Lititz Record Express

              T H E B E S S
SERVING THE WARWICK AREA FOR NEARLY A CENTURY
98th Year Established April, 1877,. as The Sunbeam
(Consolidated with The liltltz Record, 1937) Lititz, Lancaster County, Penna. 17543, Thursday, August 8,1974. 10 cents a Copy; $4.00 per year by'mall
_________within Lancaster County_________ 20 PAGES — No. 20
A r e a G O P E l e c t i o n s V o i d e d ,
M c C lo u d N a m e d C h a ir m a n
This is the empty lot on the south side of Spring
Avenue on which local builder Don Kepner wants
to put semi-detached houses, a plan which neigh­borhood
residents are opposing. People who live in
singles on either side of the lot, and those in the
semi-detached houses on the opposite side of the
street, claim another semi would detract from the
I .i t it z R e co rd E x p r e s s Pho to
neighborhood, some of them telling the Zoning
Hearing Board that Kepner had “ promised" them
he would build a single house on the lot. Spring
Avenue residents are also complaining about the
weeds on the lot, which one citizen claimed had not
been cut in two years.
Builder, Citizens Clash over Plans
For Vacant Lot on Spring Avenue
Local builder Don Kepner,
who wants to build two semi­detached
houses on the last
remaining lot on Spring
Avenue in Sutter Village, ran
into opposition from some
residents of that neigh­borhood
at Zoning Hearing
Board meeting Monday
night.
Zoners heard complaints
from several citizens
present, and read letters
from others who did not
attend, stating that they
were strongly opposed to a
semi-detached going up
between a row of four single
family houses on Spring
Avenue.
Even though Sutter Village
now contains about 600 semi­detached
houses, recent
changes in the zoning or­dinance
now prohibit con­struction
of this type of house
in residential districts.
Sutter Village is zoned
residential.
Kepner , seeking a
variance to build a semi­detached
at 544 Spring Ave.,
told the zoners that in 1970 he
had bought deeds for 10 lots
in Sutter Vilage and also had
bought plot plans laid out in
semi-detached homes.
Since then, he said, the
zoning ordinance was
changed, when residential R-A
(for apartments, etc.)
districts were added to the
zoning map.
Admitting that he had not
read the published legal
notice about the zoning
changes, Kepner said that he
was not personally notified
by the borough about the
zoning chnages, even though
several large developers in
the area received letters of
notification.
Although Kepner told the
zoners that he had intended
from the beginning to
reserve at least one of the
lots on Spring Avenue for
semi-detached houses, some
residents of that street
stated that both Kepner and
one of his salesmen had
“promised” them that all the
houses on the south side
would be single family
dwellings.
Charles Henne, 540 Spring
Ave., in a letter to the
borough, stated that he was
distrurbed about Kepner’s
intentions to put up a semi­detached
next to his single
family house. Henne stated
that he had bought his
property with the
“ g u a ra n te e” that there
would be only single lots on
that side of the street.
Jerry Martin, 548 Spring
Ave., who was present at the
meeting, also said that
Kepner and one of his
salesmen had promised him
there would be five single
family houses on Spring
Avenue (there are now four),
and that he objected to
construction of a semi.
“That is a falsehood,”
Kepner told the zoners,
adding that Martin must
have a “ very good
memory.”
“I didn’t promise anyone!
there would be a single on
that lot,” he said. “I told all
my salesmen, one of whom:
lives there, that I planned to*
reserve one for a semi, andl
he certainly knows it.”
“And they (the semi­detached)
won’t be built like
the ones across the street,“
Kepner added.
“None of you have asked
what style, what ar­chitecture
I’m planning,”
Kepner told the residents.
“You’re just saying that a
semi-would detract from the
neighborhood.”
“If there are people who
want to perjure themselves
by stating that I guaranteed
them all singles, I’ll back
off,” Kepner then said. “But
I want to see their faces
here.”
“ I am here,” Martin
retorted.
Several other residents of
Spring Avenue also objected
to construction of a semi­detached,
stating that it
would be an “eyesore,” it
would detract from the
property value of present
houses, and would look “out
of place” between the single
family houses on that side of
the street.
Several of the residents
also complained that weeds
on the lot in question were
not kept cut. One resident,
Cleo Weidman, Jr., 549
Spring Ave., said the weeds
had not been cut “in the last
two years” and that they are
so high that he “can’t see
kids riding their bikes”on
the lot.
Robert Derek, zoner,
stated that the board needed
more time to study the issue,
wanted to see some plans of
the semi-detached houses
that Kepner wants to build
there, and also wants a
ruling from the borough’s
soliciter on the legal
ramifications involved with
the zoning change.
In further business, the
zoners granted Floyd S.
Hagy, 46 E. Main St., in the
Historical Area, special
authorization to remodel the
front of his Western Auto
Store. He plans to construct
a cedar shake tent eave,
attach dark brown shutters
on the second floor front,
repaint the trim beige and
brown to match the cedar
shakes, and attach exterior
porch lights at the main
entrance. He was also
granted permission to
replace the existing sign.
Elmer J. Fenstermacher,
224 Noble St., was granted a
variance to construct a
single family dwelling on a
lot he owns at 263 Noble St.
Lititz Fire Company was
granted a special exception
to erect a four by five foot
identification sign within a
structure housing for a bell
at the new fire station on
West Main Street.
Elmer B. Beck, 45 S. Broad
St., was granted a special
authorization to repaint the
trim on his building green.
Zoners transfered a
variance granted to
Douglass Woolley, Lan­caster,
to build a single
family dwelling on a lot at
211N. Locust St., on which he
held an option, to Douglas
Reinhart, owner of the
property. Reinhart was also
granted a time extension for
construction.
In what is proving to be
one of the biggest con­troversies
in recent events of
the local area Republican
Committee—the Warwick
School District area com­mittee-
elections for area
chairman and other officers
held July 9 were declared
null, void, and illegal
Tuesday night, and Paul W.
McCloud, committeeman
from the borough’s Third
Ward, was elected new
chairman for a two year
term.
He will now step into the
spot that Gerald K. Husser,
311 Bahner Rd., was elected
to last July, as successor to
Raymond S. Reedy, who had
held the post for three terms.
According to County GOP
chairman and County
Commissioner Paul F. Paes,
who conducted Tuesday
night’s meeting at the Wilbur
Chocolate Company, “When
the results of the July 9
election were brought to my
attention, it was noted that
there were two irregularities
which nullified the election
of area chairman and other
officers.”
Paes said the
irregularities were:
1. Sufficient notice was not
given to convene the election
(county committee rules
require that committee
people must be given seven
days notice of the meeting).
2. The area chairman who
was elected (Husser) did not
receive two-thirds of a
majority of all those voting.
According to reports from
committee sources, Husser
had won the July 9 election
by a 7-4 vote. One com-
Paul W. McCloud
mitteeman arrived late at
the meeting, and his ap­pearance,
according to
committe officials, upped
the necessary election
requirement to 7.3 votes.
While at the time, the
seven votes for Husser were
allowed to carry the election,
officials later decided that
eight votes were required for
a two-thirds majority vote.
Reedy withdrew himself
from the election on July 9,
and did not seek re-election
at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Other officers elected
Tuesday night were Mrs.
Mary B. Carl, com-mitteewoman
from the Third
Ward of Lititz, vice-chairman;
Mrs. Nancy
Workman, Second Ward
committeewoman,
secretary; Leroy S. Ulrich,
Elizabeth Township com­mitteeman,
and Richard
Walter, Warwick Township
committeeman, both elected
Young Minister Seeks Zoning OK
For Worship Center on Spruce St.
By Peggy Frailey
When 21-year old Malcolm Lee Boultbee, assistant
pastor of the First Pentecostal Church in Manheim, aimed
his ministry toward young people in Lititz this summer,
he found that his “following” rapidly grew from five to
about 30 youngsters.
At first he turned his home at 19 S. Spruce St. into a sort
of worship center for the kids every Friday night. But the
gathering soon outgrew the house, and Rev. Boultbee then
started converting the bam behind his house into a center.
Backed by the neighbor who supports Boultbee’s
ministry, and opposed by three property owners whose
mother lives next door to him, the young minister applied
to Lititz Zoning Hearing Board Monday night for a special
exception to operate his “lay place of worship,” which is
known as “The Bakery.”
Zoners were uncertain what to do with the case. They
voiced no real objections to Rev. Boultbee’s purposes, but
did remark they were concerned about possible parking
problems, and also the fact that the barn is right in the
middle of a residential neighborhood.
They were also concerned about a reported disturbance
at the barn last Friday night, the first night the group met
there.
According to Rev. Boultbee, he had opened the barn
mainly so that his neighbors could see what was going on
and determine if there would be excessive noise. Un­fortunately,
he said, some neighborhood kids “didn’t like
what was going on” and after the worship service, he said,
shot some pellets and threw rocks through the barn
window. No one was in the barn at the time, he said.
Other than that, the minister said, there have been no
disturbances, and no complaints stemming from his new
project.
Looking for possible alternatives to using the barn,
zoners had some pertinent questions for the young
minister.
“Have you considered using churches in Lititz for your
services?” Robert Bingeman asked.
“The Rec Center is only a block away - why don’t you
use that?” Robert Derek asked.
“Do these kids’ parents know where they are?” Devoe
Bear wanted to know.
And—a perennial problem which the zoners must face -
is there enough available parking and where is it?
Rev. Boultbee apparently had already given close
scrutihy to the same questions.
“We’re trying to provide a place for these kids to go, to
pull them off the streets,” he told the zoners.
“Some of these young people we’re trying to reach are
involved in the drug traffic in the Park (Lititz Springs
Park). These are people no one wants to spend the time
on,” he said. “The local churches here wouldn’t ap­preciate
them walking in with their bare feet and long
hair.”
What is more to the point, Rev. Boultbee went on, these
are kids who are “turned off” by institutionalized wor­ship.
“I know what I’m talking about,” he said. “I was a drug
addict myself four years ago. I was one of the ones with
the hair to the shoulders, the hearH ricdif5" the
the drug traffic. I used to hang out in the Park - 1 know
these kids. At that time, church would have turned me off,
too.”
Nor is the Rec Center the answer to his project! Rev.
Boultbee told the zoners. It’s an established place, dances
are held there on Friday nights, and “it’s hard to hold an
evangelical service while a dance is going on,” he said.
Also, he added, the Lititz Youth Ministry is now
reaching non-problem kids at gatherings in the Park, near
the Rec Center. What Rev. Boultbee wants to do is reach
“problem” kids.
As to whether these kids’ parents know they are at­tending
a worship service in his barn, Rev. Boultbee
replied: “I don’t know, but I doubt if their parents knew
what they were doing in the Park, either.”
Parking is no problem that Rev. Boultbee can see. Most
of the kids walk to his barn, either from neighboring
houses or from the Park. He said that Lititz Mutual In­surance
Co. and the Lititz Fire Company have promised
him parking spaces in their lots for those that drive.
Rev. Boultbee started working with local youths around
the Park about three months ago, he told the Record-
Express after the zoning meeting.
He would gather with some of the young people “to
witness,” and then, as a matter of routine, they would go
back to his house to talk and pray.
“Then they started bringing someone back with them,
and the whole thing kept growing,” he said.
Many of the young people he encounters in the Park
remember him from his earlier addict days, he said.
“They think I’m strange,” he said. “It’s hard for some
of them to comprehend what happened to me (Rev.
Boultbee was referring to his religious conversion ex­perience),
but I find it’s still influential with them.”
Rev. Boultbee and his associates, or Board, all mem­bers
of the Manheim church, aimed their ministry at the
youth because they believe the young people here “have a
need.”
“The Bakery” is not only a place for them to gather on a
Fiday night, he said, but it gives them an opportunity to
“bring others off the streets” and share their faith “on a
one-to-one basis.”
“We’re not trying to convert anyone to any particular
denomination,” he went on. “Personally, I’m not in­terested
in working for any one church. And we don’t push
the kids to go to some church.”
“We have a variety of denominations represented,” he
said, adding that a lot of his group don’t go to any church.
A typical Friday night service, he said, consists of a
lengthy song session, personal testimonies, prayers, and a
sermon.
There is a good deal of problem sharing, he said, and he
also counsels the young people who seek help.
He is assisted by a small group of men seeking the same
goals, once an ex-drug addict like himself, one a
theological student, one an engineer, one a store manager,
one an office worker.
“We have a number of guest speakers lined up, and
some gospel groups coming to sing,” he said.
On Aug. 17, the Living Broad Ministries, the group
under which the “Bakery” is organized, will kick off its
to the county advisory
committee.
McCloud, as area chair­man,
will automatically sit
on the county advisory
committee.
The new election
somewhat changes the
makeup of the committee
officers elected July 9. At
that time Ulrich had been
e le c ted v ice-chairman,
succeeding Mary Carl. Mrs.
Carl is now back in that post,
with Ulrich put on the ad­visory
committee.
The elections completely
eliminate Husser, who is not
a committeeman, from any
official capacity.
Committe sources said
that the party was concerned
that a person not a member
of the committee had been
elected to the top post on it.
However, area chairmen are
not required to be members
of the committee, Paes said.
In accepting the area
chairmanship McCloud
stated that “it is very im-ln
This Issue
Business Directory 16
Church News 14
Classified Ads 18,19
Editorial Page 4
Sports Section 6,7
Women’s 12,13
Gerard K. Husser
portant to elect a Republican
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n in
Harrisburg.”
“We have had many
promises but little action in
the past four years,” he said.
“One example is the
deplorable condition of our
state highways.”
“There are three im­portant
programs which I
would like to see invoked by
the Warwick area.
“First: the involvement of
all Republicans for the
election of Drew Lewis as
governor and Kenneth Lee
as Lieutenant governor of
Pennsylvania.”
[Continued on Page 20]
Skylark Drive Will Get
Front Door Mail Service
Skylark Drive residents will get door to door mail
delivery, in spite of an earlier decision by the U. S. Postal
Service to discontinue front door delivery of mail to homes
on new streets.
Boro Manager George Steedle said that the Lititz post
office has been granted a variance by the U. S. Postal
Service authorizing front door delivery to residents of
Skylark Drive.
Local Postmaster, Martin Fidler, told the Record-
Express that delivery will begin as soon as residents have
their house numbers posted.
Boro Council had protested the Postal Service’s ruling
last week, stating that they considered it
“discriminatory” and that they did not want residents
driving mail boxes into grass strips along new sidewalks.
Four Postal Service officials reportedly met in Lititz
last week, after Boro Council’s protest, took a look at
Skylark Drive, and reconsidered the ruling, since Skylark
is adjacent to other areas with door to door delivery.
Postmaster Fidler said he does not know what ruling
will be made regarding other new streets, that decisions
will probably be made on a house-by-house, or street-by­street
basis.
Forney Development
OK’d by Planners
One of Hurst Bros. Builders’ major housing develop­ments,
the Forney Development off East Main Street, was
approved by the borough Planning Commission Tuesday
night. The Commission’s recommendation for final ap­proval
will now go to Boro Council.
Final plans submitted Tuesday call for 48 new single
family homes, and building of three streets that even­tually
will connect East Main Street with Kissel Hill Road.
The developers want to start construction in about a
month, according to Richard Hurst.
The commission also reviewed plans for more
development of Libramont, a Messick development in the
southeastern section of town, and gave conditional ap­proval
subject to some engineering details and the posting
of an additional $5000 by Messick to be held in escrew until
property lines are identified and a satisfactory storm
drainage plan is submitted.
This plan includes the building of an extension of South
Cedar Street, sitf lots for apartments on the west side of
Cedar and seven lots for single family houses on the east
side.
The commission voted to recommend rezoning of East
Marion Street, between South Cedar and Raspberry Lane,
from residental to residential-apartments.
Henry Snavely asked for the rezoning to build a six-apartment
complex on the site.
The recommendation will now go to Boro Council for
approval and then to public hearing.
Snavely said he plans to construct five two-bedroom
apartments and one three-bedroom unit in townhouse type
buildings.
The property is near the B&G Shoe Co., and east of Lititz
Springs Garage.
In further business, the commission re-elected Dennis
Craig chairman, Roy Enck, vice-chairman, and George
Steedle, secretary.
Craig, who lives at 28 S. Broad St., has been on the
commission since 1961 and has been chairman since 1967.
Enck, 24 E. Orange St., has been vice-chairman since
1970. Steedle, who is boro manager and lives at 516 Kissel
Hill Rd., has served as secretary of the commission since
1 Qj%4,