The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania • 18

FIFTh COMMUNITY REPORT B4 THE MORNING CALL, TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2001 iVflami shot Suoday says sBuotis iramig, bBood spoDDedl f. it ALLENTOWN A Hi, i'i iir, 7 "My brother talked to the cops, and they made a statement to him it's unlikely they'll find out who did it," the father said, as he sat in a waiting room outside a trauma unit. "Kids are getting picked off left and right in town, and the police seem to have a defeatist he said. "It doesn't surprise me there's a lot of shootings going on. They gunmen have nothing to fear." His son's case will be different, the father vowed.

"I'm not going to let this one go," he said. "Someone is going to take responsibility for this." That includes everyone from the person who pulled the trigger to the people who made the party possible. Though Ian Castellano's attitude is good, the prognosis for his left eye is not. "The ophthalmologist says it's highly unlikely he can save the eye," his father said. Surgery to remove the eye is planned in three weeks.

Doctors do not plan on removing the bullet that shattered an eye socket and lodged in the Ian Castellano, 18, is on the mend, but doctors cannot save his left eye. By joe Mcdonald Of The Morning Call Ian Castellano's life changed in the blink of an eye. By chance, he happened to walk by a window inside the Allentown Firemen's Home just as a gunman outside fired seven shots at it, not long after a series of fights broke out as a large beer party was winding down early Sunday. The party was billed as a celebration on a flier that read: "Spring is here and the firehouse is gunna warm things up!" By the time the party was over, Castellano was shot in the head and two others had been beaten, one with a gun. Castellano, lying in a hospital bed Monday night surrounded by family and friends, recalled the moments before the shooting.

"I heard about three loud bangs," the 18-year-old senior at Dieruff High School said as he rested at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township. MICHAEL KUBEL The Morning Call Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, on Monday. About 1:30 a.m., a fight broke out inside the home and bouncers cleared out the building, said one of the partygoers who was later beaten in the parking lot. About half the partygoers were let back in the building, the beating victim said. Unfortunately for him, Ian Castellano was one of them.

An elbow-to-elbow crowd of 200 or more people paid $7 apiece to attend the party at the Firemen's Home, which is owned by the city of Allentown and rented to the firefighters' union for $1 a year. The party was thrown by RZ Production, according to a flier that said metal detectors would be at the door "so come to party." Music was by DJ RADD. After that, all he remembers is "blood just pouring down my face." Someone drove him to the hospital, the same hospital where the two men who were beaten in the parking lot were taken by ambulance. Police said they are investigating whether the group of men responsible for the beatings were also involved in the latest of the city's 15 reported shootings this year. As Castellano spoke, his face was red and puffy and his eye was swollen shut, but there was no anger in his matter-of-fact voice.

His father, Rory Castellano, says that's just the way his youngest son, who everyone calls Rory, too, has always been: a good kid. "Nobody disliked him," the elder Castellano said after flying from Texas to be at his son's bedside. "He never had a bad bone in his body. We've all known kids like that growing up, and he was one of them." He said his brother in Allen-town notified him that his son had been shot. LOWER MACUNGIE TOWNSHIP related problems that are intruding on this once farmmg-dominated community.

That much was evident by the 50 people who attended Monday's "Meet the Candidates Night" for township supervisor. Most of the six candidates running for the six-year post say confronting sprawl is high on their priority list. "It's got to stop," Republican Benjamin Galiardo, the township's fire chief, said during the event that was sponsored by the Shepherd Hills Homeowners Association. The construction of hundreds of Supervisor hopefuls say controlling development explosion is a top goal Southern Lehigh school boss cuts jobs from budget new homes helped Lower Macun-gie's population increase by 2,584 residents, or 16 percent, between 1990 and 2000, according to the Census Bureau. Galiardo is running against fellow Republi-cLcUTlUN cans Lavona Baatz, Marge Szulborski, John Krynack and incumbent William Mayo, who did not attend.

George Doughty is campaigning as an independent. Doughty, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, suggested that the township charge developers higher fees. Lower Macungie residents get chance to meet 6 of 7 candidates. By JEFF. GELMAN Of The Morning Call Lower Macungie Township residents are growing increasingly alarmed at the development and NORTHERN LEHIGH OIL nvn 1 1 1 kin i $U2! 1 9 MIN.

DEL 150 GAL 610-967-9012 DEL. PRICE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE Final Days! April Custom Framing Sale 20 OFF CUSTOM FRAMING Includes: Mats, Glass, Mounting and Custom Frame! Ian Castellano rests in the Lehigh brain. The fragments will stay there because the risks involved in removing them are too great, the teen's father said. Castellano, a month shy of graduation, was dropped off at the party about 11:45 p.m. by a friend, James Henry of Allentown.

The shooting happened about three hours later. He said the money could be used to improve nearby traffic-filled roads. Doughty also called for a one-year moratorium on development to allow supervisors time to update the township's comprehensive plan. Szulborski, the township's public works coordinator, warned that much of the township's continued growth will stem from housing plans that have already been passed. Supervisors have to approve plans so long as they adhere to zoning rules.

