4 for help in getting motorists to slow down on Reservoir Road. Sharkness, who lives on Reser- voir Road, wanted to know if township employees could trim a tree that he says is partially ob- structing a 35 miles per hour speed limit sign located on the road off Overbrook Road. Shark- ness also asked for two white lines to be painted on the road to pre- vent speeding. “Pm going to park my car on both sides of the road to slow them down,” Sharkness said. Roadmaster Ronald Buchman told Sharkness he would see what he can do about having the tree trimmed. Tobacco use prohibited in parks The supervisors passed a reso- lution to prohibit tobacco use in public parks and playgrounds in the township. The township was invited to take this measure by the “Steps to a Healthier PA Luzerne County” and the Luzerne County Tobacco-Free Coalition to help eliminate children’s exposure to secondhand smoke. By participating, the township will receive pre-imprinted 12- inch-by-18-inch metal signs to place along the border of the to- bacco-free areas. Earned income tax representatives A resolution was passed by the supervisors to appoint Mark Van Etten, accounting manager at Mi- sericordia University, as the “I'm going to park my car on both sides of the road to slow them down,” Sharkness said. Joseph Sharkness Reservoir Road resident earned income tax (EIT) repre- sentative and Karen Rose, tax col- lector for Kingston Township, as the alternate EIT representative to the township. Pennsylvania Act 32 amended the Local Tax En- abling Act to require the collec- tion of earned income tax on a countywide basis. The appointments were re- quested in July by the Back Moun- tain Community Partnership, an inter-municipal group of which the township is a member. Partnership members will vote on a resolution this month to de- cide whether or not to appoint the two as the EIT representatives for the municipalities of the partner- ship. If approved, each municipal- ity who chooses to participate will be required to pass a resolu- tion at its own municipal meeting to appoint Van Etten and Rose, as the township did. Joseph Chacke, of NEPA Alli- ance, said at the July meeting of the Back Mountain Community Partnership that such a move would be beneficial because each municipality’s EIT vote will be on a weighted scale based 50 percent on population and 50 percent on EIT revenue. Local Fiscal Assistance Act support The supervisors also approved a resolution to urge members of congress to support the federal Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 2009, HR 3007, which would pro- vide $90 billion to local govern- ments though the 2011 fiscal year. The resolution was recommend- ed by the Pennsylvania State As- sociation of Township Supervi- sors. Dallas High School fire arrests Robert Jolley, chief of police for the township, said arrests were made in an arson fire that oc- curred on July 22 at Dallas High School. Jolley said the arrests are a “result of the excellent police work of Officer (Mark) Liparela and Sergeant (Douglas) Higgins.” Resident wants help in slowing down motorists According to The Times Lead- er, Kristopher Harger, 18, of King- ston, was charged with nine counts of criminal conspiracy, three counts of arson and a single count of reckless endangerment. He was arraigned by District Judge James Tupper in Trucks- ville and released on $25,000 bail. Two juveniles are facing similar charges in Luzerne County Juve- nile Court. Hole on Wedgewood Way John Newman, a resident of Wedgewood Way, told the super- visors that a two-foot deep hole re- mains in between houses seven and eight on his road from a pav- ing and storm water drainage pro- ject that took place last year. New- man alleges that a pile of stone and a large rock are covering the hole that he says is leftover from Comcast’s portion of the project. JACKSON TOWNSHIP Problems with development continue to plague supervisors By EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post Correspondent Supervisors will pursue legal channels to long-term problems with Heritage Hills Develop- ment, a tradesperson ordinance is passed and recycling prob- lems were discussed at Mon- day’s supervisors meeting. Issues surrounding Heritage Hills Development have haunt- ed supervisors for about a year. Problems with storm water run off, road requirements and bonding issues have not been solved by developer John Piec- zynski of Hefitage Hills Est. Inc. During previous meetings, many complaints of rain water run off running through proper- ties neighboring Heritage Hills were heard. In January, supervisors de- nied a road dedication because the road did not meet Penn DOT’s specifications for road construction. Specifications state road construction requires a compacted three inch base and one and a half inches of wearing or top coat. Only three out of 12 core road samples from the de- velopment met the require- ments. Attorney Jeffery Malak said there has been a problem with bonding for financial services with the developer as well. “We are trying to look out for our residents,” said Supervisor John “Jay” Wilkes. Supervisors gave Malak per- mission to try to resolve these is- sues through legal methods. Supervisors approved the Tradesperson Ordinance to re- place the former Contractors Registration Ordinance. The new ordinance requires contractors, sub-contractors, electricians and plumbers to pay $125 to work in