The Dallas Post 10-02-2011
The Dallas Post 10-02-2011
The Dallas Post 10-02-2011
C M Y K
Vol. 122 No. 32
THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889
The
www.mydallaspost.com An edi ti on of The Ti mes Leader
October 2 - 8, 2011
WILKES-BARRE, PA.
Chris Dymond knows what in-
clement weather can do to a
farm.
Hes got boxes stacked with
hundreds maybe thousands of
pale, blistered tomatoes in the
Dymonds Farm produce stand
on Brace Road in Orange.
The wet weather local farms
have experienced this growing
season, including two hurricanes
withina month, have wreakedha-
voc on crops, causing knocked
down corn stalks, mold-ridden
cherry trees and questionable
pumpkin patches.
The corn stalks didnt break
but nowtheyre hell to pick, said
Dymond, a lifelong farmer. The
pumpkins Imnot sure about. Im
not sure theyll hold up with all
this water.
But a quick look at pretty
pumpkins adorning benches out-
side the Dymonds stand says
otherwise. Dymond said those
gourds were picked a bit earlier
than usual and seemed to be do-
ing just fine.
Its not all bad news for Dy-
mond hes got at least one trick
up his sleeve. He had more than
an acre of crops, including ber-
ries, peppers and eggplant, cov-
eredintunnel-shapedgreenhous-
es, protectedfromthe heavy rain.
The measure saved many
crops prone to water damage, in-
cluding tomatoes. Those picked
from underneath the plastic tun-
nels protectionare plump, bright
red and ready to eat.
But the farming industry isnt
for the weak-hearted or abun-
dantly hopeful. While Dymond
said this year was not good in
terms of weather, every year is a
gamble when business is depend-
ent upon the number of perfect
days.
Some storms at the beginning
of this year set us back, and the
growing season was about two
and a half weeks late, he said.
Every year its a 50/50 chance.
Norman Darling, of Darling &
Sons Farms & Greenhouses, of-
ten finds himself sitting in a re-
cliner outside his Hildebrandt
Road stand, talking shop with
friends and fellow farmers.
Darling has much to reflect on
these days, including the devas-
tating loss his farm took during
the early September flooding.
About 30 feet of water fromthe
Susquehanna River swept and
covered his farmland in Plains
Township, which totals about 16
acres.
We lost everything, he said.
When the water went down, we
had three buildings missing. I es-
timate we had about $125,000
worth of damage.
Despite his complete loss in
Plains Township, Darling is
thankful for land the farm has in
Dallas. About 35 acres remain in-
tact, though the wet weather and
extreme wind from Hurricane
Irene at the end of August also
caused some troubles.
Thank goodness we have this
land, he said. Some farmers
were left with nothing.
The flood damage is nothing
new to Darling. The land in
Plains Township was purchased
by his father in 1914, and major
Wet weather doesnt help farmers
BILL TARUTIS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Chris Dymond of Dymonds
Farm in Orange shows the dif-
ference in tomatoes grown with
weather protection, right, and
those grown without.
Some storms at the beginning of this year set us
back, and the growing season was about two and a
half weeks late. Every year its a 50/50 chance.
Chris Dymond
Back Mountain farmer
This seasons weather has
wreaked havoc on crops,
causing many problems.
By SARAH HITE
[email protected]
See FARMERS, Page 12
Harveys Lake Borough
Council will consider an
amendment to its zoning or-
dinance related to natural
gas activities this month,
but not before the public
presents input on the docu-
ment.
A public hearing will be
held at 7 p.m. on Monday,
Oct.3 to discuss the pro-
posed amendment, which
limits most natural gas ac-
tivities to an area that en-
compasses less than one
percent of borough land.
The ordinance, prepared
by the boroughs Environ-
mental Advisory Commit-
tee, allows for oil and gas
pipelines to be approved as
a conditional use in most
zoning districts in the bor-
ough, but limits most other
oil and natural gas activ-
ities, such as compressor
stations, metering facilities,
wells and water treatment
plants, to the manufacturing
district only.
Larry Radel, a member of
both council and the Envi-
ronmental Advisory Com-
mittee, said the goal of the
amendment is to allow the
natural gas industry to do
business in the borough
while also protecting the in-
terests of residents and the
lake.
What we are trying to do
really is create something
that doesnt go directly
against the state oil and gas
act, but works with it, said
Radel.
Earlier this year, council
had considered an ordinance
drafted by the Community
Environmental Legal De-
fense Fund of Chambersburg
that would have essentially
banned natural gas drilling
in the borough.
The measure was struck
down unanimously by coun-
cil, but work was underway
to update the zoning ordi-
nance to further protect citi-
zens and the environment.
