re Sunday, September 1-7, 2013 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 ISHII The Back Mountain Center is changing from a medical facility to a mixed use property SUSAN BETTINGER @ Correspondent he Dallas Township Zoning Board gave approval to grant a special excep- tion provision which changes a medi- cal facility building to a mixed use property. The facility, located at 100 Upper Demunds Road, is known as the Back Mountain Medical Center. Only 1600 of the building’s 3500 sq. feet of space is being used and that maintains a med- ical lab. Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is the current owner of the building. The hospital’s representative, Mike Fetter, as well as real estate developer Joseph J. Narparlo, who developed more than 200 townhouses and condo- miniums from an area of farmland at close proximity to the Route 415 and 116 intersection, were present during a recent zoning board meeting. Narparlo plans to use the building, with the exception of the medical lab’s space, to construct approx. 24 to 32 1 and 2-bedroom apartment units. He stated that his target tenants will be young professionals. The rent for the upscale units will be $1,000-$1500 per month, according to Narparlo. All applicants will undergo a screening process before being approved for a rental in the building. In addition, Narparlo has agreed to add foliage, not limited to trees, between the multi-unit dwellings and the adjacent properties. Upper Demunds Road resident Brian Brick made known his opposi- tion to the potential apartment com- plex plans. Brick had numerous con- cerns about the complex’s plans such as the decreased quiet of the surround- ing area and increased traffic. He said there will be “cars coming in and out 24/7” as opposed to the medical com- plex having traffic only during its busi- ness hours. Brick also cited safety issues as a matter of concern, saying that, with so many tenants occupying the multi- family units, there will be an increased chance of fire and other safety con- cerns. He added that the addition of a multi-family dwelling will reduce the value to the surrounding properties, as well as change the character of the neighborhood. Brick stated that he doesn’t want the neighborhood where he and his wife are raising their four young children to undergo such as drastic change. Lake- ehitan board OKs eight Mentor Teachers SUSAN BETTINGER Dallas Post Correspondent The Lake-Lehman Schoool Board recent- ly approved the following individuals as Mentor Teachers for the 2013-2014 school year, at a stipend of $533.51: Sandra Boyle, William Evans, Cindy Harrison, Diane Figura, Stacey Pellegrinom, Erica Slocum, Zoning hoard changes classification of building Naparlo responded by saying that “something is going to happen sooner or later” and that he understood Brick’s concerns, adding that he and his family will maintain the present character of the neighborhood. When asked what other options were available for the building, Fetter explained it was highly unlikely that a nursing home facility would take over the property due to the large amount of money required for re-constructing the space in order to meet all legal regula- tions and codes. A group residence or rehabilitation center to house citizens recovering from substance abuse prob- lems were other potential uses. Fetter added that Narparlo’s offer was the only one under consideration. The board also granted approval for John Young to relocate his car lot from Overbrook Road to 1189 Lower Demunds Road. Resident Terry Ogle questioned L DISTR Young on how his business would affect neighborhood properties, stating the previous business owners of the prop- erty were less than amicable. Young assured Oglethere will be no problems as a result of his business moving into the neighborhood and added that he has owned the lot on Overbrook Road for the past 8 to 10 years and many people didn’t even know a business was being operated there. Young also told Ogle to feel free to contact him at any time if a problem occurs. Ogle was in agreement to the offer. Young was granted the approval with the conditions that he maintains no more than 10 vehicles at a time at the location and no vehicle will be placed within 23 feet of any properties sur- rounding the lot. Young was granted an oral approval from the board and will receive a written decision within 45 days. ICT event of a disaster has been renewed. * The board has approved the con- tract between the school district and UGI Services, Inc. (Gasmark) for the period of Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2014 for securing the purchase of natural gas. This will come as a savings of $10,500 to the district. In addition, the board also approved the con- tract between the district and UGI Services PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER Ellan Kepner, left, of Sweet Valley; Jackie, Ethan, 2, and Adam Eckels, of Shavertown, enjoy the Arts at Hayfield festival at Penn State/ Wilkes-Barre. Arts at Hayfield offers an opportunity to ‘catch up’ ; of Rebecca Burden and Melody Rentschler. The board accepted the resignation of Barbara Baigis, Accounts Payable Clerk, effective Sept. 30, 2013. Baigis has served the district for over 20 years. The board has expressed its sincere appreciation for her years of service The board also accepted the resignation of Gail Honeywell as Freshman Class Advisor and authorized Human Resources to adver- tise for the position. In other matters... * The agreement between the Lake- Lehman School District and Joyce Insurance ttston to provide Student Accident Insurance, administered through Bollinger 3 Insurance Solutions, has been renewed at no increase to the district for the 2013-2014 school year. * The Shelter Agreement between thed- Inc. (Gasmark-Powermark) for the period of Feb. 7, 2014 to Feb. 1, 2015. This comes at a $9,500 savings to the district. * The district has approved the purchase of a Melco Amaya Bravo 16 needle embroi- dery machine and heavy duty cart at a cost of $11,995 for the Graphics Arts class. Two days of training is also included at no addi- tional charge to the district. The district will now be able to do in-house embroidery work on such items as school caps, sweatshirts, band uniforms. etc. * The board has approved the quote from Simplex Grinnell, of Allentown, to replace the main fire alarm control panélagshe. panel at the Lake-Noxen Elementary building at a cost of $9,893.67. The panel has failed and replacement repair parts are not available. The combined