PAGE 12 THE DALLAS POST Sunday, April 29, 2012 POLICE Continued from Page 1 2002, with an option to buy the property. Musial said the force was locat- ed within the current municipal offices, which also shares the space with the Harveys Lake Mu- nicipal Authority. Prior to the department’s move, the force used state police investi- gators and was comprised of mostly part-time officers, accord- ing to Dallas Post archives. Despite the building’s condi- tions, Musial said the department made limited upgrades and phys- ical changes to the space before moving in. “We were enthused to be get- ting out of the broom closet we were in,” he said. “...We sort of started nickel and diming this place just to get through.” He said the building was open space and desks and walls were in- stalled after its purchase to suit the police department’s needs within a constrained budget. Musial attributes a separation of the flooring, visible through carpeting, and cracks in the walls to sinking of the building. He said nearby townhouses had to be built upon pilings due to issues with wetlands, but the current police station is a modular building on no foundation. He also blames the townhouse construction in 2003 for plaguing the police building with water is- sues. “The toilet, we can get one flush out of it every 20 minutes,” he said. “(With the sink), if we give it about a half hour we can get about three seconds of water.” Musial said the fact that he spends much of his time at the building when not on patrol al- lows him to address these issues, as he has seen the building dete- riorate over time. “The borough looked at trying to get ... public water ran into this building but ... the cost was too high,” he said. He said the sewer system in the building was installed “illegally,” and a grinder pump was needed to pump the sewage. Musial feels the changes made may not be deemed appropriate by the state Depart- ment of Environmental Protec- tion. Musial and Mayor Clarence Ho- gan said not much has been said about the police stations condi- tions in order to protect the safety of officers on duty and also to en- sure the department isn’t evicted from the building due to several infrastructure issues. “I honestly wouldn't want someone to come in just in case they deem it unsafe and we'd get kicked out,” said Musial. The holding bench is a wooden and metal parkstyle unbolted bench next to a handicap shower bar. Officers cuff those apprehend- ed to the bar while doing paper- work, but its proximity to a desk poses a safety risk, said Musial. “We had two (benches), but the one, a prisoner picked up and threw at us and it broke,” he said. “We had a woman while we were typing up charges on this comput- er; she picked it up and threw it at us. We had one put his head through the wall. We had people spit at us while we were doing the charges. Several times we had to take the person out and put them in the back of the car and leave the door open to keep an eye on them because they were so bad.” Musial said the building was de- signed by former Police Chief Jeff Butler, and moving the holding bench isn’t an option. “There’s not too many places where we could put it in the room without (those who have been ap- prehended) being behind the offi- cers,” said Musial. The current building is a wood- en exterior, which Musial said is rotting, with drywall inside. Mu- sial said the new building will also be studded with drywall, but the concrete will ensure no one can penetrate the exterior. He also said a secure bench bolted to the floor along with a mechanism bolted to the floor will ensure those apprehended cannot disrupt or pose a safety risk to police duties. Musial said the current build- ing is also not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design. Musial invites anyone interest- ed in seeing the condition of the building to visit. He said he gave tours to residents after the public hearing on the issue on April 17. Boice said she has taken photo- graphs of the building’s exterior, but has not toured the facility. “I was over at the police station on (April 21 in the) morning and took several photos. When I ar- rived, the police were exiting the side door. We had a charity run at the lake on Saturday and I as sumed they must be heading to that event, so I didn’t bother to ask for a tour,” Boice wrote in an e-mail. “Honestly, since I never heard a word at any borough meeting either before I was elect- ed or since with regard to our po- lice station being in deplorable condition, I have no reason to be- lieve it is unsafe/unhealthy or in deplorable condition.” Musial said the building has served the department sufficient- ly over the years but the current conditions, paired with the grant availability, have led to the quick execution of the project. New building promises The former recreation center is located at 22 Little League Road, adjacent to the Little League fields and just down the street from Lake-Noxen Elementary School on Westpoint Avenue. It’s also about four miles away from the current site, which Boice dubbed the “metropolitan area” of Harveys Lake. Boice has said hav- ing police presence at the en- trance of the lake lets visitors know the borough is protected. Musial said calls to the depart- ment are handled with priority, no matter where police are located. He said having the building at the entrance to the lake poses safety threats to the community. “Criminals coming into your town, they generally use the main part of your town and they see all three cars here, the lake’s open,” said Musial. The former recreation center is approximately 600 square feet larger than the current building, and original drawings provided by Homeworks Construction of Sweet Valley feature two interro- gation rooms, two rest rooms, one shower, one kitchenette, a police chief office, storage and a utility room. Musial said two interrogation rooms are necessary