Residents also brought up the controversial Wal-Mart, nearing completion on Route 222, next to the Shepherd Hills Development. One audience member asked what the candidates would do to prevent a similar retail store from being built next to another neighborhood. Krynack, a registered pharmacist, said he isn't afraid to vote against the other two supervisors. "The people that know me know I stand up for what is right for the people," he said. Baatz said she favors cooperation among municipalities to develop a regional land use plan.

It could cut costs and prevent duplication of retail stores, she said. Audience members also wondered if there would be a conflict of interest if Szulborski or Baatz were elected because they are township employees. Both women said there wouldn't. Szulborski said it could make her job easier. Two current supervisors, Robert Lee and Ken DeAngelis, are township employees.

A seventh candidate for supervisor, Democrat Paul Bauer, was forced to withdraw from the race because he failed to file an ethics form with the township. Doughty made the same error and withdrew from the Republican ballot after an opponent challenged his candidacy. Reporter Jeff Gelman 6104204533 jeff.gelmanmcall.com PROFESSIONAL AH DUCT CLEANING BY eichenbacKs WA DBOCNBACH SON, MC the 0FF Framed picture Enframed Artwork frame 20 OFF Photo shop Portrait Frames SOUTHERN LEHIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT School Director William Herring said the district can't afford to continue raising taxes to pay for new special education state mandates. Something has to give, Herring said, and since it can't be special education then the district is going to have to cut back programs for the rest of the students. School Director Donna Reilly disagreed.

"There's a large percentage of middle kids who already get overlooked," she said. "Then raise taxes 13 mills over three years," Herring replied. "Everyone deserves an equal chance here and I'll fight you on this," Reilly said. Herring said the proposed 1.8-mill tax increase is really a 4-mill hike because 2 mills, or roughly $1.39 million, is coming from the district's fund balance. "This is a 4-mill increase in spending," he said.

"We're getting conned by 1.8 mills. We're adding programs and special education is going through the roof. This is looney tunes." In addition to delivering next year's budget news, Sarver projected taxes could increase by 9.75 mills over the next three years. "This is a worse case scenario," he said. School Director Michael Ed-dinger said the board is going to have to make tough financial decisions down the road to minimize the increases.

School Director William Miracle said the cuts shouldn't come at the expense of a quality education. "If we shave too much we won't be that world class district I believe we strove to be." Reporter Kathleen Parrish 610420-6627 kathleen.parrishmcall.com 1LH id i i n-i ini.ni rm To cut tax increase, proposed positions for teachers, an aide and a cleaning person are axed. By KATHLEEN PARRISH Of The Morning Call The Southern Lehigh School District's proposed 2001-02 budget is a bit lighter after Superintendent Ed Sarver cut $144,000 by euminating several proposed new positions. The first draft of the $27.6 million spending plan called for a 2-mill tax increase, but Sarver announced at Monday's school board meeting he had reduced it to 1.8 mills. If the tax rate increased by 1.8 mills to 28.8 mills, the owner of a home assessed at $50,000 would pay $1,440 in real estate tax next year, or $90 more than this year.

That's $10 less than a 2-mill hike. "I'm working to bring that number down even more," Sarver said. Sarver reduced the proposed millage increase by scrapping plans to hire a new elementary teacher at Hopewell Elementary School, a special education teacher, an aide, a four-hour per day cleaning person and to increase the part-time hours of a librarian to full-time. Sarver said if enrollment at Hopewell warrants another elementary teacher, the district can pay for the position with its contingency fund. The one area the school district doesn't have control over is special education, where costs are expected to grow by $370,028 next year.

I -H I -IVil iinui-iiiiM-in i n-A'i .5513 Hamilton Blvd. Wescosville, PA 18106 610-398-1844. (near the Early American Candle Shop) I'm voting for ROY AFFLERBACH For Mayor Because he has aways stood up for workers! Kirk Clements Paid for by Afflerbach (or Mayor CommtttM FREE Bladder Screening 1 Having your duct system professionally Friday, April 27 1 -4 pm cleaned using our mobile vacuum unit greatly improves the air quality in you home Removing Dust, Dust Mites, Pollen, Mold and Bacteria Removes Animal Dander and Stale Odors Alleviates Some Symptomatic Allergies Increases Air Flow 'Through Your System Removes Drywall Dust Sawdust Other Remnants of New Construction HI With a Gift Box Of Chocolates Or Cookies, A German Chocolate Cake Cheesecake Of With A Special Lunch St. Luke's 19th Street Health Center 19th and Hamilton Streets, Allentown St. Luke's Continence Management Program is pleased to offer free bladder screenings for the community.

Come meet our specially trained nurses and tour our facilities. A short, free talk on good bladder health will also be given at pm in our waiting room by Valerie Riley, MD. The St. Luke's Continence Management Program is the region's most comprehensive, full-time service for the care and treatment of urinary incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunction. Offices are located in Allentown, Bethlehem, Palmerton, Quakertown and Wind Gap.

Call 610-954-4960 to schedule an appointment for a bladder screening. HOSPITAL 1 Health Network I The Best of the Wurst" Fully Cooked Ready for the Grill BRATWURST SMOKED BRATWURST KNOCKWURST WEINERS BAVARIAN HOT DOGS KARL EHMER MEATS Bm 1645 Union Allentown 9-6 Sat 8-4 61 0-432-91 1 1 E3.