After further research
with several lawyers and
specific consultants, the le-
gality of that ordinance
would go against the ethics
set forth with the current
state oil and gas act, said
Radel.
From there, Radel said
council listened to resi-
dents concerns and wanted
to set up an organization
solely dedicated to prepar-
ing this document.
We set up a committee
comprised of several council
members, some local Gas
Drilling Awareness Coali-
tion members, geologists
and so forth, so we could go
over what we can do to
strengthen the current ordi-
nance, he said.
The resulting document is
one that sets specific guide-
lines for natural gas and oil
industry activities, includ-
ing stipulations for parking,
access roads, truck routes,
noise, fencing, emergency
response plans, lighting, wa-
ter testing and pollution lia-
bility.
I think that the changes
are not changes, but more
specific supplemental
amendments to clarify pos-
sible discrepancies, said
Radel. Its to clarify certain
industry activities and not
make it so broad brushed.
H A R V E Y S L A K E B O R O U G H
Council considers
gas amendment to
zoning ordinance
By SARAH HITE
[email protected]
Call 639-2113 or stop by the mu-
nicipal building on Route 415 to
pick up a copy of the ordinance.
The public hearing is scheduled
for 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3 in the
municipal building.
H AV E YO U R S AY
Lori Russell lifted two
brightly-colored walking toys
and carried them to a cleared
space across a dark warehouse
in downtown Tunkhannock.
She was organizing childrens
playthings - something she
finds herself doing on a daily
basis.
But on September 24, Rus-
sell, director of Adventures in
Learning Child Care, was ma-
neuvering kids knickknacks
for a different reason.
She has teamed up with In-
terfaith Friends and other local
organizations to provide cloth-
ing, cleaning supplies and oth-
er items to flood victims in
Wyoming and Bradford coun-
ties.
Russell set up a drive at her
two Adventures in Learning
Child Care locations in Dallas
to collect childrens toys at
first, but then she moved on to
winter clothing, shoes, bed-
ding and food.
She and her husband and two
children help by collecting,
loading and unloading and or-
ganizing materials as often as
they can.
My big thing is any time
theres a natural disaster, I
BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Lori Russell, of Dallas, Director of Adventures in Learning Child Care, unloads toy donations for flood victims in Tunkhannock.
BMT residents offer aid to flood victims
By SARAH HITE
[email protected]
The Interfaith Friends Flood Relief
Distribution Site is located at 189
E. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, next to
Bricks Market. The centers hours
are from noon to 7 p.m. Monday
and Wednesday and from noon to
4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
and Saturday. For more informa-
tion, contact 836-2428. For more
information about Adventures in
Learning Child Cares donation
drive or to request items, contact
Lori Russell at 675-2128.
M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N
BILL TARUTIS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Tunkhannock Mayor Norm Ball, left, assists driver Mike Bates, of
Honesdale, with unloading donations for flood victims at the In-
terfaith Friends Flood Relief Distribution Site at 189 E. Tioga Ave.
in Tunkhannock.
See FLOOD, Page 12
C M Y K
PAGE 2 Sunday, October 2, 2011
T H E D A L L A S P O S T
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The Dallas Post
Community Newspaper Group
15 NORTH MAIN STREET, WILKES-BARRE, PA 18711
570-675-5211
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Coverage Area: The Dallas Post covers the
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CROSSWORD CORNER
Puzzle answers, Page 12
MONDAY, OCT. 3
Dallas School Board
2000 Conyngham Ave., Dal-
las Township
The school board will hold a
brief work session at 5:30 p.m.
in the new high school. After
the meeting, the boardwill host
a formal dedicationof the build-
ing, followed by refreshments
and tours.
Franklin Township
329 Orange Rd., Dallas
The board of supervisors will
hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m.
at the Franklin Township Fire
Hall.
Harveys Lake Borough
Route 415, Harveys Lake
Council will hold a public
meeting at 7 p.m. in the munici-
pal building to discuss pro-
posed changes to the zoning or-
dinance regarding natural gas
activities.
Jackson Township
2211 Huntsville Rd., Jackson
Township
The board of supervisors will
hold a regular meeting at 6 p.m.
in the municipal building.
TUESDAY, OCT. 4
Dallas Township
601 Tunkhannock Hwy.
(Route 309), Dallas Township
The board of supervisors will
hold a regular meeting at 7:30
p.m. in the municipal building.
Ross Township
72 Broadway Rd., Sweet Val-
ley
The board of supervisors will
hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m.
in the municipal building.
T H I S W E E K S M E E T I N G S
Celebrating its ninth season of
concerts, the Shavertown United
Methodist Church Fine Arts Se-
ries will open the season with a
concert by Christine Donahue, so-
prano, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9
at the church, 163 N. Pioneer Ave.,
Shavertown.
