News update March 7, 2024
Northern Business Park plans withdrawn
Kristen Stagg/Staff Reporter
Curt Werner/Dillsburg Banner
The crowd spontaneously erupts in applause after the withdrawal and termination of Norther Business Park Lot #1 was announced by Carroll Township solicitor Michael Pykosh at the Thursday night conditional use hearing on February 29.
At the conditional use hearing for Northern Business Park Lot #1 on Feb. 29, Carroll Township solicitor Michael Pykosh announced the applicant's solicitor formally withdrew and terminated the conditional use on Wednesday afternoon.
The crowd of several dozen spontaneously applauded and cheered, drowning out Pykosh's instructions to the board to adopt the action. Supervisors Dave Bush, Tim Kelly, and Brent Sailhamer moved to accept the termination, then closed the hearing.
Northern Business Park was a 100-acre property that was proposed to contain three large warehouse/distribution centers. A group of adjacent property owners hired a pair of attorneys to represent them as registered objectors in the matter.
After the meeting, objectors to the proposed development milled around, expressing their shared relief.
Lloyd Simmons commented, “Now the township can get the bypass road. We need that a lot more than warehouses.”
One objector speculated, “Maybe the traffic impact study was the last nail in the coffin.” That was a reference to the Feb. 25 hearing when the developer's traffic impact study was under question and was scheduled to be the subject of testimony on Feb. 29.
Yet another wondered, “Why don't they just go away?”
James Hess summed up the sentiments of all concerned when he said, “It would've been truck city around here. The developers aren't the owner/operators of these properties. They're not concerned what happens after they leave.”
For the rest of the story see the March 7, 2024 edition.
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Carroll Township
Residents urge rezoning, bypass preservation
Kristen Stagg/Staff Reporter
Residents urged the board to action that would preserve the area designated for a bypass and re-zoning of an industrial area adjoining the Northern Schools at the Carroll Township board of supervisors work session on March 4.
Northern Business Park Lot #1 was withdrawn by the developer last week; however, there had been months of testimony regarding the 100-acre project proposed to hold three large warehouse/distribution centers.
Speaking on behalf of resident objectors to the site, David Hazen said the group of citizens worked together to raise more than $25,000 to hire attorneys who helped them defeat the plan. Hazen requested the board amend the township's zoning map to change the current industrial zoning to commercial and “reserve a pathway for a future bypass” at the southern end of Dillsburg.
Hazen said that, contrary to the board's previous assertions that the Comprehensive Plan had to be adopted before anything else, he learned during a discussion with York County earlier on Monday that the plan can be adopted after the zoning map is updated.
In later discussion, supervisor Dave Bush said. “Someone may come in with something else we don't want, and we'll have to deal with this again.”
Township manager Brandon Slatt warned that changing the zoning carries potential issues of its own with permissible uses that aren't conditional and don't require buffers. He cited wholesale trade and car dealerships as examples of these permissible uses. Hazen said residents want to “engage the entire board” in finding a solution, “because doing nothing is what got us where we are in the first place.” Hazen “implored” the board to consider multiple options.
For the rest of the story see the March 7, 2024 edition.
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Hiking the Appalachian Trail - “It's a retirement dream”
Chanty Webb/Staff Reporter
Curt Werner/Dillsburg Banner
Randy Smith gets ready to conquer the Appalachian Trail.
“It's a retirement dream.”
“It” refers to Dillsburg resident Randy Smith's upcoming adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail. He began this week on Monday, March 4.
Smith retired in May of last year, is 70 years old and says he's been planning this for trek the last 20 years. During that time, he shared his desire with those who knew him, including Patrick Roller of Buffalo Gap Outfitters in Franklintown.
With Roller being an Eagle Scout and Smith a former Scoutmaster, they had many conversations about hiking and Smith's dream to complete the trail. When the time came for Smith to begin planning for the trek, Roller wanted to support him.
“We told him we would do a full sponsorship type thing and just get him the gear he needed and give him the support,” Roller said, adding that a Facebook page was started for Smith and that Buffalo Gap will also be posting pictures of Smith's progress on their page.
For the rest of the story see the March 7, 2024 edition.
Northern Swimming and Diving
Keefer earns fourth place to advance to PIAA State meet
Joe Guty/Dillsburg Banner
Curt Werner/Dillsburg Banner
Brody Douglass competes in the Boys Backstroke at the District III meet.
After an excellent effort at the District III meet, Northern’s Morgan Keefer will advance to the PIAA State Swimming Championships. On Friday, March 1 at Cumberland Valley H.S. the junior finished the Girls’ 200 IM event with a time of 2:12.40, lowering her previous time by over a second to finish in 9th place. She came out strong in the butterfly, posting a time of 28.27 and pushed through the backstroke, kicking through the pain still present in her ankle from breaking it a few weeks prior. Keeping pace for the breaststroke put her in good position for the freestyle portion over the last 50.
In the Girls’ 100 Breaststroke on Saturday, Keefer broke the school record and finished 4th with a time of 1:05.30. She dove off and swam a 30.50 and was right in the mix with the top swimmers. She came back in a 34.80 and looked up to see she had yet again broken the school record and punched her ticket to states. Seeded 15th out of 32 entrants in the Class AAA 100 Breaststroke event, Keefer is slated to compete at states on Thursday, March 14 at the Kinney Natatorium on the campus of Bucknell University in Lewisburg. The Girls’ Class AAA 100 Breaststroke prelims are slated for the morning with the consolations and finals set for that evening.
For the rest of the story, see the March 7, 2024 edition.
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Northern High School Girls Basketball
Northern to host Lincoln Park in PIAA State First Round
Joe Guty/Dillsburg Banner
After a close, runner-up finish in the District III, Class 5A Championship game, the Northern H.S. varsity girls’ basketball team is slated to host a PIAA State Championship First Round game this Saturday, March 9. The Lady Polar Bears will take on Lincoln Park from the Pittsburgh area, and the 6th seed from District 7 at 2 p.m.
In an historic run for a District III title, Northern travelled to the Giant Center in Hershey last Friday night to face the York Suburban Trojans (24-1). A defensive battle ensued with the Trojans immediately from the opening tip off with Northern holding a 9-6 lead after the first quarter. Northern got into foul trouble, and by halftime it was 12-9 before the Trojans fought back to take a 20-16 lead going into the fourth quarter. After Addi Place’s turnaround jumper tied it in regulation at 31-31, Suburban’s defense held strong as they edged the Lady Polar Bears in overtime, 37-35.
For the rest of the story, see the March 7, 2024 edition.
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Northern Junior High Wrestling
Smith nails down third place at PJW Junior High State
Andy Sandrik/Dillsburg Banner
Curt Werner/Dillsburg Banner
Northern’s Makayla Smith was the third-place finisher at last week- end’s PJW Junior High State Championships in Johnstown.
The trip to 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown was well worth it for the Northern junior high wrestling team.
All four of Northern's entries into the PJW Junior High State Championships earned at least one win, including Makayla Smith, who was the state's third-place finisher in the girls 105-pound weight class. Tristin Cruz posted a 3-2 record for the Polar Bears at 103 pounds, with Connor Geidel (172) earning two wins, and Connor Dye (212) winning one bout.
Below is a weight-by- weight look at how Northern's junior high wrestlers performed last weekend:
PJW Junior High State Championships
Boys
103:Tristin Cruz (3-2)
Cruz shook off an opening-round loss and grinded out three decision victories in the consolation bracket.
After getting pinned in 2:48 by Lower Moreland's Max Berman, Cruz went to work in the wrestlebacks with wins over Salisbury's Jacob Spinner (6-3), Penns Valley's Evan Lisowski (3- 2), and Jefferson Morgan's Caleb Dulaney (4-2, SV).
Cruz' tournament finally came to an end with a 15-0 loss in 3:52 to Abington Heights' Brady Full.
172: Connor Geidel (2-2)
Geidel racked up a pair of pins in his run through the bracket at 172 pounds.
Geidel began his tournament in the Round of 64 with a win by fall in 3:37 over Mercer's Preston Michael, before he was knocked out of championship contention with a loss by pin in 1:19 to River Valley's Tanner Flickinger.
Geidel rebounded with a fall in 0:50 over Punxsutawney's Jayden Rutan, before his tournament came to an end with a
7-1 loss to Johnsonburg's Xavier Stockman.
212: Connor Dye (1-2)
Dye earned a win by fall in one of his three state matches.
After getting pinned in 2:24 in the opening round by Cocalico's Aidan Sola, Dye snapped back in the consolations with a fall of his own in 3:42 over Philadelphia's Dante Jones. Dye's tournament then came to an end with a loss by pin in 0:49 to Liberty's Jason Doughty.
For the rest of the story, see the March 7, 2024 edition.
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