Amherst News-Times, 1999-09-15

              Homecoming festivities set — Page 3
Comets defeat rival Sailors — I
Amherst News-Tin*
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Wednesriny.  Soptombor   15.   1999
Amhnrst.  Ohio
'Caddie' puts kid in hall of fame
A young man's love of
baseball has brought him
some outstanding recognition.
Local student Austin Meggitt received national
recognition last year when he
won MediaOne and the Discovery Networks Ultimate Invention Contest by inventing
the Baltic Caddie.
The Battie Caddie is a device that allows baseball enthusiasts to safely attach their
ball and bat to the front of a
bike, leaving their hands free
to steer, rather than hold onto
sports equipment
On Saturday, Meggitt will
be inducted into the National
Gallery for Young Inventors
during its annual induction
ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame in
Akron.
Meggitt, along with five
other young inventors, will be
inducted during a ceremony
to be held at the Quaker Hilton hotel.
But before the Saturday
ceremony, Meggitt will be
treated to a youngster's
dream: he'll take to the diamond at Jacob's Field in
Cleveland on Thursday, SepL
16, where he'll throw out the
first pitch of the Indians and
Yankees game. He'll also get
to demonstrate his invention
for some of the players.
Who knows, perhaps one
day Jim Thome will ride his
bike to the Jake, using Meg-
giu's Battie Caddie.
Local inventor Austin Meggitt shows off the
"Battle Caddie," during a ceremony hosted by
MediaOne last year.
School crow      ■
to be discussed
at public meetings
Board of education will ask
parents to develop solution
Local vet earns national praise
The Veterans of Foreign Ware
presented the former commander of
Amherst VFW Post #1662, James T.
Hampton with All American Commander status at its 100th annual
VFW national convention in Kansas
City, held Aug. 14-20.
The recognition, presented by
VFW Commander-in-Chief Thomas
A Pouliot has been given to only 70
VFW post commanders in its
100-year history, and it is among the
most prestigious honors given by
the organization.
Criteria for such an honor is
based on outstanding membership
growth, Buddy Poppy sales, and
VFW programs that benefit veterans
and their communities.
But as Hampton was quick to
point 3ut>Mil an" hcir-or can otiJy be
achieved with the full cooperation
and hard work of the entire post.
"I really want this to be a post
recognition, because all of the guys
worked lo earn it," Hampton said.
Hampton, an employee at the
Ford Assembly Plant in Lorain, is
now a VFW District Inspector. As'
an inspector, his job is to check that
an .pom -Ti Ma Jfcgtn* r-iitatain
sound accounting practices in accordance with VFW dictates. His busy
schedule makes catching up to him
a challenge. *
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
was founding in 1899, by Ohio veterans reluming from the Spanish
American War, and is the nation's
oldest veterans organization.
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Residents anjoy tha Amharat Community Playground at    now being asked to give Ha MUawtnicare by helping to seal
Maude Neiding Prt last week. Vo^ the wooden structure against tha elements.
Volunteer TLC needed for park
to help keep the Amherst
Community PUyground in top
Volunteer! built foe
playground several veers ago
at Maude NeidiBf PMk aad
now it needs a little tender
Owelty
oae oi the
mental ia raising money to
build the playground, said the
city's perk board has agreed
to boy sarin for the wooden
attractive as well as the necessary supplies to apply ihe
•tsk All she aaeds is volun-
— 20 to 30 adults to
to Ihe park aa Saturday. Sept 2S aMlsf at 9
If at least 20 volunteers
turn out. Mitoff said the
staining could probably be
completed within five hours.
Volunteers don't need to stay
the etnas nee hoars bat are
welcome to donas* aa hoar or
two a* they can.
Lunch wilt be ptwvided by
Hot Dog Heaves It foose
' ■ ''   i     i' " i i
who call Mitoff ahead at
988-279S and let bar know
how many will be coming.
Volunteers may also contact
the mayor's office for tofor-
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A rasa date has been sche-
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The board of education is holding
a series of public meetings to address the overcrowded conditions in
the Amherst schools.
These meetings will be held at die
high school's multi-purpose room at
7 p.m., Sept 21,23, 27, 30, and on
Sunday Oct 3.
There was a general decline in
school enrollment following the graduation of last of the baby-boomers
in 1982, and a number of Lorain
County systems closed down buildings they no longer needed.
Brownhelm, Florence, and Camden Elementary schools in the Firelands system closed down; Camden
and Florence were razed. The Henrietta school became the School
Board Offices.
But then Rl 2 pushed through
from Cleveland, and a housing
boom began in earnest throughout
the area.
Since 1994, 348 new homes have
been built in Amherst, and this does
not include new homes in the township or homes built in die Amherst
school district outside the city
limits.
Predominantly Cleveland populations began moving into Lorain
County as they had done in Medina
County. Currendy the turnpike is
adding a Rl 58 interchange in Amherst Township and more housing
developments could gobble up
farmland along Rl 58.
With the increase of homes
comes an increase in children io be
integrated into the school systems.
Enrollment has increased steadily
since 1990. Powers Elementary
School housed 656 students in 1990;
the school currendy has 824 stu
dents. Harris Elementary School is
up from 461 to 576 students today.
Shupe Middle School has gone
from 446 to 578, and the high
school from 1,099 to 1,234 in the
last decade.
According to school superintendent Robert Boynton, the September
meetings are to address the current
overcrowded conditions, and to elicit ideas and/or help from the
community.
Amherst schools have had to use
"educational creativity" to maintain
quality education since a 1997
school bond issue to raise money to
construct more classrooms failed.
The schools are literrlly bursting
at the seams with students, and immediate action is necessary.
"We are trying to do this the right
way and answer all of their (district
residents) questions,'' Boynton said.
Boynton feels the 1997 bond
issue failed for three reasons: Ford
had recently announced the closing
of the passenger division at the Lorain Assembly Plant raising uncertainty among Amherst's Ford family
populace just weeks before the vote;
uncertainty arising over The De-
Rolph Decision on school funding
made residents think the schools
would get an influx of state money;
end he speculates there was carryover from a rejected bond issue
for a new auditorium.
Is the fall of 1996. a pernianeot
improvement levy for building
maintenance was renewed, and is
currently the source of school building improvements. Unfortunately,
CONTINUED on page 5
Open enrollment, old
school offer no hope
in creating space
The overcrowded conditions in
the Amherst school system and solutions to end overcrowding are
more complex than most people
seem to understand, according to
school superintendent Robert
Boynton.
In 1990 enrollment was 3,143
students; presently it is at 3,845, and
by the year 2006, estimates place
enrollment at 4,000 students.
With houses continuing to pop up
all over Lorain County, a trend of
decreased enrollment does not appear likely, and like the old woman
in the shoe, change needs to happen.
The issue of open enrollment has
come under attack recently. It is believed that closing open enrollment
would solve the overcrowded conditions, and no new taxes would be
needed.
At this time 103 students are enrolled from outlying areas under
Ohio's open rnrollment law.
There are 84 Amherst students
enrolled in other school systems.
The net gain is 19 students, spread
over 13 grades with an average of
12 teachers per grade, which does
not impact the overcrowding problem, Boynton explained.
On top of the minimal gain in
slots Amherst students can fill, closing open enrollment would cost foe
district ansa than $300,000 ia ro-
veaues to the
This
A retirement center now occupies
what used to be school property in
front of Central. This has effectively
landlocked the building. Then there
is the $4 million dollar price tag to
repurchase foe old school.
If current owners gave the building back to the school system, Boynton said there are serious leaks ia
the roof, asbestos removal costs,
damage repair due to sitting empty
for 10 years, plus owning a building
not suited for education in foe nineties. Even if it could be accomplished, refuitoishing the building
would do little to solve the overcrowding mlemma.
Some residents have suggested
sllowint the Lorain City Schools to
annex that portion of the Amherst
school district located with Lorain
city limits.
Throwing these people to dtp
wolves to attempt to solve its overcrowding problems does not bods.
weO, especially by the people who.
have invested millions of tax dollars
so their kids
ssto the
have a quality
foffoe"
to ben*
School
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