Amherst News-Times, 1997-04-16

              'Rumors' goes on stage — Page 6
Bowlers strike it big — Page 4
Amherst News-Time;
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Wednesday, April 16, 1997
Amherst, Ohio
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Date of birth? Council debates 1811 as offici
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by BILL ROSS
News-Times reporter
Everybody likes a good party,
but a move by the Amherst Historical Society to establish an official settlement date, thereby
setting in motion efforts to mark
a bicentennial celebration for the
city, has been put on hold by citizens who disagree with the
chosen date.
After a unanimous decision
by the community development
committee on April 7 to confirm
1811 as the official settlement
year for the city, it appeared
Amherst would finally have a
point in history to refer to as its
beginning.
But as the agenda item came
before city council Monday
evening for final approval,
mayor John Higgins requested it
be removed until more research
could be done on the subject.
since several residents had
called him to complain that 1814
was the correct date — and always has been.
At the April 7 meeting, Valerie Gerstenberger spoke on behalf of the Amherst Historical
Society and outlined the reason
for choosing the 1811 settlement
date.
"We have long felt it is necessary to have a settling or founding date defined," Gerstenberger
said. "1811 is when Jacob Shupe
first settled in Amherst, near
Kolbe and Cooper Foster Park
Road. Shupe built the first saw
mill, where Angelo's is now, the
first log cabin, the first distillery,
which was a form of legal tender
back then and the first grist
mill."
But longtime residents Marilyn Jenne and William and
Elaine Harlan disagree, and told
CONTINUED on page 3
Schools eye May
ballot for relief
of overcrowding
Bond issue will collect $16
million for repairs, additions
by KATHLEEN KOSHAR
News-Times editor
Promotors are calling it "Solve
the Space Jam," a $16.7 million
addition/renovation package to add
on to each of the city's five public
school buildings.
Without passage of the bond
issue, the schools may be forced to
cut programs and curriculum, increase class sizes and erect more
mohitp classrooms in the school
parking lots.
Administrators say the 3.954 mill
issue, which will be paid back over
the next 25 years, is an expansion to
maintain the present level of
programming.
The schools, educators claim, are
simply bursting at the scams, with
teachers conducting class .irom mobile carts and kids crammed into
storage spaces and conference
roc. .s. In one building, the school
bookstore is set up in a restroom
lobby.
The building boom that has exploded over the past five years in
Amherst has created a school enrollment that surpasses what the buildings were designed for, and it
doesn't look like there is any relief
in sight.  ,
The decision to ask voters for
more than $16 million for the additions wasn't made without a lot of
research;  school  administrators
Building patterns
projected for district
b 1997
English Lakes
24
Westchester
*
Ravenglass
20
St James Place
25
Hidden Valley
26
Apple Orchard
17
The Oaks
25
Kempton Woods
IS
Beaver Creek
30
Timberview
12
Amherst Village
30
Oak Point Estates
10
Oak Point Village
15
Single homes
20
Last year, tbe city issued more
than im building i
F^aa mmstp^a ^^a^-.
builders in the im
ot district.
About 152 housing starts art
expected this year.
Projected
home  building  ta
Amherst
Township Is project
homes as welL
lad at 500
surveyed residents last year and also
spoke with area builders to determine the impact development projects would have on the schools.
Of the 10,000 questionnaires
mailed to school district residents,
500 were returned. Sixty-one percent of the respondents indicated
CONTINUED on page 2
0
33 ADDITIONAL    I
PARKING SPACES)
4-
At Marion L. Steele High School, plans call for the
addition of eight science laboratory classrooms, a
cafeteria, improved kitchen and serving area, renovation
Of the existing multi-purpose room to accomodate music
and theater performances, new energy efficient windows, upgraded climate control and restrooms. Cost:
$4,871,000. .    ,
Stately project
Shupe fifth grader Jeff Woods puts the finishing touches on his West
Virginia Coal Mine, as <-»art ot a protect for Shupe Middle School's own
"State Fair," in which the entire fifth grade participated in building a representation of their chosen state, or participated in a book project. Stu
dents spent months in their language arts and social studies classes learning how to take notes, make outlines, write a research paper and use the
internet. The projects were on display Friday, April 11 during the State Fair
Presentation.
