Amherst News-Times, 1998-07-01

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atre groups split for kids — Page 3|  'Our Town' on Workshop stage — Page 7
Vmherst News-Times
I
July   1     1998
Amherst. Ohio
puts
)mic
district
in waves
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
j A major change in a Joint Economic Development District
(JEDD) agreement between the city
and Amherst Township may prove
to be a stumbling block for future
economic cooperation between the
two governments.
! Both mayor John Higgins and
township trustee Denny Abraham
expressed dissatisfaction with the
change because it promotes annexation by the city rather than economic cooperation w'ith the
township.
The revision prevents other commercially or industrially zoned land
jn the township from becoming patt
of the initial 60-acre district unless
it is contiguous to it
As approved by the township
June 9, the district includes land
owned by area contractor RtE. Rice
between Rt 58 and Dewey Road,
Ackerman Road and the Norfolk
Southern rail line.
The original agreement allowed
any non-residentally zoned land in
the township to be added to the district regardless of its location.
■ The change was supported by
trustees Ron Leoni and David Urig
but opposed by Abraham because it
requires the addition of each noncontiguous area to be approved by
township voters.
-- State law requires JEDDs to be
approved by township voters before
they become a reality. Under the
change, the township will have lo
pay for issues to be placed on the
ballot each time a non-contigous expansion is sought
"It also defeats the whole concept
of joint economic agreements and
• makes annexation quicker and
cheaper for a developer," Abraham
added. "No developer is going to
want to go through a long process
. and then wait for the voters to have
the final say. Once should be
enough."
By becoming part of the city, a
potential industry would pay less fov
utilities. It also would not be subject
to the demands of a JEDD governing board composed of township
and city officials, and representatives of the industries in the district,
he added.
I Higgins said the process of developing the legislation and working
out other details for the initial
60-acre JEDD took seven months
and two years of preliminary
planning.
"Maybe another mayor be willing
to do this all over again, but not
me." he said. "It's not fair to the
taxpayers to have to do this every
time because it's their money that's
being spent It's a long drawn out
process."
The intention of the agreement
was to eliminate the need for the
same process if land was to.be
added to the district in the future.
Urig could not be reached for
comment Leoni said he thought the
change was proper because of concerns voiced by some township
residents.
Abraham, however, said the coot-ems were expressed by residents
who are not part of the district and
will not be adversely affected by it
, Under the agreement, the city will
extend water, sewer and electricity
to to district, but charge SO percent
forte— the same rate it now
township customers,
township will receive prop-
I real eatate tax in addition to
percent of the income tax from
in the district The city
1.2S percent of Ihe income
* Amherst has very little apace for
iwhiatrial expansion because tha
fnajority tf dty land U develop
^township has land, but not the
Karoline Radosevteh, though 102 years old, enjoys working in her rose garden on a regular basis.
Mother marks 102nd birthday
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
"Ood willing," Karoline Radose-
victi says she'd like to be around
another two years to see the start of Among her many recollections is
another century, not that she hasn't the fateful trip she almost made
already. across the Atlantic at the tender age
" She's already passed one miKt'JaVCTS. -   - -
tone and, in doing ao, managed to It seems the luxury liner she and
escape one of the more memorable her late aunt Katherine Nikelska
She missed a tragic trip
on Titanic as youngster
disasters of the 20th Century.
Bom in 1896 in Austria, the Amherst woman turned 102 June 17.
It's not that there are not other
centenarians around, but not that
many in Amherst especially those
who still garden, crochet and have a
memory as sharp as Iter's.
where supposed to sail on from England to the US. had engine problems. So its owners, the White Star
Line, were ready to switch them to a
new ship called the Titanic.
She can't recall the other ship's
name, but her daughter, Olga
Franta, thinks it was the Olympia,
the Titanic's smaller sister ship. Regardless, the ship's engine problems
were fixed jusjjn, *jme». Otherwise,
there's a vety-goooV chance she
would have never gotten to the United States, let alone across the Atlantic or to Amherst Ohio.
For her, the crossing was uneventful until she, her aunt and other
passengers heard of the disaster after they arrived in New York.
Franta saw the box office hit movie about the Titanic a few weeks
ago but couldn't coax her mother to
accompany her.
"Oh no, no. All those many people died. I could not bare seeing
that. I could have been one," Ra-
dosevich said. "I was very
fortunate."
Besides, she has seen similar movies on TV and wasn't sure she
wanted to see the tragedy on the big
screen.
Her aunt, who lived in Pittsburgh,
Pa., was only bringing her to
America for a visit She wanted to
show the teenager how big and
beautiful it was and the kind of opportunities it possessed for people
from Europe.
