New Weis Includes Contactless Purchasing

By Dakota Henricks

DINGMAN — The Route 739 Weis Markets held a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 19th, a week after opening their doors to the public.
Local dignitaries gathered out front of the store for a brief ceremony. Head of PR Dennis Curtin opened the ceremony, thanking members of the Dingman and Delaware Fire Department, County Commissioners, Delaware Township Supervisors and other prominent members of the community like Realtor Dave Chant.
The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #623 led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance before Delaware Township Supervisor Jane Neufeld spoke briefly about how long residents had hoped for a supermarket to come "to the mountain."
Weis Store Manager Amy Zimmerman presented several donations to vital groups in our community including: $1,500 to Dingman Township Volunteer Fire Department, $1,500 to Delaware Township Volunteer Fire Department, $1,500 to Delaware Valley School District and the Holy Trinity Food Pantry.
Zimmerman said her Weis is unique, as it is the first to serve prepared meals ready to eat at its Meal Center. She also said the Wine Cafe and Beer Cave are relatively new to Pennsylvania. The facility also includes a sushi chef, seafood department, a meat department with "on-premises, custom-cut certified Angus Beef," a natural foods section and a section of Eastern European cuisine. At their meal center you can order prepared hot foods like pizza, hoagies, sushi, etc. or grab a premade meal.
The 46,000-square-foot facility employs roughly 140 people and was built in roughly eight months. The plaza includes a stoplight and turning lanes at Pie's On and an exit-only further up the road towards the Dingmans Medical Center on the far side of the plaza.
Additional storefronts are still under construction in the plaza. The plaza has several finished additions. The gas station is fully operational with six pumps; there is a drive-thru pharmacy and a series of dry and frozen lockers for the Weis2Go program. Weis2Go allows customers to shop online and pick up their order from the lockers from the front of the store, an example of contactless purchases and COVID safety precautions. Curtin said the facility is following COVID guidelines and the facility is sanitized.

 

 

 

County Releases More COVID Funds, Gets Tourism Report

By Chris Jone

MILFORD — COVID-19 repercussions and adjustments continued to show up on the agenda of the Pike County Commissioners as the pandemic enters it ninth month and a second wave.
At their Nov. 18 meeting, commissioners announced a new round of small business forgivable loans and COVID-19 relief funds, and Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau CEO Chris Barrett reported on post-COVID tourism trends and the PMVB's quick pivot since the state Health Department instituted new travel restrictions a few days earlier, because of heightened infection rates
A big part of the PMVB budget goes to advertising lodging and attractions in Northeast Pa. to New York and New Jersey audiences. But since Pa. now requires negative COVID tests within 72 hours or a 14-day quarantine for visitors from New York and New Jersey, Barrett said the tourism bureau has shifted its media buys to the Pittsburgh and Johnstown area.
"We don't want to encourage people from New York to come here now under these circumstances," Barrett said.
There were some bright spots that showed up on the PMVB's ledger though, with the hotel tax producing $1.9 million in the third quarter over $1.1 million in the second quarter of 2020. Barrett attributed the upswing to more revenue from Air B&B's and an exceptional foliage season.
Separately, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board showed dramatic increases in iGaming and sports wagering revenue during October of this year compared to October 2019.......For more information subscribe to our paper.

 

Belle Reve Closing
Skilled Care Unit

Expanding Memory Care Unit

By Dakota Hendricks

MILFORD — Belle Reve Senior Living announced they would be closing their skilled care unit as they begin specializing in Memory Care.
The Skilled Care Unit, consisting of 30 beds and less than one third of the facility's population, will be removed, to allow for the expansion of other specialties such as the memory care unit, which will be expanded to care for patients who have Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. The facility will still offer Personal Care.
According to their announcement, Belle Reve felt they could better serve the needs of the community by expanding their memory care unit, saying their Skilled Care unit "did not have the economies of scale" of a larger facility.
Belle Reve suggested as alternatives the Milford Senior Care facility and the new facility being built in Westfall Township expected to open in 2021.
In May the Skilled Care unit received additional assistance from the PA National Guard during the COVID outbreak.
The Skilled Care unit requires a different license and more stringent requirements than the memory or personal care units.

 

 

Supervisors OK Use Of Township Building For Thanksgiving Cooking

By Wayne Witkowski

DINGMANS FERRY — With a recent fire closing operations at Fork Lift Cafe for food preparation and the Episcopal Diocese shutting down the traditional Thanksgiving Community Dinner at the Good Shepherd Church in Milford Borough because of COVID-19, dozens of seniors and some homebound people locally faced the prospect of not having their anticipated prepared meal delivered to their homes on the holiday.
It's a tradition maintained by Roy Hull, who directs the project that he helped found 35 years ago.
Hull came before the Delaware Township Board of Supervisors to present his dilemma during the workshop prior to the board's regular meeting on Wednesday last week. After lengthy discussion, supervisors agreed during their regular meeting to open the municipal building on the Thanksgiving holiday and use it as a staging center for at least 90 meals that will be delivered on latest count – with a maximum of 150 requests that can be met. There also will be meal pick-up at the municipal building and outside Good Shepherd in Milford.
Hull said the countywide service of donated food and funds from local companies was being limited to "local" communities because there were fewer volunteers preparing the dinners. Some thought they might risk getting the coronavirus. He said there are 20 to 30 people committed to preparing dinners, below the numbers that in the past reached 50 at times.
Township Solicitor Tom Farley expressed concerns about liability with reports of a statewide rise in positive virus test results. As a result, board Chairman John Henderson and Farley stressed that volunteers must enforce state health guidelines while working inside the building, which was written into the approved motion at the regular meeting.
Hull said more volunteers to deliver meals are welcome and can call him at (914) 443-5149.
"We do have a kitchen at our building that will be used to heat up food. My understanding was that Prime Time Meats [in Milford] is actually cooking the turkeys for this event," said township Administrator Krista Predmore....For more information subscribe to our paper.