Sunday, September 11, 2011 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 DALLAS TOWNSHIP Residents concerned about township's pipeline deal By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Several concerns were raised by residents Tuesday in regards to the township’s deal with Williams Field Services LLC and the company’s com- mitment to pipeline safety. At their last meeting, town- ship supervisors penned an agreement with Williams that requires the company to fol- low several stipulations re- garding its planned pipeline and metering station. The company’s Springville Gathering Line project in- cludes about five miles in Dal- las Township that would end at a site about 1,800 feet from the Dallas School District campus. An access road will be located off Lower Demunds Road. The company wants to tap into the Transco interstate pipeline in order to send gas from wells in Susquehanna County to market. Residents Kim Jacobs, Norm Tomchak and Diane Dreier had questions about the specifics of the agreement, including the strength of the deal. Solicitor Thomas Brennan said the agreement, including the deed restriction placed on the Perry property where Wil- liams is planning to build, could feasibly be changed in the future if both parties con- sented to an amendment, but the change would need to take place in a formal, public set- ting. He the said township “I just think there's a little bullying going on.” Kim Jacobs Dallas Township resident worked so hard for the agree- ment terms that he could not foresee any changes to the document in the future. “l can’t rule anything out,” said Brennan. Jacobs questioned Brennan and the supervisors about why construction at the site is pro- gressing before the company has even begun the zoning hearing process for its planned metering facility. She said the company ap- pears to be “putting the cart before the horse” and working on a project it does not yet have the ability to construct. “I just think there’s a little bullying going on,” said Ja- cobs. Brennan said the company works on its projects at its own risk. “They have a right to do it,” he said. The company has not yet submitted a zoning applica- tion to the township for its me- tering station, but Williams re- ceived approval in Northmore- land Township, Wyoming County, to build a temporary metering site in order for the pipeline to become operable by October. Resident Jane Tolomello, of Fairground Road, presented the board members with pho- tos of the Transco construc- tion site before and after the recent hurricane. The pipeline had been exposed to the ele- ments, and afterwards the pit in which the pipeline was lo- cated was submerged in water. Tolomello asked, her voice raised with emotion, how the township was protecting her and her neighbors from some- thing happening at the site. “All a tree had to do was fall and my neighborhood would have been up in smoke,” she yelled. “This would not be an accident; this would be a ca- tastrophe.” Brennan said the supervi- sors would present the photos to Williams officials and get answers to Tolomello’s ques- tions. He added that a special meeting may be called next week to discuss a curative amendment to the township’s zoning ordinance and an agreement with Chief Gather- ing LLC on its pipeline and metering station plans. In other news ... e The board voted to ap- prove the following donations: $4,000 to the Back Mountain Memorial Library, $1,000 to the Visiting Nurses Associ- ation and $1,000 to the SPCA of Luzerne County. JACKSON TOWNSHIP Answers sought on sewer expansion 9 By EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post Correspondent Confusion in determining fact from fiction regarding a proposed sewer expansion project in Bulford Farms caused residents to attend Tuesday night’s supervisor’s meeting. Dr. Ian Kellman, of Hamp- ton Street in Bulford Farms, said he never received any notification of the project and, upon talking with the residents on his street, was told a fee of about $30,000 per homeowner is required to hook home up to the pub- lic sewer systems. “lI never saw a notice in the newspaper; I wanted to get this information clar- ified,” he said. “I come to find out, you are voting on it tonight.” Township Attorney Jeffery Malak explained the pro- posed ordinance was adver- tised in the local newspapers under the Legal Ads section and is available in the mu- nicipal building for review. Malak said the ordinance is affecting 19 properties on @ Old Field and Long wleadow Roads. According to the Department of Envi- ronmental Protection, the properties have old and fail- ing septic systems, he said. The project will allow sewer lines to be connected to the homes. Malak explained the three roads involved in the project are part of the first phase of the development. He added there are no plans to extend the sewer project into other areas of the development, in- cluding Kellman’s street. “This project has been on- going since May 11,” Malak said. “These homes have septic systems which are 30 years old and they are con- taminating the water supply in this area.” Malak said when DEP found the contamination, residents were faced with a tough decision and they ap- proached the supervisors for help. The homeowners in- volved will pay $15,000 to Malak said the ordinance is affecting 19 properties on Bul- ford, Old Field and Long Mead- ow Roads. According to the Department of Environmental Protection, the