Woman's Ex: Avoiding Custody Fight Cued Move 
Wright Township Woman Took Her Child To Florida To Escape Any Legal Problems
With The Boy's Father, Former Husband Says.

1st Adventure Preschool

By NICHOLAS PETRUNCIO npetruncio@leader.net
 Monday, January 08, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





ECKLEY - The coal is gone at Eckley Miners' Village, but the picking and
shoveling continues. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The workers now turning the earth at the tourist site are members of the
Pennsylvania Conservation Corps. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The corps is part of the state Department of Labor and Industry and teaches
young adults skills to prepare them for jobs in construction or other fields. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Until recently, the only mission of the corps on-site was to restore
historic buildings in the former mining village located a few miles northeast
of Hazleton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now, that mission has expanded to include archaeological and museum work
such as photographing artifacts and cataloging them in a computerized
database. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 John Kowalczyk, corps crew leader, said a collections crew is needed
because few local museums have an organized method of keeping track of
artifacts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After graduating from Penn State with an art history degree, Kowalczyk
worked at coal heritage museums in Scranton and Ashland photographing
artifacts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kowalczyk said he is looking forward to teaching others the craft. He has
one member already signed up and wants at least four more workers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The conservation corps is made up of young adults, ages 18 to 25, who work
on environmental preservation and historic restoration projects statewide. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At Eckley on Thursday afternoon, restoration crew members used picks and
shovels in a dirt basement of a church rectory built in the 1860s. They were
digging out an area to place support beams to raise a sagging floor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Originally, the members were going to place drywall on the inside of the
rectory but discovered that the kitchen floor bowed when they walked on it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The jobs provided by the corps are intended to be training jobs, so
experience is not required. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Kowalczyk hopes to hire crew members with an interest in history or
museum studies. Those hired will work with more than 4,000 artifacts at Eckley
and museums in Scranton and Ashland. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The starting salary of corps members is $5.15 per hour. They earn a 52-cent
raise after six months on the job. Members who complete a year of service will
earn a $1,000 bonus and might qualify for as much as $4,725 for education. The
corps also pays members up to 10 hours a week to take classes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The jobs are intended to last one year, although members might be able to
sign up for an additional year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dave Dubick, Eckley's site administrator, said the corps places young
people on a positive path. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Through the years I've watched the kids leave here with a sense of pride
and a sense of accomplishment - that they've actually achieved something,'' he
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Lamey, 18, of Lock Haven, has been working on the restoration crew
since September while participating in the Adventure Challenge Training
program for juvenile offenders at Camp Adams in Jim Thorpe. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lamey said he plans to use what he's learned at Eckley in a job in
construction or one outside trimming trees. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's great. It gets me out of camp and gets me here. I like doing this
kind of work,'' Lamey said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Keledy Hidalgo, 19, who moved from New York to Hazleton with her family,
also is on the restoration crew. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At first, she joined the program just for the money for education. Hidalgo
wants to be a doctor and plans to study at Wilkes University. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since Hidalgo has been in the corps, she has gained an appreciation for the
way Eckley residents lived more than 150 years ago. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``They had to do everything by hand,'' Hidalgo said. ``It's amazing that
these houses have lasted as long as they have.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Anyone interested in joining the collections crew at Eckley may call
Kowalczyk at 636-2070. For information on the preservation crew, call Jim
Smolinsky at 636-2007. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nicholas Petruncio, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at
831-7311. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/DON CAREY &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Lamey, 18, of Lock Haven works to strengthen the foundation of a
nearly 150-year-old church rectory at Eckley Miners' Village, as a member of
the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps. The corps needs workers for a newly
formed artifacts collections crew. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Exploring A Unique Opportunity 
Pennsylvania Conservation Corps Members Work On Historic Restoration Projects
At Sites, Such As The Eckley Miners' Village, Throughout The State.

Exploring A Unique Opportunity Pennsylvania Conservation Corps Members Work On Historic Restoration Projects At Sites, Such As The Eckley Miners' Village, Throughout The State.