3 SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2013 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 DALLAS TOWNSHIP Development ordinance change sought By SUSAN DENNEY Dallas Post Correspondent Supervisors are considering an Inendment which could change the way property is developed in Dallas Township. The projected amendment to the township’s SALDO (Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance) would change the definition of a major sub- division and allow property owners to split a property into two lots without having to meet requirements for a ma- jor subdivision. According to supervisor Bill Grant, the township’s present ordinance “has stymied development.” Supervisors will consider the amendment at next month’s meeting. The meeting room on May 7 was filled with representatives of towing companies who had received informa- tion packets about the possibility of towing cars for the township. Supervisors are considering the cre- ation of a towing policy similar to ones in the Municipality of Kingston and Ha- nover Township. Bob Kadluboski, who has been criti- cal of Wilkes-Barre City politics, start- ed the towers’ comments by telling supervisors they should avoid towing woes like those seen in Wilkes-Barre. “The poster child for what’s wrong is Wilkes-Barre,” Kadluboski said. He asked if the township intended to charge fees to the towers they worked with. Grant assured him that charging is not supervisors’ intent. “We’re not looking at this as a money generator for the township.” Township solicitor Thomas Brennan agreed, saying that people had asked to be given a chance to tow for the town- ship. “We are trying to be fair to every- one.” Representatives of different firms asked about the informational packet they had received. Many were not pleased that the township might expect a tower to shoulder the expense of tow- ing stolen cars. But Chief Robert Jolley felt the number of incidents would be few and that towers should factor those losses into their fee schedules. Another discussion centered on the possibility of the township requiring an inventory of car contents. Chris Yankovich said, “I never go in their vehicles,” adding that towed ve- hicles are locked and put in impound. A representative of Falzone’s Towing Service said his company takes pictures of valuables in plain sight in a vehicle and documents laptops or wallets left on seats. But the representative said, “We don’t dig through them or check the car trunk or glove box.” Supervisor Liz Martin thanked the representatives for their input and asked those interested in a rotation sys- tem similar to the one in the Munici- pality of Kingston to sign up at the end of the meeting. Chief Jolley introduced a request from Dallas school superintendent Frank Galicki to meet with him about the possibility of applying for a COPS federal grant to provide a resource of- ficer to the school district. Jolley said the grant proposal would not cover all costs of hiring the police officer and that the grant deadline is in just a few days. He also pointed out that the cap for the grant is $125,000 for three years. Supervisors discussed a sewer and stormwater project for Stredney Road as a project for the 2014 Community Development Block Grant. Resident Jay Niskey expressed con- cern about a number of property issues in the township, referring to a large tree at the intersection of Skyview and Woodview that he believes presents a danger. Niskey called it a “no man’s land.” Solicitor Brennan said nothing can be done until the owner of that parcel of land has been determined. The May supervisors meeting has been changed to 7 p.m. on Monday, May 20 to avoid a conflict with Elec- tion Day which is set for Tuesday, May 21. Farmers grarket vouchers available {0 seniors The Senior Farmers Market Nutri- tion Program was established in 2002 by the Federal and State Dept. of Ag- riculture to assist seniors in obtaining fresh, Pennsylvania grown, nutritious fruits and vegetables and to increase sales and awareness of the farmers markets in the local area. In collaboration with each local Area Agency on Aging the vouchers are dis- tributéd to eligible seniors statewide. The eligible senior will receive four $5 vouchers that can be redeemed only at a Pennsylvania farmers ‘stand -par- ticipating in the program. The vouch- ers alSo can be redeemed at a farmers stand in a neighboring state as long as the produce was grown by the farmer or purchased directly from a Pennsyl- vania farmer. Further details regarding eligible produce are available when vouchers are obtained. The require- ments for the program are as follows: * Be a resident of Luzerne or Wyo- ming County. Proof of residence re- quired. * Be at least 60 years of age by Dec. 31, 2013. Proof of age required. * Meet income guidelines based on 2013 Total Household Income: (All in- come is included, i.e., Social Security, Black Lung, pension, etc.) Self declara- tion — No proof required. ® qualifying individual is allowed ly four (4) $5 vouchers per year. “vouchers will not be sent out by mail. A person can obtain vouchers for an eligible senior as long as they have a signed and completed proxy with them when picking up the vouchers. These proxy forms are now available at any of the Active Adult centers sponsored by Area Agency on Aging listed below. Regular weekly hours are listed for each center. No other form or note will be allowed. The “Proxy” form, if shown in the paper, can be used. A limit of two proxy forms is allowed per person. A spouse must have the of- ficial proxy form if picking up vouchers for his/her spouse. A person having Power of Attorney is required to pro- vide the signed and completed proxy form. There will be a one-day voucher dis- tribution at all Area Agency on Aging Bbonsored active adult centers. Repre- Sentatives will be available at the fol- ing centers on the specified dates/ es: yoming County Adult Active hter & 101 Dymond Terrace, Tunkhannock. - > a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through ay RE nt allas Active Adult Center # 1158 Twin Stacks Drive, Dallas gs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., MOnday through riday 675-2179 Church of Christ 5439 Main Road, Sweet Valley 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, June 27 For information regarding the vouch- program, call Area Agency on Aging, 22-1159 Ext. 3337. £) wr. | HOD HON pany open house. public at an open house on May 5. Maureen Oremus, first assistant chief, said the event gave the commu- nity a chance to see the new training facility and learn about what services are available there. The facility includes a 40 by 60 foot hall that seats more than 200 people and can be rented for weddings or other events. The company also plans to use the facility for a wide range of training like a session held recently on how to use breathing apparatus. In the near future, there will be vehicle rescue training, propane gas training and “maze” training where Zachary Williams, 6, of Franklin Township, crawls through the smoke-filled Franklin Township fire safety house with the help of junior firefighter Lindsey Oremus during the fire company's open house. a i mus speak about fire safety. Zachary Williams, 6, left, and his brother E.J., 11, both of Franklin Township, listen intently to assistant fire chief Maureen Ore- y 5% 2 Fr BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/FOR THE DALLAS POST Franklin Township assistant fire chief Maureen Oremus demonstrates fire safety hazards during the fire com- Franklin Twp. Fire Company shows off its NEW DIGS he Franklin Township Fire Company showcased its new training facility upgrade to the firefighters crawl through a dark building to rescue victims. Second Assistant Chief Doug Farr applied for a state grant used to fund the upgrades and the ladies axuiliary contributed a large sum of money. With 11 active members and six junior members, the company serves more than 2,000 homes within a 16- mile radius in the Back Mountain. It handled more than 130 calls last year. The grant money was used for the facility upgrade because the com- pany’s equipment is paid off at this time. It currently has one tanker, a brush truck, one engine and a mini pumper. The company also has a “smokehouse” it uses to train visitors how to survive in a burning building. LE GAREY i Epil Thinks - : E The Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Co. fire safety house. JACKSON TOWNSHIP Green project proposed By SUSAN DENNEY Dallas Post Correspondent Dallas Area Municipal Author- ity is ready for Jackson Town- ship to give the go-ahead on its proposed cooperative venture between the state correctional institute in the township and DAMA’s yard waste composting program. According to DAMA Execu- tive Director Larry Spaciano, the venture will combine the SCI’s current food waste compost- ing program with DAMA’s yard waste composting program. He said the proposed site is “off the beaten path” and will make use of land owned by the state correction- al institute. Spaciano de- scribed the proj ect as “the per- fect cooperation between state and local govern- ment.” Supervisors of Jackson Township announced at their June 3 meeting, DAMA (Dallas Area Municipal Author- ity) will give a presentation about the DAMA /SCI compost- ing site in the township. In regular business, the town- ship hired the following: Joseph Stager as part-time assistant zoning officer/planning admin- istrator, Michael Putnam as part-time code enforcement offi- cer, Duncan Mac Mullen as part- time road worker and John Ma- ciolek as part-time police officer. The township accepted the resignations of part-time police officers Leo Letoski and John Foley. Letoski has also resigned as part-time code enforcement officer. Council members also accept- ed the retirement of part-time road worker Rich Hann. Jeffrey Malak, township solici- tor, was authorized to prepare and initiate a Drug and Alcohol Testing Program for all town- ship employees. Resident Mary Dockeray asked about the recent gaming grant received by the township in favor of Lake-Lehman School District. She felt the grant mon- ey should affect residents more directly. Dockeray also asked if sewer or water projects could be applied for from casino money and urged supervisors to con- tinue to apply for grants to help benefit the township. Council president John Wil- kes pointed out several recent projects which were funded by successful grant applications. He said the proposed site is “off the beaten path” and will make use of land owned by the state correctional institute. wa
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