\ & Vol. 121 No. 46 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 January 20 - 26, 2013 The D ATL 50¢ 2 WILKES-BARRE, PA. www.mydallaspost.com AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER DALLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT BMT Baseball wants to tear down old school Little League organization looking to expand areas of play for youngsters. By GERI GIBBONS Dallas Post Correspondent and DOTTY MARTIN dmartin@mydallaspost.com Attorney David Selingo, repre- senting Back Mountain Baseball, proposed to the Dallas School Board at the school board’s regular gaaoeeting on Jan. 14 that the Little ague association demolish the “old Dallas Township school” at a cost of $150,000. In return, the baseball organization would gain the right to use the property, which would continue to be own- ed by the district, for a period of 20 years. J Selingo described it as a “win, win, win” situation, which would benefit the school, participants and the community. Superintendent Frank Galicki said the board will confer with its solicitor Ben Jones, who was not at the meeting, and would discuss the matter further at a future meet- ing. Steve Skammer, president of Back Mountain Baseball, said the organization is looking for a way to add fields to its ever-expand- ing program. He said the proposed idea offers the school board a buy-out after 10 years. Steve Skammer, president of Back Mountain Baseball, said the organization is looking for a way to add fields to its ever-expanding program. He said the proposed idea offers the school board a buy- out after 10 years. The proposal would not only need approval from the school board but would also require the baseball organization to raise the estimated $150,000 it would cost to demolish the school building. “We would need to secure funds to do that,” Skammer said. “We would attempt to secure dona- tions from outside parties.” He added that Back Mountain Base- ball would also invest financially in the project. Skammer said that, during a re- cent work session, school board members were concerned that, if Back Mountain Little League leas- es the property on which the school building currently sits, would other organizations have access to the property. The base- ball president said the school board was assured that organiza- tions such as junior football, soc- cer and cheerleading would con- tinue to be granted access to the property. Also at the meeting, the board approved a resolution capping the district’s public school tax in- crease for the upcoming year at 2%, in compliance with the annual index established by the Depart- ment of Education, with Maureen Matiska dissenting. “I would just like to be clearer in regard to what cuts might need to be made to meet this budget goal,” said Matiska. The final budget is required to be passed before the end of June, 2013. Wendy Barberio, whose three children attend Dallas schools, voiced concerns regarding the se- See SCHOOL, Page 10 DALLAS BOROUGH Hearing brings out concerned area residents By SUSAN DENNEY Dallas Post Correspondent At a hearing at Misericordia University on Jan. 16, interested and concerned residents ques- tioned Verizon employees closely about the proposed cell phone tower construction at the Twin Stacks Center. According to Borough Solic- itor Jeffrey Malak, Verizon must prove to Council that the project meets all criteria of the borough’s zoning regulations. Malak explained that, accord- ing to Pennsylvania law, the burden of proof lies on Council and the residents of Dallas Bor- ough if they don’t want a cell phone tower at Twin Stacks. He also said that objections to the project from residents or Xoun- cil members must show that the roject adversely affects the ®: safety or welfare of the community. Dallas resident Charles Dube said that he felt this was “finan- cially punitive.” He asked how a group of citizens could go up against Verizon, expressing fear that his and other residents’ property values would decrease if the tower is constructed. Verizon has developed plans to build a cell phone tower on part of the property known as the Twin Stacks center located at 1100 Memorial Highway. The area is presently zoned for in- dustrial use. Verizon is seeking permis- sion to construct a tower which will be 125 feet tall with a five foot lightning rod on top. The installation would also include a service shed and a couple parking spaces. The company also plans to build a gravel stone road to access the tower and equipment. No one would ork at the tower but mainte- @-- personnel would visit to fthake sure the equipment was functioning properly. Max Shradley, a professional civil engineer and representa- tive of Rettew Associates Inc., answered questions about plans for the site. Residents whose 6'"M09815120079%g See HEARING, Page 10 The burden of proof lies on Council and the residents of Dallas Borough if they don't want a cell phone tower at Twin Stacks. Objections to the project from residents or council members must show that the project adversely affects the health, safety or welfare of the community. properties lie close to the pro- posed tower questioned Shra- dley closely about the appear- ance, the noise and possible safety issues related to the tow- er. Shradley said the only noise on the site would be created by a diesel generator which would be used in the event of a power outage. The engineer also showed a series of pictures showing how the tower would appear from different parts of the borough, offering plans for landscaping based on a request by the bor- ough’s planning commission. Shradley also showed photos created by a process called vi- sual analysis. A balloon was floated to the proposed level of the tower and pictures were tak- en. Then pictures of a similar tower were digitally inserted in- to the picture. He showed six views of the tower from various places in the borough. Residents also expressed concern about the safety of the proposed road, pointing out that children play in the woods in that area. Andrew Petersohn, a profes- sional electrical engineer and owner of dBm Engineering P.C., began his part of the pre- sentation explaining the need for an additional cell phone tow- er in the area. He said that Verizon is re- quired by the FCC to provide adequate service to the area. He said that new towers are built based on several factors, includ- ing customer complaints, drive testing to find gaps in service, network statistics and a process called propagation modeling. He explained that the pres- ence of Misericordia University represented heavy data usage and that students often use da- Extreme fitness class at DHS pumps students Two physical wellness teachers decided new school building deserved new elective exercise class. By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dallas Post Correspondent Enthused by their new high school building with its state-of- the-art weight room, Dallas Se- nior High School physical well- ness teachers Ruth Skammer and Tom Connors decided the new facility deserved a new elec- tive exercise class. The extreme fitness class they have designed is a very different physical educational class expe- rience that is having tremendous and impressive results. The course, first offered in the fall, involves 32 minutes of non- stop activity during the first peri- od of the day. The activities vary every day, but include strength, agility, endurance exercises and a lot of testing. Skammer says students are tested before, during and after the nine-week 33-day program for weight, agility, body mass in- dex, blood pressure, heart rate, endurance and flexibility. So what do they do that is so ex- treme? Day one: Testing, 12 minute run, shuttle run, sit-ups, push- ups. Day three: Exercise to a P90X video concentrating on the bi- ceps and triceps. Day five: Weight room sta- tions, wrestling room and gym. By day seven, Skammer says, “We take them to the pool where they aqua jog for 30 minutes without touching the bottom of the pool.” And then..... National Guard Sgt. Patrick Scarfo, who teaches personal training for boot camp, comes in for calisthenics and more endurance training. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Nathan Vario has help setting up for bench pressing during an extreme exercise program at Dallas High School. Kyle Williams does sit-up crunches with extra weight on his stom- ach during an extreme exercise program at Dallas Senior High School. “I never expected it to be as hard as it was,” said Amy Avil- lion. “There’s no fooling around like in a regular gym class. By the end, I just wanted it to be over.” But older, more physically-sea- soned students like Nathan Va- rio, who trains on the Dallas High School football team, said, See EXTREME, Page 11 “This kept me in shape in the off- season. I lost 2 or 3 percent in weight and my endurance is bet- ter. I know my eating habits should be better, though.” Along with the physical part of the program, Mary Ehret, a nu- trition educator, provides three
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