PAGE 4 THE DALLAS POST Sunday, October 25, 2009 DALLAS TOWNSHIP Supervisors approve bond release from Dallas School District Doughton said the final inspection on the expansion took place sometime in 2008, but the district never asked for the return of By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com The Dallas Township board of supervisors approved a $98,693 bond release request from the Dallas School District on Oct. 20 for a project that was completed over one year ago. Tom Doughton, an employee from Douglas F. Trumbower and Associates, the township’s engi- neering firm, said the bond was a letter of credit from the Wycallis Elementary School expansion project. Doughton said the final in- spection on the expansion took place sometime in 2008, but the district never asked for the re- turn of the bond until now. Bond reduction A bond reduction request of $140,122.40 was granted for the Saddle Ridge residential subdivi- sion. The reduction will release the financial security for phase one of the project and will reduce the letter of credit for phase two. The revised financial security for phase two will be lowered from $161,103.06 to $20,980.66. Paving project change order A change order addition for $2,535.80 was approved for phase two of the Old Tunkhan- nock Highway paving project. The change order is necessary due to the addition of modified stone for the road’s shoulder. The change order brings the the bond until now. project’s total cost to $98,292.80. The entire project is being fund- ed by an Office of Community Development grant received by the township in the amount of $100,000. Rice Drive project update Doughton provided an update on a paving project on Rice Drive and said the project is about 85 percent complete. New sewer manholes were recently installed and United Water still has to in- stall a new water main. According to Doughton, ap- proximately three days were lost on the project when an excavator owned by Pikes Creek Site Con- tractors was accidently buried in a stream and a 250-ton crane had to be used to pull the machine out of the water. Doughton says the Department of Environmen- tal Protection was also at the scene. Zoning ordinance amendment Attorney Thomas Brennan, the township’s solicitor, said the township needs to adopt an ordi- nance to correct the description of things that can be done in a zoning district from a 2005 amendment to the ordinance that was not included when the ordinance was updated. Brennan will draft an ordi- nance to include the previous amendment for the supervisors to review and eventually vote on. Brennan said the zoning ordi- nance issue was brought to his attention by Tom Reilly, an engi- neer from Reilly Associates, when he was doing research for the new Geisinger facility to be built on Dorchester Drive. Letter of support Approval was granted to sub- mit a letter of support on behalf of the Pennsylvania Environmen- tal Council (PEC) northeast re- gional office’s grant application to conduct a trail and greenway feasibility master plan within the Harveys Creek and Tobys Cree watersheds. @ Janet Sweeney, of the (PEC), recently sent correspondence to the Back Mountain Community Partnership (BMCP), asking for its support of the application. The PEC applied for funding from the Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Conservation and Natu- ral Resources and plans to apply for matching funds from Luzerne County. BMCP President Al Fox sug- gested each municipality send its own letter of support to the PEC if it desires because the deadline See BOND, Page 14 Long-time members of Misericordia University trustees recognized Misericordia University re- - cently recognized the contribu- tions of four long-time members of the Board of Trustees who ca- pably served the institution for a combined 41 years. Frank H. Be- vevino, Alan J. Finlay, Rusty Flack and Douglas A. Gaudet were presented lamps featuring the Misericordia seal and an en- graving marking their years of service to the institution. Bevevino, of Dallas, is a retired businessman and owner of FHB Development who has lent his expertise to Misericordia’s board for 15 years, offering leadership to numerous committees and projects. He was recognized for present- ing the largest single gift to Mi- sericordia in memory of his de- ceased wife, Mary, a 1987 gradu- ate of the institution. The Mary Kintz Bevevino Library has been at the center of Misericordia’s campus and academic life for 10 years. Bevevino was the recipient of the Founders'Medal. in» 2003, a prestigious award given to those who have made a philanthropic investment in Misericordia that significantly transforms its abil- ity to serve its students and ad- vance the mission of its founders and sponsors, the Religious Sis- ters of Mercy. A Dallas resident, Finlay is owner of Humford Equities and joined the Misericordia Board of Trustees in 1999. He was recog- nized for his 10 years of excep- tional support of Misericordia in a variety of ways. His knowledge of construc- tion, finance and real estate has been significantly helpful to the institution during its period of unsurpassed growth. In particu- lar, he helped to assess the feasi- bility and construction needs when the university purchased the former Frontier Communica- tions Building on Lake Street for development as the new Center for Health Sciences. In recognition of his efforts, Finlay and his wife, Evelyn, have been named to receive Miser- icordia’s 2009 Trustee Associates Award. Flack, of Lehman Township, is president of Diamond Manufac- turing Co. He retired from the Board of Trustees after serving a total of 13 years. He was recognized for his busi- ness acumen and extensive help, leading Misericordia through a period of significant enrollment and financial growth. He will re- main the chair of the Investment Sub-Committee. Flack is also the chairman of “the Board of Trustees for both Wyoming Valley Health Care System and Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School. As the first chairman and a charter member of the board of The Luzerne Foundation, the or- ganization recently presented him with the 2009 Mary Bevevi- no Community Service Award, recognizing his contributions and commitment to the commu- nity. The president and chief exec- utive officer of Penn Miller Insur- ance Company, Gaudet, of Sha- vertown, was a valued member HARVEYS LAKE BOROUGH Boathouse matter causes ripple effect By EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post Correspondent Definition of a boathouse caused a rippled effect of frustra- tion among lakefront property owners at the borough council meeting Tuesday night. Lakefront property owners came out to voice their disap- proval of the passing of a new zoning ordinance defining a boat house as a “structure constructed completely over a body of water, designed and used exclusively to shelter water craft or marine-re- lated equipment.” The new definition of a boath- ouse was included in the updated zoning manual approved in May but many lakefront property owners would like to see the defi- nition be expanded to include bathrooms and other amenities. Residents complained they did not know the terminology was being discussed at that time and volunteered their services to sit with the board and hash out a new definition. Council President Lawrence Lucarino said council members became aware of the problem and are working to redefine boath- ouses. “This will take a while,” he said. Borough Attorney Charles McCormick said the definition was generated by a desire to pro- v hibit people from building homes on the water. John Hilbing III, owner of Summit Point Builders, chal- lenged council members by say- ing the 12 foot height require- ment with a flat roof for boath- ouses is going to make the area look like “a shanty town”. Council member Betty Jane West said she is not a lakefront property owner but would still like to enjoy the view of the lake. “You do not own that view,” Hilbing said. This caused the crowded meet- ing room to erupt into low grum- blings from residents. Some were visibly appalled while others said they pay enough in taxes for the view. Resident Lynn Banta said she paid a hefty price for the property and land value and, if the defini- tion of boathouse stands, “you will be diminishing land values.” “We pay a lot, a lot, in taxes to use the land in the way we want,” she said. Other residents added some la- kefront property owners have landscaping materials that pro- hibit a view of the lake from the road. Lucarino said council wants to maintain a clean lake and will work to iron out the issue but that may take a few months. McCormick said if bathrooms See BOATHOUSE, Page 14 ALAN J. FINLAY of the board of trustees for three years. He was instrumental in the de- velopment of the financial servic- DOUGLAS A. GAUDET es component in the Misericor- dia business degree program. He also served as a member of the Misericordia Financial Stability FRANK H. BEVEVINO Committee. Gaudet also serves as a mem- ber of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA Board of Trustees RUSTY FLACK and has held the post of chair- man of the Major Gifts Commit- tee of the organization’s Annual Fund. : « Dallas Township Re-Elect... Philip L. Walter for Supervisor Here are a few examples of what Phil’s long service has accomplished for our collective benefit: Dallas Township is DEBT FREE; quite an accomplishment in the world of today! Dallas Township’s taxes have been and continue to be among the lowest throughout northeastern PA! Dallas Township’s Police Department is the first Accredited Municipal Police Agency in northeastern PA, as recognized by the PA Police Accreditation Commission. We have excellent parks and recreational facilities. Our watersheds are pure and regulated to state standards. Our Township governmental bodies are free of corruption and mismanagement, and have proven prompt and able in response to individual and Township special needs. Our roads are well-maintained and quickly cleared of winter snows and ice. Dallas Township’s population is rapidly expanding which underscores the need for experienced and capable leadership. Phil Walter provides exactly that! Your support on November 3 will be greatly appreciated.
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