Sunday, July 1, 2012
THE: DALLAS: POST
PAGE 3
® PennDOT study will guide locals to increase traffic safety
By Eileen Godin
Dallas Post Correspondent
A PennDOT study on busy
Route 309 through the Back
Mountain is meant to act as a
guide for the municipalities to in-
crease efficient traffic flow and
safety, said Sandy Koza, a project
manager from PennDOT.
During a recent meeting of the
Back Mountain Community
Partnership, comprised of repre-
sentatives of six Back Mountain
municipalities, Koza and Peter
O’Halloran, also a Penn DOT pro-
ject manager, gave a brief over-
view of the findings of their
study.
The area of focus is Route 309
North starting at the intersection
of Hillside Road and extending to
the intersection with Route 118.
This corridor through the Back
Mountain is heavily traveled and
contains about 12 traffic light in-
tersections.
Koza gave the committee short
term and long-term recommen-
dations to improve traffic flow
and promote safety.
Short-term recommendations
are changes that could be made
within five to seven years and
would not include any major
structural changes.
“There could be better organi-
zation of the signal equipment,
there are areas where ‘no turn on
red’ signs are not warranted and
areas where extended left turn
“There could be better organization of the signal
equipment, there are areas where ‘no turn on red’
signs are not warranted and areas where extended
left turn signals are needed. We also identified ar-
eas of pedestrian congestion out there.”
Sandy Koza
PennDOT project manager
signals are needed,” she said.
“We also identified areas of pe-
destrian congestion out there.”
Long-term recommendations
include relocation of some roads,
some re-alignments which will
affect some bridge structures,
Koza said.
For example, the recommenda-
tion to widen the bridge at the in-
tersection of Carverton Road,
Church Street and Route 309
would carry a larger price tag be-
cause a bridge would be involved.
This would be a long-term pro-
ject to allow time to gain funding
for the project, she said.
Kingston Township supervisor
Jeff Box asked if local municipal-
ities will have an opportunity to
add their input on the recommen-
dations suggested for areas with-
in their communities.
Koza said the Back Mountain
committees will receive a courte-
sy copy of the 100-page study on a
CD. The study needs revisions in
areas, which are scheduled to be
completed by the end of July and
the study will be completely
wrapped up by year’s end.
“A major project, such as wid-
ening the bridge at the intersec-
tion of Carverton Road and
Church Street, usually means
major dollars to the community,”
said James Reino, BMCP com-
mittee member and chairman of
Kingston Township. “What is it
going to cost us and potentially
when?”
Koza said project estimates are
one of many things that will be
added to the report before it is
completed.
“We are actually revising some
of the layout, including the inter-
section with Route 415 because
of issues of how we had it
aligned,” Koza said.
She advised the municipalities
to use the study as a planning tool
to prioritize projects, obtain
grants and funding from the
state.
Koza added municipalities
should try and get the larger pro-
jects on the state’s Metropolitan
See STUDY, Page 11
Snakes
on a
oyeekend
nakes — all kinds of them
— made their way to the
Noxen Fire Company
grounds for the annual Noxen
Rattlesnake Roundup. A pa-
rade and fireworks, along with
music all weekend, were just
part of the celebration. Snakes
were displayed all day Satur-
day and Sunday and a craft Ainsley Webby, 6, of Mountain Top, is 'introduced’ to a Texas rat
show was held all four days of snake at the Noxen Rattlesnake Roundup.
the event.
A few of the rattlesnakes on
display at the Noxen Rattle-
snake Roundup.
BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission volunteer biologist Stan Boder of Wellsboro, left, shows a
timber rattlesnake to Christine Geist, of Dallas, and Melanie Aberant, of Wilkes-Barre.
Eleven-year-old Jacob Henninger, of Larksville, describes the
Texas rat snake at the Noxen Rattlesnake Roundup.
PSU-WB
) Penn State Wilkes-Barre is cur-
rently accepting registrations for
its third Women in the Sciences
and Engineering (WISE) pro-
Underwritten by Procter and
accepts registration for Women in Sciences program
Gamble’s Live, Learn and Thrive
grant, Penn State Wilkes-Barre is
accepting 20 women into the pro-
gram at no cost. Applicants are
asked to get a teacher’s recom-
middle school girls will gain an
understanding of robotics.
ister, contact Teri Pace at 675-
9219.
During this three-day program
For more information or to reg-
Me B
Andrew Duda took this photo of a pond located at the proposed wildlife sanctuary Woodland Springs
lon Pineview Road in Dallas Borough.
Lots acquired for sanctuary;
zoning requirements an issue
Maryland man hopes to
create wildlife sanctuary
on late brother's property.
By SARAH HITE
shite@mydallaspost.com
Volunteers hoping to create a
wildlife sanctuary in Dallas Bor-
ough held a meeting to discuss
zoning and other issues at the
Back Mountain Memorial Li-
brary on June 23.
Andrew Duda, of Maryland, be-
gan his efforts to create a wildlife
sanctuary from his late brother’s
property on Pineview Road in
March.
Duda told the group of about
five volunteers that all 17 lots
have been acquired for the pro-
posed site, which hasbeen named
Woodland Springs, but Zoning re-
quirements may be an issue.
A letter written by borough
manager and zoning officer Tra-
cey Carr said the property is lo-
cated within residential zoning
districts, where bird sanctuaries
are not permitted.
She wrote Duda may need to
apply for a special exception or
variance, which would be deter-
For more information or to volunteer with the sanctuary group, contact
Andrew Duda by phone at 757-350-1245 or by e-mail at mdipboye@veri-
zon.net.
mined through a hearing of the
zoning hearing board once more
information is provided to the
borough.
Duda plans to consult an attor-
ney and proceed with zoning
hearings, but feels the group
should still move forward with
plans despite needing the bor-
ough’s approval.
“We could make it a private
sanctuary if they don’t approve
it,” said Duda. “But I want it to be
a community place.”
The land is a wooded area with
a pond and wetlands. Duda said
the group hopes to keep much of
the property the same but create a
walking path and add a gazebo for
patrons.
Volunteer Margaret Bakker, an
architect who has experience
with the Anthracite Scenic Trails
Association and the North
Branch Land Trust, created a con-
ceptual drawing of the site for the
group.
She said a borough official told
her zoning concerns include
parking, access and security.
Bakker included parking on the
map, but the group determined
that minimal parking will be
needed because it is a place de-
signed with the environment in
mind, meaning patrons should
bike or walk to the site.
Duda said a property on Maple-
wood Avenue would be the best
spot to act as the entrance and ex-
it of the sanctuary. He said the
land is mostly wetlands, and the
best use of the property is what
the group is proposing.
Duda also announced the
group plans to hold an open
house at the site in August to in-
troduce the community to the
project. Members of the group al-
so said the project could be adver-
tised during the Dallas Harvest
Festival in September.
He said the group is looking for
more volunteers with varied
skills, from accounting to website
design.
New books make their way to shelves
at the Back Mountain Memorial Library
The following new books
have been added to the
shelves of the Back Mountain
Memorial Library, 96 Hunts-
ville Road, Dallas for the
month of June 2012:
EXPRESS
“The Third Gate” by Lincoln
Child, “XO” by Jeffery Deaver,
“Mission to Paris” by Alan
Furst
“Let Love Find You” by Jo-
hanna Lindsey, “Wicked Busi-
ness” by Janet Evanovich, “A
Conspiracy of Friends” by
Alexander McCall Smith
FICTION
“The Third Gate” by Lincoln
Child, “XO” by Jeffery Deaver,
“Mission to Paris” by Alan
Furst, “The Winter Palace” by
Eva Stachniak, “Wicked Busi-
ness” by Janet Evanovich, “A
Conspiracy of Friends” by
Alexander McCall Smith,
“The Long Earth” by Terry
Pratchett, “The Risk Agent”
by Ridley Pearson, “The Lost
Ones” by Ace Atkins, “Strindb-
erg’s Star” by Jan Wallebtin
NONFICTION
“The Underground Church”
by Robin R. Meyers, “Food
Grown Right in Your Back-
yard” by Colin McCrate and
Brad Halm, “Mrs. Kennedy
and Me” by Clint Hill
LARGE PRINT
FICTION
“Summer Days” by Susan
Mallery, “The Storm” by Clive
Cussler, “Spring Fever” by Ma-
ry Kay Andrews
REFERENCE
“World Book 2012 Year-
book”
YOUNG ADULT
“Stunning: A Pretty Little
Liar’s Novel” by Sara Shepard,
“Alice on Board” by Phyllis
Reynolds Naylor