THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 DALI AS CCHODN!I DICT VRALRERLARI QLRHIUUL Vid} SBF. . KILI ost-cutting measures not enough to hold tax line By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Several cost-cutting strategies couldn’t keep the Dallas School Board from raising taxes in the coming school year, as reported by the district business manager at a work session Monday. Business Manager Grant Pal- frey presented the board with an outlook of the proposed final budget for the 2012-13 school year, which includes a 2.1 percent tax increase along with about $1.3 million in cuts throughout the district. The average taxpayer current- ly pays about $1,789.88 annually, and Palfey said the 2.1 percent in- crease will cost taxpayers an ad- ditional $37.59 per year. The board will not raise taxes about the Act 1 index, which is based on the statewide weekly wage index and changes annual- ly. Palfey said the board could have applied for special excep- tions to raise taxes above the 2.1 The average taxpayer currently pays about $1,789.88 annually, and Palfey said the 2.1 percent increase will cost taxpayers an additional $37.59 per year. percent increase, but opted against the measure. “It was a goal here that, after the building project, we would take the pedal off and stay within that index,” said Palfey. He said the board had slowly raised taxes over the last eight years to pay for the new high school building, which opened last year. Last year, the board vot- ed to increase taxes by 5 percent — the highest percentage tax- payers saw during that fundrais- ing period. The $32.9 million budget was kept balanced through a number of different measures, including not replacing the following five retiring teachers: Dallas Elemen- tary kindergarten teacher Luci Callahan, high and middle school language arts and French teacher Candyce Fike, high and elemen- tary school music teacher Todd Hunter, middle school librarian Louise Roberts and Dallas Ele- mentary gifted teacher Linda Doughton. Middle School Principal Tho- mas Duffy said various teachers will work together to perform the librarian duties, and high school Principal Jeffrey Shaffer said two teachers will manage all music programs throughout the dis- trict, including the high school. Not filling those positions will save the district about $611,000, said Superintendent Frank Gal- icki. He also announced other various cuts, including health care program savings of about $250,000, cuts to summer main- tenance programs to save about $56,000, a total of $80,000 saved See TAX, Page 12 a NGSTON TOWN AE > © TEE, NGST HIP dlISWCEI'S By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The board of supervisors ad- dressed residents’ questions about a proposed natural gas compressor station to be built in a neighboring municipality at a meeting Wednesday. Maureen Matiska, a Dallas School Board member, asked the board whether it requested a hearing as instructed by state Department of Environmental Protection concerning the pro- posed compressor station to be é& in West Wyoming Bor- Plastiska, of Firecut Road, read in a newspaper that the only access to the site would be by us- ing Firecut Road. The proposed compressor station will be built by UGI Energy Services. She said she knows how pub- lic pressure can have an effect on outcomes, as she said the Dallas School Board changed plans for the formerly proposed compres- sor station in Dallas Township. Chairman James Reino Ji. said the plans have not yet been formally submitted to the town- ship and, therefore, the supervi- cannot make comments on ) that are still pending. ‘he township has an ordi- nance it passed in 2010 that fea- tures strict guidelines for natural gas development in the town- ship, including road usage. Re- ino said Act 13, which recently changed the state Oil and Gas Act, did not have any effect on the township’s ordinance. Changes to the township home rule charter could be placed on the ballot in Novem- Residents seek on gas ber, supervisors said. Reino said the supervisors dis- cussed changing one section governing how administrative codes are modified to make the process less time-consuming. The other changes are to make the document in compli- ance with state law. Currently, the charter states administrative codes can be changed only by creating an ordi- nance. Reino said there are strict rules in passing an ordinance re- lating to public advertisement and hearings. He said the board is consider- ing allowing administrative code changes to be made via a resolu- tion. The other aspects of the char- ter that will be considered for change include the effective date of ordinances and bidding re- quirements. Resident Chris Mathers, wife of Supervisor Gary Mathers, ad- dréssed the board about chang- ing the zoning ordinance to house chickens in a residential district. Mathers, of Grove Street, said a nationwide movement and ec- onomic difficulty has led her to pursue raising chickens for their eggs. Supervisor Shirley Moyer said there is a lot to consider when changing the zoning ordinance, especially when it comes to en- forcement of the rules. Township Manager Kathleen Sebastian has received two other requests to raise chickens in resi- dential districts. See GAS, Page 12 Miliauskas inducted into PA Hall of Fame John Miliauskas, of Dallas, was inducted into the Penn- sylvania Music Educators As- sociation Hall of Fame at the PMEA Annual In-Service Con- ference Awards Luncheon held April 20 at the Lancaster Con- vention Center in Lancaster. One of Miliauskas’ former students, Mary Ann Lugiano, nominated him for the PMEA Hall of Fame award. During his 35-year tenure at Lake-Lehman High School, Miliauskas repeatedly pro- duced award winners in pa- rade, concert, field show and indoor guard in competition after competition up and down the east coast. Among the numerous awards, honors and recogni- tion earned by the Lake-Leh- man High School Band includ- ed being named the official Honor Band to Miss America in Atlantic City in 1985. International awards includ- ed taking first place in Miss Parade, Niagara Falls, @ 1975; first place in possom Festival Parade, Niag- ara Falls, Ontario, Canada, 1975; and first place in Miss Niagara Pageant Parade in Montreal, Canada, 1977. Former Lake-Lehman High School Band Director John Miliauskas, of Dallas, was inducted into the Pennsylva- nia Music Educators Associ- ation Hall of Fame. For 28 years, the award-win- ning Lake Lehman High School Band took top honors in all categories at the Sher- burne Pageant of Bands, New York and Miliauskas was often named Outstanding Director. Other respectable awards came from taking first-place honors at the Six Flags Festiv- al of Music Parade, Atlanta, Georgia, 1979; and being named Grand National Cham- pions in the same parade in 1985, earning three superior ratings in concert, field and parade band. YOUNGEST OF ENTREPRENEURS By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Cameron and Mackenzie Fleeger, of Dallas, had reserva- tions about going into business together, but they put their differ- ences aside to participate in the first-ever local Lemonade Day at the Dallas Shopping Center on May 5. The brother and sister duo de- cided to sell unique lemonade choices for patrons — pink and strawberry styles — at their cus- tom-built stand. Lemonade Day is a nationwide educational initiative created by the Texas-based Prepared 4 Life in 2007. This is the first year for NEPA Lemonade Day, which was sponsored by several local busi- nesses. Children create a business plan and can choose to save, donate or spend the money they earn dur- ing the daylong sale. Jeremy Fleeger, Cameron and Mackenzie’s father, appreciates the opportunity for his children to learn about business and mon- ey management at a young age — something he wish he had when growing up. For more information about Lem- onade Day, visit nepa.lemonade- day.org. “It’s nice,” he said. “They did everything themselves —it was all their idea.” Ten-year-old Mackenzie Fleeg- er said her grandfather, a contrac- tor, helped build the stand, and she and her brother made the lemonade. “It’s 75 cents a glass,” she said. “We didn’t want it to be too high but we didn’t want it to be too low, either.” A short walk from the Fleegers’ stand, Lauren Finlay and friends worked hard to keep their own lemonade enterprise busy. The 7-year-old entrepreneur from Dallas was aided by her fa- ther’s experience in the lemon- ade business. Rob Finlay, owner of the Dallas and Country Club shopping cen- ters and a Lemonade Day spon- sor, said he started in the busi- ness world selling lemonade on the Irem Temple Golf Course when he was a kid. “I was taught how to sell and or- ganize,” he said. “The biggest CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Learning business skills at a young age, Lauren Finlay and her friends work a lemonade stand at the Dallas Shopping Center. Lauren, second from right, and Ryan Finlay, far right, get help with their lemonade stand from friends Olivia Stevens, far left, and Maya Rosenthal. thing was when someone told me they didn’t like my lemonade. It was a good learning experience.” Lauren Finlay and her friends decided to donate all their pro- ceeds to the Blue Chip Farms Ani- mal Refuge in Franklin Town- ship. “We went there and saw all the poor animals that were hurt,” said 6-year-old Olivia Stevens, of Dallas. “We wanted to help the animals.” Rob Finlay estimates the girls and friends set aside an entire day to make the lemonade, for which they squeezed about 125 lemons. “This is about the entrepreneu- rial spirit,” he said. “Most of the tenants (in the Dallas Shopping Center) probably started out this way.” New hooks The following books have been added to the shelves of the Back Mountain Memorial Library, 96 Huntsville Road, Dallas, for the month of April: EXPRESS “Unnatural Acts” by Stuart Woods, “The Witness” by Nora Roberts, “What Doesn’t Kill You” by Iris Johansen, “Come Home” by Lisa Scottoline, “The Innocent” by David Bal- dacci, “The Wind through the Keyhole” by Stephen King, “Breaking News” by Fern Mi- chaels FICTION “Unnatural Acts” by Stuart Woods, “The Witness” by Nora added to shelves at BMT library Roberts, “What Doesn’t Kill You” by Iris Johansen, “Come Home” by Lisa Scottoline, “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, “The Heart’s Frontier” by Lori Copeland, “The Inno- cent” by David Baldacci, “The Wind through the Keyhole” by Stephen King, “Breaking News” by Fern Michaels, “Crystal Gardens” by Amanda Quick, “The Fiddler” by Bever- ly Lewis NONFICTION “A Woman’s Guide to Mus- cle and Strength” by Irene Le- wis-McCormick, “Turing’s Ca- thedral” by George Dyson, “Off the Beaten Path” by Ruth J. Colvin, “Babylon” by Paul Kriwaczek, “Beautiful Bride from Every Angle” SCIENCE FICTION “Rage of the Dragon” by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hick- man REFERENCE “The Pennsylvania Manual 20117, “Current Biography 2011” LARGE PRINT FICTION “Taken” by Robert Crais, “The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection” by Alexan- der McCall Smith, “The Rope” by Nevada Barr, “Another Piece of My Heart” by Jane Green BOOKS ON CD “The Lost Years” by Mary Higgins Clark, “Carry the One” by Carol Anshaw, “Poi- son Flower” by Thomas Perry, “Chasing Midnight” by Randy Wayne White YOUNG ADULT “The Obsidian Blade” by Pete Hautman, “The Final Four: A Novel” by Paul Volponi SPECIAL DONATIONS “Marley and the Kittens” by John Grogan presented by Lit- tle Meadows Day Care 2012, “All Kinds of Kisses” by Linda Cress Dowdy, presented by Little Meadows Day
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers