The Amherst news-times. (Amherst, Ohio), 1998-09-02

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Fall sports teams featured — Pages 6-8 Company to move offices here — Page 14
Amherst News-Times
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Soptombor  2    rm
Amherst    Ohio
50  rents
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;idents put
^raising
talents in gear
for ventures
by OLEN MILLER
Newe-Times reporter
Wanted: money, about $395,000
for three good civic causes that no
one seems to have hidden away in a
big cookie jar.
It's a plea Amherst residents began hearing and reading about three
weeks ago and will continue to over
the coming weeks and months.
Civic groups have launched or
will soon begin campaigns to raise
money for die fire department, a
new west side park and renovations
to part of the historic, but badly deteriorated city hall.
Out in front of the pack is a campaign started in July for a $25300
infrared helmet that will allow firefighters to spot victims and hot
spots through dark and smoke.
So far, the young fundraisers,
12-year-olds Brittany Gerena and
Garrett Knoll, have collected $2,700
for the helmet, an IRIS Thermal Imaging System. It allows firefighters
to see things during extreme heat
and fire. One worn by a Lorain fire
fighter recently helped save the life
of small boy trapped in a basement
during a fire.
The fire department had no plans
to buy one until Gerena read about it
in a children's magazine and learned
Letters keeking donations were
sou to area businesses and a booth
was set up at the Olde Time Jamboree this summer. The effort is expected to take at least a year.
In the meantime, groups are heading projects to build a 34-acre west
side park and the restoration of the
second floor of city ball. The city
does not have money budgeted for
either. '
The proposed park is a joint venture of the Lorain County Metro-
Parks and the city. The goal is to
provide a new park to serve the
growing population without raising
taxes. It will be built on land behind
the Amherst Police Department between N. Lake and N. Main streets.
The city and the MetroParks have
already agreed to kick in about two-
thirds of the $1.8 million cost, but
the remainder is to be raised from
public contributions.
So far, the park has no name. Until one comes along, mayor John
Higgins said it will called the West
Side Park.
Four residents have volunteered
to serve as a capital campaign committee in addition to the mayor and
safety service director Sherrill
McLoda. They are Donel and Tony
Sprenger, William Starbuck and
Sandra Bitar.
Some money already has been
raised during a special party for corporate and business leaders, but the
bulk of it is being sought from residents — the people who will use it
the most
A fundraising campaign is expected to kick off in early October
and conclude later in the fall. A brochure outlining the project has been
created and paid for by the Metro-
Parks. Envelopes for donations are
enclosed in the brochures.
The city hall fixup drive originally was created earlier this year
a small group of residents to raise
money for the replacement of the
building's roof.
Since then, the city has been able
lo hire a bond underwriting firm. In
turn, it will hire a bond legal
counsel to sell bonds for about $4.1
million in city capital improvement
projects, including the roof.
David Williams, campaign chairman, could not be reached for com-
CONTINUED on page 9
Back to work
Sandy Kozar, first grade teacher at Powers
Elementary School, gives her class a tour of the
school's habitat. Turtles and other animals kept
the students interested on their first day back to
class.
A copper
top's best
for city
hall roof
The new roof that will be
placed on city hall is likely
to start out as a bright gold
color before eventually turning
a shade of green sometime in
the future.
That's because the roof,
which was supposed to be
slate, probably will be made
of copper instead.
City council authorized
safety services director Sherrill McLoda to advertise for
bids for construction of a
copper roof during a special
Aug. 17 meeting. Council
also hired Construction Resources of Solon to prepare
plans and specifications for
the project.
Mayor John Higgins has
asked the Ohio Historical
Society for permission to use
copper to replace the deteriorated shale roof. The organization's approval is necessary in
order for the building to retain its designation as a national historical landmark.
In approving the change,
city council also asked the
mayor to explore the cost of
slate and shingles for a cost
comparison if the state historical society denies the request
The city cannot find any
evidence the original roof was
made with slate, although
some tin has been found.
"So, we feel it (copper) is
keeping with the tin that may
have been on the roof and is
a material of the period it
(city hall) was built," Bud
Griffith, president of Construction Resources explained.
Not only is copper easier
to install, it is the most economical now that the price
has declined by about a third.
In addition, copper is
lighter, will weigh less on the
wood roof and can be installed for $400,000.
Neighbors rally to help woman
by KRISTIN WEBBER
News-Times intern
Amherat neighbors stick
whether they ere
the city, state or
VidrJ Zbrezny Robbies, a
1982 Marion L. Steele High
School graduate was diagnosed with schleroderma last
September. Since then, several
Amherst residents and organizations have taken up Rob-
bins's cause through fundraisers and benefits.
At the head of many of
these projects is Robbins's
lifelong friend, college roommate and godmother of her
children, Stacey Bierfeldt
Bierfeldt, 819 Willow Hollow
Court, is a 1981 graduate of
Marion L. Steele High
School.
Merfeidt remembered when
Bobbins first showed Symplons after having her twins,
Kelsey and Taylor. Robbies
Ant dismissed her fatigue and
striatal Hrabe as the stress of
eerryfag and delivering twins.
Tut Bobbins famly InrJudad (lop) Sarah and Taytor.
and Katie, Dave and Vtoki and twins Keeeey
Bierfeldt recalled Bobbins
I don't
is, bet that
be the
body to
k is often fatal
to ie npjjraj
ft is referred
as the
he vie-
There iS BO
effects tynjfffr
II
to
bias, 34, was
Of 1997. Rob-
Street paving slows
to help pay for bridge
The dry may not be able to re-
pave more than a dozen streets in
need of repair next year because of
the cost of rebuilding the two-lane
Jackson Street bridge.
The cost, estimated at $750,000
or more, is expected to be among
the topics discussed when city council takes on the issue of renewing a
.5 mill income tax levy far street
maintenance this fall or early this
winter.
The levy will expire on Dec. 31,
2000 and is likdy to be placed on
the November 1999 ballot for renewal, according to mayor John
Higgins.
About 36 more streets remain on
a list of those scheduled to be done
before the end of 2000. Traditionally, the dty has been able to do about a dozen a year depending on the
extent of repairs that need to be
done. This mesas about a doaen will
not be uniteed as hoped before th^
levy wiphrs.
The nMid»-oeeded repair of the
bridge iahkaty to aaamaatawtswa
of funds available and may force the
city to eat back on repaying oalessk
qualifies for state bene II ftstdiag
for capital
decking also are of concern to city
officials.
"This is something I hadn't
counted on four years ago, but you
can't ignore it because its widely
used," Higgins said.
Without the bridge, traffic would
have to be detoured either west or
east along Park Avenue to S. Main
and Church streets or N. Leavitt
Road.
The receipt of $200,000 in Issue
II this year did save the dry money
in the repair of the Cooper Foster
Park Road bridge. The city only will
spend $154,000 for paving. The city
also saved money by locating good
steel beams removed from other
bridges by the state.
The work will begin Sept 15 and
oc compMtOQ oy nno"DoocfliDcr*
Renewal of the levy is needed to
complete streets not finished by the
end of 2000 and "start over again on
what is a continuous upgrading aad
fixing of what we did yean ago,"
the mayor said
die city's tax pic-
"So, we don't have a'choiee. The
bridge is ant going to wait far aa
use tome of the streets eaa." the
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