EER TTT I re i _—_—_e EE Sunday, October 9, 2011 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 DALLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT Board learns of yet more change orders for school By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The Dallas School Board heard a new batch of construction change orders for the recently- opened high school Monday eve- ning, just an hour before a formal dedication and public celebration was held for the facility. Bob Nesbit, of Crabtree Rohr- baugh & Associates, told board members four change orders will need approval at next week's regu- lar meeting. Those change orders reflect issues that have been ad- dressed by the building’s inspec- tor, and some relate to compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Before he listed the change or- ders, Nesbit also discussed a con- tract clause the district has with subcontractor Charles Corby & Sons Excavating, which states the district would pay for the cost of asphalt and other materials and services during paving. That total came to $158,264. The change orders included adding maximum occupancy signs to certain areas, adding handrails to areas on the roof and in the auditorium, and the cost for renting dehumidifiers to reduce The cost of these changes amounts to $21,248, bringing the total amount of construction change orders to about $952,000. moisture in the auditorium so work could be done to the floor- The cost of these changes amounts to $21,248, bringing the total amount of construction change orders to about $952,000. Board member Russell Bigus asked Nesbit whether the board can begin to seek damages if the total cost of change orders ex- ceeds $1 million. Nesbit said, be- cause of the contract clause with Corby, the $158,264 is not consid- ered a change order and the cost of change orders still remains below the $1 million mark. In other business, Superintend- ent Frank Galicki also announced the board will consider the pur- chase of a new truck and other equipment for snow removal on campus. ! : Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Mark Kraynack said he didn’t feel the district was ade- quately equipped to handle snow removal on the expanded campus without purchasing newer, larger equipment. Kraynak said he was also unsure where the snow would be taken once it was plowed from the park- ing lot. “You could pile it in those is- lands but you can only pile it so high before it becomes a danger,” said Kraynack. Business Manager Grant Palfey estimated the new equipment to cost approximately $130,000, which would be paid for using the remainder of the districts fund balance, akin to a savings account. Kraynack also had worries about whether the equipment would get to the campus on time, as the machinery would be pur- chased through a state contract that could mean a month-long de- lay for delivery. Board member Catherine Wega said the issue will be seriously con- sidered at the next board meeting. The board also honored a retir- ing employee. Margaret Wright, a 20-year reading specialist, retired on Oct. 7 and the board and Gal- icki offered Wright a gift to thank her for her service. This presenter sure knows his material By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Local history buff Frank Co- nyngham has logged many hours preparing for his presentation for the Back Mountain Historical As- ciation this Tuesday. Qo the Jackson Town- “ship resident has been surround- ed by the topic at hand all his life. His family, the Conynghams, owned and operated the farm where The Lands at Hillside Farms is situated now for more than a century. Conyngham and Hillside vol- unteer Chip Morgan will speak during the event, “From Letter- kenny to Hillside: A Conyngham Family Story,” at 7 p.m. on Octo- ber 11 in Misericordia Universi- ty’s Lemmond Theater. Michael MacDowell, founder of the Back Mountain Historical Association and president of Mi- sericordia University, said Co- nyngham was chosen to speak at this month’s event for a few rea- sons, but none more: important than his ancestry. “He loves local history and knows a great deal about it. He has a special interest in the Back Mountain’s history. And who would know more about the Co- nyngham family than a mem- ber?” said MacDowell. Morgan will focus on what The Lands at Hillside Farms offers now, including information about what the historic cottage where Conyngham family mem- bers resided for years is used for day. : onyngham became interest- in history as a young boy. His passion was sparked early on by his father, a genealogist by hobby. “We spent a lot of time in the summer walking through grave- yards looking for relatives and finding exact dates,” he said. “I've been interested in history since I was reading and writing.” IF YOU GO... What: “From Letterkenny to Hill- side: A Conyngham Family Story, presented by the Back Mountain Historical Association When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 Where: Lemmond Theater at Misericordia University, 301 Lake St., Dallas Township Details: Cost is free, but reserva- tions are encouraged. The event will feature a taste of ice cream from The Lands at Hillside Farms. Info: Call 674-8036 for more information. " The presentation will cover the Conyngham farm history, which started on a different continent. Conyngham’s ancestors traveled from Ireland to Philadelphia and then to the Wilkes-Barre area to plant their roots. But it wasn’t exactly planned. Conyngham said his great-great- grandfather, John Nesbitt Co- nyngham, was a bit of a romantic. After Conyngham graduated from the University of Pennsylva- nia with a law degree, his heart led him to the land where gener- ations of family members later called home. “On a stage coach to Wilkes- Barre, he fell in love with a girl who he married and that was in 1820,” he said. “He came up and opened an office here, never to re- turn (to Philadelphia). The fam- ily’s been entrenched in the Wyoming Valley since that date.” The talk will cover the history of the current Lands at Hillside Farms, where Conyngham and his family raised dairy cattle since the 1880s and opened the popular dairy store in 1977. “You might say one of the lega- cies of my brother and me is Hill- | side Farms chocolate milk and black raspberry ice cream,” said Conyngham. “Those were our concoctions. Hillside Farms has See KNOWS, Page 12 ROSS TOWNSHIP Storm damage closes road, postpones project By EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post Correspondent Debris from Hurricane Irene . and Tropical Storm Lee has a por- : tion of a road closed and post- | poned a road resurfacing project, | according to township supervi- | "sors. A debris and sediment removal project scheduled to move a trib- utary of Huntington Creek back to its banks and off Green Val- whey Road was canceled. The road is closed. Stan Davis, supervisor chair- man, said debris is blocking the creek from flowing under a bridge on Green Valley Road. Wa- . ter has diverted itself through a wooded area and is currently run- . ning across the road, causing ero- sion. Initially, an agreement was re- . ached with the landowner to al- . low the township and a contrac- . tor to enter the property and clean out the debris. The town- ship received a permit from the Pennsylvania Department of En- vironmental Protection to com- plete the work. The landowner, whose name was not released, contacted Shawn Rybka, watershed coordi- nator, with the Luzerne Conser- vation District, for advice on the best way to remove the debris. The landowner has since had a change of heart and refused to let the work crew enter his property, Davis said. Contacted after the municipal meeting, Rybka said he was at the site for about 10 minutes and ad- vised the work crew about what can be done under the DEP per- mit. “The work had to be done from the top of the stream bank,” he said, adding that the contractor wanted to drive the excavator in- to the stream to do the work. See STORM, Page 12 of Heaven Cub Scout Pack 232. Snacking sleuths invade Weis Mkt. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com A night at the grocery store never seemed as mystifying as it did on Monday, Sept. 26. Eleven snacking sleuths from Cub Scout Wolf Den Pack 232 out of Gate of Heaven Church crept through aisles with a mag- nifying glass in search of suste- nance during a Mystery Tour at Weis Markets in Dallas. The goal of the evening was to find nutritionally-balanced food to reinstate the energy lev- els of the typically vivacious imaginary character N.R. Getic George. : The fluorescent hat-clad gum- shoes: attended informational sessions led by two Weis em- ployees at each section of the grocery store and then had the trying task of putting their new- found knowledge to work by searching out certain ingre- dients. As a reward, the mini-detec- tives were able to sample some of their finds after choosing the proper foods for N.R. Getic Ge- orge’s new nourishment. Tracy Manzoni, den leader, said she was interested in the tour after seeing a photo of stu- dents on a similar event in the newspaper. “It seemed interesting and this is actually part of their re- quirements as Cub Scouts,” she said. Scouts must study the food pyramid and help their families prepare meals as part of earning the Wolf Scout ranking. In their first task, the investi- gators had to identify fruits and vegetables in various colors. Weis Markets Mystery Tour leader Liz Cusma, of Dallas, said the program is helpful for MORE INFORMATION For more information about how your group can participate ina Weis Markets Mystery Tour, visit www.weismarkets.com/mystery- tours, e-mail mysterytours@weis- markets.com. : " CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Jamison Tudor uses a magnifying glass to read ingredients on a cereal package at Weis Markets in Dallas during an outing for Gate young students who may not be exposed to so many different types of foods on a regular basis. “It’s interactive — were not lecturing them,” said Cusma. “They get to go out and find things for themselves.” Scouts clamored for the strangest produce — some car- ried mustard greens, others chose yellow wax beans — but in the end, the perky private eyes were more married in their choices than they thought. “What did the yellow group pick?” asked Cusma. “Peppers!” shouted scout Tan- Kyle Langan samples kiwi at Weis Markets in Dallas as part of an outing for Gate of Heaven Cub Scout Pack 232. ner Manzoni. Cusma asked another group, the ones with the bright orange hats, what they retrieved for poor N.R. Getic George's lively lunch. “Peppers!” yelled Scout Jame- son Tudor. The studious snoops seemed to learn quite a bit during the tour, but the cereal aisle was a tough cookie to crumble. The inspectors needed to find cereals with whole grains as the primary ingredient, but 7-year- old Tudor just couldn’t resist one of his feel-good snacks. * “I found one,” he said, clutch- ing a box of Fruity Pebbles, while chaperones laughed. Jacob Baldrica, Tanner Manzoni and Will McCarroll from Gate of Heaven Cub Scout Pack 232 check their lists twice as good food detectives at Weis Markets in Dallas. CA i Cr toe a
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers