The River Reporter
Thursday, February 20, 1986, p. 7.

The professor's new clothes

DAMASCUS - Monday night's meeting of the Damascus Township supervisors began with a laugh, when Beach Lake resident Roll Beck entered the room wearing a jungle fatigue jacket and a pair of Groucho Marx style glasses with a plastic nose.

"I'm the Professor," Beck claimed, "If you have any questions about the Management Plan just ask me."

Beck's purpose at the meeting was an attempt to represent residents of Damascus Township in the valley's most recent addition to a long list of river-related organizations.

Calling themselves the "Upper Delaware Review Board," Beck and his cohorts hope to gain county and other local funding, they say, to eventually replace the Conference of Upper Delaware Townships (COUP) and write their own management plan for the Upper Delaware.

Beck was accompanied to the meeting by Richard A. Matz, who said he was from Damascus, and Charles Herdsman, a New York State parole officer who asked that his residence not be identified.

Matzo asked the supervisors whether they planned to be represented at the review board's February 20th meeting. Met with a response that they did not have time, Matzo countered, "How about Roll here?"

Supervisor Bob Deihl then nominated Beck, which was seconded by Buddy Newport. Township secretary Charles Rutledge explained that in such matters, no vote is necessary.

The supervisors agreed that the appointment would not effect the status of George Hocker of Milanville, the township's delegate to COUP. Hocker is presently in North Carolina.

After the meeting, Deihl and the other supervisors said that Beck's appointment was for the February 20th meeting only.

Rutledge asked whether the review board's meeting would be open to the public. Beck said that it would, but joked that members of the press would be kept waiting "for at least an hour". Beck's comments referred to the last meeting of the review board on February 10th.

At that meeting, reporters from two newspapers were kept waiting in the lobby for 45 minutes. Attorney for the group William Matzo explained that some town leaders might not want their constituents aware of their presence at the meeting or their feelings made public on "very volatile" river issues.

In other business, the supervisors discussed the proposed summer closing of the Skinners Falls Bridge and heard a letter from COUP chair Craig Stewart to Michael Ryan of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) asking for a moratorium on repairs during the months of July and August. Supervisor Tom Griffith expressed fear that PennDOT might not make the much needed repairs if they respond to a local petition to keep the bridge open for two months at the height of the season.

Pennsylvania House Bill 316, now in effect, was also discussed. Rutledge explained that the new law allows townships to make necessary repairs to state roads, and thus relieve themselves of potential tort liability.