Committee-of-the-Whole and regular monthly meeting for voting pur- ETE SUSAN BETTINGER Dallas Post Correspondent A father and son duo brought their = Native American culture to Lehman during the Penn State/Wilkes Barre campus event, “Arts at Hayfield.” Frank Little Bear, of York, accompanied by his 10-year- old son, Thomas Little Thunder, performed several tribal dances, such as the Eagle Dance the Sneak up Dance and the Snake Dance. he Bear explained that the e Dance is the welcom- ing dance. The Sneak up Dance was previously per- formed as a war dance and now has a new meaning; it is used to “pay tribute to vet- erans and war heroes.” The Snake Dance is the social dance where all in attendance are invited to join in as a sym- bol of different cultures merg- ing together and “finding the best in humanity.” Little Bear stated that “all human beings are on this earth for a purpose and as a solution to a problem.” Little Bear has been attend- ing the Hayfield events since 1999 and said he will return every year to share his culture with others so that they can get a better understanding of Native Americans. Little Bear is from the Cree tribe of Western Canada and the North-West plains states. He explained that other Native ericans can tell which @ and status a Native erican is from by looking at the feather he wears, the manner in which he braids his hair, the particular head gear he wears and his body movements. “Little Bear and his three ‘children were involved in a serious automobile accident on Jan. 5 of this year. Thomas Little Thunder was able to pry himself out of the car and get help for his father and younger brother and sister. The young man was awarded MORE INFO: The next Arts at Hayfield event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Nov. 3 and is titled "Homespun Holiday.” For more information on Hayfield events, call 675-9232. a medal for heroic actions. His father stated that when he was unable to take care of his family, his oldest son took over his role. Janie Lawless, of the Children’s = Library in Scranton, had never been to the Hayfield event before and was impressed with the day. She is a friend of Little Bear and thinks the event is a great way of bring Native American culture to the gen- eral population. Other entertainment acts included blues band, Teddy Young and the Aces, who returned to the event for the sixth year. Young, of Avoca, has been playing blues music since he was 15 years old and formed his band 20 years ago. The band’s drummer, Neil Longo, owns a drum com- pany which sells drums to musicians all over the world. Numerous vendors also participated in the event. Bernadine Vojko and her mother, Bernadine Borinski, displayed Votko’s crafts from her Wyoming business, Flower Finery. Vojko, who teaches dance at Wyoming Seminary, begun working on crafts in 1985. She works with dried and silk flow- ers using pumpkins as one of her main themes. She said that it is a family event, where all members of her immediate family, including her parents, husband and sons have pitched in to help at one time or another. Her two sons began pasting flow- ers on craft items when they were just toddlers. Vojko has been participating in Arts at Hayfield for the past 25 years and looks forward to attending the event each year because it is “part of ending the summer and a chance to see old friends again.” Patti Kachmar, of Kingston, and her cousin, PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER Michelle Beckhorn, of Jefferson Township, takes her purchase home after a visit to the Arts at Hayfield craft festival at Penn State/ Wilkes-Barre campus. Janet McCarroll, of Lehman, displayed their hand-crafted quilted creations. The two participate in the event to sell their items and to be able to “sit and catch up on what each has been doing during the past year.” The items are also displayed at events for the Back Mountain Harvest Peace Makers’ Club. Diana Hydock, of Jeddo, brought her 35-year-old home business, “One White Flower” to the event. Hydock started by learning to weave when she was an art major in college. Her craft collec- tion includes painting, mixed paper, ceramics, and fabric. District and. the American Red Cross for use of the Lake-Lehman Junior-Senior High School as a temporary public shelter in the YS LAKE poses will be heldat 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9 in the Lake-Lehman Junior-Senior High School library. Grant expiration date extended SUSAN BETTINGER Dallas Post Correspondent The borough’s LSA grant expiration date has been extended from June 2014 to June 2015. Originally, all renova- tions and repairs made to the Harveys Lake Police Station would need to be completed by June 30, 2014 butt he delay in get- ting the grant’s approval has made it necessary to extend the cutoff date. The grant has recently been held up due to the change in plans for the police station’s location. Initially, the police station was set to be moved to the borough’s recreation cen- ter, located in a remote area of the lake. Many residents voiced strong opinions, hoping the station would remain at its present loca- tion at the main entrance to the lake. Councilwoman Michell’ Boice stated, “We need police presence to be vis- ible when people come into the borough and not hid- den.” The borough has received approval for the $78,000 LSA grant that will be used to make updates and repairs on the existing police station. The money will pay for the station's foundation and walls to be renovated, as well as an upgrade to the condition- ing and heating systems ,among other repairs. The borough must now wait for the revised contract before putting the work contacts out to bid. This action is expected to take place within the next few weeks. Boice has also stated that council is looking into taking over the borough’s trash collection. The bor- ough’s current garbage con- tract runs out at the end of December. Boice said coun- cil is looking to advertise for new bids in October, but is looking only for one or two year bids so as not to be locked into a contrac- tor, since the municipality will take over garbage col- lection in December. Boice explained that Harveys Lake would model the collection after the DAMA (Dallas Area Municipal Authority) sys- tem of trash collection. Council members Fran Kopko, Tom Kehler and Boice have gone out to see how DAMA’s system works. “We would need to hire two employees, purchase a truck and a compactor,” Boice stated. 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