Vol. 122 No. 40 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 November 27 - December 3, 2011 The Patras POST. = WILKES-BARRE, PA. www.mydallaspost.com AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER Support grea for BMT Trai By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com About 40 supporters attended “An Evening for the Back Moun- tain Trail” at Lakeside Skillet in Harveys Lake on November 10. The fundraiser featured a pre- sentation from George White of White Environmental Services about the proposed expansion of the trail, which runs from Lu- zerne Borough to Dallas Town- ship. “In the near future, our mas- ter plans will be made to ex- and the trail south into Wilkes- &: and north to Ricketts Glen,” said White. Julie McMonagle, executive director of the Anthracite Sce- nic Trails Association, said spe- cific plans to extend the trail to Wilkes-Barre have already been made, but next year a master plan will be developed for the extension to Ricketts Glen State Park in Fairmount Township. “The trail is a gem a lot of people don’t know about,” said Midge Kolojejchick, of Kingston Township. Kolojejchick said he and his wife, Jean, who serves on the trail's board of directors, walk the trail often with their dog. He said physical activity is impor- tant, and the trail provides a scenic way to get in shape. “I know a friend who lost 40 pounds walking the trail,” said Kolojejchick. He said the trail also provides an important link between the past and the present. The trail was once owned by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and goods such as lumber, ice, leath- er and anthracite coal were ship- ped from the Endless Moun- tains region to the Susquehanna River Basin until 1940. The trail “The trail is a gem a lot of people don’t know about.” Midge Kolojejchick Kingston Township was no longer used by the 1960s. The Anthracite Scenic Trails Association acquired the path- way in 1996 and began trans- forming the former railroad into a trail accessible to the public. “It’s a great motivational tool to create better health,” said Ko- lojejchick. “It’s nice to see a friendly face on the trail — you'll probably see them twice be- cause you have to walk back to your car.” Karen Johnson, of Lehman Township, loves to take her grandchildren walking along the trail, and she believes an expan- sion is a great idea. “It's good thing,” she said. “People in this area need a safe place to ride their bikes or take walks in nature. It's a way of bringing family together.” Johnson said the Back Moun- tain Trail is also a learning expe- rience, from investigating differ- ent tree of types to cleaning up the trail. She hopes the current trail continues to expand in its offerings. “I would like to see horse rid- ing on the trail,” she said. Judy Rimple, president of the Anthracite Scenic Trails Associ- ation, said the possibilities are endless, and fund- and aware- ness-raising events like “An Eve- ning for the Back Mountain Trail” will only continue to bol- ster the group’s success. “The trail’s going to just ex- plode over the next 10 years,” she said. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Judy Rimple, originator of the Back Mountain Trail, addresses the audience during a dinner meeting of supporters. The group is planning another addition to the popular outdoor area. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The buzz of barber shop clip- pers echoing throughout the gym was only surpassed by the delighted screams of Dallas Ele- mentary students as they wit- nessed their principal, Thomas Traver, lose his hair. First, it was a little off the right side. Then the left side. But the top? The top stayed intact. Traver agreed to get his head shaved in the style of a Mohawk and dye it blue on November 16 in response to the students’ fun- draising efforts in the Race for Education, a walk-a-thon that supported the school’s Parent- Teacher Organization. The school had an initial goal of $20,000, which would be used for covering the costs of field trips, playground equipment, classroom parties and other year-round activities. The stu- dents managed to surpass and nearly double their goal, bring- ing in more than $36,000. This is the first year Dallas Elementary utilized the fun- draising program. In previous years, the PTO would have stu- dents sell candy bars or maga- zine subscriptions to raise funds, but Tracy Zarola, vice president of the group, said no past fun- draiser have ever been as profit- able. “We've had such a great re- sponse,” she said. “The commu- nity has been very supportive.” Students’ jobs were to solicit CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Dallas Elementary School Principal Thomas Traver agreed to have his head shaved by Robyn Margellina and spray-painted by Casey Whalen, left, as part of a Race for Education week at the school that collected almost $36,000 for school trips and extra events. Principal is very ‘blue after students raise $36K “It might make for some interesting conversation with Grandma over the dinner table.” Dallas Elementary School Principal Tom Traver On his new blue Mohawk hairdo individual sponsors for the walk- a-thon. With the help of their parents, students mailed dona- tion cards to their prospective sponsors and collected the funds. The fundraising began in early September, and the walk-a- thon was held on November 16. Parties were held throughout the fundraiser to bolster stu- dents’ efforts. If all students in each class received five or more sponsors, a popcorn party await- ed them. Those classes with stu- dents who received at least 10 supporters were rewarded with a pizza party. Traver said every class re- ceived a popcorn party, and all but four classes had pizza parties for their efforts. Students who received the most supporters received an ex- tra special treat - a trip with Trav- er to Grotto Pizza at Harveys Lake in a limousine, followed by some time at the arcade. “It was so much fun,” said Traver of the arcade trip. One student, 6-year-old Casey Whalen, was the top sponsor so- licitor, raking in support from more than 240 family and com- munity members. He got to perform the task of spray painting Traver’s leftover hair Dallas Mountaineer blue. When asked how he was able to garner so much support for his walk-a-thon efforts, the tyke from Shavertown just shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. Traver decided upon the Mo- hawk idea on a whim and found the young students really took interest in the bold move. “People have done more for lesser causes,” said Traver. “.Parents made sacrifices, teachers made sacrifices, and now I guess it’s time for me to make mine.” Tanner Saracino, 9, of Shaver- town, said his principal “looked cool” after the quickie haircut, and he said he might want to try the look on his own. Nicholas Liaslewis, 9, Trucksville, agreed. “We should get matching Mo- hawks,” he said to his friends. Traver said he felt a bit cooler, physically speaking, after the partial head shave, and he plans to keep the cut until after Thanksgiving. “It might make for some inter- esting conversation with Grand- ma over the dinner table,” he said, laughing. of DURING AFTER BACK MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP Group may extend use of emergency center to other towns By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The Back Mountain Com- munity Partnership discussed extending the use of an emer- gency control center to other municipalities in the region at a meeting November 17. The partnership is in the process of preparing a gaming funds grant application to ren- ovate and supply a regional emergency control center off Route 118 in Lehman Town- ship. The former medical build- ing was purchased by Dallas Fire & Ambulance last year with a similar purpose in mind . and the organization will lease the building to the partnership for emergency and general meeting use. The space will be used for municipal supply storage, partnership meetings, other organizational meetings, gested the partnership ex- emergency responder train- ing, sleeping quarters for eva- cuees if needed and a control center for the Back Mountain Regional Emergency Manage- ment Agency. The idea for the center was developed after storms in late August and early September cut power to hundreds of homes in the Back Mountain. Vice Chairman John Wilkes Jr., of Jackson Township, sug- pand its request for support to other nearby municipalities and the Dallas and Lake-Leh- man school districts. Chairman James Reino Jr., of Kingston Township, said in request for support letters to Harveys Lake Borough and Fairmount and Lake town- ships it should be noted that space would be available for those municipalities to utilize the center In other news, partnership members discussed the pas- sage of state Senate Bill 1100 with Tom Yoniski, a represen- tative from state Sen. Lisa Baker’s office. The amended bill sets fur- ther regulations on natural gas activities in the state and requires an impact fee on un- conventional wells. One amendment on the bill states an applicant can re- uest the state attorney gen- eral to review local zoning laws to determine whether an ordinance is reasonable, rath- See CENTER, Page 11 6c B09 81512007 9Rlg
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