Rail terminal to serve drilling sites

Fell Twp. residents with questions about wastewater and chemicals from natural gas drilling being transported through the municipality brought their concerns to Tuesday's supervisors meeting.

Their worries stem from the Carbondale Yards Bulk Rail Terminal, a railroad transportation node for the natural gas industry terminal that straddles the boundary between the township and Carbondale. The yard, leased by Honesdale-based utility and heavy construction firm Linde Corp. and a Texas energy services company, opened in July and develops and ships a clay-based compound that helps seal gas wells and extract drill cuttings. Company officials also have said shipping out natural gas production wastewater could be done out of the terminal.

"We're very concerned about the possibility of contamination of our water supplies and the air if there was a chemical accident," township resident Susan Touch said after Tuesday's meeting.

Some audience members expressed frustration with township officials. Resident Craig Borders said the supervisors are "not telling us everything they know." But residents are "asking the same questions we're asking," Supervisor Ron Cosklo said.

Township solicitor Joe O'Brien told residents he would set up a meeting with Linde and report back to the public with his findings. Mr. Cosklo said Mr. O'Brien will ask the company about its long-range plans.

"They're a very big company, and we just don't know what their plans are," Mr. Cosklo said.

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com

By the time rescue crews arrived shortly after 5:30 p.m., the crumpled car was fully engulfed. The body of Daniel S. Strong, 26, of 23 Seventh Ave., ejected from the car, was found 30 feet away, state police said.

The car was headed west near mile marker 6.6 when it failed to negotiate a curve. State police crash reconstruction experts measured tire tracks showing the car veered off the left side of the road as it negotiated a slight curve. The tire marks suggest the driver overcompensated, crossing both lanes and smashing through and over the metal guardrail almost perpendicularly, police said.

The car rolled several times before coming to rest upright near a stagnant pond 120 feet below.

Troopers said there was no alcohol involved.

Pumper trucks were able to reach the car from the highway, and firefighters maneuvered a small line down the steep hill to extinguish the blaze.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, but the discovery of his body prompted the search for possible additional victims who could have been thrown from the car.

By 6:30 p.m., crews from Jessup, Archbald, Throop, Mayfield, Olyphant, Jefferson Twp. and the Lackawanna Ambulance had been called to the scene. Teams placed spotlights on top of pumper trucks to light up the search into the evening.

Rescue workers rappelled down the roughly 60-degree hill to search the shoulder-high brush, pond and nearby wooded area. They also searched with all-terrain vehicles.

After the car was removed, search-and-rescue teams conducted a secondary search around that area, said Jessup Fire Chief Steve Pitoniak. More than 100 first responders were on hand, he said.

Both westbound lanes of the highway were closed until 7:45 p.m.

LIBBY NELSON, staff writer, contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

With the motor shot and new parts unavailable, she'll have to replace her beloved 50-year-old vacuum.

"If I had a used motor, that would be fantastic - I could repair it," Mr. Conlin, 70, said. "But she needs a new machine."

For 36 years, Mr. Conlin and his wife, Judy, have operated the Fixit Shoppe in Carbondale, giving new life to old vacuum cleaners, lamps, power tools and the occasional small appliance.

In an increasingly throwaway society, at a time when many products are made to be used only until a manufacturer can dazzle consumers with a newer, snazzier, must-have model, Mr. Conlin is one of a small and slowly disappearing cadre of laborers who make a living waging battle against planned obsolescence.

They do it one repair at a time.

"Some things we can do, and some we can't. If people bring something in, we'll check it and try to help them," Mr. Conlin said as he stood beneath a rack of assorted power cords stretching to the ceiling in a back room of his 73 Cottage St. shop. "It's cheaper a lot of times to get things fixed than buying new.

"You look and some people will put a vacuum cleaner in the garbage for want of a $3 belt.

"They'll throw out a $200 machine."

Mark Sinkevich, owner of Blakely-based Lackawanna Appliance Service, said these are difficult times to be in the repair business, even with a slow economy that has most people watching their pennies.

"It just seems like people don't want to fix anything anymore," said Mr. Sinkevich, 54, who has been servicing washers, dryers, refrigerators, ovens and other major appliances since 1978. "You talk to almost any serviceman and they'll tell you it's slow. The phone doesn't ring."

Although the disposable mind-set among 21st-century consumers is a factor, some manufacturers share responsibility by setting high prices for spare parts, making it almost as expensive to repair an old appliance as to buy a new one, Mr. Sinkevich said.

"The manufacturers don't want to see an old product out there," he said. "They want the turnover."

It is a lament shared by Mr. Conlin.

He said he repairs far fewer small appliances - toasters, mixers, irons, coffee-makers - than he did 20 or 30 years ago for one reason: Many of them are now manufactured overseas, and spare parts, when you can get them, often cost more than the appliance is worth.

"It's cheaper to buy a whole coffee-maker than to have a thermostat shipped over from China," Mr. Conlin said.

At the same time, both he and Mr. Sinkevich acknowledged every appliance has a finite lifespan.

Mr. Sinkevich said he always asks customers the age of an appliance. If it has been used for 20 years or more, the odds that it can be repaired successfully drop significantly.

"I'm always leery. After 20 years, you have pretty much outlived appliance repair. That's usually my cutoff, and I'll ask the customer, 'Are you sure you want it fixed?' " he said.

Lee Nolan's father started repairing typewriters in 1922, and it's a tradition he carries on at Nolan & Rogers, 1506 N. Main Ave. in Scranton, where servicing the machines is still "a fairly brisk business," he said.

Although computers have taken over most of the work that used to be done by typewriters, Mr. Nolan, 69, said a surprising number of the machines are still in use.

His most frequent customers are doctors, lawyers and banks who need a typewriter to update old paper documents, he said. Other people, including some professional writers, simply like the feel of the keys and satisfying clack of the typebars striking the platen on an old manual.

Then there are the collectors who come to Nolan & Rogers to have typewriters restored, he said.

"It's like anything else. When something gets old, it becomes collectible," Mr. Nolan said. "To build one today would probably cost $5,000. They are a remarkable piece of workmanship."

Mr. Conlin said he is straight with his customers.

If someone comes in with something he knows he can't repair, such as a television or a stereo, he will try to refer them to another reputable business that can. If it's something he thinks the customer would be better off just replacing, he doesn't mince words.

"I'm from the old school," Mr. Conlin said. "The way my father raised me - and I'll never forget his words he said - is to treat people the way you want to be treated. We're honest and upfront with people."

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

On a rainy day, those rocks, added for drainage, can end up scattered as water tumbles down the road and into yards.

A sloping, unfinished street owned by Raymond Development Co., Raymond Drive loops through Jermyn and Archbald. But it practically turns into a creek during wet weather, said neighbor Andy Whitiak, who lives on Garfield Avenue at the base of Raymond Drive and has had his own troubles with water coming down the hill.

Mr. Whitiak said he and Ms. Warholic are not looking to antagonize or start trouble. They just want the drainage improved and the road finished.

But they are caught in a stalemate.

"The borough's not actually responsible for anything over here as of right now because we have not taken over any of the property, because the road is not up to where it needs to be," Jermyn Councilman Robert Parks said.

Residents place part of the blame for the situation on Jerry Raymond, owner of Raymond & Son Inc. of Scranton, who had turned over Raymond Development Co. to his father but has been involved with the situation there.

"There's not enough drainage," Mr. Whitiak said. "He (Mr. Raymond) didn't do it right."

Like Ms. Warholic, several Raymond Drive residents in both boroughs have added stones where their properties meet the road and where curbs have not been installed. Ms. Warholic also added a line of rocks at the side of her house, and Mr. Whitiak said he paid for and installed his own pipes to help with problems at his house.

But Mr. Raymond said the road has catch basins and underground pipes that run to a retention pond at the bottom of the hill.

Mr. Raymond said he has tried to have the boroughs take over the road for four or five years, sending letters to Jermyn and asking several times about what he needs to do.

But Mr. Parks said Jermyn's engineers have informed Mr. Raymond of what needs to happen for the borough to take over its part.

Mr. Raymond acknowledged paving Raymond Drive "was the biggest issue" there and believes he is required to put a 1-inch topping on the existing surface.

"We're prepared to do that (work), but I don't want to do that if they're (the boroughs) not going to take it over," he said.

Archbald Borough Manager Stephen Vincenti said no Archbald residents on Raymond Drive have complained about the road in his year as manager.

At the moment, Jermyn's hands are tied, Mr. Parks said.

"The drainage issues and stuff aren't our responsibility until we take it over," he said. "And with the issues he (Mr. Raymond) has, we're not going to take it over until everything is resolved that needs to be resolved."

But Ms. Warholic questioned why, if she and her neighbors are paying borough taxes, Jermyn cannot help them.

"How long can somebody's hands be tied?" she asked.

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com

FELL TWP. - A Simpson man was in jail Sunday on $20,000 bail after an alleged domestic incident.

Kristoffer Showver, 37, was accused of violating a protection-from-abuse order, simple assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and other charges relating to an incident Thursday, state police at Dunmore said.

Police said Mr. Showver was intoxicated Thursday evening when he is alleged to have choked Mary Kay Cleveland, 38, and pushed her minor daughter away when she tried to intervene. He also threatened both of them with a knife, police said.

JERMYN - Borough council will consider a measure at its meeting this week to clarify its borough manager position.

Council President John Mark said a question arose about whether Debbie Morcum's position with the borough is secretary or manager. The borough always thought of the position as a manager, he said, but the state requires an ordinance confirming that.

"Just to be on the safe side, we're passing the ordinance," Mr. Mark said.

The meeting will be held Thursday at 7 p.m.

Archbald

Wednesday, Sept. 1

n Alarm: 200 block of South Main Street, 11:28 a.m.

n Traffic stop: South Main and Winton streets, 2:14 p.m.

n Investigation: 800 Henry Street, 4:38 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Scranton-Carbondale Highway and Rushbrook Street, 5:39 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Columbus and Peggy drives, 6:40 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Columbus and Kennedy drives, 6:53 p.m.

n Welfare check: 200 block of Summit Lane, 6:53 p.m.

n Crash: Wildcat Road, 10:19 p.m.

Mayfield

Monday, Aug. 30

n Nuisance complaint: First block of Henry Drive, assisted Jermyn Police, 1:06 a.m.

n Disorderly conduct: First block of Henry Drive, assisted Jermyn police, 3:50 a.m.

n Animal complaint: 800 block of Hudson Street, 11:23 a.m.

n Criminal mischief: 700 block of Madison Avenue, assisted Jermyn police, 2:02 p.m.

n Crash: 800 block of Scranton-Carbondale Highway, assisted Archbald police, 2:38 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUG. 31

n Alarm: 300 block of Bacon Street, 3:20 a.m.

n Burglary: 500 block of Lincoln Avenue, 5:11 a.m.

n School traffic: Lackawanna Avenue and Linden Street, 8:10 a.m.

n Police assistance: 800 block of Poplar Street, 9:43 a.m.

n Warrant: 400 block of Jefferson Avenue, 10:32 a.m.

n Traffic control device: 500 block of Cemetery Street, 12:18 p.m.

n Traffic stop: 800 block of Lackawanna Avenue, 2:33 p.m.

n Driving under the influence: Fifth Street and Scranton-Carbondale Highway, 4:36 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Chestnut and Hill streets, 5:31 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Gorden Avenue and Erie Street, 5:40 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Lackawanna Avenue and Chestnut Street, 5:58 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Scranton-Carbondale Highway and Plank Road, 6:25 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Plank Road and Route 6, 6:40 p.m.

Moscow

Saturday, Aug. 28

n Abandoned vehicle: North Main Street, 12:05 a.m.

n Traffic stop: South Main Street, 12:45 p.m.

n Special duty: Lehigh Twp., 7 p.m.

n Assist Covington police: O'Hara Road, 8:38 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 29

n Assist state police, 3:48 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 30

n Police assistance: I-380 bridges, 8:30 a.m.

n Parking violations: Church Street, 8:40 a.m.

n Assist Covington police: Route 307, 2:53 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Citation, N. Main Street, 8:24 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 31

n Traffic stop: Warning, 15-mph school zone, 9:15 a.m.

n Motor vehicle violation: North Main Street and Hideaway Drive, 1:35 p.m.

n Truancy: Centennial Park, 1:55 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Citation, 15-mph school zone, 3:51 p.m.

n Vehicle repossession: Church Street, 9:14 p.m.

Scranton

MONDAY, AUG. 30

n Burglary: 600 block Back Street, 3:22 a.m.

n Burglary: 1100 block Philo Street, 7:53 a.m.

n Theft from auto: 600 block Luzerne Street, 10 a.m.

n Narcotics investigation: 1600 block Nay Aug Avenue, 12:33 p.m.

n Motor vehicle theft: J.A.C. Auto Sales, 500 block Keyser Avenue, 1:26 p.m.

n Criminal mischief to auto: 700 block Marion Street, 2:05 p.m.

n Crash: Luzerne Street, 3:10 p.m.

n Domestic disturbance: 400 block Harrison Avenue, 9:15 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUG. 31

n Burglary: North Scranton Little League, 700 block Theodore Street, 9:07 a.m.

n Narcotics investigation: 1100 block South Washington Avenue, 1:35 p.m.

n Theft: 400 block Morgan Highway, 3:40 p.m.

n Domestic disturbance with arrest: 1000 block Remington Avenue, 3:01 p.m.

n Theft: 1000 block Quincy Avenue, 3:40 p.m.

n Theft from auto: 100 block Anthony Street, 5:30 p.m.

n Domestic disturbance: 1700 block Academy Street, 5:52 p.m

n Harassment: 1000 block Quincy Avenue, 6:50 p.m.

n Simple assault: 100 block Wyoming Avenue, 6:56 p.m.

n Animal complaint: 1100 block Eynon Street, 7:20 p.m.

n Fire: 300 block Meridian Avenue, 7:23 p.m.

n Attempted forcible entry: 500 block Colfax Avenue, 9:27 p.m.

n Drug violations: 800 block Prescott Avenue, 9:41 p.m

n Burglary: 900 block Sanderson Avenue, 10:22 p.m.

n Retail theft: 1400 block Mulberry Street, 10:51 p.m.

n Theft: 800 block Hemlock Street, 11:46 p.m.

South Abington Twp.

MONDAY, AUG. 30

n Unregistered solicitation: 400 block Edella Road, 10:20 a.m.

n Abandoned vehicle: 100 block North Abington Road, owner located, vehicle removed, 11:35 a.m.

n Alarm: 100 block Stone Crest Circle, building secure, 11:55 a.m.

n Burglar alarm: 300 block Clark Street, Clarks Green, property secure, 12:40 p.m.

n Road rage: 100 block Edella Road, incident unfounded, 6:15 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUG. 31

n Suspicious persons: 300 block Edella Road, unfounded, 5 a.m.

n Alarm: 1000 block Fairfield Circle, home secure, 7:45 a.m.

n Criminal mischief: 100 block Racquel's Way, 7:50 a.m.

n Crash: Route 6 at Starbucks, no injury, 10:30 a.m.

n Traffic stop: 300 block Northern Boulevard, speeding citation, 1 p.m.

n Crash:: Edella Road and Fox Run Circle, no injuries, 1:20 p.m.

n Traffic stop: 400 block North Abington Road, Clarks Green, speeding citation, 3 p.m.

n Crash: Morgan Highway and Country Club Road, injury, 3 p.m.

n Crash: Morgan Highway at Lahey Fun Park, no injuries, 6:30 p.m.

n Fireworks complaint: Sunnyside Avenue, 7 p.m.

n Traffic stop: Morgan Highway, speeding citation, 11 p.m.

The Carbondale-based economic development organization is also creating its first strategic plan, which will better focus its efforts and lay a foundation to try to bring more new businesses and entrepreneurs to the greater Carbondale area, said chamber director Maggie O'Brien on Wednesday.

"It will compliment everything we've already accomplished ... and take the organization to the next level," Ms. O'Brien said. "This is going to be a pretty broad brush stroke."

While acknowledging the difficulty in drumming up new storefronts amid a tough economic climate in downtown Carbondale and other Upvalley communities the chamber serves, Ms. O'Brien hopes the chamber's new direction will buck the trend and make a positive impact.

Chamber officials will begin developing its three-year strategic plan in-house this month.

"We are all ambitious, eager, and up to the challenge," she said.

Efforts to reach city officials were unsuccessful.

Its initiatives, which are expected to include a small-business lending arm via financial partnerships, will be rolled out over next year, as early as January. Among its goals will be to find ways to position area businesses to forge links with the growing natural gas industry, Ms. O'Brien said.

The chamber has about 320 members ranging from heavy industry to sole proprietorships. The organization, which is driven by membership fees, moved from a small office in City Hall to larger headquarters at 27 N. Main St. three years ago.

Contact the writer: smcconnell@timesshamrock.com

Fifteen years after completing a sidewalk project in Mayfield, Molinaro Paving and Construction Co. could receive payment for the work in the next few days.

Borough council President Glen Nicolio said Friday the borough should be able to issue a check for $6,971.50 to Molinaro for a sidewalk project the company completed on Hill Street in 1995.

The borough just has to cut through some red tape first.

Mayfield was set to pay Molinaro out of money it has been holding from Chestnut Hill Development Corp. from the project. Chestnut Hill had not reimbursed Molinaro for the work, and council in June approved paying from the fund pending its solicitor's approval.

But the money has been stored in a Treasury Department investment pool listed under the name of the borough's former secretary, Phyllis Jaskowiec, whom the borough laid off last year. To switch control of the fund - about $15,500 - to borough council, Mr. Nicolio must submit a letter to the treasury, which will then deposit the money into a borough account. That should happen within the next week, he said.

The borough has enough money right now to cover the repayment and could issue Molinaro a check before the treasury even deposits the money, Mr. Nicolio said. But he wanted to make sure the Treasury Department could release the money before the borough wrote the check.

"We can cover it," Mr. Nicolio said. "I don't see a problem."

The borough plans to seize the remaining money to cover a repayment it contends Chestnut Hill never made to Mayfield. The borough paid to pave part of Hill Street in the 1990s and was to be reimbursed by Chestnut Hill for one-third of the work but never was, Mr. Nicolio said.

Henry P. Korpusik, Chestnut Hill's vice president, said Friday he wants the remaining money from the treasury fund.

"Either that, or they (Mayfield) have to provide me with documentation that I'm not entitled to it," he said.

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com

SCOTT TWP. - The Lakeland School District will start the year with a new acting high school principal, but it's a familiar face.

At a special meeting Monday night, the school board appointed Charles Barlow to the position at an annual salary of $75,000, effective immediately. Mr. Barlow replaces Joseph Hanni, who resigned in a letter dated Aug. 24 to accept the position of assistant principal of West Scranton High School. Mr. Hanni sued the Lakeland School District this spring for a chance to appeal a three-day suspension he received in December. The board accepted Mr. Hanni's resignation Monday.

Prior to Monday's appointment, Mr. Barlow served as the high school assistant principal, a post he accepted in December. A former English teacher, Mr. Barlow is also a Lakeland graduate.

In a separate motion Monday, the board appointed Mr. Barlow as Title IX coordinator and educational achievement program coordinator for the 2010-2011 school year only, at no additional salary.

Board President John Brennen said any appointment to replace Mr. Barlow as assistant principal will be a future goal for the board.

Responding to an inquiry from Scott Twp. resident Judy Faller, Mr. Brennen said Lakeland is only looking at purchasing St. Rose Academy in Mayfield, possibly to move some classes from Mayfield Elementary School or establish a middle school.

"Nothing at all is definite," Mr. Brennen said.

In other district business the board:

- Appointed Catherine Rivenburgh as a special education teacher at an annual salary of $40,021.

- Accepted the resignation of Heather Fuerher as special education teacher.

- Appointed Brian Cooney as the Act 32 alternate delegate to the Tax Collection Committee.