the township. Tradesmen must also provide proof of licensing testing. Malak said the written test is also re- quired by Wilkes-Barre City and Hanover Township. Before giving his approval, Supervisor David Roskos asked why the fee seemed so high. Ma- lak said the $125 fee is actually lower than many nearby munici- palities. Recycling problems have re- turned. Wilkes said people have been dropping off non-recycla- ble items and items such as an air conditioner and a plastic shed have been mixed in with re- cycling items. Wilkes said if this continues the township’s recycling pro- gram could end. Flyers are being circulated informing residents what is collected on recycling days. This information is also found on the township’s We bsite at www.jacksontwpluzco- .com. The last recycling day was heavily policed and one individ- ual, who intended to drop off household trash, was escorted out, Wilkes said. Supervisors agreed to hire Molly Murphy as a temporary recycling attendant as of July 13. Murphy will work as needed, earning $7.25 per hour and will log the address: of residents dropping off recyclables and how much is-being recycled. Such information could help the township in applying for fu- ture grants. In other news, supervisors agreed to apply for the Depart- ment of Energy Conservation grant with the Back Mountain Community Partnership. If the grant is approved, Wilkes said township officials hope to re- ceive about $47,000 to be ap- plied toward a new roof and so- lar panels. Eileen Godin is a correspondent for The Dallas Post. She can be reached at 675-5211. Ride The Ducks Philadelphia surprised four “lucky ducks" from Wyoming as they were named the millionth visitors to the popular land and water attraction. From left, are Larry English, Jacob English, 6; Jessica English, 4; and Laura English of Sunrise Estates, Wyoming. The family was named the millionth visitors to Ride The Ducks Philadelphia and won a season pass to the land and sea tour. English family members are four lucky ducks Ride The Ducks Philadelphia surprised four “lucky ducks” from Wyoming as they were named the millionth visitors to the popular land and water attraction. Laura and Larry English, of Sunrise Estates, Wyoming, with their children, Jacob, 6, and Jessica, 4, were greeted with cheering, noises from the Wacky Quackers™, the duck bill-shaped noisemakers, and a cloud of confetti at the Ride The Ducks kiosk in Old City Philadelphia. The winning family received a season pass for Ride The Ducks and a package of goodies presented by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation. Magic comes Get ready to have a magical good time at the final party for the summer reading program, “Be Creative @ Your Library.” The party and magic show are scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, on the grounds of the Back Mountain Memorial Library. All partici- pants of the summer reading program who complete their eight books are invited to at- tend. There will be snacks, refresh- ments, prizes and the winner of “guess the number of crayons” will also be announced. Fam- ilies are asked to bring a blan- ket or lawn chairs to the event. Highlighting the party will be the magic duo of Justin- CrediBle and Jack Davenport, a teen magic act from Ply- mouth. Both boys attend Wyoming Valley West Middle School and are members of the Society of American Magicians (SAM). Their show features live ani- mals, music, audience partici- pation, illusions and loads of fun! Participants of the summer reading program are encour- aged to complete their eight books before the party and visit the library for their reading certificate and final prize. All to Back Mountain Library JustinCrediBle and Jack Davenport are set to perform their magic act at the final party for the summer reading program at the Back Mountain Memorial Library. The two Wyoming Valley West students dub themselves ‘The Illusion Students.’ those who complete their eight books before the party will be entered in a drawing to win an- other prize! Names will be an- nounced at the final party. Chil- dren do not have to be present at the final party to win an ex- tra prize. Reading certificates and final prizes cannot be awarded on the day of the party since the librarians will be busy with the events of the day. All children must stop in or call the library to register for the party. of Citizens Bank. Work of Diane's son, Stephen, was also on display. Mother and her two sons display their art work at the Dallas branch of Citizens Bank The Dallas branch of the Citizens Bank exhibited a three-person show of artwork by Dallas residents Diane Levandoski and her two sons, Stephen and Andrew. Levandoski and her family have traveled extensively and many of the paintings are scenes of those trips. They include Cape May, Key West, Bryce Canyon, Grand Cayman, and Greece. The three artists work in watercolor, colored pencil, pastel, pen and ink, acrylic and oil and have all studied art with Sue Hand, Dallas. Diane Levandoski is an ophthalmologist at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Stephen is entering his junior year at Yale University and is currently studying Mandarin in Beijing, China. Andrew attends Wyoming Seminary Lower School and will enter eighth grade in the fall. Andrew painted on location with Hand at the 2008 Back Mountain Library Auction.
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