Lititz Record Express

              THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1998
L i t i t z R e c o r d E x p r e s s
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P u b l i c a t i o n
122ND YEAR 26 Pages - No. 38 LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA 30 Cents
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INSIDE □□
Business
Holiday shopping
results in Lititz
it was another good
Christmas shopping season
for many of the retailers in
downtown Lititz. For more on
the holiday results, see Page
18.
Bike winners
Two local youngsters, Chad
Moore and Savannah Grube,
were selected as the winners
in this year’s coloring contest
at Santa’s Castle, sponsored
by the Lititz Retailers Associa­tion.
Page 22.
□ Manheim
Radon prevalent in
Manheim, Penn Twp.
The results of radon tests in
the Manheim and Penn
Township region have shown
that most of the homes have
an unsafe level of radon in
them. Page 22.
□ Out of the Past
A soldler% letter
A Lititz doughboy shared
is thoughts on the war that
nad recently ended, in a letter
that appeared in the newspa­per
here 80 years ago this
week. For this, plus many oth­er
nuggets from Lititz’ past,
see Pages 21 and 23.
□ School
Business students
build school spirit
Warwick High School busi­ness
students have been sell­ing
school supplies and spirit
items to classmates at the
school store all year, and now
they making sure that every­one
has a chance to buy a
Warrior pen, pencil or window
sticker. Page 6.
□ Sports
Year in Review
What was the biggest
sports story in the Lititz and
Warwick area? There was a
lot of news from the passing
:;of one of the most influential
sports medicine doctors in the
area, to the success of the
"eld hockey team. A list of the
.jp 10 events, plus all of your
sports news is on Pages 8-11.
□Meetings
Monday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m. —
Lititz Borough Council, reor-ganizational
meeting, 7 S.
Broad St.
Wednesday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m.
— Warwick Township super­visors,
reorganizational meet­ing,
315 Clay Road.
Tuesday, Jan. 5, 7 p.m. —
Warwick School Board, 301
W. Orange St.
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 7 p.m.
— Warwick Township super­visors,
315 Clay Road.
□ In d e x
Births..................... ............ 14
Business................ ....... 18-19
Jhurch................ .............16
Classified...... ........ ....... 23-25
Editorial / Letters... .............. 4
Entertainment....... .............20
Manheim News..... .............22
Obituaries............. ...2, 19, 23
Out of the Past..... ...... 21, 23
School News........ ........... 6-7
Social.................. ...... 14-15
Sports.......... ......... 8-11
Elizabeth Township
closes in on Groff
STEPHEN SEEBER
ÉHÉI1É
MW
WgSmMmiS
Photo by Richard Reitz
A group of bird watchers catch a glimpse of two bald eagles spotted roosting above a lake populated with
thousands of waterfowl along Willow Point Trail at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday.
They were there as part of the annual Lititz Bird Count.
‘A g o o d d a y f o r b i r d i n g ’
Bird watchers participate in 93rd Lititz Bird Watch
RICHARD REITZ
Record Express Editor
MIDDLE CREEK W.M.A. —
For some folks, spending a Sunday
watching the Eagles is far more
exciting than just watching another
frustrating Philly football game on
television.
The annual Lititz Christmas Bird
Count returned on Dec. 27, with over
two dozen bird enthusiasts joining
the effort to calculate the population
of various species of birds “winter­ing”
in northern Lancaster County.
“I guess people who are football
fans aren’t too happy with the Eagles
this year ” said Larry Coble of Eli­zabethtown,
who has been participat-ing
in the count for over 15 years. “So
they’ll come out here and try and see
a real eagle.”
And if they did, they were not dis­appointed.
Most of the 20 particip­ants
who travelled north to Middle
Creek Wildlife Management Area
were treated to the sight of two
majestic bald eagles, perched atop a
partially-submerged tree. The birds
of prey were surveying a lake popu­lated
by hundreds of geese and other
waterfowl.
It was a cold day, with brisk winds
occasionally adding a chill to the air.
But with the skies clear, and with a
few extra layers of clothing, condi­tions
were ideal.
“This is a good day for birding,”
said Bruce Carl of Akron, compiler
for the annual Lititz Christmas Bird
Count. “As long as there is no incle­ment
weather. As long as the sun
comes out, the birds will come out.”
He will have final figures from the
count completed by late January.
Last year, 79 different species were
spotted, and a total of 32,735 indivi­dual
birds in one day. In order to
ensure birds are not counted twice,
only the number of birds spotted at
one time are added to the total
amount.
Carl could already tell that for this
expedition, there were many special
sightings.
He was pleased to spot a catbird,
(See Bird Watch, Page 20)
Record Express Staff
BRICKERVILLE — Elizabeth
Township supervisors are prepared
to pay $67,500 to help Daniel Groff
clean up his act.
On Dec. 7, they approved a bid
from David Pflumm Paving & Exca­vating
Inc., of Millersville, to
remove an illegal junkyard from
Groff’s property at 1651 Furnace
Hills Pike.
The ongoing problem: The town­ship
only allows for junkyards in its
small industrial zone, which is no
where near Groff’s home, making his
current land use illegal. But Groff
claims everything on his property is
accessory to his hay hauling business
and that his land use pre-dates zoning
laws, essentially grandfathering his
junkyard into compliance.
More than 20 years of headbutting
over this issue could finally be com­ing
to an end as Pflumm, accompan­ied
by sheriff* s deputies and several
township officials, inspected Groff’s
land last week, tagging scrapped cars
and appliances for removal. Town­ship
zoning officer Rita Snavely said
that cleanup will begin as soon as
possible, probably in January.
Groff, who brought in an observer
to witness the inspection on his
behalf, did not physically intercede,
but he said he will follow through
with a November threat in which he
told the supervisors he would file
individual civil lawsuits against each
member of the local government if
anyone accessed his properly with­out
his permission.
Earlier this year, Groff filed an $ 18
million civil suit against the town­ship,
Governor Tom Ridge and the
state’s judicial system, claiming that
he is being treated like a peon and
that he has not been allowed to
defend his ongoing claims of com­pliance.
His complaint was dis­missed
by a federal court He then
filed a motion for reconsideration, to
which he has received no response to
date.
“It’s not over yet,” Groff said. “In
the meantime I have filed a special
relief injunction. What that amounts
(See Groff, Page 18)
Lititz still
dodging
statewide
drought
STEPHEN SEEBER____________
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — While drought restric­tions
continue to grip watersheds
across the state, the local water table
appears unaffected.
“We have pretty deep wells,” said
Sue Bany, Lititz borough manager,
adding that our aquifer has so far sur­vived
the lack of rain that has
crippled other municipalities.
She also said that good fortune
does not mean negligence. The bor­ough
is closely monitoring its water
levels and officials are recommend­ing
that residents install conservation
measures because the local status
could change any day.
Below normal precipitation levels
have been reported for several
weeks. Depleted reservoirs have
forced drinking water restrictions on
many counties, and the lack of oxy­gen
that results from shrinking
streams has already killed 128,000
trout in nurseries statewide.
As forecasters keep an eye out for
a save-all storm to hit, which could
be as far away as Saturday or Sunday,
the situation will only get worse.
L ititz in 1998: At year o f cooperation
A look back
at the stories
of the year
RICHARD REITZ
AND STEPHEN SEEBER
Record Express Staff
It has been another busy year in
Lititz and Warwick Township, and if
there was one word to describe 1998
in this community, it would be
“cooperation.”
It was the year we began work on a
comprehensive plan between Lititz
Borough and Warwick Township.
The unified community efforts of the
Lititz Public Library and the Lititz
Springs Park projects led to tremend­ous
and creative funraising
campaigns.
It was a year of ups and downs.
There was tragedy that moved us to
tears, and triumphs that will impact
our community for generations.
Here we have catalogued a week-by-
week look back at the events that
shaped our town, as reported on the
pages of the Lititz Record Express.
Also listed are those we said farewell
to in 1998.
January 1
•Three teenagers were injured in a
serious ice-related accident on the
bridge along Rothsville Road on
Dec. 27. One of the teens was air­lifted
by Life Lion to Hershey Medi­cal
Center.
•The Warwick boys basketball
team hangs on to beat a tough Cones­toga
Valley team 58-49 to capture its
second straight Holiday Tournament
at Warwick.
Obituaries: Esther G. Brubaker,
John A. Buller, Linda R. Dellinger,
Ruth M. Lantz, Helen E. Phillips,
Rhoda A. Rankin, Ruth H. Rose,
Allen W. Schattschneider and Barba­ra
A. Steffy.
January 8
•Jesus Marcano Delgado waived
his right to a trial on Jan. 5, pleading
guilty to third degree murder in the
Jan. 25, 1997 murder of Warwick
Township resident Patricia Anonia at
her Rabbit Hill Road home. He faces
a maximum sentence of 20-40 years
in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
•Lititz Borough Council bids
Among the top Lititz stories for 1998 are: Gov. Tom Ridge’s visit to the borough, the borough’s purchase of
the old church on Orange Street, and the arrival of new Warwick Superintendent Dr. Stephen lovino.
farewell to Dale Shelley, who
stepped down after six years in
office. New member Timothy Snyd­er
is sworn in for his first term in
office.
•Pastor Bob Kettering arrives at
the Lititz Church of the Brethren on
Jan. 2, replacing Ralph Moyer, who
retired at the end of the year.
•W. Logan Myers III is welcomed
to the Warwick Township Board of
Supervisors on Jan. 5. He replaces
the seat vacated by Michael Brubak­er,
who did not seek re-election.
•Lititz Borough will interview
candidates to hire a 13th police
officer.
Obituaries: Jonas R. Eberly, Ruth
C. Fry, Galen E. Haldeman Sr., Men-no
W. Heisey, Nelson H. Hershey,
Audrey C. Knight, Jack M. Kuhns,
Eileen M. Lee, Dorothy M. Metzler,
J. Elton Reed, Elvin P. Romberger,
Earl S. IJsner and Reba J. Ziegler.
January 15
■Clair Bros. Audio, the sound
company to some of the entertain­ment
industry’s biggest stars, opened
the doors to its new $4 million
“dream facility” along Route 501
north of Lititz for several hundred
invited guests on Jan. 8-9. Guests
included local officials, and even
Yes guitarist Steve Howe was in
attendance.
•Warwick School District has not
ruled out the possibility of taking leg­al
action to get back $2.1 million of
missing money from the Devon
investment fraud case.
•Sauder’s Eggs was not able to
compete in the State Farm Show due
to an avian flu epidemic that banned
poultry exhibits, but still managed to
earn an award for contributions to the
development and expansion of agri­business
in Pennsylvania.
Obituaries: Jack G. Dell, Mabel
M. Dickey, Charles M. Eshelman ITT,
Angela A. Goldman, Olive B. Gress,
Carl W. Hoover, Luetta H. Keller,
Mamie G. Neidigh, Dorothy K.
Swade and May A. Wenrich.
January 22
•As the pre-trial suppression hear­ing
for Larry Mowrer approaches
next week, the man charged with the
June 1997 slaying of April Smith
continues to recover from a recent
heart attack in the medical wing of
Lancaster County Prison.
•Brian Hann is sworn in as Lititz’s
newest police officer on Jan. 14. He
is the 13 th officer on the force, and
the third hired over the past year.
•Organizers of the Lititiz Public
Library Fun Fest were feeling
pleased and thrilled at the communi­ty
response they received for the
event, held at Bonfield Elementaiy
School on Jan. 17. Over 1,000 came
to meet authors, enjoy book readings,
and learn more about the new library
plan.
Obituaries: Kenneth R. Engle,
Nadene I. Fink, Betty A. Fizz, Dora
Mae Frey, Irvin K. Gerber, Mabel D.
Gochnauer, Casper G. Haddad, Anna
W. Harrington, Carl W. Hoover,
Martin S. Hossler, Orville Over,
Nathan M. Plante, Anna K. Reichen-bach,
Hattie I. Romberger, William
J. Sigmund, Abram W. Strickler,
William W. Wolfe Sr. and Helen M.
Yingst.
January 29
•Plans for a community celebra­tion
to welcome the new millenium
in Lititz Borough are underway,
according to Tim Reedy, vice presi­dent
of the Lititz Springs Park Board
and organizer of the New Year’s
2000 extravaganza.
•Warwick School District is not
part of a 54-district class action suit
against Devon Management to
recover a $2.1 million investment, as
reported elsewhere, but the district
may still consider that action, and it
could be the only option to recover
(See 1998, Page 12)
T h e t o p 1 0 L i t i t z e v e n t s o f t h e y e a r
RICHARD REITZ
AND STEPHEN SEEBER
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — It has been an active,
exciting, and pivotal year in Lititz
history.
Compiled here are what we
believe are the top events of the year
— some good, some not so good, and
some that broke our hearts — events
that will define our impressions of
what we will most remember about
1998 in our fair town.
Strategic Planning
Ten or 15 years from now, when
local residents look at the landscape
of the Lititz and Warwick communi­ty,
they may look back to 1998 as the
watershed year, when planning
(See Top 10, Page 26)
m r x
Warwick students were among the many active participants in the
Joint Strategic Planning process, staging a mock demonstration for a
film shown at the November Community Forum.