properties have old and failing septic systems, he said. The project will allow sewer lines to be connected to the homes. $25,000 toward the cost of connecting to the public sewer system. The township will pay less then 10 percent of the bond for the work, he said. Resident Allen Sands, who lives within phase one of Bulford Farms, said some residents put in sand mounds to fix their septic problems and that he spoke with a lot of people who are against the proposed pro- ject. Supervisors unanimously passed the Bulford Farms Sewer Extension Project Or- dinance. Supervisors also unani- mously passed a more de- fined parking ordinance. Ma- lak gave a brief overview, stating the new parking or- dinance was needed since the last update completed in 2010 created a full ban of on- street parking in the town- ship which created prob- lems. The original parking ordinance was adopted in 1979. The revised ordinance specifies which streets allow parking and which do not as well as enforcement proce- dures and fines. The ordi- nance will be effective with- in five days and is available for review in the township office. In other news ... e Supervisors approved a motion to join with Lake, Lehman, Dallas and King- ston Townships and Dallas Borough with an Advance Life Support Contract which will provide residents of the Back Mountain with better See SEWER, Page 13 Pizza, Harveys Lake. see each other at the reunion. CENTER PHOTO: Sandy Barrall Davis, left, and Mary Beth Duffy Tomko greet members of the Class of 1976 from Lake- Lehman High School during a reunion. RIGHT PHOTO: Cheryl Hoover Summa and Dan Tuck, members ‘of the Lake Lehman High School Class of 1976, are thrilled to CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Members of the Lake-Lehman High School Class of 1976 gathered for a reunion at Grotto Pizza at Harveys Lake. From left, first row, are June Steele, Sandy Barrall Davis, teachers Bob Roberts and John Miliauskas, Lorraine Litchmna Regan, Rob Steele. Sec- ond row, Cindy Hughes Miller, Marianne Dennis Mahle, Kathleen Borton Detweiller, Carol Laning Shaver, Wanda Sutcliff, Patty Brody, Sandra Steinruck Ochwat, Mary Beth Tomko. Third row, Dan Tuck David Scott, Fred Mahle, Sandy Blaine, Paula Webb Cihcik, Diane Stolarick Stefanowicz, Christine Zbick Drabick, Cheryl Hoover Summa, Walt Meade and Leo Pall. I:L Class of "(6 reunites embers of the class of 1976 from Lake-Leh- man High School celebrated their 35th anni- versary reunion on September 3 at Grotto ®DALLAS Continued from Page 1 the person at the helm of the building. Paul Reinert, who is al- so the district director of curricu- lum and instruction, will begin his first year as the principal of Wyecallis Elementary this year. Reinert served as principal of Dallas Elementary prior to mov- ing on to assistant superintend- ent and director of curriculum and instruction. “In my other positions, I al- ways said I miss being in a build- ing full of children, and now that I am, it is a great comfort to me,” said Reinert. “Wycallis is a great school and we’re going to keep it a great school.” Reinert said touch-screen white boards and LCD projectors have been installed in some, but not all, classrooms. “I hope to maintain the high quality of education at Wycallis Elementary,” he said. Dallas Elementary Principal Thomas Traver said - the biggest change at Dallas Ele- mentary-will be morning and af- ternoon traffic patterns, as the access road from Hildebrandt Road will be shared with the middle and high schools. There will be new drop-off ar- eas for parents behind and on the side of the elementary school. In the morning, parents will enter the parking lot from Hilde- brandt Road and proceed behind the school to exit off Conyngham Avenue. He said in the afternoon, the pattern will reverse — parents can enter the school lot from Co- nyngham Avenue to exit onto og Hildebrandt Road. The point of that is to keep buses and parents’ vehicles separate — buses will pri- marily be in front of the school while cars will be behind the building. “We will have an adult sta- tioned at each of the three drop- off areas for safety,” said Traver. Some classroom structures will also change. Traver said fourth-grade students will be taught by all four teachers in the grade. Mrs. Ecenrode will teach reading, Mrs. Besecker will teach science, Mrs. Ford will teach ‘mathematics and Mrs. Hummer will teach language arts and social studies. Traver also said there will be two teams of teachers in fifth grade — Mrs. Plank and Mrs. Snyder will be one team. Snyder will cover math, science and so- cial studies and Plank will teach language arts and reading. The other team, comprised of Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Burkhardt and Dr. Speziale, will share science and social studies. Taylor will teach reading, Burkhardt will cover language arts and Speziale will teach math, as well. ~ Traver also announced that Ashley Barchik is the school’s new full-time art teacher. “My number one goal every year is to show improvements in academic performance in all grades, and I always pride myself in having a safe and productive year,” he said. Though he fears the “summer brain drain” as a result of the long break, Traver said he has high hopes for this new school year. “I hope students can quickly transition back into school mode and pick up any information or skills lost,” he said. TH
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