- Agreed to advertise for bids to repair the girls' softball field.

Contact the writer: mreiter@timesshamrock.com

CARBONDALE - About 5,000 PPL customers lost power for about an hour Monday in Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties.

The outage was the result of a circuit breaker that failed at a substation near Carbondale, PPL spokesman Paul Canevari said. It happened at about 5:40 p.m. Electricity was restored by 6:45 p.m., Mr. Canevari said. The outage's reach extended through Greenfield Twp. and parts of the Carbondale area, he said.

Event funds fire company activities

SCOTT TWP. - Forget the yellow school buses.

Filled with Mustangs, Camaros and Corvettes, the parking lot of the Lakeland Junior-Senior High School was an automobile aficionado's dream on Sunday as the Justus Volunteer Fire Company presented its annual car show.

"The work that goes into these (cars), it's unbelievable," said Greg Newak of Montdale.

He didn't have a car in the show, but brought along a digital camera to record photographs of his favorite vehicles. Mr. Newak is especially drawn to reconditioned cars that were commonly seen on the streets during his youth.

"To see them back on the road is a real thrill for me," he said.

Seated under a small umbrella, Frank Avery of Beach Lake read an issue of Antique Automobile while spectators admired his 1929 Model A Ford. The body of the car was mainly in good shape when he bought it three years ago, but he did have to replace the engine and transmission.

"Everybody says it looks like it belongs," Mr. Avery said of his work.

Painted a shade of "sassy grass green," Jim Thomas' 1971 Plymouth GTX is quite eye-catching in the afternoon sun. The car was that color when Mr. Thomas, of Tunkhannock, bought it two years ago. The repairs were pretty extensive, but Mr. Thomas said the car is nearly identical in body to his very first car, a 1974 Plymouth Satellite.

Justus firefighter Tim Ritter, 22, organized the car show. Fundraisers are vital for volunteer fire departments, which often depend on donations to pay bills.

"Every little bit of money helps out greatly," said Mr. Ritter, who has been a firefighter since age 14.

This is the third year for the car show, and Mr. Ritter imagines it will be a tradition for the fire department. There were about 75 cars registered at the show. The past two years each drew an average of 98 cars, Mr. Ritter said, noting there were two other car shows in the area on Sunday.

One show was the Montage Mountain Classics Car Club Show in the Pittston Commons, the proceeds of which benefited St. Joseph's Center.

Contact the writer: mreiter@timeesshamrock.com

The 8-month-old made history with his birth as he became the family's sixth living generation.

"I feel old," joked 97-year-old patriarch Russell Bennett, who lives in Forest City. "I am old."

From Mr. Bennett, the family line descends to Schylar through Darlene Molinaro of Jermyn, Mary Frisbie of Archbald, Jennifer Sweetman of Jessup and Bryana Sweetman of Olyphant.

At 56, Ms. Frisbie points out that a lot of her friends are not grandparents yet, let alone great-grandparents like her.

"It feels good, but I wasn't quite ready for it yet," she laughed.

Life as a new mom is "filled with lots of adventure," said Bryana Sweetman, who has another baby for that sixth generation on the way. Schylar recently grew in his first two teeth, and his family describes him as a good baby who seldom cries.

"I immediately fell in love with him," Ms. Frisbie said.

The challenge the family now faces is figuring out what name Schylar will use for each of his grandparents and their predecessors.

Schylar has many years to go to match his great-great-great-grandfather's longevity, but the family joked that it will have seven generations living 20 years from now. Jennifer Sweetman recommended he "keep smiling" and "keep his chin up."

With the generations of his family gathered around him, Mr. Bennett kidded around about how he has lived to 97 despite doing everything he "wasn't supposed to." He had a stroke at 58 and recalls how he has long outlived a doctor who once told him to "go home and die."

"We just hope we have his genes," Ms. Frisbie said.

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com

CARBONDALE - Tickets go on sale Tuesday for Carbondale's second annual Oktoberfest, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 2.

The fall festival will feature indoor and outdoor craft vendors and two local brewers, all new additions this year. Tickets are required to enter the beer-tasting venue, and will cost $10 if bought between Tuesday and Sept. 6, $15 if bought between Sept. 7 and Oct. 1 and $20 at the door on the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased at Carbondale City Hall or at www.carbondale-pa.gov.

Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. by Lackawanna Avenue and Chestnut Street to add shrubs along about 210 feet of railroad tracks.

The commission leases the land for $250 a year from Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority and started clearing the area in May, said chairwoman Wendy Bochnovich. About 15 people spent three Saturdays removing foliage like dead trees and sticker bushes, but she said the group saved a few trees to blend them into the area rather than completely clear it.

On Saturday, the group will plant shrubs like holly, forsythia and rhododendron as well as put down soil and mulch. The area already has been graded, and rocks have been placed along the tracks with the help of Mayfield Councilman Jim Depoti, Ms. Bochnovich said.

She recalled how children walk by that area on their way to and from Mayfield Elementary School. She envisions the property could become a spot where parents could wait for their children once cleaned up and with benches added.

"That messy property always stood out in my mind," Ms. Bochnovich said.

Saturday's planting will cost the commission about $1,000 between soil and shrubbery, she estimated. The commission also plans to plant trees along the tracks, possibly in the fall. The group has been fundraising, but Ms. Bochnovich said after Saturday the group will "step back and see where we are" financially.

"We're just making the best of what we have until we raise enough money to do everything we want to do," she said. Ms. Bochnovich recommended that anyone helping Saturday bring a pair of gloves. The group also could use tools like shovels, diggers and rakes.

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com

The small Catholic school was named in a civil summons filed Thursday in Lackawanna County Court. The lawsuit alleges unpaid wages as a violation of the state's Wage Payment and Collection Law.

Among the plaintiffs is James Allan, the director of St. Rose. The others are Ashley Booth, Ann Marie Fonash, Stephen Fonash, Andrew Genovese and Timothy Micek.

Mr. Fonash is a teacher at St. Rose. He declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday afternoon. The staff positions of the others were not immediately clear.

Their attorney, Thomas Aristide of Bethlehem, also declined to comment.

Further details of their claims were unavailable.

The defendants are listed as the school and its board of directors.

Efforts were unsuccessful to reach board member Ralph Imbalzano, who has often spoken for the school during recent controversy.

In July, St. Rose's building at 1300 Old Plank Road was sold to the school's creditor, Foundation Capital Resources of Springfield, Mo. The school owed almost $5 million, including interest, on a loan that had not been paid since 2009.

Despite the sale, Mr. Imbalzano previously said he expected the 2010-11 school year to continue as planned.

Lakeland School District has expressed interest in buying the building.

Contact the writer: jburton@timesshamrock.com

Majority commissioners nixed a $1 million federal stimulus loan that would have been used toward a $2.3 million renovation project in Carbondale that Mayor Justin Taylor is pursuing as a private citizen.

Commissioner Mike Washo said an elected official should know better than to apply in a developer's capacity for a government-subsidized loan.

Mr. Taylor said a county employee had given him verbal approval a week before the commissioners rejected it, and that the commissioners should not have overridden guidelines for the county program, which did not prohibit an elected official from applying for the bond.

At issue is an application Lapera-Taylor Development, which is owned solely by Mr. Taylor, submitted to the county Recovery Zone Bond Program for a federal stimulus-funded loan. Mr. Taylor is looking to renovate the vacant J.J. Newberry Building in downtown Carbondale into office space for Northwestern Human Services, a mental health services provider.

The mayor said he could see how someone might see him receiving the award as inside politics, but he added the project "has nothing to do with me as the mayor."

"Now it looks like the reverse of inside politics. They (majority commissioners) don't like me because they're worried I'm going to run against them, so they don't want to give me a loan," said Mr. Taylor, who has previously hinted he might run for commissioner.

Mr. Washo said awarding the low-interest loan to an elected official would have tainted the program.

"I don't think the public could have any confidence in a program that a public official could see direct benefit from. I would think a public official would know in advance that he or she should not apply to a public program that would enrich them," Mr. Washo said. "We're less concerned with what an elected official - no matter how much respect we have for that person - might think than what the taxpayer would say."

Mr. Taylor said he is financing the project on his own and he has not applied for any city economic development money that might have been available.

Mr. Washo said the decision to reject the application wasn't done unilaterally by the majority commissioners. He said they conferred with county chief of staff Maria Elkins and county Redevelopment Authority board member Andrew C. Skrip.

"They both concurred with the action," Mr. Washo said.

While concerned about Mr. Taylor mixing public and private roles with the development, Mr. Washo said they also were concerned because the building's potential tenant receives as much as $8 million in funding through county programs.

Government watchdog Tim Potts of Democracy Rising Pennsylvania said as a general rule public officials shouldn't be applying for public money for their own use, even as a private enterprise.

"It appropriately raises red flags. Even if it is on the up and up, what it does is it undermines citizen confidence," Mr. Potts said.

Of the five private developers who applied for low-interest loans, the two rejected, including Lapera-Taylor Development, were from Carbondale. Dickson City developer Daniel Siniawa requested $2 million for a $12.4 million plan to build a six-story hotel, conference center, retail shops and restaurant in Carbondale.

Contact the writer:

cschillinger@timesshamrock.com

ARCHBALD - Heavy rain and wind over the weekend damaged the board room of the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit.

The flat roof of the building is currently being replaced, and the rain caused the roof above the board room to cave in, said David Reese, Ed.D., the agency's executive director.

The carpet and ceiling will need to be replaced, and problems with the phone lines have already been repaired.

Insurance companies of the NEIU and the roofing company will cover repairs, Dr. Reese said, adding that board meetings will be held in a conference room until repairs are completed.

The new design was recently submitted for the district's review, said Jeff Price, district information technologist, and it was previewed at a recent school board meeting.

"It's not just a website," Mr. Price said. "It's a communication tool."

The district already has a website, www.lakelandsd.com, but the new version will have a page for every school and teacher.

"The one (website) we had, we didn't develop it the way we could have," board President John Brennan said, adding that the new site is "just a great tool."

Staff pages will include contact information and show what courses they teach. The new site also will include school calendars, and parents and staff can log in for more information.

"Our position has been to try to increase our communication with our community," said Superintendent Margaret Billings-Jones, Ed.D.

People also will be able to sign up for an RSS feed to receive district information by text message or e-mail as it is released.

The website also will be integrated with www.high schoolsports.net so the public can view athletic information, Mr. Price said.

"There's a lot more we're going to be doing with it," he said.

The district expects to have the site running next week, in time for the start of classes on Aug. 31. Dr. Billings-Jones said teachers will be trained on the new website.

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com

The only way to really tell 6-year-old Ronnie Christensen from her twin, Skyler, was the joyful mess of blue and pink ice cream streaked across her face.

No matter the age, eating summer treats crouched curbside will always be more art than science.

The Christensen family was among the crowd on Wednesday that marked the start of Pioneer Nights, Carbondale's seventh annual four-day block party. The music, food, drinks and games begin between 5 and 6 p.m., running until midnight. There will be fireworks Friday at 10; Saturday starts with a parade at 12:30 p.m.

Jen Christensen, the mother of Ronnie and Skyler, said the family would definitely return for the weekend. Tom Gatto will be there, too, selling pizza at the UNICO booth. The Italian-American service group has participated in Pioneer Nights since its first year.

"People from the community can get together; you can see people you haven't seen in years," Mr. Gatto said.

But there were new faces, too, such as Mami's Latina Cuisine, a Caribbean eatery opening on Pike Street, which sold Cuban sandwiches and homemade coconut ice cream across from a stand with funnel cakes and fried Oreos.

The whole festival is like an "end-of-summer bash," Mayor Justin Taylor said. Overall, between 10,000 and 15,000 people are expected.

For C.J. Bandru, 14, that will mean a lot of hot dogs to hawk. He and his friends worked a booth for the Carbondale Area Touchdown Club, calling out to passers-by to raise money for the junior varsity football team.

"It gives us something to do instead of being lazy bums," 14-year-old Chippy Calabro said.

Contact the writer: jburton@timesshamrock.com