Vol. 124 No. 36 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 November 10 - 16, 2013 The DALLAS POST . LKES-BARRE, PA. WWW.MYDALLASPOST.COM AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER Offers for renovation could not be accepted by district CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dallas Post Correspondent The old Dallas Township High School building near the little league baseball fields, a landmark in the community for nearly 90 years, will be torn down. Legal notices have been pub- lished seeking bids for the demoli- tion of the old building, built some time between 1925 and 1927, and a tour for interested bidders was held Wednesday, Oct. 30. About 20 interested companies toured the building. According to Dallas School frict Superintendent Frank cki, the decision has already een made by the Dallas School Board to take down the structure. “It’s been vacant since the middle to late 80s and time takes a toll,” Galicki said. “We are not 100 per- cent sure what we’ll do with the extra land, probably more playing fields used jointly by the school dis- trict and the Little League.” The Back Mountain Little League Association is delighted with the opportunity, but some in the community are not and wonder why the school district did not take offers in 2008 and again in 2010 to renovate and lease the building as office space, a day care facility and dormitory rooms for Misericordia University students. In 2010, the university, along with Radnor Properties, of Wayne, PA, offered to renovate and lease back the building from the Dallas School District, using the first floor as a Hildebrandt Learning Center day care and the upper floors as dormitory residents for education major students, a source close to Misericordia University said. Parking space and the athletic fields would have been left intact and Dallas Township would have received approximately $6 million in tax revenues for the length of the 50-year lease. Peter Caulkins, chief engineer and facilities project manager at Misericordia, remembers tour- ing the old school building with a Radnor representative and a Dallas School District representative in 2010 with the purpose of renova- tion and restoration in mind. The renovations would have been historically accurate and would have brought the building up to code. What was the reason the Dallas School Board voted against such a seemingly attractive and sensible offer? allas Twp. High School building to be torn down — Charlotte Bartizek | FOR THE DALLAS POST About 20 companies walked through the old Dallas Twp. High School building with hopes of winning a bid for its demolition on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Mark Kraynack and Nick Dennis from the Dallas School See BUILDING | 3 District, right, show one of the representatives around the building, which was built in 1927. Lighting the Night at the Rock Rec Center Night of free food and fun at BMHA delights many SARAH HITE Dallas Post Correspondent Hundreds of children and their parents enjoyed a night of free food and fun at the Back Mountain Harvest Assembly’s annu- al Light the Night event on Thursday, Oct. 31 at the Rock Recreation Center in Trucksville. The most frightening thing that happened - just 20 minutes into the event, one of the chili cookoff entries had disappeared. It was so good, it got eaten that fast. “The one that’s gone was the best,” said Sandy Dennis, of Wilkes-Barre. “It had a lot of meat in it dance enjoyed other refreshments (including candy) as well as a few inflatable bounce houses in which costumed chil- dren could romp around. Though Jessica Coolbaugh and her 16-month-old daugh- ter Adlee, both of Tunkhannock, dressed as zombies at the event, the spunky toddler didn’t scare too many people. Jessica said Adlee even helped in choosing her costume. “We were watching the movie, ‘Warm Bodies’ and I asked Adlee if she wanted to be zombies and she nodded,” said Jessica. “I can’t wait for her to be able to tell me what she really wants to be.” Back Mountain Harvest Assembly Pastor Raymond Petts said the event, which began in 2010, gives families a chance to spend time together in a safe environ- ment. Lake-Lehman football fans swarm the field to celebrate their team’s 48-41 victory over Dallas in the annual Old Shoe Game game. For story and additional photos, Celebrating an ‘Old Shoe’ victory CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK | FOR THE DALLAS POSt d it wasn’t spicy. The &: two entries were Vier.” “It’s unfortunate to say In addition to a chili cookoff, those in atten- See LIGHT | 3 please turn to page 9. Trucksville United Methodist Church welcomes new pastor SUSAN DENNEY Dallas Post Correspondent Pastor Dick Williams has replaced the Reverend Marian E. Hartman as the pastor of the Trucksville United Methodist Church. Hartman has been appointed as the District Superintendent for the Scranton Wilkes-Barre District, effective Now. 1. Williams delivered his first sermon to his new congregation on Nov. 3. Following that, the congregation held a reception in the Fellowship Hall. “I'm just excited about coming here and joining in the ministry ire already doing,” Williams lof his new assignment. illiams has been pastoring for 38 years. His last assign- ment was in Chambersburg. A Pennsylvania native, Williams was born and raised in Mount Union. He received religious training at Mansfield University and at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg. He and his wife, Pam, have two grown children. When asked about his strengths, Williams showed his sense of humor, “I joke to con- gregations that I bring three things with me - enthusiasm, short sermons and unusual ment “a pleasant surprise.” Charlotte Ba izek photos | FOR THE DALLAS POST Rev. Dick Williams, the new pastor at the Trucksville United Methodist Church, greets his congregation. neckties.” His last assignment was at Chambersburg and lasted for four years. He said that was a very short term and that the assignment to come to Trucksville was an unexpected change for both him and for Hartman. He called the appoint- Williams and his wife have found friendly people here in Back Mountain. “We feel very loved. They loved their last pas- tor and have the capability of loving us.” He and his wife like hiking and have already discovered the Rails to Trails program and Ricketts Glenn. He also said, “We love the mountains. When: you look and see mountains, you feel good.” Williams also enjoys working with computers. The Williams couple works as a team. He explained, “We're a ‘we’ ministry.” Pam Williams is also a free- lance writer who has published delivers a sermon. several books on religious top- ics, including “A to Z Devotions for Writers” which came out this year. Williams described himself as Biblically conservative. He said that for both he and his wife, 2 Corinthians 5:17 is a favorite scripture as the verse explains a person in Christ is a new crea- ture. He quoted, “Old things are passed away, all things are made new.” “This church has produced several district superintendents and haven't been able to keep them as long,” he said of his new appointment. “Wed like to stay here a Rev. Dick Williams, the new pastor at the Trucksville United Methodist Church, He also said of the congrega- tion, “They’ve gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.” Williams noted that he is also a chaplain for the Pennsylvania State Police. The program pro- vides assistance with spiritual issues to all department person- nel and their families. Williams will be appointed to a barracks in this area. | 0981512007 9%g
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers