Geisinger Community Medical Center’s $97.1 million expansion project entered its final phase this week with work on a pedestrian sky bridge over Colfax Avenue.

This phase also includes the construction of seven elevators inside the hospital, but patients and visitors are expected to face only minor detours. The elevator work should end March 30, and other elevators in the hospital will operate during construction.

One disruption will involve entering the hospital, said spokeswoman Westyn Hinchey. Part of the sidewalk in front of the parking garage on Colfax Avenue will be closed, so visitors and patients will be directed around it to enter the hospital.

The new main lobby on Mulberry Street is expected to be open in June, as is the new 18-bed intensive care/critical care unit. The new ICU will use the electronic ICU software that was implemented in the existing ICU about a year earlier than planned.

The eICU system, which was put into use in March, allows nurses and critical care physicians at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Danville to monitor patients in the Scranton hospital at all times via live streaming and updated data from multiple hospitals. From Danville, they can monitor the incoming data and alert the appropriate staff on location if they notice any negative changes in patients’ conditions or other warning signs.

The Mulberry Street entrance to the emergency department will also open in June, which will include free valet parking.

A new hybrid cardiovascular operating unit with 14 rooms is slated to open in October as the final stage of the expansion.

Throughout the spring and summer, construction on two additional floors will continue as well. Physician offices and new clinical programs will fill the new space.

In the meantime, traffic is expected to continue without interruption. The project should finish in the fall. The project began in June 2013, with an $80 million budget, but in December of that year the Geisinger Health System board of directors approved an additional $17.1 million for the project.

Although the project has been underway for more than a year, some area residents said they have not been inconvenienced.

“No problems at all,” said Mary Alice Heppler, who lives on Arthur Avenue.

Many construction workers park in the lots at Nay Aug Park and the Everhart Museum, so parking in the area has not been problematic.

“Everybody thinks this place is packed,” said Gerald Weller, who works the security desk at the museum. He said he has “no complaints” about the workers or project.

The Geisinger Community Medical Center expansion is part of a larger, $158.6 million project by Geisinger Health System to enhance clinical programs, increase physician recruitment, improve facilities and implement new information systems in Scranton and the surrounding areas.

Contact the writer:

lfay@timesshamrock.com

Stanley Blondek, M.D., grew up at a time when getting the measles was practically a childhood rite of passage.

But in the three decades he has been treating patients, dating back to his residency, the 58-year-old pediatrician has never encountered a case of the highly contagious illness.

He knows that could change.

A measles outbreak that started in December in California has now spread to more than 100 individuals across 14 states, including Pennsylvania. It is stoking renewed fears about an illness that was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, thanks to the widespread child immunization program that began in the 1960s.

While there is reason for vigilance, a major outbreak locally is unlikely, said Dr. Blondek, senior member of the Commonwealth Health pediatric practice in Lackawanna County and former director of pediatrics at Moses Taylor Hospital.

“Not so much a major outbreak because the majority of the kids in this age group are immunized,” he said Friday. “The concern would be in someone who is unimmunized going somewhere and picking it up and bringing it back into the area to the younger kids less than a year (old) who are not immunized.”

So far, only one measles case has been confirmed in Pennsylvania.

In a statement, Dr. Rachel Levine, the state’s acting physician general, said the case — in Cumberland County — underscored the importance of having all children appropriately immunized. The state Department of Health has been urging all residents to be vaccinated against the illness.

Dr. Blondek, who likewise encourages all parents to immunize their children, said the most common question he gets is whether children can get the measles if they have been properly immunized. The answer is no.

The major concern, he said, is for the children who have not received the vaccine. That includes children whose parents forgo vaccinations on religious or other grounds and children under the age of 1.

“A lot of parents who have infants in that age range are concerned about their infants being around unimmunized people who can pass on the measles virus,” Dr. Blondek said. “I tell parents if your baby is less than a year of age, there is a potential for concern with travel.”

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is typically administered to toddlers when they are 12 to 15 months, with a second dose recommended for school-age children.

Christina Bohn, an Abington Heights School District nurse who works mainly with children from kindergarten to fourth grade, said despite the measles outbreak becoming fodder for local and national media reports, she had heard no concerns from parents. She thought there might be questions at a kindergarten registration Thursday night, but got none.

“I probably met 20 parents — brand new, coming into school — and not one asked me anything about it,” she said.

Mrs. Bohn said the outbreak may prod the few parents who have chosen not to immunize their children to rethink that decision.

“If they were hesitant not to, this should be all the more reason to vaccinate,” she said.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

SCRANTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the Scranton-Lackawanna Human Development Agency $1.7 million annually to improve access to Early Head Start education for low-income families.

The agency’s Administration for Children and Families division announced the grant on Friday and said the money will allow about 72 additional infants and toddlers per year to get high-quality, early learning opportunities.

—KYLE WIND

Lackawanna County detectives charged two cousins in Scranton on Thursday night after a drug deal and a chase.

Sadeed Johnson, 18, and Nyriq Johnson, 19, addresses unavailable, sold what looked like cocaine during a controlled purchase in South Scranton, according to detectives.

Detectives approached the teens after the deal; the suspects ran through a backyard, ignoring commands to stop.

Sadeed Johnson hid beneath a deck and Nyriq Johnson pressed against the side of a house, peering out onto Cedar Avenue. Both were taken into custody without further struggle.

Nyriq Johnson admitted selling fake narcotics, according to police. The suspected cocaine delivered in the drug deal tested negative in a field test.

However, Sadeed Johnson was out on bail; the same detectives arrested him Jan. 22 for his involvement in selling heroin with his father, 49-year-old Ulysses Michael Taylor of Scranton.

In that case, Sadeed Johnson, a Scranton High School basketball player at the time, had $140 in cash on his car seat and a small amount of marijuana in a cigar known as a “blunt” in his jacket pocket. It is not known if he is still a student or on the team, but he has not played since his first arrest.

Sadeed Johnson faces new charges of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and resisting arrest. Nyriq Johnson was charged with the same, plus one count of criminal use of a communication facility.

Both are in custody at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. Preliminary hearings are set for Feb. 19.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com,

@jkohutTT on Twitter

Jim Evans was lucky to be alive this morning.

Just after midnight, the 52-year-old tried to move his 1994 Chevrolet sedan away from a neighbor’s trailer off Johler Avenue in Scranton, when the car suddenly caught fire. His nephew, Shawn Zackowski, 27, arrived home from work shortly after to find thick, black smoke and flames rolling out from the hood of the car.

“I ran up yelling, ‘Get out! Get out, before you blow up!’” said Mr. Zackowski, of 957 Johler Ave., watching firefighters hose down the smoldering car.

He had hit the window of the car to alert his uncle, who opened the door and jumped out, he said. Mr. Evans was visibly shaken up, but uninjured.

“I must have passed out a little,” he said.

Firefighters had the blaze out by 12:30. The cause is under investigation.

Contact the writer: lranker@timesshamrock.com, @lrankerNEWS

A 57-year-old New York state man believed he sent a 14-year-old boy explicit texts and pictures for months, the state Attorney General’s Office said.

Instead, he sent those messages to a special agent from the child predator unit and was placed in handcuffs when he arrived in Scranton Wednesday, hoping to meet with the teen.

Mr. Senke, 8445 Sweet Mill Lane, Clay, New York, denied driving to Scranton for sex with an underage boy in an interview with police. He planned on telling the teen to stop bothering him because the boy wouldn’t leave him alone, according to a criminal complaint.

However, investigators detailed a sexually explicit log of text messages between Mr. Senke and the special agent in the complaint. Mr. Senke asked how old the boy was and the investigator said he is 14.

Mr. Senke described the sexual acts he wished to perform and he repeatedly asked for nude photographs of the teen, police said

“If u can’t show me nudes I have to move on,” one text message from Mr. Senke read. “I’ll buy u what ever u want in reason.”

Mr. Senke then sent pictures of expensive possessions, including a motorcycle, a car and a lake house.

“I can be generous,” an earlier text message read.

Mr. Senke admitted he may have asked for pictures, “any kind of pictures,” but denied knowing he was 14 years old.

Eventually, Mr. Senke conceded he “most likely knew the person was under 18 years old,” but needed to meet the teenager to verify it, police said.

Mr. Senkie was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact, indecent assault and criminal use of a communication facility.

Mr. Senke is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com,

@jkohutTT on Twitter

CAUSES

Ice dams form when rooftops become warm enough to melt snow. The water from the melted snow flows under the snow cover to roof’s edge, where the temperature is colder and the water refreezes. As more snow melts, more water flows down and becomes trapped, creating an ice dam.

Although the winter sun can heat a rooftop enough to contribute to the thaw-freeze cycle, the most common cause of ice dams is simply a poorly insulated or poorly ventilated attic, said John E. Vieczorek, owner of Vieczorek Builders in Tunkhannock.

“What is causing it is the heat loss through the attic,” said Mr. Vieczorek, who has installed roofs for 40 years. “If there wasn’t heat loss, you wouldn’t have that melting and freezing.”

Because people often see the resulting icicles forming under their gutters, one of the big misconceptions is that gutters cause ice dams, said Eric Judge, co-owner of Judge Brothers Gutters Inc. in North Abington Twp.

“They don’t create the problem. They are just there catching the water coming off the roof,” he said. “The icicles are hanging off the gutter just like they would be hanging off the eave if there was no gutter there.”

POTENTIAL DAMAGE

As the ice dam grows, the water flowing down the roof can back up under the shingles and leak into the home. That can lead to a host of issues for the homeowner, according to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors website:

■ Rotted roof decking, exterior and interior walls and framing.

■ Respiratory illnesses, such as allergies and asthma, caused by mold growth.

■ Reduced effectiveness of insulation. Wet insulation does not work well, and chronically wet insulation will not decompress even when it dries. Without working insulation, even more heat will escape to the roof, causing more ice dams.

■ Peeling and blistering paint as water from the leak infiltrates wall cavities. That may happen long after the ice dam has melted and thus not appear to be directly related.

SOLUTIONS

The best solution to ice dams is prevention, starting with a properly insulated attic to stop interior heat from reaching the roof deck, Mr. Vieczorek and Mr. Judge said.

Mr. Vieczorek pointed out that modern building codes also require the installation of a watertight membrane underlayment on the roof deck along the eaves as part of asphalt shingle and other roof systems. The membrane, which should extend at least two feet past the building’s exterior wall line, helps provide protection against ice dam leaks.

Short-term solutions are more problematic.

Mr. Judge said a roof rake can be used to remove excess snow from the roof, but only if it can be done safely from the ground and without damaging the shingles. He advises homeowners not to try to chip away an ice dam or do anything else that would require them to climb a ladder or get on the roof.

People should also be wary of swatting down those long icicles, he said.

“If you knock them off, you run the risk of knocking your gutter off or breaking the hangers or breaking the end of the shingles off,” Mr. Judge said. “I tell people just to leave them alone. They’re going to come down eventually,”

Mr. Vieczorek said that is not bad advice.

“Leave it alone, and let nature take over,” he said. “Spring will be here.”

— DAVID SINGLETON

ARCHBALD — Borough crews quickly doused a fire Friday night.

Just after 6 p.m., fire crews responded to 321 Wayne St., where a fire was burning in the wall and ceiling of a two-story, remodeled home with double-layered walls.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Archbald Fire Chief Bob Harvey said it probably started when a resident was trying to thaw a frozen pipe. Crews remained on the scene until after 9:30 p.m. checking for hot spots. No one was injured. The home sustained minor damage.

— LUKE RANKER

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf and Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright discussed the city’s longstanding financial distress during a closed-door meeting in the Capitol on Friday arranged by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Scranton.

Mr. Wolf took office Jan. 20 and the meeting was his first with Scranton city officials.

The governor, senator and mayor, who are Democrats, said the meeting involved a general discussion of problems faced by Scranton and other financially distressed cities in Pennsylvania.

“I was here to listen,” Mr. Wolf said after the 45-minute meeting in the executive wing on the second floor of the Capitol.

Mr. Courtright said the meeting was “very productive” and included the possibility of state aid for the city, but did not result in any decisions or actions.

“He asked what our concerns were and I told him,” Mr. Courtright said. “I told him we have a plan — everyone seems to call it the Amoroso plan (after consultant Henry Amoroso, who devised it) — and are trying to implement it. He (Mr. Wolf) said so many municipalities across Pennsylvania have the same problems. We said any support that could be given, we’d appreciate.”

Mr. Amoroso and his assistant also attended the meeting with Mr. Wolf and Mr. Casey and their staffers, the mayor said. Efforts to reach Mr. Amoroso were unsuccessful Friday.

Scranton city solicitor Jason Shrive, who accompanied the mayor, said the topics discussed included the city’s economic revitalization, its future under the Act 47 fiscal recovery program, participation in a state urban development program known as City Revitalization and Improvement Zones and the city’s request for state approval to use workers’ compensation funds as collateral for a $5 million loan as first payment toward a $23 million backpay arbitration award owed to the city’s police and fire unions.

Mr. Shrive said Mr. Courtright will do everything he can to stave off a receivership for struggling Scranton.

Mr. Casey said the meeting was not merely a “get-to-know-you” session, but also a “deep dive” skull session into Scranton’s pension system, the most severely underfunded pension system in the state, and possible ways to address it. He declined to be more specific about potential remedies.

“The problems and challenges that Scranton faces are similar to those of other cities in the state. Scranton has an obvious pension challenge,” Mr. Casey said. “It was a meeting where there was a level of substantive discussion that you don’t often have in such meetings.”

Mr. Casey said Mr. Wolf brings to the table experience in and knowledge about cities, a great business acumen and passion “to make sure we do everything we can to strengthen our cities.”

“We can’t have a vibrant and successful economy in Pennsylvania if we don’t have strong cities,” Mr. Casey said.

As Mr. Wolf was preparing to begin his term, Mr. Courtright said he asked Mr. Casey if he could arrange a meeting for the mayor to speak with the new governor.

“I said to the senator, because I know he has connections, would it be possible to set up a meeting,” Mr. Courtright said.

Mr. Casey said, “I live in Scranton and want to be as helpful as I can, even if it’s just arranging a meeting.”

Jim Lockwood, staff writer, contributed to this article.

Contact the writers: rswift@timesshamrock.com, jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — School district officials found an unspent bullet inside Abington Heights High School’s athletic field house Friday morning, a district official said.

Superintendant Michael Mahon, Ph.D., contacted law enforcement after the discovery. After an investigation, officials learned the bullet belonged to a student, but there was no indication of any threat, he said

The field house was closed Friday, but classes were scheduled after a two-hour delay imposed because of the bitter morning temperatures, Dr. Mahon said.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Northern Boulevard through the Notch reopened to traffic at 1 p.m. after a truck with an oversized load struck and pulled down a telephone line.

The truck struck the line at 10:50 a.m. today, closing the highway to travel to and from Scranton and the Abingtons, South Abington police Chief Robert Gerrity said. The oversized load truck has a state police escort, he said.

The incident affected two lines — one old, abandoned line that workers cut away and another active line pulled down over the road, Frontier Communications general manager Russ Johnson said. No customers lost service, he said.

Township workers and officers directed southbound traffic left onto Layton Road to avoid the notch. To the south, Scranton police blocked off the northbound exit to Route 11.

The roadblocks caused delays for drivers on both sides of the incident but did not seem to leave any drivers stranded in the closed-off area.

Contact the writer: bgibbons@timesshamrock.com, @bgibbonsTT on Twitter

The following were sentenced by Pike County Judge Gregory Chelak:

• Christopher Vonderheide, 21, Bushkill, 18 months of probation, $500 fine and 18 month driver’s license suspension for fleeing or attempt to elude a police officer and drivers required to be licensed on July 28.

• Christina Lynell Peck, 35, Milford, 18 months to three years in a state correctional facility and $1,200 fine for five counts of retail theft and one count of identity theft between March and June in Westfall Twp. and on June 16 in Milford.

• Michael Jorgenson, 47, Milford, eight months to seven years in a state correctional facility, $4,000 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence and two counts of DUI on Sept. 7, 2012, in Dingman Twp.

• Michelle Rose Hegedus, 26, Lake Ariel, 72 hours to 6 months in the Pike County Jail, $1,000 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for DUI on May 2 in Greene Twp.

• Vincent John Colletta, 24, Milford, 15½ to 31 years in a state correctional facility and $3,000 fine for criminal attempt to commit murder, robbery, burglary and theft on Nov. 14 and Nov. 20, 2013, in Dingman Twp.

• Steven A. Kern, 32, Dingmans Ferry, 12 to 24 months in a state correctional facility and was $600 fine for simple assault on Oct. 15 in Lehman Twp.

• Richard Lee Chapman, 23, Matamoras, six months of probation and $500 fine for possession of drug paraphernalia on Sept. 19 in Matamoras.

• Walter John Hasenauer, 25, Milford,16 to 48 months in a state correctional facility and $2,000 fine for possession with the intent to manufacture or deliver heroin and possession of a controlled substance on July 20 in Blooming Grove Twp.

• Shawn Michael Tawfik, 19, Hawley, 48 hours to 6 months in the Pike County Jail, $500 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for DUI on July 24 in Lackawaxen Twp.

• Christopher Kelly, 33, Hawthorne, N.Y., 90 days to five years in the Pike County Jail, $1,500 fine and 18 month driver’s license suspension for DUl on November 10, 2013 on Lackawaxen Twp.

• Randall James Rosenberger, 23, Hawley, six months of probation and a $100 fine for simple assault on July 11 in Hawley.

• Russell Paul Rosenberger, 19, Hawley, six months of probation and a $250 fine for simple assault on July 11 in Hawley.

• Jessica Lynn Shutt, 26, Saylorsburg,12 months of probation and $300 fine for obstructing administration of law or other governmental function on June 3 in Blooming Grove Twp.

• Christopher John Reilly, 50, Hawley, three to six months in the Pike County Jail, $1,000 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for DUI on March 31 in Blooming Grove Twp.

• Mirsad Selimovic, 54, Honesdale, one to 12 months in the Pike County Jail and $500 fine for retail theft on July 29 in Westfall Twp.

• Matthew Charles Wardell, 27, Milford, 72 hours to six months in the Pike County Jail followed by six months of probation, $1,200 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia on July 9 in Westfall Twp.

• Lewis Mark Matalavy, 39, Harvey’s Lake, four months to five years in the Pike County Jail, $1,000 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for DUI in Palmayra Twp.

• Rachel Lynn Orazzi, 20, Dingmans Ferry, $200 fine for harassment on April 28, 2013 in Dingman Twp.

• Katlyn Elizabeth Horacek, 24, Dingmans Ferry, one to 12 months in the Pike County Jail, followed by 12 months of probation, $1,000 fine and 12 months driver’s license suspension for possession of a controlled substance on March 11 in Westfall Twp and on Aug. 19 in Dingmans Ferry.

• Angela Falletta, 35, Bushkill, 12 months of probation and $300 fine for prohibited offensive weapon on Oct. 14.

• Daniel Rocco Dibenedetto, 26, Camp Hill, 15 months to four years in a state correctional facility, $800 fine and six month driver’s license suspension for possession with intent to manufacture or deliver heroin on Oct. 23, 2012, in Lackawaxen Twp.

• Bruce Allen Kramm, 57, Bethlehem, 72 hours to six months in the Pike County Jail, $1,000 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for DUI on May 18 in Palmyra Twp.

• Matthew Targonski, 47, Milford, 12 months of probation and $250 fine for retail theft on Sept. 20 in Westfall Twp.

• Joseph Albert Albanoski, 64, Highland Mills, N.Y., 10 days to six months in the Pike County Jail and $1,000 fine for DUI in Westfall Twp.

• David Brian Sosiewicz, 43, Greely, 10 days to five years in the Pike County Jail, $1,000 fine and 18 month driver’s license suspension for DUI in Westfall Twp.

• Christopher Dapp, 23, Yonkers, N.Y., three years of probation and $450 fine for three counts of retail theft on Jan. 25, 2014, Jan. 27, 2014, and Feb. 18 in Westfall Twp.

• Anthony Moliterno, 25, Middletown, N.Y.,12 months less 1 day to 36 months in a state correctional facility and $500 fine for theft by deception on Jan. 20, 2012, in Westfall Twp.

• Michael George Becker, 28, Sparrowbush, N.Y., 30 days to 12 months in the Pike County Jail and $300 for possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 22 in Westfall Twp.

• Matthew Martinez, 20, Bushkill, 18 months of probation, $500 fine and six month driver’s license suspension for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 18 in Lehman Twp.

• Christopher Zach Jacobs, 22, Dingmans Ferry, nine months to two years in a state correctional facility, $1,000 fine and 12 month driver’s license suspension for possession with intent to manufacture or deliver heroin on Aug. 21 in Milford Twp.

MOSCOW — To keep pace with exploding demand for its new programs, North Pocono Public Library is organizing a major read-a-thon fundraiser for the spring.

The 12-hour National Library Week event is the “maiden voyage” of the fledgling Friends of the North Pocono Public Library, Director Susan Jeffery said.

The group faces the challenge of helping the library raise about $500,000 to pay off a 40-year mortgage on the new, $3.2 million facility on Church Street while also helping the staff continue to grow the operation to reach the building’s full potential — which will also require funding.

Martha Andreychik, the organization’s first president, said she likes raising money for causes she cares about and recalled fundraising for her son’s basketball and baseball teams as well as St. Catherine of Siena Parish Community in Moscow.

“The library is important because, with the economy the way it is, it gives people an outlet to try new things,” the Madison Twp. resident and retired North Pocono School District reading specialist said.

From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, area residents will read for a half hour at a time during the read-a-thon. The library is encouraging participants to line up $200 in sponsors, said intern Kayla McLain, who is promoting the event.

Reading selections can be just about anything. Recommendations include family-friendly books like Dr. Seuss works, books turned into movies like the “Harry Potter” series, classic banned books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” or popular authors like Stephen King.

The library is looking for volunteers along with corporate sponsors. The event will also include raffles and food.

The fundraising goal for the friends’ first large venture is $6,000. Proceeds will be split between helping launch a garden outside the library this spring and beefing up the library’s program offerings.

Mrs. Jeffery quantified the community’s enthusiasm for the upgraded building, which at 8,000 square feet is roughly six times larger than the operation’s former home on Van Brunt Street, and its new programs:

• North Pocono Public Library had about 54,000 people walk through its doors in 2014 — the Church Street building’s first full calendar year — compared with 30,850 visits in the Van Brunt Street operation’s final year.

• With its newfound space, the library spearheaded more than 500 programs with 7,925 attendees in 2014, a 41 percent increase in children’s programs and a 103 percent increase in adult programs.

For information, to volunteer or to donate, call the library at 570-842-4700 or visit lclshome.org/b/north-pocono-public-library.

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

STERLING TWP. — Maple Grove Road cuts a path through a thick Pocono Plateau forest. The woods were peaceful when John Powell moved here more than a decade ago.

Mr. Powell and other residents say they lost that quiet, rural quality in 2011, when a stone quarry built back in the woods seemed to ramp up production practically overnight. All of a sudden, dump trucks hauling crushed gravel started traveling the road each day, Mr. Powell said.

Early November, the township zoning hearing board decided in the quarry’s favor. Now, several Sterling residents hope to reverse the decision in Wayne County court.

They described how living next to the operation disrupted their lives.

School buses and mail carriers were forced to wait for the quarry traffic, Mr. Powell said, and motorists have had to contend with ruts and craters in the gravel road.

“You’re coming through basically residential sections to get to the quarry,” he said.

About a year ago, trucks idled and lined their way to the quarry, resident and former township supervisor Carol Butler said.

The heavy traffic left thick dust plumes and the sound of downshifting shattered the peace, resident Harold Wright said.

Daniele Williams lives next to the operation. She complained of the constant sound of stone crushing mixed with the truck traffic. During the quarry’s heaviest operations, the sounds started work around 6 a.m. and would last until 6 or 7 p.m. in the summer and nightfall in the winter, she said. Sometimes, work would continue on Sunday.

Since then, the operation has slowed significantly. Trucks no longer line the road and the crushers are idle, even as the residents gear up for their legal battle.

They say the township’s zoning ordinance, enacted in 1991, should ensure such conflicts do not happen. The quarry lies in a zone called “rural development,” which allows quarrying as a conditional use. The zone does not allow processing of minerals, including “crushing, screening, washing or grading.”

A view through the trees on a neighbor’s property reveals a blue stone crusher sitting idly at the quarry. A Google Earth picture from 2012 shows an active stone crusher with several gravel piles below its conveyor belt.

Prior quarrying left 150,000 tons piled on the site from rock layers above the high-quality bluestone, Mr. Swingle said. He and his siblings inherited the land after his mother died in 2006, and he hopes to return it to a pasture and raise beef cattle there. He can’t do that without removing the piles, he said.

But stone crushing at the site violates the zoning ordinance, residents contend.

“They think they can do whatever they want and don’t follow the rules, but everyone else has to,” Ms. Butler said.

Last year, the residents tried to persuade the township to enforce its zoning ordinance.

There had been earlier indications that not all was right with zoning. After receiving a notice from the state Department of Environmental Protection about the quarry’s mining permit in December 2013, Wayne County planner Christopher Barrett wrote to the quarriers’ engineer stating it’s “unclear” whether the quarry had zoning approval.

The residents said they thought they were successful in August when the township’s zoning officer issued a notice of violation to Litts B&E Quarry, one of the two quarriers operating at the site. Mr. Grassie is the other.

The quarriers then asked for the township’s zoning hearing board to review the violation. It did so at a hearing in November.

In July and September, Mr. Grassie sent letters to a group of township residents. He threatened to sue them if they continued their fight.

“Continued attempts to interfere with my long-standing and legitimate operation at the quarry will force me to consider all of my options, including litigation against all objectors,” the September letter states.

At the November hearing, the property’s owner, Roger Swingle, who served six years as township supervisor, said stone crushing has been used at this site since the 1970s, long before the township passed its zoning ordinance.

“We believe it was grandfathered, that there’s been some type of quarrying that existed, dating back years,” the quarriers’ attorney James Tressler said.

The board decided in the quarriers’ favor.

The residents responded by combining forces and money under the name Sterling Residents for Responsible Quarry Operation. They hired Honesdale attorney Ronald Bugaj and took their complaints to county court in an appeal of the township’s decision.

In their appeal, the residents argue that the property owners never properly registered stone crushing with the township as a nonconforming use.

During a visit to the township office in January, secretary Deborah Gromlich and zoning officer Corey Pontosky said they have no zoning applications of any kind on file for the site. The only documents they did have are DEP permits and a copy of the zoning hearing board’s November decision.

Mr. Grassie said zoning approval for the quarry was obtained in the 1990s. The file with all the documentation is missing, he said. Mr. Swingle also mentioned the missing file but said he wasn’t sure exactly what was in it.

The residents’ appeal also alleges the hearing board deliberated in secret before making its decision; unfairly considered additional testimony from the quarriers’ attorney after the official record closed; and did not properly notify the public about the hearing, among other issues.

Efforts to reach township solicitor Jeffrey Treat were not successful.

Mr. Grassie said he is confident the quarry meets state and local regulations.

Regarding the crushing, Mr. Grassie and his attorney pointed to a July road maintenance and use agreement between himself and the township. It specifically mentions crushing as a use on the property. The agreement binds Mr. Grassie to maintaining portions of Maple Grove Road as long as he is there making stone.

He lives in nearby Covington Twp. and said he strives to be a good neighbor. When Maple Grove Road residents asked him to stop running machinery after 5 p.m. and on Sundays, he immediately obliged, he said.

“I live here. We’re not looking to cause a problem where we live,” he said.

Mr. Swingle said he isn’t either. “I don’t want to fight with the neighbors,” he said. “It’s not a good thing to do, but we have to do what we have to do to protect our property.”

Mr. Grassie said the gravel he gathers from the site goes to PPL for use in its Susquehanna-Roseland power line project, he said.

“I already have signed contracts for millions of dollars worth of stone sales...you can’t just stop us now,” he said.

He also worries about the implications for his roughly 60 employees if the residents succeed.

“By shutting me down, it’s only going to put more people out of work,” he said.

As of Friday, no court action has been scheduled on the residents appeal.

Contact the writer:

bgibbons@timesshamrock.com, @bgibbonsTT on Twitter

Creating a safe working environment is money in the pocket of a business owner, an expert says.

Dale Rothenberger, a safety consultant for Zee Medical, Reading, made a presentation on how a business owner can improve safety performance in the workplace to the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce.

Many business owners do not pay enough attention to safety, especially if that company has not had a lost-time accident in some time, Mr. Rothenberger said.

“How to get business owners and senior executives’ attention is to talk to them where it hurts? Their pocketbook,” he said.

The average workers’ compensation claim is $38,000 in the state of Pennsylvania. If a business is self-insured, they cover 80 percent, or about $25,000, Mr. Rothenberger said. That business owner has to reach in his pocket for that $25,000. If that business is 1 percent net profit margin business, to replace $25,000, would take $2.5 million in new business.

Getting the worker involved in the safety effort — and the production effort — can help make a workplace safer.

“A by-product of safety ideas are ideas on improving productivity,” he said. “When safety is done properly can have an impact on production. You get best solutions from the people right there, the production workers. Having a suggestion box, and paying employees for making suggestions for workplace improvements, are two ways to get employees involved.”

In Pennsylvania, Mr. Rothenberger said if you have a certified safety committee, you can earn a 5 percent reduction on your workers’ compensation premium.

“To some companies, that’s $25,000 a year,” he said. “It’s a very simple process to go through to earn that certification.”

Vigilance important

If a company has not had a workplace injury recently, the business owner can acquire a false sense of security. Even if the company has a safety program in place, it doesn’t take long for the plan to become out-of-date.

A company can outgrow a safety program if there are any changes in the business — changes in personnel and hiring, equipment, product/process or management.

Mr. Rothenberger said his firm did a survey two years ago on automated external defibrillators, or AEDs — a machine designed to start the heart during a heart episode — in the workplace.

“We checked over 1,200, and 42 percent did not work,” he said.

While the history books said the “unsinkable” Titanic sank 90 minutes after striking an iceberg, Mr. Rothenberger said it was a lack of vigilance that caused the disaster.

“There were elements of caution, raising flags, before the iceberg made contact with the ship, that the crew chose to ignore,” he said.

Airlines safer, healthcare not

Two industries that have gotten safer are the airline and electric utility industries. Mr. Rothenberger said their safety improved because they worked at it.

“The airline industry is much more safer than it was in the 1970s,” he said. “No one has fears abut flying because safety became a primary focus of what they do.”

Similarly he said if the utility industry used the same operating procedures as they did in the 1960s, there would be “two more (Three Mile Islands) and unreliable power distribution.”

“In that industry, they’ve spent a tremendous amount of time focusing on performance, excellence and continuous improvement. What comes out of performance, excellence and continuous improvement, as a by-product, is safety performance.”

One industry that needs to be safer is the healthcare industry, Mr. Rothenberger said, which experiences a rate of 4.2 injuries per 100, while construction has a 3.3 rate. In the healthcare industry, it’s not just the workers — it’s the patients, too.

“Both of those must be addressed, because they’re on the wrong side of the curve,” he said. “The healthcare industry has seen an astronomical increase of employees injuries and illness. That industry has to work on the same issues what happened years ago in the airline industry and the utility industry.”

Did you know?

Under a new law for workplace injuries, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has to be notified within 24 hours electronically. The old way of notifying in writing was 72 hours.

“Most businesses are unaware of that,” he said. “For any business today, if you are not looking to improve your safety performance, you’re hurting your operation.”

Top 10 OSHA workplace safety violations for 2014

1. Fall protection, 6,143

2. Hazard communication, 5,161

3. Scaffolding, 4,029

4. Respiratory protection, 3,223

5. Lockout/tagout, 2,704

6. Powered industrial trucks, 2,662

7. Electrical wiring methods, 2,490

8. Ladders, 2,448

9. Machine guarding, 2,200

10. Electrical, general requirements, 2,056

VETERANS

Veterans salute set for today

Plains Twp. VA Medical Center’s voluntary service department National Salute to Veteran Patients kickoff ceremony, today, 2 p.m.; keynote speaker: LTC Thomas G. Hood, head of MMI Preparatory School, weeklong celebration includes a Patsy Cline tribute singer, Vets to Vets musical entertainment and visits from local team mascots; 570-821-7237.

Veterans memorial fundraising set

Friends of Connors Park raising funds to place a flagpole and memorial honoring veterans at the entrance to Connors Park, Orchard Street, Scranton, commemorative bricks will be placed in a pathway leading to the memorial and can be inscribed with the message you choose. Funds raised will cover the memorial and future maintenance costs; $65/brick, $100/two, $165/three or $200/four; friendsofconnorspark@gmail.com or Bob, 570-561-7584.

Banners of Honor program entries

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Banners of Honor program saluting those who have exemplified excellence in public service. Those with service time in the military, police, fire department, emergency medical service, volunteer activities or other related fields are eligible. Entries can be sent by email to info@swbrailriders.com or to the RailRiders, 235 Montage Mountain Road, Moosic, PA 18507, with special attention to “Banners of Honor.” Each submission should include a summary and photo of the person being nominated. The selected winners will be honored with banners inside of PNC Field throughout the 2015 season.

Farina veterans outreaches slated

Veterans support programs, Feb. 20 and March 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., state Rep. Frank Farina district office, 1414 Monroe Ave., Dunmore, and Feb. 18 and March 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., district office, 423 Main St., Eynon; American Legion Service Office outreach program rep; appointments, 570-342-2710 or 570-876-1111.

VFW Post 4909 dinner-dance set

Dupont VFW Post 4909 Home Association’s Valentine’s Day dinner-dance, Feb. 14, post; bar open, 7:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; dinner, 7:30-8:45; Gary Dee & Co. playing, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; $30; reservations, Bob Lopata at post or 570-654-9104 before Feb. 13 www.vfw4909.com.

Post 327 Auxiliary sets bus trip

Raymond Henry American Legion Post 327 Auxiliary bus trip to Atlantic City, Feb. 15, $30; 570-489-4321.

Post 86 to hold Lenten fish fry

American Legion Post 86 Lenten fish fry, Fridays during Lent, 5-7 p.m., 1234 W. Main St., Susquehanna, eat-in or takeouts, $8/baked or fried fish dinner, $5/fried fish sandwich and $6/fried shrimp basket, benefits a scholarship fund; 570-853-3542.

Post 6082 sets pork dinner

Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082 pork and sauerkraut dinner, Feb. 22, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (or sold out), post home, 123 Electric St., Peckville, takeouts available, $10, from members or at the door.

Meetings

POST 5207

John J. Michaels VFW Post 5207, today, 10 a.m., post home, routes 307 and 502, Covington Twp.

POST 7251 AUXILIARY

VFW Post 7251 Auxiliary, today, 1 p.m.

POST 3474

Dunmore VFW Post 3474, Tuesday, 7 p.m., 105 Chestnut St.

VICTORY POST 13

Victory American Legion Post 13, Monday, 7 p.m., Green Ridge Post 908, Deacon Street, to discuss upcoming events.

POST 908

American Legion Post 908, Monday, 8 p.m., post home, 625 Deacon St., Scranton.

POST 4909

VFW Post 4909 rescheduled meeting, Monday, 7:30 p.m., post home; home association meeting follows.

ARMED FORCES COMMITTEE

Armed Forces Committee of Northeast Pa., Tuesday, noon, Gino J. Merli Veterans Center; Joe Sylvester, 570-961-2696.

POST 6082 AUXILIARY

VFW Post 6082 Ladies Auxiliary, Tuesday, 7 p.m., post.

UNIT 665 AUXILIARY

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 665, Wednesday, 7 p.m., 901 Main St., Dickson City.

DAV CHAPTER 114

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 114, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Cordaro’s Restaurant, 186 Grandview Ave., Honesdale.

POST 5209

VFW Post 5209, Feb. 15, 1 p.m., post home, 1849 Bloom Ave., Scranton.

Merli Center

• Today: Coffee, 9 a.m.; Eucharistic ministry, all floors, 9:15; root beer floats and listen to oldies, 2 p.m.

Monday: Coffee, 9 a.m.; Bible study, 9:30; poker, 10; karaoke with beverages on large screen, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Coffee, 9 a.m.; bingo social, 10; Mohegan Sun Casino trip, 12:15 p.m.; volunteer ministry visits, 3 North, 1:15; choir practice, 1:45; Catholic Mass, 3; ball toss, 7.

Wednesday: Coffee, 9 a.m.; shopping trip, 9; resident welfare fund meeting, 1 p.m..; bingo by the Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW of Pa., 2; happy hour, 3:15; golf, 7.

Thursday: Coffee, 9 a.m.; chapel, 10; February birthday bash sing-a-long with Tom Rogo, cake and ice cream, 2 p.m.; bingo by the Victory Committee, 7.

Friday: Coffee, 9 a.m.; bowling, 10; DAV Chapter 11 Valentine’s Day cake social, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Valentine’s Day. Coffee and doughnuts by the Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW Dept. of Pa., 10 a.m.; Valentine’s Day musical performance by the Fabulous Fortunes with food and beverages, 2 p.m.

VETERANS NEWS should be submitted no later than Monday before publication to veterans@timesshamrock.com; or to YES!desk, The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

ROARING BROOK TWP. — A driver suffered a head injury Saturday when he lost control of his car and the vehicle overturned on the east shoulder of Route 307, police said.

Authorities did not believe the injuries were life-threatening and would not immediately identify the driver, who was taken to Geisinger Community Medical Center after the crash, which was reported at 6:24 p.m.

Police were still investigating the cause of the crash. Speed or a medical problem could have been a factor, Patrolman Matt Cianfichi said.

Tracks indicated the driver was heading south when he crossed into the opposite lane, hit the guardrail and headed off the road, where the car overturned.

Firefighters cleared snow and moved seats to get the driver out of the vehicle, said Elmhurst-Roaring Brook Fire Chief Duane Hoover.

— KYLE WIND

Leaping into frigid water on a 35-degree day sends shockwaves rippling through the body. Muscles clench, teeth chatter and numb toes make walking feel like teetering on clumsy blocks of ice.

Saturday at Montage Mountain, about 40 people volunteered to suffer a few minutes of this freezing plunge in memory of a Scranton woman who suffered for years from Crohn’s disease, then colon cancer that finally took her life at age 23.

But friends and family of Shannon McDonough said her courageous, funny, loving spirit still lives on.

“She never let cancer dominate her life,” her mother, Betty Ann McDonough, said. Despite fighting significant health problems since fifth grade, her daughter was a free-spirited woman who flew to Southern California as soon as she finished chemotherapy to fulfill a travel dream, she said.

Ms. McDonough’s life and friendship have inspired her loved to ones to help young people in Northeast Pennsylvania fighting cancer, largely through the Splashin’ With Compassion benefit they organized for the second year.

Stephanie Schofield will never forget when she met Ms. McDonough her first day of high school. The two introduced themselves, and Ms. McDonough offered her new friend a stick of gum.

Later that night, the girls spoke on the phone for the first time. But it was the long, silent pauses with no trace of awkwardness that let Ms. Schofield know she had found her new best friend.

The two were part of a core group of women who called themselves “the 12-pack,” Ms. Schofield said, even putting the name on their Parade Day T-shirts. After Ms. McDonough died six years ago, members of the group began selling T-shirts to raise money for other cancer patients.

Last year, they tried something new: a benefit event at which people pay to jump into an icy pool. They raised $10,000, Ms. Schofield said. After working with Dunmore oncologist Lisa Thomas, M.D., to identify cancer patients in need, they donated it to local patients ages 16 to 25.

Saturday’s benefit drew about 30 family members of former Valley View High School football coach Chad Rebar, who died of colon cancer within weeks of his diagnosis at age 32, his sister Laura Sampogne said

The family members, dressed in matching blue T-shirts commemorating Mr. Rebar, took the polar plunge together. Mrs. Sampogne said they wanted to honor her brother’s name.

“We hope to do this every year and get bigger and better,” she said.

Ms. Schofield said they hope to grow the benefit and come up with other fundraising opportunities so they can always have a pot of at least $4,000 they can share with patients who need financial assistance.

The group is a registered nonprofit and accepts donations on the website www.friendsofshannonmcdonough.com.

Contact the writer:

bgibbons@timesshamrock.com, @bgibbonsTT on Twitter

1. Why was a strike slated for Monday at Riverside School District postponed?

A. So both sides could “attempt to further our progress with negotiations.”

B. It was too cold for union members to be outside on the picket line.

C. School was canceled because of Monday’s snowstorm.

D. The state would not allow the union to strike.

2. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area ranked 92nd out of 100 for jobs in fields like ...

A. hospitality and food

production.

B. manufacturing, trucking and logistics.

C. science, technology, engineering and math.

D. theater and musical arts.

3. According to police, a man accused of going to his former employer and threatening to chop off two co-workers’ heads was carrying ...

A. a briefcase.

B. a machete.

C. a butter knife.

D. Both A and B.

4. Dunmore Borough Council approved the purchase of a $980,000 ...

A. snowplow/garbage truck for the Department of Public Works.

B. combination pumper/vehicle rescue/ladder truck for the Dunmore Fire Department.

C. cement mixer to repair borough sidewalks.

D. bubble to seal off the local landfill to protect

residents.

5. What did police find when they arrived at a South Side home for a report of a burglary

Tuesday?

A. A propane tank sitting on a hot stove.

B. The burglar, naked and grilling a steak in the house.

C. Dozens and dozens of cats.

D. A toddler who had broken in and was eating cookies from a jar on the counter.

6. Which of the following is the dessert that won a Madison Twp. woman first place at the Pennsylvania Farm Show?

A. Double Mint brownies.

B. Sundae Drive Through the Landfill.

C. Lumps of Coal.

D. Blueberry-Apple-Peach Pie.

7. True or false? An Ohio firm purchased the Shoppes at Montage and promised to fill vacancies in the 300,000-square-foot shopping center.

A. True.

B. False. The firm will turn it into a coal mining-themed amusement park.

8. Penn State extended offers to 13 of the 23 top football players in Pennsylvania as ranked by Rivals.com. How many ended up signing with Penn State last week?

A. None.

B. Two.

C. 11.

D. All 13.

9. What led police to accuse a Scranton man of stealing from two members of the clergy?

A. He was caught on surveillance cameras leaving one of the homes.

B. A police chief found a distinctive, expensive watch listed for sale on eBay that matched one stolen from a monsignor.

C. He confessed to one of the priests he victimized.

D. A friend ratted him out.

10. True or false? The National Park Service is considering changing the name of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to Delaware Valley National Park and Preserve.

A. True.

B. False.

CARBONDALE — More than a decade after debris started falling off the former Masonic Temple, a city contractor is poised to raze the deteriorating historic building.

Preliminary work, including preparing the interior of the 23-25 Salem Ave. structure for demolition, will begin next month, a schedule prepared by Dunmore-based Smart Recycling Inc. shows.

The roughly $300,000 project to remove the 141-year-old, blighted building from the city’s downtown is scheduled to wrap up in August.

The once-ornate building is now fenced in, with a large fabric cover affixed to the exterior around a gaping hole in the facade. It greets passers-by a half block from Main Street.

Tearing down the old building will improve the city’s image, Mayor Justin Taylor said.

“It’s huge,” Mr. Taylor said. “We look around, and there’s been so much redevelopment in downtown. Then people say, ‘Jeez, look at this thing. ... This building is falling down.’ It’s been like that almost 10 years. This building and the former Chellino hotel are the two biggest eyesores left in downtown Carbondale. It’s very important to the city to get this down.”

Removing the building will also create more space for another venture in a tight downtown, said Joseph Kapalko, who owns Royal Pizza and a two-story warehouse that are both attached to the dilapidated former Masonic Temple.

“It is being keenly followed by property developers,” said Mr. Kapalko, who is also a member of the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors.

The warehouse, Royal Pizza and Mr. Taylor’s own mixed-use commercial/residential building’s proximity to the former temple pose some logistical challenges for the project.

Mr. Taylor described the work as a delicate “deconstruction” rather than a traditional wrecking-ball-style demolition. It will require temporary evacuations of surrounding buildings and road closures during the summer, he said.

When it is all over, city officials will have to decide on the best path for returning the property to productive use, whether that means putting the lot out to bid or transferring it to the city redevelopment authority to select a specific proposal for the site, Mr. Taylor said.

The project will be primarily funded by a $275,000 gaming grant the Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded to Carbondale in 2013, along with some redirected Community Development Block Grant money.

When city officials were lining up funding, council and Mr. Taylor explored whether rehabilitating the structure could be a viable option one last time but concluded the building was too far gone.

Mr. Taylor estimated it would cost $225,000 just to stabilize the building, abate environmental issues like mold, restore the front facade, repair the roof and winterize the structure — then another $2 million to $3 million in renovations for a developer to actually move into the building.

“Who is going to buy that?” Mr. Taylor asked. “I’m of the belief that things do reach their useful life. You have got to move on sometimes. I’d love to see more historic buildings redeveloped, but this is a project that should have been done 30 years ago.”

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter