Amherst News-Times, 1999-03-17

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Amherst News-Tim<
Wednesday.  March   17.   1999
Amherst.  Ohio
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Sewer connection would require annexatic
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
The cost of tying Amherst Township's sewer to nowhere into Amherst's sewer system will be annexation plus at least $2.8 million.
Mayor John Higgins made it clear
to the Lorain County commissioners
at a meeting last Thursday that annexation of at least part of the sewer
land is a must before a connection
can be made.
The mayor, county engineer Ken
Carney and county sanitary engineer
Fted Nelson where among those
who spoke to the commissioners about the possibility of a connection.
Following the discussion, the
mayor said the city is not willing to
allow the connection unless it has a
Who gets
revenues
from city
land sale?
Mayor John Higgins is seeking an
opinion trom the city's legal bond
counsel about the use of $272,000
raised from the sale of two pieces of
city property.
The mayor wants to use the money to help pay the remaining
$300,000 the city owes for the development of the proposed 60-acre
West Side Park between North Lake
and North Main streets.
The opinion is being sought from
Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, a
Cleveland law firm with which the
city ftequendy does business.
Law director Alan Anderson has
previously stated he thinks the money should be placed in water revenue funds because money originally used to purchase the properties
came from those accounts..
At question is money acquired by
the sale of city-owned land on West
Erie Avenue in Lorain and property
at HI Park Avenue, the location of
an old water department storage
garage.
The lakefront property was sold
to Scott Sprenger, of the Sprenger
retirement centers, for $251,000.
The city purchased it about 50 years
ago as the site for a possible water
treatment plant, but never used the
land.
The Park Avenue property, which
'     CONTINUED on page 3
Reconciliation urged on JEDD
President of the county
commissioners, Betty Blair
has suggested city and Amherst Township officials try to
salvage plans for a Joint
Economic Development District (JEDD) abandoned more
than a year ago.
Her recommendation came
at a March 11 commissioners
meeting while discussing the
possibility of connecting the
township's "sewer to nowhere" to the Amherst wastewater treatment plant
Commissioner Mary Jo
Vasi questioned if annexation
would occur should the
county's sewer to nowhere be
tied into Amherst's sewer
system.
Annexation of some of the
property along the sewer's
route would likely occur to
help defray the cost of upgrading Amherst's sewer system. How much has not been
determined, according to
mayor John Higgins.
The sewer runs along por
tions of routes 58 and 113,
and part of Middle Ridge
Road east of the city limits.
If this were to happen,
Vasi said she would prefer
something similar to the
JEDD be developed. That
prompted differing explana-
CONTINUED on page 2
source of revenue to help pay for future upgrades of its sewage treatment plant. That revenue would
come from future sewer tap-ins,
utility payments and taxable income
from businesses or residents build
ing   in   the  annexed   area,   he
explained.
How much land might be annexed and where won't be determined until an all-compassing study
of the Amherst proposal and three
other treatment possibilities can be
done. Before that can begin, the
commissioners asked Carney to find
how much the study will cost. His
answer is expected this week.
The $3.5 million sewer was con
structed about two years ago along
parts of routes 113 and 58, and
Middle Ridge Road to enhance development in connection with the
planned turnpike interchange on to
Rt. 58. It remains unused because of
Watch your feet
Physical education teacher Audrey Huber helps students at Harris Elementary School learn the fundamentals of square dancing.
*
Lorain's refusal to allow a connection to its sewers.
Higgins said he doubts if the
whole sewer route will be annexed.
The most likely area would be Rt
58 between the city limits and the
turnpike. It would include small
parts of Middle Ridge Road east and
west of RL 58.
Commissioners Betty Blair and
Mary Jo Vasi indicated they would
like to avoid annexation if possible.
Blair suggested the city and Amherst Township officials reconsider
plans for a Joint Economic Development District (JEDD).
Under it, both the city and township would receive different tax
benefits and annexation would not
be necessary. A JEDD was aban-
CONTINUED on page 2
City nets
thousands
from late
taxpayers
Delinquent taxpayers beware: pay
your income taxes or pay them in
addition to Tines levied by Oberlin
Municipal Court
So far, the city has netted about
$5,700 in Tines from residents who
have failed to pay their 1997 income
taxes and is going after several other
delinquent taxpayers.
City treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz
and law director Alan Anderson
made the announcement during their
administrative reports at the Match
8 city council meeting.
The treasurer said it is the tint
time she can recall residents being
taken to court for failing to pay their
taxes and it won't be the last
"1 think it's probably a sign of the
times,'' she added. "We've never
had any of our residents get so seriously delinquent, but we do mean
business and the judge (Martin Heberling) means business."
"it's not something I like to do,
but it most certainly is something
that I have taken an oath of office to
do," Litkovitz added.
All residents must file even
though employers withhold income
taxes and pay them to the city, Anderson noted.
Litkovitz said several other residents are scheduled to be taken to
court in the near future for failing to
pay their taxes prior to 1998.
No representation? No
problem for man with suits
by QLEN MILLER
Newa-Tirnea reporter   '
George Koleno doesn't
think the seven lawsuits he's
filed against the Cleveland
Clinic Foundation and several
county officials since 1996
are nuisance lawsuits.
Those he has sued feel
otherwise.
The 77-year-old Amhent
man says he's just exercising
his constitutional right to seek
legal redress for alleged medical malpnctice by the Cleve-
tad Clinic FoutrJaoon and
one of its doctors. He's filed
two suits against the hospital,
one in 1996 and soother mis
yesr.
Along the way. he's also
filed t total of five otter
Lorain County
Pleas Court judge
Oratory WW*
clerk of courts Donald
Armed with legal advice
books from the Amherst
Public Library, Koleno is acting as his own attorney because he claims several attorneys have declined to take
the case for various reasons.
Koleno says most feel they
either cannot win the case or
are unwilling to take on
county officials.
He has no choice, he adds,
because be fears the statute
of limitations will expire before he can find someone
with the legal "guts" to take
the case.
He claims the clinic staff,
under the direction of a doctor named Lester Borden, illegally and improperly did a
spinal tap on him that has
left him with pennanent nerve
damage and the inability to
work.
In 1997. te filed suit
against Zaleski for dismissing
his ease against the clinic.
Th* auk was dismissed by
judge Kosms Otovas because
of judicial immunity and
Koleno's failure to appeal
Zaleslri's decision to dismiss
the malpractice suit
A second suit making similar allegations against Zaleski
was dismissed in 1998 by
Glavas. A former Moen, Inc.
employee, he is seeking $10
million in damages front Glavas for improperly dismissing
his suit against Zaleski.
Tte two suits filed this
year allege White violated
Koleno's ccitstitutional rights
and obstructed justice in his
suit against Zaleski. He also
claims Redigery was involved
in tte improper dismissal of
the 1996 malpractice suit
against Borden and the
CcWc.
Both cases have teas dis-
urissed, tte former by Zaleski
sad lauer by Glaum
-I think they're all In ce-
"ha
The risjon ef -Tying
 ^ 3e*-tnade attorney George Koleno reads   In We
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