Amherst News-Times, 1998-06-17

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June 17, 1998
Amhorst. Ohio
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merger has city worried about trains
MLLER
»• reporter
The takeover of Conrail by the
Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads
has Amherst city officials concerned
about increased train traffic, noise
and hazardous waste being transported through Amherst.
Parking
lot plans
proposed
by mayor
The city could gain an additional 92 parking spaces along
Tenney Avenue and N. Main
Street if city council approves a
multiple parking plan recommended by mayor John Higgins.
Under the plan, the city would
lease a vacant parcel of land on
N. Main Street from Marathon
service station owner Walt Wy-
vill for 10 years. In addition, about 40 angled parking spaces
will be built along Tenney Avenue, both north and south of
Church Street.
The entire plan was introduced to council at its June 15
committee meetings by the
mayor, who was given authorization to negotiate a 10-year
Council approved of the plan,
although councilmen Ed Cowger
and John Mishak suggested merchants purchase parking lot permits to free up on-street parking.
Other members who suggested
purchasing the land were told by
the mayor that Wyvill only will
lease it
Higgins noted that providing
adequate parking must precede
any downtown redevelopment.
Two chain restaurants. Including
Starbucks coffee house, have
abandoned plans to locate in the
city because of a lack of parking, he added.
Although it will relieve a
shortage of parking on the west
end of the downtown business
district, Higgins said the city
still needs additional parking between Church and Spring
streets, the eastern boundary of
the business area.
"This will help, but it's cer-
tainly not the entire solution," '
Higgins explained. MIf we want
to keep business downtown, we
have to create more parking."
But the plan may be cosdy for
both the city and motorists. The
cost of paving the vacant lot and
marking 52 spaces is estimated
at $52,000. A cost estimate has
not yet been made for the Tenney and Church Street plan, according to city engineer Milt
Pommeranz.
Whatever the total for both
plans, it will be paid for by drivers who have to slip quarters
into parking meters installed
along the street and in the proposed parking lot.
To help pay for construction
costs, parking meters also may
be installed in the city existing
L-shaped parking lot that is located between Church Street and
Tenney Avenue. Free parking
now exists there.
The meters can be removed
by a future council as soon the
construction costs are paid.
Many years ago, meters were removed after a 10-year plan was
paid in eight yean. Higgins said.
Pommeranz said a few angled
parking spaces may be installed
on Church Street near the Tenney Avenue intsrsfniiwi. Most
woakt be built on the south aide
of Teaney along a small aew
CONTINUED en pa* 7
The issue of increased train traffic
through the city by Norfolk Southern arose during a June 9 city council meeting, the same day the $10
billion acquisition was approved in
Washington, D.C. by the federal
Surface Transportation Board.
Rather than have one large railroad, federal regulators allowed the
ownership of Conrail to be split between Norfolk Southern and CSX,
Teacher to
continue
studying
all summer
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
Bill Strohm, English and history
teacher at Marion L. Steele High
School, will be traveling to England
this summer as one of only 15 secondary education teachers attending
a "Historical Interpretations of the
Industrial Revolution in England"
seminar.
The seminar, sponsored by the
National Endowment for the Humanities and conducted at Nottingham University, is being taught by
Dr. Gerard Koot, chair of the history
department at the University of
Massachusetts, Dartmouth. It will
be held July 5-July 31.
The NEH provides participants
$2300 to cover expenses. Any other
expenses are paid out _of pocket.
formerly the Chessie System.
Councilmember Nancy Brown
said she is especially concerned about the diversion of hazardous waste
from another line to the one that will
be operated by Norfolk Southern
through Amherst
"I'm very upset about this, but I
have no idea of what recourse we
can take at this point," she said.
She and other council members
noted the city of Cleveland won
concessions from the Norfolk
Southern and CSX, both of which
have rail lines running through portions of the city.
Brown also expressed concern
about the deterioration of the railroad overpasses which span Main
Street and Milan Avenue. They regularly leak and drop debris or rocks
on the sidewalks and road below,
creating hazards for pedestrians and
motorists, she added.
She said council would like to
start "pressing its concerns" to railroad representatives.
Council president Wayne White
noted that Cleveland and other suburbs have been promised sound barriers to cut down on the noise
caused by trains as they pass
through residential areas.
"If they can do this to our community, they can give us something
in return," Brown said.
Lorain County has been promised
little more than signs with phone
numbers that will be posted at crossings if people have complaints about
rail traffic, she added.
