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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; Supervisors approved Wednesday a conditional use for Misericordia University to expand its science building 49,000 square-feet.</p><p>Misericordia has already received approvals from the township&#8217;s zoning hearing board on a plan to expand the 28,500 square-foot Hafey-McCormick Science Center located in the center of campus, said Mark Van Loon, of Rosenn Jenkins &amp; Greenwald, Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>&#8220;The reason why we are here for the conditional use approval is because the whole project will disturb an excess of 80,000 square feet of surface and the extension is larger than 15,000 square feet,&#8221; Van Loon said. &#8220;We have already received the necessary variances.&#8221;</p><p>The proposal shows the new building addition will occupy a 150-space parking lot adjacent to the science center, said Mark Van Etten, the university&#8217;s vice president of finance and administration.</p><p>The nearly $40 million project will include relocating the parking spaces to the North lot, near the softball field, Van Etten said.</p><p>Van Etten said the project would start in April 2019 and be completed in 2020. The new science center will be renamed the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Science Center.</p><p>&#8220;The current science center was built to accommodate 500 to 800 students,&#8221; said Van Etten.</p><p>The expansion is needed to offer more lab space and academic amenities for the university&#8217;s growing health care programs and student population, he noted.</p><p>In other township news:</p><p>&#8226; Supervisor William Grant reported the 2018 proposed budget would be ready for final approval in December.</p><p>&#8220;It is still a work in progress,&#8221; Grant said.</p><p>A nearly 12 percent increase in health care costs, totaling $38,168, had supervisors and their broker Bencon revisit the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield plan to look for cost-cutting solutions.</p><p>Grant reported the proposed increases to the deductibles and copays would make up the health care increase.</p><p>The township&#8217;s police union has agreed to the new health care plan. Now, the municipality is waiting for the newly unionized road department to review the plan and its contract Monday.</p><p>&#8226; Resident Bob Menig, his family, and neighbors pressed supervisors for an update about their request for a tighter backyard gun firing range ordinance.</p><p>Their request follows a Sept. 9 incident where a .45-caliber bullet hit the Menig family&#8217;s front door at their Upper Demunds Road residence.</p><p>Dallas Township Police Chief Robert Jolley said the incident is currently being reviewed by the District Attorney&#8217;s office.</p><p>The township is waiting to hear the results of the district attorney&#8217;s investigation but is in the process of reviewing two gun ordinances from two Mountain Top communities, Supervisor Elizabeth Martin said.</p><p>&#8226; The next municipal meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, in the municipal building.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Nick Argot, a civil engineer with Borton-Lawson, left, and attorney Mark Van Loon, of Rosenn Jenkins &amp; Greenwald, review plans Wednesday for Misericordia University&#8217;s proposed addition to the Hafey-McCormick Science Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TDP111217DallasTwp.jpg</photo0><caption0>Nick Argot, a civil engineer with Borton-Lawson, left, and attorney Mark Van Loon, of Rosenn Jenkins &amp; Greenwald, review plans Wednesday for Misericordia University&#8217;s proposed addition to the Hafey-McCormick Science Center. </caption0><photoCredit0>Eileen Godin | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Eileen Godin</p><p>egodin@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Misericordia University receives OK from township to expand science center