Lititz Record Express

              T H E
£ n ö i
R E S S
S E R V IN G T H E W A R W IC K A R E A F O R M O R E T H A N A C E N T U R Y
112th Year One Section ESTABLISHED APRIL 1877 AS THE SUNBEAM
CONSOLIDATED WITH THE LITITZ RECORD 1937 Lititz, Lancaster County PA, 17543. Thursday, February 2, 1989
D e v e lo p e r e y e s
9 0 n ew h om e s
in R o th s v ille
Plans were disclosed last
week for the construction of
a development including
five commercial lots and
nearly 90 homes on land -
adjacent to the Lancaster
Polo Association polo fields
in Rothsville.
The proposed develop­ment,
which will include 32
semi-detached and 55
single-family homes, is
planned for a 30-acre por­tion
of the former Benjamin
Forney farm, reports said.
The property was purchased
in October at public auction
for $14,666 per acre by Jack
Hartz, a Lititz developer.
Members of the Warwick
Township Planning Com­mission
reviewed a sketch
plan of the development dur­ing
their Wednesday night
meeting.
The site fronts on the
south side of Main Street,
near the center of the War­wick
Township village. It is
adjacent to the polo fields
which Forney, who died last
June, established on his
property in 1956.
The late Ben Forney
founded the Lancaster Polo
Club in the 1940s and
brought polo back to Lan­caster
County in 1954, just
before his 50th birthday. He
continued to play the game
through his 70s and cele­brated
his 80th birthday
astride a polo pony.
Forney’s Knotty Pine
Stables were located on the
front seven acres of the prop­osed
development. The tract
is zoned for a combination of
commercial and high-density
uses.
Forney’s house and farm
building were situated on the
23-acre tract, which is zoned
(Turn to Page 4)
* . 8 2 2 * 1 • *.U D MY LIPS
■ - - ' iJ-j^
¡Milpl:l':p-
HE DIDN’T SEE HIS SHADOW— Local groundhog Brunnerville Bruno says,
“Read my lips. No new snow.” Passersby can see Bruno in the front yard of
taxidermist Dave Enterline, 623 Pine Hill Road, on Groudhog Day, which is
today. The groundhog has predicted the weather for the greater Brunnerville
area for at least eight years. (Photo by Jed Kensinger)
30 CENTS A COPY $9.50 PER YEAR BY MAIL
WITHIN LANCASTER COUNTY 22 Pages- No. 43
Council tables vote
on ‘games’ initiative
Police force paces
township growth
By Becky Collins
Record-Express News Editor
Two hundred thirty
crimes, representing a five
percent increase over the
previous year, were investi­gated
by the Warwick
Township Police Depart­ment
in 1988, according to a
report issued by the depart­ment
Jan. 11.
The largest increase in
crime in the township during
1988 was in the area of crim­inal
mischief, which showed
a jump from 33 to 53 inci­dents
during the calendar
year 1988. Burglaries also
increased in the township, as
did disorderly conduct.
Despite slight increases in
less serious crimes, town­ship
police chief Harry
Aichele contends his depart­ment
is holding the line on
crime. His problem, he
notes, is providing enough
manpower to adequately
patrol the 25-mile radius of
the township now under
development.
“We want to be a high-visibility
department,”
Aichele maintains, adding
that the department has trad­itionally
concentrated its
efforts in the areas where
construction is underway or
at intersections where acci­dents
are most prevalent.
The problem with con­struction
site theft, he
explains, is that building
sites are now found all over
the township, and they’re
not all strategically located.
“These are our hot spots,
the areas where the most
criminal activity is taking
place,” Aichele says. To that
end, Aichele’s department
has instructed patrolmen to
check each building site at
least twice after dark.
Increased construction
goes hand-in-hand with an
ever-expanding population,
another factor that must be
considered in compiling
annual crime statistics.
“We have more people, so
we’re going to have more
incidents of crime, more
people on the roadways and
more accidents,” the chief
notes.
Contrary to that assess­ment,
Aichele’s department
actually saw a decrease in
the number of vehicle acci­dents
during 1988. The fig­ures
released from the
department indicate that
traffic accidents decreased
from 260 in 1987 to 244 in
1988.
Added vigilance by the
department along the town­ship’s
100 miles of roadway
resulted in a fatality-free
year for township drivers,
compared to two traffic fat­alities
during 1987.
To continue that trend and
to meet population-officer
ratios recommended by the
commonwealth, the depart­ment
has increased in size
from nine to 11 officers.
Aichele says the added
manpower has increased the
department’s flexability and
shortened response times, an
important factor in combat­ting
crime. “We are able to
have a cruiser on the road at
all times,” he notes.
The department has also
installed a installed a com­puter
system for keeping
track of crimes and traffic
(Turn to Page 4)
Route designation
proposed to ease
traffic congestion
By Dave Knauss
Record-Express Editor
Veterans and other civic groups in Lititz
will know Feb. 28 whether they can ask the
electorate to decide if small games of
chance should be approved for the
borough.
That’s the date when Lititz Borough
Council will vote on whether to place on
the spring primary ballot a referendum on
the issue. Council decided Tuesday night
to first advertise the ballot question, which
would read, “Do you favor the issuance of
licenses to conduct small games of chance
in the Borough of Lititz?”
The games, which many civic groups
and fire companies claim are necessary for
adequate fund-raising, are lotteries, raf­fles,
punchboards, pull-tabs and others.
Last December Gov. Robert P. Casey
signed state Act 156 allowing the games
provided the local municipality okays
them through a ballot question.
James B. Shultz, commander of the
Lititz VFW, and Ralph W. Seaman, com­mander
of the Lititz American Legion,
asked council to immediately approve the
ballot question. But council members held
off, stating that the state Association of
Boroughs claims boroughs may not
approve the question until Feb. 17. It also
says organizations may not circulate peti­tions
until then, to sign up at least 25 per­cent
of the usual electorate which would
place the question on the ballot.
So after die referendum is advertised in
newspapers, council will vote on the mat­ter
Feb. 28.
Shultz, appearing peeved at the delay,
said at least three municipalities in the
county have approved the question for the
primary election. But council members
said that action may have been premature.
Before a local television camerawoman
covering the presentation, Shultz said he
and other supporters of the measure would
be at the Feb. 28 meeting “with bells on.”
In other action, council member Russell
Pettyjohn told a representative from the
firm planning Brookfield Estates that
council does riot need to act on the subdivi­sion
plan. Five acres of the proposed deve­lopment
lie in the borough, the rest in War­wick
Township.
Council give approval to PSC Engineer­ing
and Consulting of Lancaster to prepare
specifications for a $126,000 repair project
on the Kissel Hill reservoir. The engineers
said they expect the 20-year-old reservoir
to last another two decades.
Council hired Jeffrey Hollinger as a
police officer effective April 11 at a salary
of $15,000, upped to $15,500 after
training.
A vote on hiring another individual as a
patrolman was deferred until Mayor Roy
Clair interviews the person.
Council also received notice from the
Water StreetRescue Mission that the recy­cling
shed on Rothsville Road will be
removed after Feb. 20 because of its poor
condition and dumping of inappropriate
materials.
A newly-installed computer system at the Warwick Township Police
Department means less paperwork for the officers and more time spent onthe
road. Officer Ed Tobin (seated) demonstrates the computer’s capabilities to
dispatcher Chris Good and Chief Harry Aichele. (Photo by Becky Collins)
By Jed Kensinger
Record-Express Staff Writer
Several rural roads in
northern Lancaster County,
including Elizabethtown
Road, Newport Road and
Brubaker Valley Road, may
be assigned a traffic route
number.
The Lancaster County
Planning Commission has
submitted a proposal to the
State Department *of Trans­portation
which recom­mends
that the exisiting
roads, which cut through
Rapho, Penn and Elizabeth
Townships, become part of a
42-mile route running from
Falmouth to Terre Hill.
Christopher Douwes of
the Planning Commission
staff said the plan is
designed to provide an alter­nate
east-west route which
will ease traffic congestion
in Manheim, Lititz, Roths­ville
and Ephrata.
The change is “suggested
at this time to help traffic
move now,” he said.
“We know that those
roads are already being used
by trucks. It’s probably the
most direct route across the
northern part of the county,”
Douwes said. The east-west
route will be beneficial to
truck drivers making agicul-tural
deliveries, he said.
There are drawbacks,
Douwes noted. Residents
living along the proposed
route are likely to see more
traffic. “It’s a way of sharing
the pain of traffic,” he said.
The roads which make up
the proposed route also need
to be repaired. County plan­ners
recommend reconstruc­tion
of the roads along the
entire length of the proposed
route. However, the plan­ners
recommend that exist­ing
roads receive a route
number at the present time.
The planners said Pen-nDOT,
after reviewing the
proposal, will respond in one
of three ways. The plan may
be rejected. It may be
approved with improve­ments
required before route
designation. The other
option is for PennDOT to
allow the route designation
before repairs are made.
The roads are likely to be
improved if the roads are
given a traffic route number,
Douwes said. All roads in
the plan are state roads, he
noted.
Without a route number,
Douwes said, the roads stand
little chance of being
repaired in the near future.
Douwes added,“Penn DOT
simply does not have the
money available to do
repairs now.”
Along the route there are
(Turn to Page 10)
Groups take sides
on games proposal
By Dave Knauss
Record-Express Editor
If the small games of
chance question gets on the
primary ballot, a number of
borough organizations will
be lobbying for its passage
and at least one church for its
rejection.
Giving official notice of
their support for the measure
— a source of controversy
statewide because it is
another type of legalized
gambling — are the Lititz
VFW, Lititz American Leg­ion
and Lititz Fire Company.
The president of the Lititz
Jaycees also stated his
group’s approval of the
measure.
Coming out squarely
against the idea is Trinity
Evangelical Congregational
Church in Lititz, whose pas­tor
of family ministry said
the games are an “unneces­sary
evil.”
James Shultz, commander
of the Lititz VFW, said if the
question is adopted, an orga­nization
would have to pay
$100 a year for a license.
The games would be under
the control of the county dis­trict
attorney and county
treasurer’s office. A group
could distribute up to $5,000
in prize money a month,
with permission to give out
up to $25,000 in each of two
single events a year, like giv­ing
away a Cadillac.
Violators can get a fine up
(Turn to Page 11)
Many local anglers and hunters would like to
see Pennsylvania’s Fish Commission and
Game Commission remain separate agencies.
(Photo by Jed Kensinger)
Area sportsmen
opposed to
agency merger
By Jed Kensinger
Record-Express Staff Writer
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. That seems to be the
cliche most local sportsmen are using to descibe their
opposition to the idea of merging the Pennsylvania
Fish and Game commissions.
The state’s Legislative,Budget and Finance Comit-tce
has conducted a study of the impact and financial
feasibility of a merger which is scheduled to be
released by the second week of March, says Dave Wolf
of the Fish Commission.
At that time, the committee will give a report to the
General Assembly to take action.
Local sportsmen have perked up their ears over an
issue which has a potential to change the way their lei­sure
time activities are administered.
The issue is close to home, since many sportsmen
have numerous fishing and hunting opportunities
nearby.
Anglers go fishing in the numerous stocked streams
surrounding Lititz and Manheim. In fact, some of the
best fishing and boating opportunities in Lancaster
County are found at Speedwell Forge Lake, where the
Fish Commission has its Southeast Region Office.
Hundreds of acres of public hunting grounds are also
available to hunters in the Furnace Hills section of Eli­zabeth
Township. (Turn to Pgge 4)
Recycling
schedule
The Water Street
Rescue Mission will
pick up recyclable
materials at curbside in
Lititz in the area north
of Main Street and east
of Route 501 on Wed­nesday,
Feb. 8. Resi­dents
should have their
recyclables on the curb
by 7:30 a m.
Book borrowers’ bonanza
If you’re an absent-minded
bookworm who
has forgotten to return
your overdue books to
the Lititz Library, take
heart. Lititz librarian
Donna Hammond has
offered a whole week of
amnesty — Feb. 6-11
— when you may
return the books with­out
a fine. For a Story
about your local library,
see page 15.
Retailers
will meet
The monthly meet­ing
of the Lititz Retail­ers
Association has
been scheduled for the
second Wednesday of
this month. This
month’s meeting will be
held next Wednesday,
Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at
Binge man’s Restaur­ant.
Alt area business­men
are welcome to
attend.
Girls tie for top spot
The Lady Warriors
did it again. Last
week’s wins over Man­heim
Central and
Cocalico earned coups
that gives them a tie for
the top spot in section
play. For a complete
story and stop-action
photos of the basket­ball
stars, turn to page
6.
Run for Peace
The seventh annual
Run for Peace was
approved Tuesday
night at the Borough
Counci l meet ing.
Sponsored by the Lititz
Church of the Brethren,
the 10-kilometer Run
for Peace and the
Peace Mile, will be held
June 10 rain or shine.
I n s i d e
T o d a y ’s
R e c o r d
Business 17
Church 14
Classified 19-21
Editorial 4
Manheim 16
Out of the Past 18
School Menu 13
Social 12-13
Sports 6-8