[ Vol.122 No. 33 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 October 9 - 15, 2011 | 50¢ WILKES-BARRE, PA. www.mydallaspost.com AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER Concerns rise as gas is released By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Residents urged supervisors and natural gas representatives Tuesday to increase communica- tion in the township after an inci- dent at the Transco interstate gas pipeline left neighbors concerned for their safety. ~ Fairgrounds Road resident So- nia Maslowski told supervisors that her husband, John, heard a loud noise on Sept. 22 from the Transco pipeline construction site where workers are tapping the Williams Springville Gather- ing Line off Hildebrandt Road. She said John had also smelled odorized natural gas from 100 “I don't know what kind of list of numbers you have here, but by the time you would go through those channels, the people that are going to be affected, and the students, if they're going to be affected, are going to be gone.” Sonia Maslowski Dallas Township resident yards away, which prompted her to call 911. Maslowski said Lu- zerne County 911 told her the company notified the county that a natural gas release would occur that day as part of scheduled work. Two ambulances were sent to Maslowski’s residence as a pre- caution. Maslowski’s neighbor, Jane To- lomello, said she contacted Dal- las School District Superintend- ent Frank Galicki regarding the matter because the campus is about 1,800 feet away from the site. Tolomello said Galicki then contacted the township, and someone from the office told him there was no natural gas release in the area. Tolomello continued to ask su- pervisors if they thought she was credible as a neighbor of the con- struction. She said she didn’t feel her concerns were taken serious- ly when she approached township officials the day of the incident. She said she was especially worried about the safety of the nearly 2,800 students as well as for faculty and staff housed at the nearby Dallas School District and wanted to know if the school dis- trict has an evacuation plan in See GAS, Page 12 Dallas Township residents were concerned last week when a nat- ural gas release was reported. Church leaders discuss school By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com About 30 leaders from 11 ar- ea churches gathered at Leg- gio’s Restaurant in Dallas on September 27 to discuss the budding Christian school Rock Solid Academy. The breakfast was organized by the school’s director, Mark DiPippa, as a way to reach out to local churches and the fam- ilies they serve. Pippa hoped to spark interest in the school and begin raising funds for its $1.5 million founding campaign, which will conclude in Decem- ber. : DiPippa told the audience that the school’s board of direc- tors has already approved a mission statement and state- ment of faith for the proposed dergarten through eighth- de school. He and others be- gan the groundwork for the school last year and he hopes it will open in August 2012. An overview of the curricu- lum has also been completed with input from local teachers, administrators and other edu- cation professionals, he said. Jerry Harteis, a member of the school’s board of directors representing Back Mountain Harvest Assembly Church, told audience members the school is sorely needed during the “demise of culture and Amer- ican values.” “This is about rescuing our children,” said Harteis. He continued that, though the local public education sys- tem “has its hands tied,” the new school will offer moral and religious guidance for students in addition to a rigorous curri- culum. For more information about Rock Solid Academy, visit www.rockso- lidacademy.org or contact Mark DiPippa, president/head of school, at mdipippal@gmail.com or 498-7771. Harteis said the newly-built Dallas High School, which offi- cially opened this school year, doesn’t change the type of edu- cation students receive in a secular environment. “I liken it to putting clean clothes on someone who forgot to take a shower,” he said. DiPippa said there is no set location for the school yet, though he would like to have the building located in the Back Mountain. He hopes the school will be able to house grades kindergarten through 12 by 2013. Though much of the school’s curriculum and activities will reflect Christian beliefs, DiPip- pa said non-Christian students will be encouraged to enroll as well, but staff will need to be of Christian faith. “I think we have to have Christian leaders in those posi- tions,” said DiPippa. “I just think it’s the right thing to do at the leadership level.” He hopes to finance the school through tuition alone — DiPippa said the school wants to avoid “subsidizing” the churches in order to be an in- dependent entity. He would also like to devel- op a scholarship program through local churches to aid students who may not be able to afford the school. Class sizes will be small — See SCHOOL, Page 12 CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Jerry Harteis, head of the board of education for the newly- organized Rock Solid Academy, speaks to area pastors at a breakfast presented by school officials. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Two words could summarize what many thought of the new Dal- las High School building: big and beautiful. After a month-long delay caused by two tropical storms, administra- tors finally had the opportunity to hear those comments when the Back Mountain community got its first official look at the new Dallas High School during a dedication ceremony on Monday, Oct. 3. Those involved in the project, in- cluding Superintendent Frank Gal- icki and other administrators, members of the school board, the project architect, community members on the design committee and others all spoke at the pro- gram, which was held in the audito- rium prior to a ribbon-cutting and key presentation. School Board President Bruce Goeringer said the building was six years in the making, and made a point to thank everyone who has been involved in the process. “This is something we can all be proud of, something we can all be proud of as a community, and it’s something that we all accom- plished together,” he said. tr Sandra Sprau, a math teacher said. “It seems like it was designed After a month-long delay caused by two tropical storms, ... the Back Mountain communi- ty got its first official look at the new Dallas High School during a dedication ceremony on Monday, Oct. 3. and member of the design commit- tee, shared memories of the old high school building, including her - first days there as a student and when she taught her sons in class. “This is a story all mothers can appreciate — in 1995, when my ol- dest son Dwayne entered the high school and wouldn't even acknowl- edge me,” she said, laughing. “He pretended like he didn’t even know who I was. Unlike my middle son Keith, who would say during class, ‘Wait, mom, explain that again.” Community members enjoyed refreshments in the cafeteria be- fore meandering down the halls of the 230,000 square foot facility for a better look at the new high school. Reo Cheshire, of Dallas, enjoyed some hors d'oeuvres with his 11- year-old daughter, Annalise, before taking a stroll around the complex. “It's definitely impressive,” he CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Bernie Bronsberg, Greg Brown and Andrew Stocker aren't quite sure what to think of an ice sculpture made especially for the new Dallas High School dedication ceremony. Getting a good look at the new building Friends and well-wishers gather for the dedication of the new Dallas High School building. Tables were set with candles and white tablecloths and a catered reception followed the ceremony. very well.” Cheshire said he and Annalise kept track of the building process, from the groundbreaking to the tearing down of the old building to the dedication. He said the con- struction process had some ad- verse effects on every day life at the schools, but the new building was worth any hassles. “There was some (traffic) con- gestion when they opened, but it’s all part of a good thing,” he said. Annalise can’t wait to be a stu- dent in the new building. “She just got to the middle school,” said her father. “We don’t want to rush it.” Pam Wintersteen, of Dallas, toured the second floor with her 11- year-old daughter Erika, and tried to explain what the old building \ looked like before she graduated in 1987. “My favorite room was the cho- rus room, because of all the fun we had inthere,” she said. “I'm very im- pressed with the new building — it’s huge.” : Janice Borton, a retired middle school teacher, loved the coloring and layout of the new school. “It's so modern,” she said. “I think they considered what all kids like and need in a school.” 6 09815 2007 9% 9
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