Amherst News-Times, 1999-09-29

              Golf league winners announced — Page 5    Comets undefeated in SWC — Page 5
Amherst News-Time^
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■dnosd.iy.  September 29.   1()0'i
Amherst.  Ohio
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Cooper Foster widening plan to finally star
by STEVE BARRY
News-Times reporter
After years of frustration and broken promises the Cooper Foster
Park Road widening project is beginning to roll.
When the Super Kmart store was
constructed in 1992, part of the
agreement, was that Lorain would
widen Cooper Foster Park.
The project was agreed upon
through a cooperative agreement between Amherst and Lorain officials.
Lorain used the funds on another
project on Oak Point Road and about 20 percent of the money designated for the Cooper Foster project
was all that remained in Lorain's
account.
Complicating matters even
further was the fact that one of the
traffic lights was installed in the
Cops eye grants
to help purchase
bullet-proof vests
by STEVE BARRY
News-Times reporter
Eleven Amherst police officers
are purchasing new bullet proof
vests from their clothing allowance.
The vests are the next generation
of body armor, capabale of stopping
bullets from most guns Amherst police might be forced to face.
But as police seargent Dennis Soger is quick to point out, Kevlar
vests have even more value than
simply stopping bullets.
He points out the benefits of the
hard steel plate, effective against
chest injury resulting from contact
with the steering wheel in vehicular
crashes.
The vests can also protect cops
from slashing wounds to the chest
from sharp implements, and protection for the back from blunt instruments (such as a two-by-four).
Soger has worn a vest for 19
years and called it "cheap insurance." But these vests aren't exactly
cheap.
The Pro-Tech's level two Xtreme
Body Armor costs about $500 per
patrolpersons.
Concerned for the safety of law
officers, the federal government has
developed a grant that pays for up to
.half of the cost for body armor for
each officer. Amherst's officers
have agreed to pay the other half
from their $600 a year clothing
allowance.
The federal grant is a set amount.
and all police departments applying
for funding must share the funds
equally. The glitch is that if a larger
number of departments apply than
estimated, there could be $50 to
$100 less reimbursement per vest,
bringing the officer's share to a possible $350 per vest.
The city has agreed to fund the
initial $5,577 purchase of the armor,
and then be reimbursed by the federal grant fund and from the officer's clothing fund.
A new policy is being established
by Amherst police that vests must
be worn "Whenever feasible — or
basically whenever the uniform is
on," Seger explained.
There was no new vest to demonstrate, but seargent Seger did show
illustrations, and says that the new
Vests will be much lighter, more
flexible and cooler temperature wise
than earlier versions.
Compared to the "monster truck"
version of armor worn by SWAT
team members, the new vests weigh
practically nothing. This is body armor designed for the police officer,
not like armor used by military personnel or SWAT teams.
Officers can further enhance their
protection by inserting steel plates
into pockets located at critical points
. in the vests. Further advances include armored panels that protect
the officer's sides from oblique
attacks.
The department is hoping to take
delivery of the new vests before
Oct. 1.
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Two years ago Amherat mayor
John Higgins and Lorain mayor
Joseph Koziura met to reestablish
the commitment, and get the project
in gear.
They contacted Northern Ohio
Areawide Coordinating Agency,
(NOACA) and found additional
funding. The Kolbe Road/Cooper
Foster Park intersection was not originally part of the agreement, but
I queen,
rtDCtfOM
through NOACA, the intersection
was incorporated into a new plan.
Amherst could have saved some
money initially by allowing the
Ohio Department of Transportation
(ODOT) to handle the whole project, but recent ODOT budget cuts
could have indefinitely delayed the
project or canceled it altogether.
To re-energize the stalled project,
Amherst has decided to pay R.E.
Warner and Associates $64,000 to
engineer the Amherat end of the
construction. ODOT has already approved $400,000 for construction.
That money is divided between
the two cities, Amhent receiving
$282,000 and Lorain receiving
$118,000 to add lo the $2.3 million
in hand for their portion of the
project.
Cooper Foster will be widened to
five lanes from Rt 58 to Terra Lane,
and three lanes from Terra to Kolbe.
The  intersex; andl
Kolbe will be wiuu.».. * turn
lane North on Kolbe turning east
onto Cooper Foster Park, and a turn
lane on Cooper Foster going west,
turning north onto Kolbe.
After Cooper Foster is widened
and turn lanes are installed, an additional $93,000 will be drawn from
Amherst's street department to finish the project by installing the
curbs and drainage systems on the
wouth side of Cooper Foster and for
the intersection with I'~>ltv.
Joe Fa-low sits at his work bench repairing an ailing computer.
Computer care company on call
Another new computer business that has come to Amherst is TechnoEdge Micro-
Systems. This home based
business has just opened, and
keys on in-home service, free
pickup and delivery.
Owner Joe Farlow began
working on computers in
1989, when IBM ATs and
XTs were the latest technology out there. He has A+
certification through Lorain
County Community College.
He is currently enrolled to
become a Microsoft Certified
Systems Engineer, and presently can work on main
frames and corporation networks, as well as personal
computers. He is presently
pursuing a degree in computer
science.
For those looking for a romantic touch to a cyber story,
Joe met his wife Sue while
they both worked at Long
John Silver's on Cooper Foster Park many moons ago.
They have been married IS
years, and have daughters
Jennifer, 14, Stephanie. 11,
and son Michael, age 13.
Only Mike shows any interest
in the innards of e computer.
wife and daughters are mainly
internet buffs.
Farlow believes he will win
hit wit** over lo help him in
the business.
Bartow is a 1913 fndoate
from Soathview High School.
He spent 11 years working
far BJ>. Goodrich ia Brecksville before becoming a
dowaa.ri.ig statistic very le-
coatiy. He had planned oa
waUai a while loafer before
a bafinem. eat ck-
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Store owners Don Szczepanski of Elyria,   Shawn Hotpf ot Elyria. Missing ia Frank Hor-
Anthony and Eileen Looney of Amherst, and  vath of Avon.
Partners cross Great Lakes
together to open business
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