Vol.122 No.6 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 March 27 - April 2, 2011 50¢ Serving the communities of the Dallas and Lake-Lehman School Districts | www.mydallaspost.com Gas pipeline worries still haunt some local residents By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com A marked-off area along a Dal- las Township road has spurred concerns among residents as some wonder where a proposed natural gas compressor station will be relocated in the township. While residents have been con- cerned about stakes along Sedlar Lane, Williams Field Services Co. LLC officials confirmed Tuesday there is only a pipeline being laid along the road and not a com- pressor station. Luzerne County Court docu- ments filed on March 17 show the land along Sedler Road is owned by John Metz, and the 75-foot right of way pipeline easement agreement was made in August 2010. Helen Humphreys, a commu- nications specialist for Williams, said there are only as many stakes as the company needs for surveying and construction pur- poses. “One of the first series of stakes marks where the pipeline will ac- tually be installed,” said Mike Dickinson, manager aof oper- ations and technical services in the Appalachian basin. “Then as Chief Gathering LLC. has not yet announced the location of a Dallas Township compressor station. The company will participate in a zoning hearing at 7 p.m. April 4 in the Dallas Middle School auditorium in its application to build a metering station near the Dallas schools. you move to right or left, there are typically at least two other lines that mark construction of the right-of-way area. “Along this project, there is a 75-foot wide right-of-way for con- struction purposes,” he contin- ued. “The pipeline may be turn- ing or crossing, going under our road or coming up on stream or wetland and the workspace be- comes wider to ensure we have enough room to properly address that construction issue. Residents along the road ex- pressed concerns last week about the possibility of a compressor station near their homes, and some planned to take action whether the rumor was true or not. “Some of us on Sedlar are mus- tering a bit to see if we can estab- lish some sort of coalition to fight against it,” said resident Jim Skrypek. “We're prepared to take some sort of action.” Williams also filed an applica- tion for special exceptions in the township office Monday to build a metering facility about 500 feet from the proposed Chief Gather- ing LLC metering station site. The site will be located off Lower Demunds Road on about 2 of 4 acres of property owned by William and Priscilla Perry of Franklin Township, about a half- mile from the Dallas schools. Eduardo Nunez, facilities pro- ject manager at Williams, said the facility will contain a meter- ing building; a 100-foot commu- nications tower; two 3,000-gallon tanks of mercaptan, an odorant used to give natural gas its char- acteristic smell; various piping, tanks and valves, such as a con- densate tank, to collect water de- posits from the gas, and a pig re- ceiver to clean materials from the gas. While some of the equipment may be similar to that of a com- See GAS, Page 11 By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The Hope Center of the Back Mountain Harvest Assembly Church in Trucksville has be- come - literally - a sight for sore eyes within the last month. The free clinic, which offers medical, legal and pastoral care for those without insurance or who can’t afford it, recently ex- tended its hours to Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. for a vision clinic. Local optometrist Dr. Robert Blase, of Dallas, is able to pro- vide eye exams free of charge, and the clinic has received oph- thalmic equipment, eyeglass frames and lens services from lo- cal businesses. Ron Hillard and his wife Su- zanne, directors of the Hope Center, said the program began in February and services about six patients a week. Patrons re- ceive an eye exam and get mea- sured for specs all in one visit and return for a pair of eyeglass- es about two weeks later. Jason Hall, 36, of Trucksville, ® up his very first pair of - Pglasses on a recent Thursday ; evening. The missionary said putting on glasses for the first time was like “flicking on a switch.” “It’s awesome,” he said of the Hope Center. Joe Holthlander, 23, of Wilkes- Barre said he’s had the same pair of specs for the past eight years because he lost his medical cov- erage. He said being able to re- ceive eyewear for free helps off- set costs for other household ex- Llinic expands to include eye exams, eyeglasses CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Optometrist Rob Blase, of Dallas, examines the eyes of Matthew Kubicki who will receive free reading glasses from a free vision clinic at the Back Mountain Harvest Assembly Church on Carverton Road in Trucksville. penses. “People can come here and get what they need,” he said. The Hillards are using the newly-acquired equipment as part of a three-year program they devised in order to provide vi- sion, dental and hearing care to children all over the Wyoming Valley. The “See the Light” Vision Ministry program will provide free eye exams and eyeglasses to children between the ages of 5 and 18 who either do not have vi- sion insurance or have state- funded medical coverage but cannot afford uninsured expens- es. After spending time as medi- cal missionaries in countries such as Nicaragua and Haiti over the years, the couple realized there is a need for similar servic- es at home. “We saw a lot of families really struggling who don’t have a lot,” said Ron. The Hope Center is located near the Back Mountain Harvest Assembly Church on Carverton Road and is open from 6 to 8 p.m. on Mondays for medical, legal and pastoral care and Thursdays for vision and chiropractic care. To make an appointment or for more information, call 696-1128. The Hope Center plans to have a dental office by June this year, and hearing facilities some- time next year. “We can’t help everyone, but we can help some,” said Ron. “The more kids we help in the Valley, the better chance at life they will have, and the better the Valley will be.” What others are doing Recent developments in Dallas Township and other areas have caused municipal leaders to think more about how the natural gas industry affects communi- ties. Here's a glance at what Back Mountain municipalities are do- ing in regards to the natural gas industry. Dallas Borough Solicitor Jeffrey Malak said the borough already has provisions for gas and oil industry activities in an updated zoning ordinance passed in December 2009. Malak said the ordinance addresses is- sues such as truck traffic, road maintenance, light and water pol- lution, buffer zones for neighbor- ing structures and subdivision and land development require- ments, among others. He added the borough is monitoring state court cases to see if the ordinance needs updating, but maintains the current document could hold up in court against the state Gas and Oil Act. Dallas Township At the most recent supervisors meeting, Solicitor Thomas Bren- nan said he hopes to present a model ordinance prepared by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATYS) to the supervisors with- See OTHERS, Page 11 Gate of Heaven students who submitted an experiment to NASA are, from left, first row, Kurtis Carichner, Molly Hampsey, Anthony Huntington. Second row, Maria Khoudary, Michael Gatusky, Jamie Cart and Mrs. Janice Szczechowicz, advisor. 5-8 to use everyd. Gate of Heaven experiment Is on Its way to outer space The Gate of Heaven students also had to videotape and submit a written proposal to be considered, and, as finalists, astronauts will send them a video recording of the experiment performed in By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Six students from Gate of Heaven Middle School in Dallas are reaching outside the class- room - and into outer space - to learn more about science princi- ples. Eighth-graders annually par- ticipate in various . National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- tration-sponsored educational programs and this year’s team was chosen as a finalist in three different competitions, one of which could send the young sci- entists to Kennedy Space Cen- ter in Florida. The first, called “Kids in Mi- cro-g,” asked students in grades ffi gS space. plies in creating an experiment to be proven in a zero gravity environment. Students had one week to create a hypothesis and an experiment for astronauts to perform at the International Space Station to be proven cor- rect or incorrect. The Gate of Heaven students also had to videotape and sub- mit a written proposal to be considered, and, as finalists, as- tronauts will send them a video recording of the experiment performed in space. The six-student team — Kurtis Jamie Carty, 13, of Harveys Lake; Michael Gatusky, 14, of Harveys Lake; Molly Hampsey, 14, of Tunkhannock; Anthony Huntington, 13, of Dallas; and Maria Khoudary, 14, of Dallas — See SPACE, Page 11 6098151200799
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