Greek Revival home to be rebuilt
by BILL ROSS
News-Times reporter
The Amherst Historical Society is
focusing on expanding the Sandstone Center, with ground-breaking
ceremonies for the basement of an
1849 sandstone Greek Revival
house scheduled for April 23, at 7
p.m.
Following the ceremony, the Historical Society will hold its regular
monthly meeting in the Grange/
Amherst Historical Society building
at the center, and the public is invited to both events.
Steve Mason, manager of the
Cleveland Quarries, will be the
guest speaker at the meeting.
Although it could still be a while
before the actual sandstone structure
(originally located on Oberlin Road
between Middle Ridge Road and Rl
113) is erected, the basement construction signals a forward momentum in the Historical Society's plans
to eventually locate a total of 14
sandstone structures on the Milan
Avenue property.
"We had the house disassembled
going on two years now,'* explained
Historical Society representative
Valerie Gerstenberger. "It has been
sitting at the back of the Sandstone
Center ever since, so we are hoping
to make some progress soon."
The Historical Society still needs
to raise a lot more money before the
Greek Revival house can be reassembled, but it does have the funds
to build a basement, which will also
be topped off with a floor to secure
it from the elements.
Gerstenberger said the property
on which the Sandstone Center sits
is owned by the Nord Family
Foundation, who has previously
been very generous in funding
sandstone projects.
At a finance committee meeting
held on April 7, council voted lo
waive building permit fees, as it has
done in the past for other non-profit
enterprises, with mayor John Higgins citing the "historical nature of
the house" as the reason.
According to Historical Society
member Orville Manes, moving the
house in its entirety was not an option. "That would have been impossible," Manes said. "It is much
wider than the road, the sandstone is
quite heavy, and we would not have
been able to get it under power
lines."
He added that Clark &. Post have
already created drawings to facilitate the reassembly, and there will
be a combination of volunteers and
the lowest bid contractor, who will
be responsible for putting the house
back together again.
Gerstenberger said that all of the
stones have been numbered, and the
reassembly will be similar to what
was done in relocating the circa
1882 sandstone chapel to the center
several years ago.
The Sandstone Center sits on six
and a half acres of property —
enough for 14 structures, according
This Greek Revival sandstone house will be reconstructed as
part of the Sandstone Center Living History Museum and complex.
to Manes. Currently there is the
Grange/Amherst Historical Society
building (circa 1879), which used to
be a schoolhouse, along with the
chapel, and an octagonal bam with
a sandstone base that was built in
1906.
The Quigley Museum located
across the street from the other
sandstone structures on Milan Avenue is also considered to be part of
the center.
Manes expects the basement lo be
completed towards the end of sum
mer and hopes it won't be too much
later that funding will be available
to finish the project — although he
cannot say for sure when that might
be.
The h )use had been vacant for a
couple of years, after being previously occupied by two women for
many years, according to Gerstenberger. "We were able to get it at no
cost, but of course there are many
costs associated with disassembly,
relocating and rebuilding iL"
Patrolman injured in downtown fight
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
A 20-year veteran of the Amherst
Police Department received more
than two dozen stitches to his right
hand and arm after being pushed
through a plate-glass window April
11.
Police said patrolman Richard
Mack had a knuckle, tendons and
part of his right index finger badly
rut after he was shoved through the
front window of Your Deli on Park
Avenue during a scuffle with one of
three men involved in a fighL
Police chief William Hall said
Mack is a part-time officer and a
full-time security guard at Lorain
Community/SL Joseph's Medical
Center in Lorain.
According to Hall, police responded to Park Avenue and Church
streets about 1:40 am. after receiving a report three men were planning to fight outside Ziggy's bar.
193 Park Avenue.
One of the three men, Sean Sisler.
24, of 1040 W. 17lh SL. Lorain, resisted when police attempted to
search him. He pushed Mack
through tbe window of the adjacent
Your Deli during the scuffle.
Two other officers managed lo
wrestle Sisler to the sidewalk and
handcuff him. He was charged with
disorderly conduct by intoxication,
disorderly conduct by persisting, felonious assault on a police officer.
resisting arrest and obstructing official business.
The two other men were not involved in the incident and were not
arrested, police reported.
Mack was treated for his injury
and released from the hospital. He is
expected to be on medical leave about five weeks. Hall said.
Sisler was taken to the Lorain
County Correctional Facility and arraigned Tuesday in Oberlin Municipal Court.
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