Came Yim aa Sunday, January 1, 2012 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 i "mores Storm water Issues addresse By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Discussions have begun with the state Department of Envi- ronmental Protection to ad- dress storm water and other is- sues relating to Toby Creek, the borough manager announced at a meeting Dec. 21. Borough Manager Tracey Carr said she, the borough engi- neer and road department members met with DEP offi- cials on Dec. 12 to gather pre- liminary information for a per- mit to conduct creek mainte- nance at the borough’s expense. She said she would have to pro- vide information about sedi- ment levels over time to apply for the project. Carr also said because the borough does not own any land along Toby Creek, full participa- tion of residents living near the proposed work area would be needed to move forward. She said DEP officials recom- mended participation in a Growing Greener program, which would help defray the ex- pense of the work involved. The area involved stretches from Leggio’s Italian Ristorante on East Center Hill Road to the center of the borough. “Not everyone has problems with storm water who live Toby Creek, but we've residents address council about certain issues,” said Carr. “We have to figure out what we need to do, whether we clean it out or deepen it in that area.” In other news, council ... e Adopted the 2012 budget, keeping property taxes steady at 1.28 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 in assessed proper- ty value. e Honored two outgoing board members, Barbara Barnes and Robert Post, with plaques featuring keys to the borough. Barnes has served on uncil for 10 years, and Post @ for many years and W's also mayor in the past. e Announced that three council members, two re-elect- ed and one new, will be sworn in on Jan. 2, which decreases the number of members from seven to six. Earlier this year, council was granted approval from the Luzerne County Court to de- crease council size from seven to five. The process is stag- gered, said Carr, and will be complete in two years. Carr also said because the borough does not own any land along Toby Creek, full participation of residents living near the proposed work area would be needed to move forward. e Accepted the deed of dedi- cation for the Marlington Court roadway in the Stonehenge Marlington Court subdivision and its inclusion into the state liquid fuels/motor tax calcula- tion formula. e Approved the Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust as the designated depos- itory for earned income tax rev- enue as appointed by the Lu- zerne County Tax Collection Committee. e Approved the 2012 uniform allowances for full- and part- time road department employ- ees in the amounts of $400 and $200, respectively. e Approved the following days for closure of the munici- pal building: Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 at 12:30 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 26, 2011 and Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. ® Changed the 2012 meeting schedule to the third Wednes- day of every month at 7 p.m. e Authorized Carr to termi- nate alternate borough engi- neer, ARRO Engineering and Environmental Consultants, and appoint Gregory Supey, P.E., and Joe Hunt & Associates LLC to the position. Carr said Supey, who was the borough’s engineer with ARRO, had switched companies. ¢ Authorized Carr to execute a customer confirmation agree- ment with UGI Energy Services to purchase natural gas for the municipal building from Janu- ary through March 2012 at a rate not to exceed $5.427 DTH. e Approved the borough's continued participation in the Back Mountain Community Partnership at a cost of $275 for 2012. ¢ Re-appointed the following board members: John Oliver as representative for the Dallas Ar- ea Municipal Authority until 2016, Drew Regan to the zoning hearing board until 2014, Jo- seph Fiorello to the internation- See ISSUES, Page 9 By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Finding good help to care for one’s furry companions can be stressful during the holiday sea- son, but local pet care pros make sacrifices to keep loved ones safe and their tails wag- ging. Cheryl Colgan, of Dallas Township, is the NEPA Pet Nan- ny by trade, and her schedule is off-the-charts busy during key vacation months. Summers and winter holidays are times best spent with family and friends or in a beach setting, but her merry mingling is done with shorter, four-legged folks. “I wanted to do something where I could control my sched- ule,” said Colgan of starting her pet sitting business. “When I was looking for someone to take care of my own animals, I could only find one professional sitter in the area.” So Colgan, who is originally from New Jersey, got into the business of pet tending herself while maintaining her day job as an office manager. But she’s no stranger to being around little creatures — she’s got seven cats and one dog of her own. “Luckily, my husband works from home so he’s there to care for the animals,” she said. Colgan’s side job also affects her own vacations. Because she’s often swamped with cli- Some people bring pre- sents for their dogs to open on Christmas day, so we do that.” Suzanne Haas Owner of Kennelwick ents during those peak getaway months, she often finds herself planning trips during the off-sea- son, like in March. “And when I go away, I can’t go with my husband because he has to take care of the animals,” she said. “So there will be a time when he’ll go away with his friends and then I'll go away with mine.” This Christmas, the Colgans kept their pet appointments while celebrating the season. “My husband is Jewish, so he doesn’t have to worry about Christmas,” said Colgan. “I'm able to drive to my family’s house in New Jersey for a few hours on Christmas day.” In Franklin Township, the Haases manage what clients tend to call “Camp Kennelwick.” Suzanne Haas started the dog kennel about 16 years ago after she realized how much she en- joyed caring for others’ pets over the years. Now she maintains a 12-stall kennel behind her house on Lockville Road — a place she calls her “little piece of heaven.” “Im here all the time and I enjoy being here,” she said. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST George and Sue Haas welcome Logan Fritsky to celebrate the holidays at Kennelwick Kennels with them. A holiday home away from home Cheryl Colgan, of Dallas, is the owner and operator of NEPA Pet Nanny, a professional home pet-sitting service. Shown here with her is her cat Shelby. Though finding time to break away from the business can be straining (all vacations need to be booked a year in advance), the Haases take full advantage of the time off — perhaps to the extreme. For example, Suzanne’s hus- band George is recovering from breaking his arm while the pair was whitewater rafting in Africa earlier this year. “We like to do exciting things because we don’t get to leave very often,” said George Haas. The couple has been to Africa twice — to Tanzania and Zambia - and they proudly display pic- tures from their trip to the Gala- pagos Islands. The Haases use a live-in sitter to care for their two dogs, three cats and horse while away, and they close the kennel complete- ly when they leave. Family time is usually spent at the Haas home in Orange, or the couple makes plans to sneak away for a few hours at a time. “Sometimes we can fit a mo- vie in, but it’s never dinner and a movie,” laughed Suzanne Haas. At Christmastime, the Haases spend a quiet day at the house and give special treats to their boarders to spread a little cheer. “Some people bring presents for their dogs to open on Christ- mas day, so we do that,” she said. Emily Bogdon wins PennDOT art contest By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Out of more than 900 en- tries, Wycallis Elementary fifth-grader Emily Bogdon was one of 22 students in the state to win the state Depart- ment of Transportation Avia- tion Art Contest in Decem- ber. PennDOT spokesman James May and district exec- utive George Roberts pre- sented an award to Bogdon on Dec. 15 during the fifth- - grade class holiday play. The contest awards two winners in each of Penn- DOT’s 11 statewide districts. District 4-0 includes Lu- zerne, Lackawanna, Wyom- ing, Susquehanna, Pike and - Wayne counties. Bogdon’s drawing depicts a girl holding a paper airplane s a real aviation craft flies @ her. She said her father Weclped her develop the idea for the drawing. The contest theme this year was “Aviation’s Value to ' My Community” and May said the contest aims to get i; young students interested in the various career paths available in aviation. Bogdon was awarded a cer- tificate and a poster-sized version of her drawing. Another drawing was pre- sented to Principal Paul Re- inert for display in the school. A third poster was on dis- play in the state capitol building in Harrisburg for a week. “That’s so amazing,” said Bogdon of her artwork exhib- it in the capitol building. Reinert said the award proves Wycallis students are exceptional within the walls of the school and beyond. “We're extremely proud,” he said. “The entire school is honored to recognize one of our brightest kids.” Reinert said he wasn’t aware of any another student at Wycallis who has won this award in the past. “This contest also shows students that PennDOT is not just roads and bridges,” said Roberts. PennDOT also governs rail freight, aviation and waterways. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Wycallis Elementary School fifth-grader Emily Bogdon won a statewide award from the PA Department of Transportation for her drawing depicting “Aviation’s Value to My Community.” 11 A UPrEVe | AVE npn 5 A WY FN og i fl HINA {ARVEYS LAKE BORO M 's Council gives up pay By SUSAN BETTINGER Dallas Post Correspondent Borough Council on Tuesday night adopted a $1,313,525 bud- get for 2012 without raising tax- es. Instead, council members will forgo their monthly stipends for the year to help eliminate a def- icit. The seven council members are paid a total of $13,105 a year. The expected expenses for 2012 are $1,327,131, leaving a $13,606 deficit. Last year’s bud- get was $1,336,675. Council President Francis Kop- ko noted that council members would not take any pay for the year, and the budget itself notes there is no money under council’s pay. According to Kopko, residents who are delinquent with their re- al estate taxes and/or trash col- lection fees are a major reason for the deficit. In other business ... e Mayor Clarence Hogan an- nounced that among the traffic stops over the Thanksgiving holi- day weekend, 86 resulted in tick- ets for not wearing seatbelts, three in DUIs and one in drug charges. ®e Council member Richard Williams III reported work is still under way on Old Lake Road. Williams also said the trucks are “ready to go” for the winter weather. e Hemlock Gardens resident Millie Monk asked council to consider returning to the former no-burn ordinance. She said peo- ple are burning plastic, paper and other items near the complex, creating a health problem for those with ailments such as asth- ma. She also mentioned people are leaving debris near the build- ings. e The following outgoing members of council received plaques of appreciation for their service to the community: Ri- chard Williams III and Ryan Doughton, both for two years of service; Carole Samson for four years of service and Diane Dwyer for eight years of service. Dwyer said she has “learned so much about the government and has become well versed” during her eight years on the council. She added she will continue her involvement in community af- fairs, even after she leaves her po- sition. e Hogan announced plans to open community ice skating at Sandy Beach sometime near the end of January or beginning of February. y
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