Home News April 25

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APRIL 25-MAY 1, 2013 Your Local News

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Special Remodeling Sections, Pages 14 & 15 Earth Day Clean Up Page 5

The Home News homenewspa.com

Kovalchik unsure how Decision will affect solar mentary schools’ solar arrays have proceeded. Northampton Area School Keystone Opportunities District Superintendent JoAt the school board meetseph Kovalchik said at Mon- ing on Monday, Dr. Kathleen day night’s school board Ott spoke about the Keystone meeting that he’s “Not quite Opportunity Striving Readsure where we are now” [fol- ers grant. A $650,000 five-year lowing a state judge’s deci- grant has been received from sion last week reversing what the state. Pennsylvania was a Northampton County court one of six states to receive ruled regarding the Lehigh federal money, in which 260 Township zoning board ac- school districts had applied. tion on a proposed solar array Out of 147 school districts at Lehigh Elementary School]. invited, Northampton was “Once I receive information one that qualified. The grant (from MetroTek), I will update emphasizes the importance you on the situation,” Koval- of literacy to the nation’s succhik said. cess, and the program reaches Neither the Lehigh Town- children in high school and ship nor Moore Township eleContinued on page 11

By BILL HALBFOERSTER The Home News

Pa. adds 18 farms To preservation list Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board this past week protected 1,493 additional acres on 18 farms in 12 counties from development through the state’s nationally renowned Farmland Preservation Program. The board preserved farms in Bucks, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Cumberland, Dauphin, Greene, Lancaster, Monroe, Northampton, Northumberland, and Pike counties. Here in Northampton County, it was the Joel and Shirley Jacobson 30-acre crop

72nd Year, Issue No. 17

USPS 248-700

farm in Moore Township and the Joseph and John Csencsits 35-acre crop farm #2 in East Allen Township. Since the program began in 1988, state, county and local governments have invested nearly $1.2 billion to preserve 473,094 acres on 4,403 farms in 57 counties for future agricultural production. The program enables these governments to purchase conservation easements, also called development rights, from owners of quality farmland, and in some cases, the Continued on page 11

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, superintendent and others from the leadership team took part in the groundbreaking. – Home News photo

Ground broken for new $80.7 million Northampton Area Middle School By BILL HALBFOERSTER The Home News

On a sunny, but cold and windy Monday afternoon, April 22, history was made in Northampton Borough. Ground was broken for the new $80.7 million Northampton Area School District middle school. Supt. Joseph Kovalchik began the ceremony by recognizing “a whole host” of people involved in the project, including the school board, Northampton Borough officials, the engineering and architectural firms – all part of a team, he said. He also paid tribute to the nearby Atlas Machine Shop, who he said provided space for the contractors to park their vehicles during the construction. Kovalchik said it has been more than 30 years that a middle school has actually

INDEX: Sports............................6

Nazareth . ....................10

Bath...............................7

Obituaries ...................12

Northampton.................9

Classifieds ...................13

come about, adding, “All good things take time.” He said the school and much of the school district’s property is on land that originally was part of the Atlas Cement Co., and Kovalchik paid tribute to the Atlas workers who, he said, had integrity, dedication, perseverance, and a commitment to excellence. “This is more than a building,” the superintendent told the crowd gathered on the middle school site, “it is a district changing event, propelling students into the middle of the 21st Century.” Noting that the present middle school has become inadequate, contrasting that will be state-of-the art security, a facility that deals with enrollment that has reached capacity, will have an abundance of space for athletic programs, and space for community activities in a media center, swimming pool and gymnasium. Concluding his remarks, Kovalchik, a former student in the school district, declared, “We are the Konkrete Kids, moving forward into the

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Supt. Kovalchik told Ed Pany he learned valuable lessons from him when he was a student. – Home News photo future, and excellence in the 21st Century!” School Board vice president Jean Rundle told the audience, “We went through a lot through the years, and have had community support. We’ll have one heck of a facility when it’s done.” Her only regret, she said, is that the students who attended junior high or middle school in the old building had to endure

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