EntitledOf Hermits, Charmers
and Old Friends, the concert
marks Donahues return to North-
eastern Pennsylvania to share her
talents with friends and family.
She will offer a wide variety of mu-
sical delights from Mozart to
Gershwin and Barber to Broad-
way.
Donahue has performed with
numerous opera companies
throughout the United States,
Canada and abroad, including
New York City Opera, Cleveland
Opera, Houston Grand Opera,
Winnipeg and Edmonton Opera
Companies, Arkansas opera The-
atre and the Hong Kong Opera.
Afree will offeringwill be taken.
Christine Donahue visits SUMC
DONAHUE
Dallas Borough plans to re-
surface sections of the follow-
ing roads during the week of
October 3, weather permit-
ting:
Machell Avenue - a por-
tion of the roadway in the ap-
proximate area between Deer
Meadow Drive and Reservoir
Road.
Deer Meadow Drive - a
portion of the roadway in the
approximate area between Ma-
chell Avenue and Doe Drive.
Fawn Drive - a portion of
the roadway in the approxi-
mate area between Deer
Meadow Drive and the section
of roadway formerly known as
Powderhorn Drive.
Once the street has been re-
surfaced, no utility pave cuts
(other than for emergencies)
will be approved for a period of
up to five years.
Residents considering the
installation of water, gas or
other utility repairs or im-
provements are advised that
any and all utility cuts to the
roadway will be required to be
completed prior to the street
resurfacing projects and then
prohibited for the five-year
moratorium.
For details on which sec-
tions of these roadways will be
resurfaced, residents are asked
to call the Dallas Borough
Road Department at 674-5362.
Dallas Borough will resurface
several roads week of Oct. 3
C M Y K
Sunday, October 2, 2011 PAGE 3
T H E D A L L A S P O S T
Fall officially entered the area
last week according to the calen-
dar and the cooler temperatures,
yet those who spend time out-
doors know
the seasons
are changing
by the behav-
ior of the ani-
mals.
Our resi-
dent ground-
hogs, which
dont have
much ground
clearance
when running
anyway, now
have their fat bellies dragging on
the ground due to their diet of
fresh clover from all the rain and
their newfound favorite, canta-
loupe, thanks to the Mrs. She
was worried they were getting
too much sun and wondered if
we (which means me) should
put a tree near their hole in the
backyard to provide some shade.
My comment about having to
build small lounge chairs next
was not muttered low enough
and I received the look yet
again. The Mrs. doesnt realize
the only way I used to view
groundhogs was with crosshairs
on them.
The red squirrels are having a
field day carrying Butternuts
across the fence tops. Its fun to
watch these small animals carry-
ing something twice the size of
their head. Their front end is low
with the weight while their back
legs are sometimes just touching
the wood of the fence. They use
their tail as a counterweight to
get more traction. I wouldlove to
video them and put Bugs Bunny
music, preferably The Barber of
Seville, as the background.
And then there are the three
bears. Not momma, papa and ba-
by bear, either, but an adolescent
sporting ear jewelry and two as-
sociates. They came to visit a
friend in Lehman several nights
last week to raid his refrigerator.
My friend, who shall remain
nameless primarily due to the
fact that I want to be able to use
my fingers to type in the future,
is really into smokingmeats
that is, and last week he was fin-
ishing up several sides of apple
smoked bacon which were
placed in the outside refrigera-
tor.
He went into the house to do
something and came back out
about half an hour later to find
the refrigerator door, whichhas a
latching handle, open. Upon in-
spection, he found two slabs of
bacon gone and, backing out of
the frig, saw the south end of a
northbound bear disappearing
into the woods. He searched the
yard and found no sign of the 18
pounds of bacon, not even
scraps.
He closed the fridge, propped
a wheelbarrow against it and
went inside where, instead of
putting on his slippers, kept his
boots on. The bear came back a
few hours later, knocking over
the wheelbarrow and my friend
chased it out of the yard before it
got into the refrigerator.
Two nights later just before
dark, he heard the wheelbarrow
fall over again and went to see
what was going on. The bear
with the tag was standing on its
hind legs with front paws on top
of the refrigerator, another bear
was sitting and working on the
latch and a third was watching
the show and drooling in antici-
pation of the bacon.
Picture, just for a second, a
long-haired, wild-eyed man in
his Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 slippers
wielding a stick, protecting not
onlyhis baconbut his caseof Bud
Light, yelling at the top of his
lungs. The bears backed off and
scattered across the driveway be-
tween vehicles with one going
straight into the woods, never
looking back and two going up a
tree. He backed off to let the
bears come down, then proceed-
ed to chase them out of the yard.
Those bears are probably still
running andhave learnedits one
thing to mess with a mans bacon
but not with his Bud.
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