Lititz Record Express

              THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1998
Lititz Record Express ^ a r d - W i i m ^
H t b l i c a t i o ^
122ND YEAR 28 Pages - No. 36 LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA 30 Cents
□
^ m m m
INSIDE
□ Church
Christmas services
C o n g reg a tio n s throughout
th e Lititz an d Warwick a r e a
a r e p rep a rin g for their sp ec ia l
C h ristm a s Eve an d C hristma s
Day s e rv ic e s th a t will b e held
over th e next two w e ek s. A
com p le te list of th e se rv ic e s
c an b e found on Page 17.
Project now
req u ired for
g rad u a tio n
WHS ’03 is first
RICHARD REITZ
□ Sports
Drag star
Lititz te e n Marty Flegal e n d ­ed
a su c c e ssfu l first s e a s o n of
Ju n io r Drag Racing a t an
ev en t in Georgia, w h e re the
Warwick High School fresh-n
an ad v a n c ed to th e finals
a n d e a rn e d runner-up honors,
th e com p lete sto ry is on
Page 8.
□ Entertainment
Record E xp re ss Editor
LITITZ — This year’s eighth
graders at Warwick High School will
be the first required to complete a
graduation project in order to receive
a diploma.
On Tuesday, the Warwick School
Board unanimously approved a com­prehensive
plan that establishes the
guidelines for this significant addi­tion
to the graduation requirements
of students at Warwick.
The project will take four years to
develop, and will be introduced to
students during their freshman year.
The Class of 2003 will be the first
required to complete a graduation
project
Prior to its approval, Assistant
Principal Bob Wyble explained the
project, which has been in develop­ment
for the past few years, as
required by state Department of Edu­cation
regulations.
He feels this addition to the curri­culum
will be a substantial enhance­ment
of the educational process.
“We have come up with a plan to
involve a lot of students, with a lot of
opportunities to produce a product,”
Wyble said.
Although students will first
explore the process in ninth grade
and have a project director assigned,
with additional reviews in 10th
grade, Wyble said the bulk of the pro­ject
will be completed during a stu­dent’s
junior and senior years.
Project topics can be chosen from
one of six categories:
•Analytical research, involving
the investigation and experimenta­tion
of a problem or question.
•Career research, providing an
(See Grad Project, Page 22)
Photo by Stephen Seeber
Steven Coe, shown here doing yardwork with his two sons Craig and Tyler (left), believes that he was
harassed by the borough when his property became too messy. The local government has since closed the
case, but Coe said the issue is far from over. Zoning’s harassing nature
‘America 2000’
Lititz scu lp to r Cory
Vanamaker is o n e of a hand-iul
of a rtists s e le c te d for the
“F ace to Face" exhibit in
Merrick, N.Y. His sculpture,
“America 2000,” will b e on d is­play
a t The S ta g e Gallery
through Ja n . 24. Page 16.
□ Manheim
Penn Twp. raises tax
At their Monday meeting,
Penn Township su p e rv iso rs
ap p ro v ed a property tax hike
for th e 1999 bu d g et. For more
on this story, turn to Page 20.
□ Football Contest
T h e final football co n te st of
ie year, featuring college
owl g am e s, can b e found on
•age 12 of this issu e . Try your
jck... th e winner will receive a
5 0 gift certificate!
□ Holiday Deadlines
P le a s e tak e n o tic e of th e
early d e a d lin e s th a t will b e in
effect for th e Lititz R e c o rd
E x p re s s is s u e s of Dec. 2 4
an d Dec. 31.
For th e Dec. 24 is s u e , all
ews a n d retail d isp lay a d s
must b e received by 5 p.m. on
Friday, D e c . 18 . C la s s ifie d Record E xp re ss Editor
r e a d e r a d s will b e a c c e p te d LITITZ — The community must
until n o o n on Monday, Dec. look beyond its government to find
Dec. 2 1 . Th e is s u e will b e the solutions to its problems,
p rin ted on Tuesday, De c. 2 2 That is the message that Dale
a n d re c e iv e d by s u b s c rib e rs Caldwell is spreading across Ameri-
O n D e c . 23. ca and around the world through Rot-
T h e D e c . 31 is s u e will ary International. And he has a prac-require
all n ew s an d retail dis- tical approach to achieve community
play a d s b e re c e iv ed no la te r success.
th a n 5 p.m. o n Wednesday, Caldwell spoke to the Lititz Rot-
Dec. 23. Classified re a d e r a d s ary Club earlier this month to discuss
will b e a c c e p te d until noon on his belief that a third sector o f society
Dec. 2 8 . T h e is s u e will b e must be recognized and empowered
printed on Tuesday, Dec. 29, along with the private sector and
a n d re c e iv ed by s u b s c rib e rs public sector,
on Wednesday, Dec. 30. He calls it the Civic Sector, com­prising
those organizations that are
called upon to meet community
needs without the aide o f corpora-
Births.................... 14 tions or government
B u s in e s s .................. ...........18-19 And that means more than just
C h u rch ............. ....................16-17 covering financial needs.
Classified ...............24-27 He is the founder and a champion
Editorial / L e tte rs................ ...4 of the School-to-Work Day program,
Fntprtainmont o 1 encouraging businesses to provide
Manheim N e w s . Z Z Z 20 “at risk” students with an opportunity
Ohiti ip Hpc 9 -m to explore career opportunities they
.................... „ ’ 7, might otherwise never experience.
Out of th e P a s t.................. 4 , 2 8 started in 1996, and is held on
Police Log...............— ......... .2 4 the first Friday in March each year.
School News......... ................6-7 “Corporations have really gotten into
S o c ia l..................................14-15 it,” he said, including United Air-
S p o r t s ....................................... 8-11 lines, Texaco, Hilton Hotels, Mar-
13 Oth violators
and enforcers
feel victimized
STEPHEN SEEBER__________ _
Record E xp r e s s S ta ff
LITITZ — Zoning officer Lynn
Stauffer faces her fair share of enfor­cement
confrontations. Many are
resolved without incident, some
drive a wedge of resentment between
taxpayer and government
Steven C. Coe, a single father of
two who admits to having a difficulty
in finding time to do yardwork, said
that the borough went beyond the
bounds of duty this past summer
when he was slapped with a pair of
zoning violations and the threat of
legal action.
He received an enforcement notice
Rotarían says empowering it
is key to community success
RICHARD REITZ
□ Index
from Stauffer dated Aug. 28 that
stated Coe needed to cut his grass,
take care of excessive weeds in the
yard, and remove an abandoned
pickup truck. Coe was warned that if
immediate action was not taken on
his part he would be facing a civil
action with the district justice or a
trip to the Lancaster County Court of
Common Pleas.
“I don’t even own a truck,” Coe
said. “This is harassment and they’re
messing with the wrong guy.”
Mayor Russell Pettyjohn recom­mended
to Coe that he attend a bor­ough
council meeting to discuss the
situation, which he did on Oct. 27.
His complaints focused on Stauffer’s
handling of his case, claiming that
she illegally accessed his property
and would not furnish him with the
written complaints that started the
co n tro v e rsy . He u ltim a te ly
demanded Stauffer’s dismissal and a
public apology.
“I don’t feel that we’ve harassed
anyone,” said Council President
Dennis Stuckey this week. “We’re
not going to fire someone for doing
their job.”
A Nov. 16 letter from Borough
Manager Sue Barry stated that Coe’s
efforts in addressing the reported
violations were recognized, that
Stauffer has not been at his property
since the fall of 1996, there was no
sufficient reason to consider termi­nating
the zoning officer, and that a
public apology was not merited. The
letter ended by stating that Council
views this entire issue as closed. Coe
said that he is not ready to call it quits
just yet.
Coe said that he has already been
in touch with the state attorney gen­eral’s
office and he plans to incorpo­rate
other government agencies in an
(See Zoning, Page 22)
Blaze
destroys
Manheim
Square
Residents escape,
damage at $2 mill
JILL GAGLIANO
Record E xp re ss S ta ff
MANHEIM — When Brianne
Wanner left her Manheim apartment
early Tuesday morning, little did she
realize that her life could change so
quickly.
Fifteen minutes after Wanner left,
her boyfriend Chad Heiserman, who
shared the apartment with Warmer
and their 11-month old daughter,
woke up to find the apartment above
Rule’s Model Trains filled with
smoke.
“He said there was smoke every­where,”
said Wanner. “He had to
crawl out with our daughter.”
The devastating fire that caused an
estimated $2 million damage on
West High Street in downtown Man­heim
destroyed four businesses and
seven apartments, leaving about 15
people without homes.
Kenneth and Rebecca LeFever,
who also lived above the train shop at
43 Market Square, were not home
when the fire started. They had left
the night before because of a strong
oil odor.
“We’re thankful we left last night,
but we never expected this,” said
Mrs. LeFever.
Wanner said she too smelled the
odor and called her landlord who was
going to take care of the problem
Tuesday morning.
“The oil smell was really bad,”
said Wanner.
Both tenants lost everything in
(See Blaze, Page 22)
P re se rv ed for all time
Woodland holds
memories for
Rannels family
RICHARD REITZ
Photo by Richard Reitz
It was a reunion for three of the Rotary Club members that partici­pated
in an African exchange program in 1986. Lititz Rotary Club mem­bers
George Biemesderfer (left) and Henry Gibbel (right) welcomed
back Dale Caldwell (center), who also spoke to the group about the
empowerment of the civic sector.
riott, Sony, and his employer, Deloit-te
and Touche Consulting Group in
East Brunswick, N.J.
After three years, the program has
been established in 10 countries and
in over 80 American cities.
The cost to the company may only
be a meal or two for the student, but
the impact this could have on young
students is limitless.
“The response to the discussion
was great,” Caldwell said about his
evening in Lititz. “A lot said they
hadn’t thought of the third sector in
that way, and how Rotary can really
impact a community.”
He believes that most major prob­lems
are community-based, and is
currently writing a book that will
deal with ways a community can
address and correct those situations.
Tentatively titled “Transforming
America Through the Civic Sector,”
he said the book will focus on the
importance of the nonprofit organi­zation
in its community, and how it
can resolve problems in cooperation
with the other two sectors.
He is also advancing the theory of
a “Civic Chamber of Commerce,”
which would include representatives
from community groups and the pri­vate
sector.
“It’s a way to look strategically at
community issues,” Caldwell said.
(See Civic Chamber, Page 22)
Reco rd E xp re ss Editor
ELIZABETH TWP. — Donald
and Jane Rannels of Lititz have a lot
of fond family memories invested in
the natural surroundings of their cot­tage
in the Furnace Hills.
Last week, they closed a deal that
will ensure that many others can dis­cover
and enjoy their sanctuary and
create memories of their own — only
a 10-minute drive from downtown
Lititz, yet worlds away from the
traffic and congestion of contempor­ary
town life.
The Rannels have donated 91
acres in Elizabeth Township, near
the Lancaster-Lebanon county bor­der,
to the Lancaster County
Conservancy.
The land where they once gathered
chestnuts will be known as the
Rannels-Kettle Run Nature Preserve,
and while 25 acres surrounding their
cottage will remain closed to the
public, the rest of the land will soon
A snowdrift near the Rannels family cottage north of Lititz is a plea­sure
to experience, and now the public will have that opportunity, with
the donation of nearly 100-acres to the Lancaster County
Conservancy.
include public nature trails, connect­ing
to the Horseshoe Trail, west of
Brickerville off of Route 322.
“We love the land so much, and
wanted to preserve it forever,” Mr.
Rannels said. They called it “Tribe
Haven,” a reference to their four
children. It was at the cottage where
the Rannels children developed a
love and appreciation for nature and
the outdoors, he said.
Though they will continue to use
the cottage for years to come, Mr.
Rannels said the property, now fully-deeded
to the Conservancy, will
(See Preservation, Page 22)
Old Zion’s carol sin g brings
back 19th Century Christma
JILL GAGLIANO
Reco rd E xp re s s S ta ff
BRICKERVILLE — In the days
of brightly lit shopping malls and
multi-colored decorations in front
yards, the true meaning of Christmas
may be forgotten.
Each December Old Zion Church
in Brickerville returns to the early
1800s when the church was built and
brings back a little bit of the true
meaning of the season with an old-fashioned
carol sing.
According to board member Bob
Gregory, the former German
Reformed Church was built at its cur­rent
location on Reifsnyder Road in
Brickerville in 1812. The last church
service was held in 1947. Since then
a board, comprised of people from
various denominations, has taken
over the upkeep of the church.
“Everything is exactly the way it
(See Old Zion, Page 22)
Photo by Jill Gagliano
People got into the Christmas spirit at the annual Christmas Carol
Sing at Old Zion in Brickerville last Saturday. The carol sing is just one
of four services held in the church, which was built in 1812, each year.