Mayor John Higgins said Cleve-
CONTINUED on page 7
Koot said 116 educators applied
worldwide. Applications were reviewed by Koot, another Dartmouth
faculty member and a high school
teacher. The applications were
ranked on the basis of interest, essay
topic, general intellectual accomplishments and if they had previously attended an NEH seminar.
"I am interested in giving them a
much greater appreciation and
knowledge about the subject," Koot
said. "This is an opportunity rarely
given to teachers — the opportunity
to be students, work with colleagues
and be treated as professionals."
Strohm, who has been teaching in
the Amherst school district since
1972, is in his first year of teaching
a combination of English and history. He has taught English since he
began his teaching career in 1967,
but added history when the school
decided to do double blocking and
combine subjects.
This year he taught juniors and
seniors American history and
American literature and next year he
Volunteers
earn good
grades for
service
Three women who have given a
lot of their time and energy to helping Marion L. Steele High School
and the Amherst schools run began
spending more time on themselves
last weak.
It brought an end to the years that
Mary Ann Kulik, Carma Bates and
Linda Matus have served as volunteers for the high school's parent
They decided their "retirement"
was appropriMB. Alter all, their
daughters graduated from MLS June
7.
For Bates, it's almost like the end
of an era. She began volunteering
bar free time to school activities 27
yam ago when her family lived ia
Lorain. She spent eight yean halp*
ing the schools ia tha latefkont dty
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will teach British literature and British history.
Strohm has a minor in history and
is currently taking classes at
Baldwin-Wallace College to receive
history certification.
He said he is looking forward to
visiting Nottingham because it is in
the heart of industrial England and
not a usual tourist attraction.
"The interesting thing of the
Bill Strohm
seminar is the unpredictability,"
Strohm said. "There will be meetings, journals and side trips."
Koot said participants will meet
every morning and will have assigned readings. Projects and essays
will also be assigned.
Once a week, they will spend an
entire day on a study trip to view
sites such as the Manchester Industrial History Museum, the Iron
Bridge, a water-driven textile mill
and the first site where mechanized
textile production took place.
"The purpose of the seminar is to
do an integrated humanities discussion," Koot said. "And to allow people to pursue their interests."
Strohm, who has traveled to England before, said he plans to stay a
few weeks after the seminar to
travel to Scotland and Northern
England.
Robert Boynton presents Carma Bales. Linda
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by QLEN MLLER
News-Times reporter
City officials plan to get together
this week to take a bite out of dog
owners who don't adhere to a proposed law designed to tighten the
leash on vicious dogs.
City councilman Steve P'Simer
said he plans meet with law director
Alan Anderson, safety service director Sherrill McLoda and police chief
William Hall in the hope of including "harsh" fines in a revised vicious dog law proposed by him.
The law was discussed and tabled
by council's ordinance committee
June 1 until fines are agreed on and
Anderson can write an ordinance including P'Simer's suggested
changes.
Under it, rottweilers, chow
chows, akitas and dogs with a wolf
hybrid would be added to a list of
dogs that are considered to be vicious. Among them are various breeds
of pit bull terriers.
The tough new ordinance would
require the owners of these dogs to
place them on a chain link leash or
tether not longer than six feet and
capable of retaining at least 300
pounds.
It also would requLc their owners
to register them with the Amherst
police department and keep them
muzzled whenever they are outside
their chain link dog pen. They
would have to be controlled by people who are at least 18 years old.
P'Simer changes are based on
two months of research, including a
tough new vicious dog ordinance
enacted by Cleveland city council
earlier this year.
Based on P'Simer's research, Anderson said he sees no problem with
including specific breeds of dogs,
such as rottweilers, in the ordinance
while excluding others that are not
regarded as vicious by national
experts.
In a letter to fellow council members, P'Simer said a "better mechanism" is needed to enforce the city's
current ordinance.
"I feel a much-needed change and
a positive pro-active approach
would be to require residents who
own a vicious dog to register such
an animal with the police department," he said.
Chief Hall called the proposal "a
good idea."
On registering them, owners
would have to show proof they have
$100,000 in insurance to cover any
attacks by their dogs. The present
insurenoe requirement is $50,000.
He said registration is "essential"
because the city and residents, especially those with children, need to
know where vicious dogs are located throughout the city for safety
All dogs are licensed through the
Lorain County Auditor's Office. Al-
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