Sunday, January 1, 2012 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 5e | ®Ticket Tom’ retires Misericordia University Cam- pus Safety Officer Thomas Mati- nas, of Swoyersville, retired in December after more than 21 years of befriending students, fac- ulty and staff and patrolling the more than 124-acre campus in the Back Mountain. Matinas quickly earned the nickname, “Ticket Tom,” due to the frequency in which he issued parking tickets and enforced parking regulations on campus. Matinas also ardently pa- trolled the upper and lower cam- pus to ensure campus safety and oftentimes directed guests to the proper location on campus for various cultural and academic events. The campus community recog- nized Matinas and his wife, Car- Misericord ia University President Michael A. MacDowell, right, from MU ol, at a surprise retirement party thanks Thomas Matinas on his last day of work for his years of at T.C. Riley's Pub & Inn in dedicated service to Misericordia University and the campus Trucksville on Nov. 30. community. CIVIC BRIEFS Trees collected in Kingston Township The Annual Christmas Tree Collection Program in Kingston Township will be conducted from January 3 through January 1B. Residents are asked to have the trees placed at the curbside where they will be picked up between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents are asked to remove plastic bags, all ornaments, lights and stands before placing trees at the curbside. The trees are mulched and these items can damage equip- ent. Qi may also drop off es at the composting site behind the Public Works Facility at 225 E. Center St. For more information, contact the Kingston Township Admin- istration Office at 696-3809. Alzheimer’s support group meets The Dallas Alzheimer’s Sup- port Group will meet at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan.5 in the board room of the Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation @ E. Center Hill Rd., as. Contra dance set A New England Contra dance will feature the music of the Wyoming Valley House Band and calling by Bob Nicholson at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston, Sprague Avenue, Kingston. No partner or previous experi- ence is necessary. Admission to the dance is $9 for adults and $24 for families. For information, call 333- 4007. Dallas workers will collect Christmas trees The Dallas Borough Road Department will commence curbside collection of Christmas trees on January 9 and continue until January 27. Christmas trees must have all decorations removed prior to being placed curbside. Resi- dents are to refrain from placing their trees curbside prior to weather predictions for snow and/or freezing rain events. Any questions or comments may be directed to the road department at 674-5362. ~~ i] Find a Pet, Get Pet Care Tips, Read the Latest Pet News, and More! timesleader.com ; : . . World of Pers Unleashed JOAN HARRIS DANCERS COLLECT TOYS The Joan Harris Dancers once again joined forces with Toys for Tots this holiday season to help needy children in our community. New unwrapped toys were collected at all of their recent productions of “The Holiday in. Whoville." From left, are Jayslin Pritchard, Jackson Township; LCPL Steffon Mitch- ell, USMC; LCPL Daniel Raymond, USMC; and Madelyn Bozin- ski, Dallas. Exhibit opens at Friedman Gallery The art of American master Edward Hopper will go on dis- play beginning January 21 in the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery at Misericordia University. The exhibition, “Edward Hopper: Early Impressions,” is a collection of Hopper’s early works in charcoal, pen and ink, pencil and graphite. The exhibit, “Winslow Homer: Woodcut Prints,” and also a display of recent paint- ings by Pennsylvania artist Mi- chael Molnar will be on display 2 Member FDIC The minimum balance to receive the 1.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is $10,000. APY is effective 12/19/2011. if ba in the adjacent MacDonald Art Gallery in Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall. The exhibits will open with a free reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 and run through February 11. Pauly Friedman Art Gallery hours are 10 am. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; and Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. For more information, call 674-6250. JACKSON TOWNSHIP Taxes to remain steady By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Supervisors adopted the 2012 budget on Dec. 22, stabilizing taxes for the upcoming year. Supervisor Al Fox said prop- erty taxes will remain at 1.32 mills, but getting there wasn’t an easy process. He said in- creased expenses forced the board to make cuts throughout the budget in order to keep the tax rate steady. A mill is $1 tax for every $1,000 in assessed property val- ue, Expenses in the township in- creased by about $185,000 be- tween ‘last year and this year, and Fox said slight cuts were made to every budget item, which resulted in an overall sav- ings of about $47,000. He said the move actually created more revenue than if the board had hiked the tax rates. Fox also wanted residents to know the cuts did not affect the township’s various services, in- cluding police, fire and ambu- lance and a full-time secretary to handle zoning and other inqui- ries. “There have been some tight- ening of the belts this year,” said Chairman John Wilkes Jr. “I don’t like to use the word cuts, but we made the budget leaner.” The only increase residents will see is a $20 hike in sewer rates. Fox said over the past three years the township has been able to absorb rate increas- es from the Dallas Area Munici- pal Authority, but this year it just wasn’t possible. In other news ... e Residents questioned the board about a sewer replace- ment project that has been ongo- ing for two years. Resident Mitch Smolow asked why the project on Bul- ford Road was being paid for by those residents. He said there are rumors swirling about how the supervisors are handling the project. Solicitor Jeff Malak said the project benefits mostly those 19 residents affected by the project, and the township is splitting some of the costs for the work, including engineering fees and road repairs. Fox added no grants were available for the project and state Department of Environ- mental Protection officials rec- ommended the financial plan as the only viable way to get the work done. Fox also said a meeting was held with those residents prior to construction and most agreed with how the process would be handled financially. Wilkes said the reason a mu- nicipal sewer system is being constructed in the development is because there were “many fail- ures” of the existing system, and the township didn’t want indi- vidual residents to pay thou- sands of dollars to replace the sewers. He said the area is one of a few spots in the township that is not part of the municipal sewer sys- tem. “You're going to be seeing this a lot more in municipalities,” Malak said about the cost-split- ting plan. ® The board also wished Su- pervisor Tim Evans a “speedy recovery.” Evans has been ab- sent from municipal meetings for about a month due to an ex- tended illness, said Wilkes. e Wilkes also made a plea for residents to become involved on the township’s various commu- nity boards, such as the zoning hearing board, the planning commission, the recreation board and the SCI Dallas Citi- zens Committee. He said the township has been seeking letters of interest for more than two months, and very few residents have expressed in- terest in the position. “These boards are taxed,” said Wilkes. “We need residents to serve.” ® The board’s reorganization meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3 in the munici- pal building with the regular monthly meeting to follow. FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP Board of supervisors unanimous In adopting new budget for 2012 By GERI GIBBONS Dallas Post Correspondent The board of supervisors unanimously adopted a 2012 budget on Tuesday night that includes a slight increase in real estate tax- es. Supervisors Ted Dymond, Michael Prokopchak and William Miller voted in fa- vor of a $288,625 spending plan that Prokopchak said would result in an average additional cost of $4.16 per township parcel. The budget increases the tax millage to .6 of a mill, from the current .58 mill. A mill equals $1 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. Prokopchak noted the budget was “basically the same as last year.” He said both revenues and expens- es had remained relatively flat. Supervisors Ted Dymond, Michael Prokopchak and William Miller voted in favor of a $288,625 spending plan that Prokopchak said would result in an average additional cost of $4.16 per township parcel. The budget increases the tax millage to .6 of a mill, from the current .58 mill. Richard Melvin, board secretary/treasurer, said that because grants reflect- ed in the 2011 budget would not be received during the 2012 fiscal year, there was a slight reduction in the total budget amount. The supervisors meet next at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3 when they will reor- ganize to name officers and set meeting dates and times for 2012. Back Mountain EP EIB OIBOEDEDEIREENS -» \ featuring 0000000000000 00R0CRONROINIRRNINIYS Always Fresh ® Always Hot! pare Time Pizza at Back Mountain Bowl y), Sicilian Pizza gs * Hoagies * and More! Eat In or Take Out! Rt. 415 Memorial Hwy. Dallas, PA 18612 Call Ahead 675-5026 KR First Liberty www firstlibertybank.com Gas Rights? We're the natural choice. Make the most of your good fortune with this simple, flexible savings 1.002% SAVINGS ACCOUNT GAS LEASE Bank Happy. gS ww # bl By heed SY a account from your friends at First Liberty Bank & Trust. With no fees, no access restrictions and a great rate, it's a great way to help secure your financial future. After all, as your hometown bank for over 140 years, we speak your language, share your work ethic, and understand the value of real honest-to-goodness customer service. To learn more stop in today. And lance falls below $10,000, the APY earned will be .10%. Please present a copy of the gas lease agreement or check in order to open the savings account. Fees may reduce earnings. Rate is variable and may change at any time. Other great products and APYs are available for those that do not have a gas lease agreement or check. There is a $1,000,000 maximum. Excludes public funds and financial institutions. First Liberty Bank & Trust is a division of Community Bank, N.A.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers