Lititz Record Express

              THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2001
L i t i t z R e c o r d E x p r e s s
^ a r d - W i u ^
f*ubli c a tio n
124TH YEAR 28 Pages- No. 50 LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA 30 Cents
Hidden police camera could
provoke officer’s legal action
Lititz Borough officials are now evaluating letter from investigated officer’s attorney
STEPHEN SEEBER
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — The “Lititz Police Spy Camera”
issue has redeveloped after borough officials re­ceived
a letter of demands from a police officer
who alleges he was the target of the surveillance
last summer.
Few details of the hidden camera, which was
discovered in the police department’s squad
room last August, have been released, mainly
because it was used for what the borough has
called a non-criminal investigation. That inves­tigation,
which centered on a borough officer,
was deemed inconclusive by the borough and
the details are not open to the public because it
is a personnel issue. To date, the officer’s name
has not been made public.
Borough Council President Dennis Stuckey
confirmed this week that the borough has re­ceived
a letter from the questioned officer’s at­torney.
The letter is now being reviewed by the
borough’s legal counsel — Barley, Snyder, Senft
and Cohen of Lancaster.
The letter is reportedly a list of demands
from the officer, who is asking for a public apol­ogy,
full disclosure of all the facts behind his in­vestigation,
and compensation from the bor­ough.
This letter, which has not been made public
at this time, was addressed to Lititz Mayor Rus­sell
Pettyjohn, Lititz Police Chief Douglas Sher-tzer
and Council President Stuckey. Members
of the Borough Council also received copies.
Other than confirming that a letter was re­ceived,
Stuckey said that he could not make
any comment on the matter. Chief Shertzer de­clined
to comment, and Mayor Pettyjohn was
unavailable for comment.
According to Pat Mastromatteo, an investiga­tor
working for the officer’s attorney, legal ac­tion
against the borough is pending the local
government’s reaction to the demands.
“If they do not meet specifications, then legal
action wfil be filed in the federal courts,” Mas­tromatteo
said. “Everyone on Council has re­ceived
the letter and 12 conditions have to be
met.”
Among those conditions, according to Mas­tromatteo,
are a public apology from the bor­ough
to the residents of the community, a pub­lic
apology from the borough to the officer who
More S P Y C AM E R A on A -2 3
INSIDE
D School
Kenya Journey
Warwick ninth grader Shane
Ulrich is hoping to spend a few
weeks this summer in Kenya,
Africa, as part of a youth cultur­al
exchange. Find out more
about his plans on Page 6
School Board
The Warwick School District
recently received notification
that it received more money
from the ongoing fraudulent in­vestment
settlement. This
story, plus more news , from
Tuesday’s School Board meet­ing
— including the likely date
for graduation — can be found
on Page 21.
□ Religion
Easter Services
Lititz area churches are pre­paring
for their Easter services.
Details about what some of our
local congregations have
scheduled can be found on
Pages 16-17, 19.
mEntertainment
‘Alice’ Ballet
Three local dancers will per­form
in a ballet production of
“Alice in Wonderland,” to be
presented at the Fulton Opera
House in Lancaster. Page 22.
□ Commentary
A Proud Papa
Our editor is now the proud
father of a beautiful baby girl,
and he is about to find out what
a challenge parenthood can be.
But just getting to this point
provided another set of chal­lenges
they had to overcome.
His For the Record column ap­pears
on Page 4.
□ Also Inside
Soup Success
The Circle of Life Soup for
the Soul campaign was a big
success raising about $3,700 to
help two teens battling cancer.
The results of the even can be
found on Page 21.
□ Sports
EIndex
Arts/Entertainmerit................ 22
Births........................... ............14
Business..................... .......18-19
Classified.................... .......24-27
Commentary/Letters............... 4
Obituaries................... .......12-13
Out of the Past........... ..... 20, 24
Police/Fire Log.......... ...........2-3
Religion....................... .16 1 7 ,19
School News.............. ........... 6-7
Social..........................
Sports.......................... ......... 8-11
7 7 4 9 0 5 3 0
On Track
The Warwick Track season is
underway, and the boys and
girls are hoping to contend for
a Section title this year. A pre­view
of the teams, plus results,
can be found on Page 8.
Photo by Kathy Blankenbiller
Anna Mae Dupler was almost beaten by blindness and diabe­tes,
but a inspirational Christmas card has rejuvenated this talent­ed
Audubon Villa resident.
Code officers
inspecting
Lititz homes
Sewer system inspections for
1,650 borough homes began this
week, and letters have been mailed
to residents who will soon be re­ceiving
a visit from a borough code
officer.
The Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection
(DEP) has directed Lititz to elimi­nate
“inflow and infiltration” of
the sanitary sewer system.
The borough’s system has been
experiencing fluctuations in its
flow throughout the past several
years. During periods of rainfall
and melting snow, the sewer expe­riences
large increases in the flow
to the treatment plant. The in­creased
flow has attributed to
groundwater infiltration and in­flow
of rainwater into the sewer
from outside sources.
A study to determine the source
of this I&I has been started by the
borough, which means borough of­ficials
have already begun going
from door to door for inspections.
Sources of the inflow include
connections to the sanitary sewer
from downspouts, sump pumps,
foundation drains, floor drains and
outside area drains.
Ordinance number 127 of 2/8/65,
which complies with Federal regu­lations,
states that it shall be un­lawful
to allow roof drainage, sur­face
water, or ground water into
the sanitary sewer system.
In the coming weeks, properties
in the borough are being scheduled
for an inspection by Code Admin-
More IN S P E C T IO N S on A -2 3
Christmas card pulls
elderly woman from
spiraling depression
KATHY BLANKENBILLER
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — Charge nurse Lois
Bennett, by one simple act of kind­ness,
reached out with her heart
and gave Audubon Villa resident
Anna Mae Dupler a reason to live.
This is a story of victory.
Anna Mae, a small, fragile
woman, patiently attempted to
hold the small Indian doll firmly in
her hands as her delicate fingers
began to tremble. She stroked the
doll’s dress, fluffing it, straighten­ing
it, then fluffing it again as a
lovely smile crossed her lips. The
doll’s intricate dress had taken
endless loving hours to create,
“crocheted stitch by stitch,” result­ing
in a perfect miniature costume,
she explained.
Although diabetes has left Anna
Mae’s eyes in almost complete
darkness, her mind’s eye retains its
crystal clear memories. Her
thoughts carry her back to the day
57 years ago when she gave the
doll to her little niece, Louise.
“I was very proud of that dress,”
she recalled. “My mother didn’t
More A N N A M A E on A -2 1
Photo by Stephen Seeber
The Turners of Ephrata are the proud new owners of the former
Lutheran Church at Broad and Orange streets. They are (from left
to right) Harvey IV, Harvey V, Hayley, Holly and Diane.
‘Eyesore’ on the mend
E p h ra ta couple ready to convert former
church building into th e ir new home
STEPHEN SEEBER_________
Record Express Staff
%
LITITZ — Pigeon feces and
missing windows aside, Harvey
and Diane Turner have found their
dream home.
The borough sold the “eyesore”
property to the Ephrata couple last
week for $60,000. Settlement will
take place within the next 30 days
and property improvements, start­ing
with the windows, will begin
almost immediately.
Because of Harvey’s professional
involvement in real estate and
home improvement, the Turners
are certainly capable to turning
trash into treasure. Renovations
are expected to exceed $400,000
and the Turners, with the help of
some friends, plan to do most of
the work themselves.
Photo by Stephen Seeber
Anna Clarke, kindergarten student in Mrs: Kuehner’s class, made this model solar system for the
Second Annual Lititz Elementary School Science Fair. She was one of 77 excellent entries in the
PTO-sponsored event.
77 exhibit in Lititz El science fair
Solar hot dogs, electric tomatoes top menu in school cafeteria
STEPHEN SEEBER
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — Earlier in the day it was an elementary
school cafeteria, lined with tray-toting tots moving to
the aromatic pace of ham and cheese sandwiches and
“spudsters.”
But as the sun set on Lititz El that windy spring
evening of March 22, the young scientists assumed
control.
Seventy-seven entries from pupils in K through
grade 6 flooded the floor for an educational showcase
of local talent and prospective Nobel prize winners. It
was the Second Annual Lititz Elementary School Sci­ence
Fair.
Over in the grade 5 area, there was Madison Van-
Hyll and Becca Keener, who illustrated the practical
power of solar energy by constructing a Solar Weenie
Roaster, the hot dog cooker of the future.
“We learned that solar power is good, but we think
people shouldn’t use it all the time,” the conclusion of
their experiment read. “It took a sunny day to cook a
More S C IE N C E on A -2 1
The Record Express chatted
with Diane on Monday, nearly a
week after the property became
theirs:
Record Express: When did you
first see this building, and what
was your first impression?
Diane Turner: We saw it when
we drove by a few times, before it
was in the news. And we thought it
was a shame that it was boarded
up. But I’d say we decided that we
wanted to buy it in January, the
same day that they (borough coun­cil)
opened bids for demolition. We
asked if it could still be purchased,
and they said if your serious give
us an offer in writing.
Record Express: What made
you decide that this controversial
90-year-old “eyesore” could feasi­bly
be turned into a home for a
family of five?
Diane Turner: We’ve looked at
many large properties like that
(not many of the 12,000 square feet
variety, but large nonetheless)...
And we just knew that it would
make a beautiful home when it’s
finished.
Record Express: Was it easy to
negotiate with the borough?
Diane Turner: We didn’t really
do any negotiating. It was basical­ly,
“we’ll pay this much for it” and
that was it. The borough was ac-
More E Y ESOR E on A -2 3
Annual park
cleanup is set
for Saturday
LITITZ — Park cleanup is a
mere two days away and the call is
out for able rakers and mulch
spreaders.
Every April the community con­verges
upon the springs grounds to
rake leaves, tidy up the play­ground
areas, move picnic tables,
gather sticks and dispense of litter.
This year’s cleanup is Saturday,
April 7, from 8 a.m. until the work
is done.
Everyone is encouraged to bring
a garden or yard rake and join the
fun. Last year’s cleanup was
marked by record attendance, and
park manager Jim Nuss expects a
good turnout on Saturday. He will
have a sign-up sheet at the park
roundhouse for the distribution of
chores.
If a little more incentive to pitch
in is needed, the Lititz Area Jay-cees
will have the park refresh­ment
stand open, where they will
be providing free donuts, coffee
and drinks to all the hard-working
volunteers.
This is a rain or shine event.
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