Amherst News-Times, 1999-07-14

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Quartet will sing at church — Page 7 Masons repairing headstones — Pa
Amherst News-Time
Wednesday, July 14.  1999
Amherst, Ohio
I
Sunday night blaze
guts part of market
Shoppers' paradise was 25 years old
by MATT GALLAGHER
News-Times reporter
The smoke could be seen
as far as six miles away, according to Tom Johnson, an
Elyria firefighter who watched
the smoke rise several miles
into the sky from his fire station in Elyria.
He would soon realize the
smoke came from the middle
building of Jamie's Flea
Market on Telegraph Road in
South Amherst, which caught
fire and burned to the ground
Sunday night. No one was
injured.
The flea market owners had
recently celebrated its 25th
anniversary.
While Elyria was not called
in, neighboring fire departments including Florence,
Amherst, Oberlin, Elyria,
Wakeman and Lorain City
were brought in to help South
Amherst fight the blaze.
The South Amherst fire department got the emergency
call at 5:59 p.m. In about
two and a half hours the fire
was out. While the middle
building burned down to the
ground, fire officials were
able to contain the fire from
reaching the other two buildings on either side of the
blaze. The two surviving
buildings may have suffered
heat and smoke damage, according to Jim Balog, assistant fire chief.
"Everything worked out
rather well. Thanks to the
County Mutual Aid System
we were able to save the
other two buildings," Balog
said.
The County Mutual Aid
System unites the neighboring
fire departments in the county
into a single team to put out
large fires.
Another saving grace was
the Lorain County Water
Shelter. The fire department
set up a portable pond so
tankers from neighboring departments could come in and
dump water to help fight the
blaze. With this and two
other fire hydrants in the
area, the firefighters could
pump about 800 gallons of
water a minute onto the fire.
CONTINUED on page 7
A county sheriff's department officer keeps
sightseers and onlookers away from the Jamie's Flea Market building on Monday. The
cause of the blaze remains under investigation and firefighters are unable to give any
damage estimates yet.
At right, mayor .John Higgins is led away by
soldiers of 108th Ohio Volunteer Infantry after
being discovered as a union sympathizer during the Old Time Jamboree this weekend. At
left, kids enjoy an outing in a jumping air mat-        the midway,
ress contraption as their parents watch from
Thousands jam the Jamboree in search of fun
More than an estimated
20,000 people attended this
year's Old Time Jamboree
even though it got off to a
wet start
The Friday kickoff ceremonies had to be delayed an
hour after a severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings
sent people scurrying inside
for shelter shortly before the
6 p.m. start.
The city escaped any major
damage despite high winds
and pounding rain.
The skies cleared and sun
began to shine as the jamboree was started by the sound
of the bell being rung above
city hall, an event that hadn't
occurred in more than a decade, according to mayor
John Higgins.
One of the highlights of
this year's three-day event
was the presence of the 8th
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a Civil War re-enactment group
that may make its home at
the Sandstone Museum
Center.
The crowd was asked to
imagine themselves whisked
back in time to 1863. While
recruiting volunteers for the
war, the soldiers discovered a
Rebel sympathizer in the city
and arrested him — the
mayor.
Higgins, who had volunteered to play the part two
weeks ago, was placed in a
ball and chains, and led away
to spend the rest of his days
slaving over his desk in city
hall.
Hoots, cheers and yells of
sympathy greeted Higgins as
he was led away in fun.
Scott Kodger, jamboree director and executive director
of the Amherst Historical
Society, called the event "a
huge success" that resulted in
food and fun for everyone.
Electric company must give residents a choice
■
Ohio Edison has decided to let
'some Middle Ridge Road residenu
]switch to Amherst's municipal
electric service rather than continue
to demand they pay huge disconnection fees.
Under an agreement worked out
with AMP-Ohio (American Municipal Power of Ohio), more than a
half dozen residenu soon will be
switching their service over to Am
herst Municipal Electric.
The settlement requires FirstEnergy, Ohio Edison's parent
company, to "cooperate in switching
cusiomer(s) to a municipal electric
supplier.'' It also will offer to sell, at
the city's option, the customer meter
base for $75.
Utilities director Don Woodings
said he has contacted Ohio Edison
about the purchase but believes the
city can provide meters for $19.
He began contacting the Middle
Ridge customers about the settlement last week and expects them to
begin switching to city power as
soon as possible.
They have been asking to switch
to the cheaper municipal power for
more than a year but have been
sumied by Ohio Edison demands
that they pay for "stranded cosu"
before changing service.
Last fall, the-city and AMP-Ohio
filed a complaint with the Public
Utilities Commission of Ohio
(PUCO) challenging Ohio Edison's
right to demand "stranded cost"
payments before customers can
switch service.
Ohio Edison refused to allow the
change unless it was paid stranded
cosu, those it incurred in the overall
distribution and generation of electricity for which customers are not
charged.
At issue was the customers' right
to save money by switching to Amherst's less expensive municipal
power system.
The cosu include the installation
or purchase of generating facilities
and equipment used by the company, which is now pan oi Fir
stEnergy Corp.
Amherst was one of several cities j
throughout the state that had con-]
tested the cost policy. .. {
Last fall, the city and Aivn--Ohso;
filed a complaint with the Public)
Utilities Commission of Ohio charg- {
ing the policy was illegal because it
prevented customers from choosing J
CONTMUEDon
City to reconcider fencing around some ponds
c^
by OLEN MLLER
Newe-Timee reporter
Rising concern over the safety of
children is facing city cooncU lo
think long snd hsrd stout its plans
not to require fences around retention poods la
After more than SO minutes of
discussion by concerned residenu,
council's building snd lands committee decided last week to table
further action on an ordbuhnce revising Us fence law.
The city's effort to drop the requirement for fences around retention snd detention ponds drew an
impassioned plea from English
Lakes resident BUI Mihalik. who
said be hss seen children swimming
or ice skating on tte ponds without
adult supervision
"If someone falls through that ice,
they don't have a chance," te said.
"This a safety item that we (resi-
denu) are really concerned about"
Some council members winced
when Mihalik asked item to consider how they would feel if one of
their children or grandchildren
should drown in sn unfenced pond.
City administrators claim tte
13-year-old ordinance Is vsgue be-
in addition to swimming
DOOM      flftQ      IVtaOflUOatt      mmmmmt
they are working as expected
a fewer tosen.rs.li have teen
ponds, it also would require fences
around creeks snd natural ponds.
Tte proposed change only requires reported flooded, dty officials
them to be built around swimming _                                     *
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ncn "ski co      s voces ay
Tte ponds are required to help   22.'       ..   ^^ __^__ ._..
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