It didn't take much to convince
her. She stayed and, by 1916,
CONTINUED on page   3
Father, daughter
share college
years, graduation
by OLEN MLLER
: The whole idea benefits the
township as much ta me city, bat
(hUUoUttwhatca "
!    CONIPKHDM
"Abm-
9
News-Times raporter
Like father, like daughter.
That may not be the right
gender match, but it accu-    ■
lately reflects what Rick Williams, 48. and Ms daughter,
Kris, 23. did together after a
long delay, his longer than
ber's.
A little over a month ago,
they each graduated from
Kent State Univer*ity, he with
a masters of education in rehabilitation countollng and she
with a bachelor of science
degree ta graphic arts.
For Rick Williams, the trek
toward completing bis master's degree look 11 years
from start to finish. His
daughter's academic effort
look seven yean.
They have a lot hi common. They ado am Marion
La Steele gtaoaatoi. Ha it a
? the Otas of'69
Ae the Cam of *9l.
What had started out as a
summer internship in 1994
and subsequent tun*mt*r jobs
at the company turned into a
foil-time job when company
officials saw her work.
It's a great job. I had everything done but the thesis,
so I didn't want to pass it
up," she explained.
University officials gave her
three yean to finish her thesis on the use of graphics
and create a portfolio of her
work. It involved creating 20
greeting cards and the accompanying marketing materials.
Site finished a year ahead
of time and graduated May
She is now in the process
of copywriting her greeting
cants before selling them to
aaa of
cai Greetings ie G
luck Williams, a
timet aad for different
the had finished all her
walk with to eacep-
*
ia Pan He two
at me Lor-
*r- '
-act Osptor ia Elyria, began
Ml efforts to better ymaolf ia
lW7e It .was ehea whaa he
banned about a enev-iati mm
aaatmm*aMmamm   snarvan*  aa   aajswtajPSjBBi   Br^seaaea
being osmfod by Vent Eaat
weald (awe enabled Mm io belt
am a master's degree wtoV H
KiiE md Rick WllilEiaiE.
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a a*aeiar's
oat having to dig too eaapry
to tw tamily sevia
m punak et a mamsr-s aeatog i
m »ia abrett hall a year      eel a*
w whaa the ootteaa cat off       fee*.
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Ha couldn't fork oat the
asoaey at Mi eat) eitner
,
Family business also kept
Rick Williams nrruaitid He
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she has two sons in to Amherst schools: Dylan, a ttoktor
at Stosto. and Wasjey, a first
it Powen EloBteaawy
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SO conts
Cops eye
offenders
in blitz
The Amherst Police Department wants drivers to know
they are going to be giving
extra attention to offenders
throughout this week during a
traffic blitz that started
Monday.
According to sergeant Dan '
Jasinski, the department is using federal dollars given to
the city through a special
traffic enforcement program to
step up its efforts to catch
violators.
As many as six additional
patrolpersons will be on duty
during some shifts this week,
Jasinski explained. They'll be
concentrating on those areas
which are infamous for violations: Cooper Foster Park
Road, N. Main Street Cleveland Street and Rts. 2 and
58, among others.
The target times will be
about 3 p.m. to 3 ajn.
Jasinski said those on patrol will be targeting any
traffic violation from speeding, to running stopsigns and
stoplights, and even seat belt
violations and child safety
seat violations.
High accident areas will.be
hardest hit
Jasinski said the grant money has allowed the department to pay patrolpersons for
traffic blitzes on two other
occasions. During a recent
Thursday night blitz, the department issued more than 40
tickets in four hours.
The blitz may continue
through the Fourth of July
holiday weekend.
And although the goal is to
catch and ticket as many offenders as possible, Jasinski
said he wants drivers to know
the department is out and
watching with additional personnel, in an effort to be fair.
Parking
plan's too
expensive,
city says
by OLEN MLLER
at a-aaSaaSa.      ^flatTA eSkLaSa        flta^aataattatta'ttB-aat*
NtJWS- I Him  rspOtttK
Plans to build a city parking lot
on N. Main Street will go back to
the drawing board until the city can
think of a way to pay for it
The plan was put in Umbo June
22 when city council defeated an
ordinance that would have given
mayor John Higgins the authority to
negotiate a 10-year lean for to
land.
If it had been approved, to city
would have been able to lease
enough land for 32 parking spaces
from Marathon gas station owner!
Walt WyviU.
A 3-3 tie vote was split by council president Wayne White, who
voted against to
member John Dietrich waa
CotmcUi
Tony'
ssid to lease's $120400 price tog
012000' a year) wee too ooatfy.
fmi
chy with
I
initiated the idea,
f-maaa^f abOUt to MsaW
ill coat
It coatd coat to city to taut
tmorjO over 10 yean wMto «a>
cam**aa eatoatad «2 .000 la
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