because, ac- cording to state law, juveniles and incarcerated adults cannot be housed in the same room once in police custody. Residents at the April 17 public hearing expressed concerns about parking and the safety of children playing near the recre- ation center during the summer months. Musial said signage will be in- stalled at the site and parking or- der will be enforced. He said the police department will request five spaces at the site, and earth nearby has already been leveled to create additional room for the parking spaces. Musial has no worries about transporting and keeping those apprehended at the site despite the proposed station’s closeness to a location where a concentrat- ed number of children spend their time. “Were not dealing with 100 prisoners,” said Musial. “We will have them cuffed and nobody will see them. They will be securely placed and we don’t have anyone here longer than two hours be- cause then they have to go to the magistrate’s office.” Boice has concerns about heat- ing the building. She said years af- ter the building was constructed in 1979, “it cost a small fortune to heat it,” and it was abandoned. According to The Dallas Post archives, the last known use of the building was a reading center cre- ated by Charlotte Williams in June 2007. The center was avail- able to young children during summer but, due to illness, Wil- liams could no longer run the cen- ter, said Hogan. He estimates it has been vacant for one or two years. The building is currently being heated by an electric heater to keep water pipes from freezing, as the pipes are also connected to the nearby borough garage. Records showing the costs of heating the building for occupation could not be obtained. Plans outlined in the grant ap- plication specify the installation of a new heating system and insu- lation, which Musial said will en- sure energy efficiency within the building. Hogan doesn’t foresee an addi- tional monthly cost for the bor- ough. He believes the heating and electrical costs for the new build- ing will be “cheaper” because of the improved energy efficiency, but wasn’t sure how that could be determined before the new heat- ing system and insulation were in- stalled. Most recent estimates from PennEastern Architects, the bor- ough engineer, state the project will cost $76,440 for the recre- ation building renovations. Emil Jarolen, who signed the estimate documents, did not return mess- ages prior to deadline. Public awareness issues Boice has questioned members of council and Hogan about why the public wasn’t presented with the information regarding the po- lice department’s current state and the idea to move the facility to the former recreation building. “I don’t know,” Hogan said of the reason why no public hearing was held prior to applying for the grant. “I didn’t think it had to be. The opportunity was there to ap- ply for a grant, and I was hoping that we would get it.” Hogan said, if the project were to be undertaken without the aid of grant money, public input would have been solicited before beginning the project. “It’s free money,” he said. Hogan said Radel and Kopko spent time working with him on the grant application, and it wasn’t the first time the project has been proposed. Musial didn’t want to address the safety risks to the public be- cause that would put officers in danger. “We couldn’t go too far — the old council was aware of it,” said Mu- sial. “I didn’t want to go too far with criminals knowing the condi- tion of the building to just pop in here whenever they wanted to when we weren’t here.” Boice, who took office in Janu- ary but attended council meetings frequently, said she never heard of the issues with the building. At a public hearing April 17 on the is- sue, former council member Diane Dwyer didn’t recall any mention of the project, while an- other former council member, Rich Williams III, clearly remem- bered mention of the project at a work session meeting. Examination of work session meeting minutes mentioned dur- ing the public hearing had no doc- umented mention of the project. Former council member Ryan Doughton also wrote a letter to the borough, stating he remem- bered the project being men- tioned. Boice recently said she is going to see if state officials can investi- gate whether the grant applica- tion process was conducted legal- ly. She said the project was un- known to the community and felt some members of the municipal government have been dishonest about it. Hogan signed a letter sent to Harrisburg dated Nov. 29, 2011, stating the project had communi- ty support, though he admitted during a public hearing on April 17 his comments were based on “word-of-mouth.” Boice contacted state legisla- tors and officials on April 19, ask- ing for a formal investigation. “While I am 100 (percent) in fa- vor of grants and making certain my small community receives its fair share, I want to make sure we go about it in a fair and honest matter,” she wrote in an e-mail to officials. Boice said the project will cost taxpayers because she believes the recreation building needs more extensive work than what has been reported. The borough has had a deficit in the last two years. “I have other serious concerns about the deceit and misrepresen- tations made on the part of our elected officials and would like to address them with the proper in- vestigative authority,” Boice wrote. Boice said if she doesn’t hear from officials soon, she will con- tinue to pursue the issue with oth- er state authorities. Borough office relocation Another part of the project out- lined in the grant application is the relocation of the borough sec- retary and zoning officer into the current police building. In the original grant applica- tion, that aspect of the project is mentioned first, and Hogan said the idea stemmed from a request from General Municipal Author- ity Director Richard Boice, hus- band of Michelle Boice and a for- mer Harveys Lake Borough may- or, to expand his offices where the borough secretary and zoning offi- cer are currently located. Richard Boice said on April 25 that he had no intention of ex- panding. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Harveys Lake Police Chief Charles Musial demonstrates how offenders have to be hand-cuffed to a park bench in the station office while being held. He thinks the station needs a newer and more se- cure facility. “It sounds like we're trying to push them out,” he said. The grant application also said the purpose of the move was out of concern for the health of bor- ough employees. The building acts as the sewer authority’s main pumping station, and Richard Boice said there are odors in- volved in the process. “I've worked here for years and I haven't gotten sick,” he said. Hogan said as the police reloca- tion project will use much of the grant monies, the borough office relocation project will become an- other phase of the project. He said in the building’s current condition, some upgrades will need to be made to house those two offices, including remedying the water and sewage issues. “I'm going to have to see if I can get another grant,” said Hogan. He also said the former recre- ation building has room to ex- pand, which may be another op- tion for housing the borough offic- es. Hogan said the current police building is not appropriate for a station because of its condition, as the department needs specific tools, layout and access to the building. He said it would suit borough offices because they are only open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and donot require the same needs as the po- lice department. In the initial grant application, it states “no renovations” would need to be made to the current po- lice building to house the borough secretary and zoning officer. Power cut to some HL streetlights At public hearing April 17 in Harveys Lake Borough, aresident mentioned a costsaving tactic adopted by council —- cutting pow- er to several streetlights. Council president Larry Radel said during the budgeting proc- ess, council approves the budget in December and new council members are allowed to review and make changes in January, af- ter they are sworn into office. Radel said no official vote was taken to adopt the measure, though power was cut to the lines. The streetlights were just one of several ways council attempted to cut a $43,000 deficit, including giving up their monthly stipends. Eleven streetlights were affect- ed, but Radel said they were locat- ed randomly throughout the bor- ough, and it didn’t appear safety was a factor in their installation a few years ago. Radel approved the measure because the ' borough-owned streetlights were not energy effi- cient. “They were not environmental- ly-friendly, they had a glare, they weren't dark-sky compliant,” said Radel. “I personally didn’t want to have the light pollution.” He said cutting power to thg. lights will save the borough | {8 per light per month. He said saf isn’t a concern because there are more privately-owned lights around the lake than there were borough-owned anyway. Sarah Hite ROCK Continued from Page 1 garten classroom with its own restroom for little ones. Some of the school’s curriculum ma- terials will also be on display for parents to peruse. DiPippa said one exciting aspect of the nearly-ready school is the recent donation from the Weatherly Area School District of 13 SMART Boards. “One of the things we were concerned about was having technology and being technol- ogy-based,” he said. “Now with these 13 SMART Boards, one for every classroom, that’s something super for us.” Jerry Harteis, president of Rock Sold Academy’s board of directors, said tuition was re- cently reduced significantly to ensure the school is available to everyone during tough eco- nomic times. “We decided as a board to open this up to as many stu- dents as possible,” he said. Tuition per child will now be $3,950, a decrease from the initial $6,240 price. Harteis said there will also be scholar- ships available for qualifying students. He said the board hasn’t de- termined where cuts will be made to cover the tuition re- duction, but he felt it was im- portant to do this for the first year. “We’re hoping to attract and CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Rock Solid Academy Head of School Mark DiPippa is excited by the construction progress at the new school in the Twin Stacks Center in Dallas. “This shows us as being different than other schools. A lot of Christian schools get their start in a church basement.” Mark DiPippa Head of School Rock Solid Academy show people the quality of education and excellent indi- vidual teacher attention stu- dents will get from this school,” he said. DiPippa said the school hopes to hire all teachers by July 1, and a formal application process will begin in about two weeks. He said he’s already re- ceived about 50 resumes from interested teachers. Harteis said the hiring of ad- ministrative staff will depend on how many students enroll. “We want to keep our costs as low as possible, and our cur- rent staff may have to perform those tasks if necessary,” he said. The school is set to begin its first year on August 27. DiPip- pa said 16 students have al- ready applied to the school. © PUZZLE ANSWERS — King Crossword — Answers Solution time: 21 mins. > oom ®n|n|o|0 1 A|D|A DIE|C A[S|K M| I |S —— Go Figure! answers 8|-11|x]|3|21 Puzzles, Page 2 Super Crossword Answers AlR[T Jo Il BONE m[a[c[r[o LIE] |R] | I BME|/V ARES A M[o[A[N [m [1]s] [cI TeEINMTI[RIEIND[S S| | [H| 1 D|D|E TIE TIOIY|SIHIOPIERVIEISIT s|ITIA[T|I[cIls|A|s|H T|R[E AlClEMKINIEIL[T uT|/ HEH OE Lt bled B|E[R Juin TIIN[O[S[E[D[I]|V]E SE DOEGE Onn B| | AlL Mi1{LiD oJ AITIHIOIS | RAD I E[L zlclz|o]=]- [ola[>]|- [z]>[n]o mi—|m ry = pe i f a Rh a EE rE, NW Ns
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers