Lititz Record Express

              T H E R E S S
SER VING THE WARWICK AREA FOR NEARLY A CENTURY
97th Year E s ta b lis h e d A p ril, 1877, a s T h e S u n b e am
(C o n so lid a te d w ith T h e Xiltltz R e co rd , 1937) Lititz, Lancaster County, Penna. 17543, Thursday, Feb. 28,1974 10 c e n ts a Copy; $4.00 p e r y e a r b y m a ll
w ith in L a n c a s te r C o u n ty 20 PAGES — No. 49
Pedestrian Cross Signals at Square
Called for by Businessmen, Officials
Sure, there's no use crying over
spilled milk . .. but gas? Actually,
there was only a little gas spilled
Tuesday morning at Keller Bros. Ford
on Broad St. Local firemen responded
to hose the area down and minimize
L i t i t z R e co rd E x p r e s s Photo
the danger of fire. A Keller Bros,
spokesman said the mishap occurred
while a storage tank was being filled
and “ several quarts” of gasoline
bubbled out through an improperly
capped air vent.
Pointer to Run for State Legislature
Warwick High School
teacher, Richard Pohner,
announced his candidacy
this week for the State
Legislature.
Pohner, 38, will seek the
Democratic nomination for
representative from the
102nd Legislative District in
the spring primaries. The
seat will be vacated by Rep.
Robert C. Rowe, Republican
from Lebanon County, who is
not seeking re-election.
Pohner said he has already
met with the Democratic
Committee in Lebanon
County to announce his in­tentions,
adding that
although he has received no
official endorsement at this
time, he expects to get
“some party support.”
Lititz borough, and
Warwick, Elizabeth and
Penn Townships are the only
L a n c a s t e r C o u n ty
municipalities in the 102nd
House District. Lebanon
County comprises the bulk of
the district.
A newcomer to the
political scene, Pohner has
no previous experience at
either state or county levels
of government. He has been
a social studies teacher at
Warwick High for the past 16
years, and currently teaches
Problems of Democracy.
“I’m green at the basically
political system of parties,
“ but I think I ’ve got
something to offer,” he said
referring to his educational
background in government.
“ My qualifications are
that I’m a citizen, I have a
strong interest in the job,
and I want to do it,” he said.
“I can’t remember the last
time Lititz had any direct
r e p r e s e n t a t i o n in
Harrisburg,” he said, stating
that if he wins the election he
will guarantee “a direct line
to the people” and will be “in
touch with them.”
He said this area needs
such a direct line very much.
“That’s the only promise I
will make at this time,” he
said.
Pohner said he made his
decision to run for the House
last fall while teaching a
course on American
government.
“I realized that if the
system is going to work, you
have to go out and campaign
for office,” he said.
He said if he wins in the
fall election, he will take a
leave of absence from his
teaching job.
Pohner said one of his
biggest objections to the way
things are going in
Harrisburg is “the constant
bickering- over the budget”
and “the completely par­tisan
line everyone in the
Legislature seems to be
taking on this budget.”
He added that he thinks the
state is over-legislated. “We
have too many laws,” he
said.
Pohner is in the process of
circulating petitions, which
he must file with at least 100
names by March 12. He is
currently working at setting
up a campaign committee.
A native of Steelton,
Pohner has lived in Lititz for
the past 16 years, all of which
have been spent as a teacher
in the Warwick school
system.
He is a graduate of
Franklin & Marshall College
and did graduate work at
Temple University and
Millersville State College.
He is a member of St.
Paul’s Lutheran Church,
where he is a Sunday School
teacher. Since moving to
Lititz, he has worked with
the Rec Center, having
served as acting Rec Center
director for a summer,
playground supervisor, and
director of numerous youth
and adult programs. He is
currently on the Rec Cen­ter’s
Board of Directors.
He is active in the War-
PubiicMeeting Scheduled
March 14 on Alternatives
ToRemodeling Boro Hall
C o u n c ilm an Donald
Stauffer Tuesday night
called for a special meeting
of Boro Council to discuss
alternatives to renovation of
the Municipal Building
before plans go any further.
Council agreed to meet in a
public session Thursday,
March 14 at 8 p.m. in council
chambers.
Council noted that they
already have a feasibility
report on renovations done
by architect Jim Reese, and
an old feasibility study on
developing the Eby Mills
property for a Municipal
Building, and that these
would constitute two good
comparisons to begin
studying.
Boro Manager George
Steedle said that the County
Commissioners have agreed
to the proposed plan to locate
the district m ag istrate’s
offices and hearing room in
the present building, if
renovated, and want to know
a timetable and how much
rent the borough will charge.
Steedle said the Com­missioners
indicated that
about $200 a month would
“be in line” with what the
county is paying elsewhere
in rent.
Meanwhile, Council read a
letter from Warwick
T ow n sh ip o f f i c i a l s
requesting that a second
parking space be reserved
for police cruisers in front of
the present offices of the
magistrate at 104 E. Main St.
At present, only one space
is reserved, directly in front
of the office. Steedle said this
is posing a problem for all
police in the area, who must
deliver prisoners to the
magistrate’s office and often
have trouble finding a place
to park near the office.
Council approved a motion
to reserve a second space on
the north side of East Main
Street, opposite the
magistrate’s office.
Meeting before one of the
largest group of spectators
in the past year, Boro
Council Tuesday night took
up the matter of changing
traffic lights at Broad and
Main Streets at the square,
with an eye toward adding
pedestrian cross signals.
Council accepted four
letters from interested
groups and officials asking
for pedestrian cross signals.
One came from the Lititz
R e ta ile rs Association,
recommending pedestrian
signals and “any other ac­tion”
that would increase
safety at the intersection.
The Retailers stated that
present signals offer no
safety for pedestrians, and
are confusing, in that they
must be “read in reverse” of
usual crossing directions.
A second letter came from
Jack S. Watson, president of
Farmers F irst National
Bank, asking that West Main
Street be made a two-way
street, and that traffic lights
be installed in the square to
provide better protection for
pedestrians, and to allow
firemen to activate the
traffic lights for the
movement of fire trucks and
other traffic during periods
of emergency.
Watson said he was afraid
that if people are ac­customed
to the street being
one way, they might forget
during a fire emergency that
it is two-ways.
“All of us are concerned
about the beauty of the
square; but, it should be
possible to obtain standards
that would blend in with our
community and still provide
the necessary support for the
additional lighting that is
required,” Watson said.
A third letter from Lititz
Mutual Insurance Co.,
signed by Henry H. Gibbel,
also urged that pedestrian
controlled lights be installed
at the square, and proposed
that West Main be made a
two-way street and parking
limited to one side.
The insurance company
had been asked by the
borough to dedicate some
land to widen Pine Lane, to
facilitate traffic flow during
fire emergencies.
In his letter, Gibbel turned
down the request, stating
that this was not the solution
to the traffic flow problem
for fire emergencies.
Council said it would again
ask the firm to dedicate the
’land, and advise them that
this was a separate item, not
related to whether
pedestrian cross signals
were installed on the square.
The fourth letter came
from Police Chief George
Hicks, who said he was
repeating a request he made
January 1962, when traffic
lights were first considered
for the square, to have
pedestrian walk signals
incorporated in the system.
“It is obvious that the
present system provides
absolutely no protection for
the pedestrian and in fact the
pedestrian is confused and
does not know when to cross
this busy intersection
safely,” Chief Hicks said.
Council President Curt
Amidon said he had in mind
“ an independent traffic
engineer” whom he knew
would be willing to look over
the situation and advise the
borough on a traffic light
system for the square.
A motion to hire a traffic
engineer to work up plans for
a light was passed by
Council.
Ambulance Group
Opposes Co. Radio
Hookup by Police FeilerExplainsAuthorityTask
Boro Must Pay CTC
$500 Subsidy for
First Month of Trial
With the first month of a three-month experiment on
reduced bus fares between Lititz and Lancaster over,
Conestoga Transportation Company has reported its
revenues fell short by $941, and Boro Council authorized
the agreed-upon subsidization of $500 to the bus company.
The borough did not abandon the experiment, however,
although it had the option to do so after the first month,
according to the original agreement. The reduced bus
fares, from 72 to 45 cents, will continue for at least another
month, Boro Manager George Steedle said Tuesday night.
According to Tom Meredith, CTC executive, average
daily revenues had to reach $170 to make the reduced
fares profitable.
His report showed that the highest daily revenue during
February was $144, on Feb. 15, which was Linden Hall
Tour Day. The next highest daily revenue was $133, on two
separate days, Feb. 8 with 139 passengers, and Feb. 22
with 141 passengers. The difference in riders on the two
days was accounted for by the number of senior citizens
riding the buses on those days. The CTC is reimbursed 22
cents per senior citizen by the state.
The lowest daily revenue reported was $45 on Feb. 9,
when riders numbered 66, including 45 senior citizens.
During February, Meredith’s report showed, 2337
persons rode the bus, 1780 of them senior citizens. The
revenue for the month totaled $3,400, with $391.60 of this
state subsidy for senior citizens, and $2,067 coming from
fares from other riders.
Richard Pohner
wicK Euje. i iuu Association,
having been negotiations:
chairman last year, and
previously, acting president
for one year, vice-president,
and public relations
chairman. He has also been
public relations chairman
for the Lancaster County
coordinating council of the
P e n n s y lv a n i a S t a t e
Education Association.
He is a member of Lititz
Fire Company. His in­terests
include fishing,
hiking, and birdwatching.
Pohner is married to the
former Deborah Lebo of
Lititz. He has three children,
Carol, 17, Richard, Jr., 16,
and Christian, 2%. He
resides at 320 E. New St.
Hershey Cited
By County
Bar Assn. The Lancaster County Bar
Association has passed a
resolution of respect to the
memory of Owen Hershey,
local attorney and insurance
executive who was killed
Feb. 11 when he was struck
by a car while crossing
North Broad Street at the
square in Lititz.
Hershey was cited for his
executive ability, his ac­curate
judgment as a viewer
in fixing damages for con­demnation
cases, thoughtful
and accurate advice to
clients, and as a “sound and
conscientious lawyer.”
“He (Hershey) was
genuinely fond of his fellows
at the Bar, generous in his
relations with them and in
turn, highly respected and
much admired by his
colleagues in the legal
profession,” the resolution
states.
Postal Rates Jump
Starting Saturday
Postmaster Fidler an­nounced
today that postal
rates will be increased as of
Saturday.
All postage will be raised
except for the charges on
Certified, Registered and
Special Delivery Mail. First
class mail will go from 8
cents an ounce to 10 cents,
second class transient will be
raised from 6 cents to 8 cents
for the first two ounces, and
domestic air mail will now
be 13 cents an ounce.
Warwick Ambulance
Association is strongly op­posing
a proposed move by
tne Lititz police from the
■ Ephrata Communications
Center to the Lancaster
County center, stating that it
will be a hardship on the
ambulance unit, both
financially and service-wise.
About six representatives
from the ambulance
association were present at
the Boro Council meeting
Tuesday night to protest the
proposed change. The
association had also written
a two-page letter to Council
protesting the move.
According to the am­bulance
group, there would
be no direct, or car-to-car
communications with the
police once the police change
over to the county network.
They have this now, they
said, through a special
transmitter in the am­bulance
and by using a
municipal frequency which
Ephrata provides.
Police Chief George Hicks
and David Nagle, secretary
of the ambulance
association, disagreed over
the significance of this. Chief
Hicks stated that his
department has had very
little communication from
the ambulance since it went
on its new system last Oc­tober,
and Nagle maintained
that there has been direct
c om m u n ic a tio n with
the police department.
According to Hicks, the
ambulance must now call
through the Ephrata base to
talk to police, and then can
only be received in one of the
police cruisers.
T h e a m b u l a n c e
association said that in the
last six months it has spent a
great deal of money to im­prove
working relationships
with the police.
“ In October 1973 we
changed our dispatching
from a private phone
dispatcher to the Ephrata
Communications Center,
who also dispatches our local
police,” the letter stated.
“The changeover was made
at the recommendation of
both Lititz Chief Hicks and
Warwick Township Chief
(Paul) Haines.”
The association stated that
this change resulted in a cost
of $18 a month for service
and an initial investment of
over $6,000 for 30 dual
f r e q u jn c y m o n ito r s ,
equipped to receive both
ambulance and local police
calls.
The association also
purchased a $1,360 tran­smitter
which now enables
the ambulance crew to talk
car-to-car with the police
cruisers, the letter stated.
The association said that
in order to provide proper
and efficient service, it
needs total cooperation and
an active working
relationship with both the
borough and township police
departments.
Wayne Hummer, present
from the association, told
Council that since the am­bulance
serves the entire
Warwick area, the group
would not like a situation
“with half of our group in one
system and half in another.”
Council President Curt
Amidon recommended that
the members of the am­bulance
association take a
look at what the county
network has to offer, adding
that the borough, previously
against joining the county
system, had been “ sur-pirsed”
at the facilities they
found there.
Councilman Bill York
urged the ambulance
association, and borough and
township police to get
together and “hash out” the
matter. Nagle and Hummer
both agreed to have the
association set up such a
meeting.
York said that the cost
difference between the two
systems was a big con­sideration.
The borough now
pays $3,000 a year to
Ephrata. The county net­work
would cost about $700 a
year.
“Over a period of time,
this could pay for a lot of new
equipment,” York told the
< Continued On Page 17 )
Sewers are coming to
Warwick Township. State
environmental laws will
eventually compel the
township to install - and pay
for - a sewer system,
because the population
density is more than 300
persons per square mile.
“I become public enemy
number one the day
everybody finds out what the
system is going to cost,”
Marvin Feiler told the
Record-Express recently.
Feiler, 332 Owl Hill Road, is
chairman of the township
municipal authority. The
authority will be responsible
for raising money to pay for
the sewer system. They’ll
also be responsible for
collecting the fees to pay
back any loans or bond
issues needed for con­struction
costs. Feiler
pointed out that sewers are
still years in the future, but
the authourity is preparing
now for the day the first
pipes go in the ground.
“The authority is doing a
job that just has to be done,”
“All of us on the authority
are serving without pay, and
we all realize that we’re not
going to win any popularity
contests in the years ahead.
But the work has to be done.
In fact, we need another
authority member, and if
anybody is willing to do the
job, I hope they’ll contact
me.”
The two other members of
the authority are Bill
Sharpless, 1231 Orchard
Road, and Perry Hackman,
104 Brubaker Road.
First organized in 1969, the
W a rw ic k T ow n s h ip
Municipal Authority was
formed to oversee feasibility
studies on both water and
sewer systems for the
township. Both those studies
are now completed
Presently, Feiler and his
fellow authority members
a r e i n t e r v i e wi n g
representatives of civil
engineering firms. The firm
which is chosen will assist
the authority in applying for
any federal and state funds
which might be available for
sewer and-or water system
construction.
The authority is also
working on a capped sewer
and water ordinance. If
adopted, this ordinance
would compel developers to
install water and sewer
mains in all new develop­ments
so that when the
service becomes available, it
can be supplied without
digging up streets and
properties. It would apply
only to developments begun
after the passage of the
ordinance, and not to any
existing developments.
Feiler pointed out that
while there is no sewer
service available anywhere
in the township, water is
available to property owners
who want to pay the cost of
running lines to their
properties.
Local Man Arrested for
Prowling on Kissel Hill Rd.
A 23-year old local man
was apprehended Feb. 20 by
borough police after
allegedly loitering and
prowling in the Kissel Hill
Road area.
Apprehended was Ben­jamin
F. Yuninger, 37 S.
Locust St., who will be
summoned for loitering and
prowling at night, and
driving without lights to
avoid identification and
arrest.
Police received a com­plaint
at 10:45 p.m. Feb. 20
from residents of Kissel Hill
Road of a prowler on their
property. The individual had
been seen and a description
given to police by the family.
Upon investigating, Of­ficers
Charles Shenenberger
and Wayne Shinton saw
Yuninger parked across the
street from the com-p
l a i n a n t ’s h o u s e .
Yuninger reportedly tried to
back his car away from the
curb quickly, without
headlights, before being
(Continued On Page 17)
in This Issue
Business Directory 16
Church News 14,15
Classified Ads 18,19
Editorial Page 4
Sports Section 6,7,8
Women’s 12
1^ rom piike
PRICE PER H GALLON PRICE PER GALLON
CAUTION: DUE TO A SHORTAGE OF
COMPUTER PARTS THIS DISPENSER
TEMPORARILY INDICATES ONLY
1/2 THE TOTAL SALE PRICE.
Motorists will be seeing this sign on many gas
station pumps in coming days, with gasoline prices
scheduled to go up Friday, higher than the in­dicators
read on many of the pumps. What it means
is that when you read the totals on the pump in­dicators,
you're only reading half the verdict. You’ll
have to double the figure you see to get the final
tally, because many of the indicators only register
up to 50 cents per gallon.