Amherst News-Times, 2000-07-05

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Do lock boxes violate rights? — Page 2
Dirt road isn't enough — Pa<
Amherst News-Tim
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2000
Amherst, Ohio
a
Weekend of fun awaits Jamboree crov
Northeastern Ohio's most beloved weatherman, Dick Goddard
will be this year's Grand Marshall at
the 27th annual Old Time Jamboree
parade on Sunday, July 9, starting at
1 p.m.
Amherst Historical Society executive director Scott Kodger says
this year's Jamboree will be bigger
and better than ever, with more than
30 sponsors, a Chinese raffle, many
new vendors, games and entertainment acts.
The big entertainment feature this
year will be the oldies band. Eddie
and the Edsels performing on Saturday, July 8 bom 12:30-2:30.
Bill "Eddie" Morris and his two
younger brothers have performed
throughout northeastern Ohio and
even appeared as the house band on
the 1970s national television show,
"The Upbeat Show."
Billy and his brother Danny have
been performing together for over
20 years. Billy plays trumpet and
guitar while Danny plays keyboards
and bass; youngest brother Tristan
adds drums and percussion with
Nancy Stas on tambourine and
saxophone.
All four members of the quartet
lend their vocal talents to the group,
allowing fans to rock to the tunes of
such greats as "All My Lovin,"
"Band of Gold." "Beer Barrel
Polka," "Bom to be Wild," "Cool
Jerk," "Dancin* in the Street," and
"Twistin' the Night Away" to name
a few of the more than 300 songs
the band covers.
Also performing this year will be
the 1960s and 1970s classic rock
band Skinner Boxx on Friday July 7
at 6:15 immediately following the 6
p.m. opening Ceremonies.
Rudy and the Illusions will perform new and old country music on
Friday night at 7 pjn. Disco Dynamite with LaFreeda Boogy will be
on at 6:30 on Saturday night followed by Kid Wicked playing 1980s
and 90s rock.
The Amherst Community Choristers will be performing "Encore-
Millenium Review" from 5:30-6:30
p.m. on Saturday.
The music takes a stroll back in
time with the Great Lakes Dixieland
Band playing country and  folk
music on Sunday afternoon from
3-5 p.m. to wrap up the festival.
Saturday's events consist of a
tractor pull that will take place from
2:30-3:30 p.m., a watermelon-eating
contest from 3:30-4 p.m., and a
pizza-eating contest from 5-5:30
p.m.
There will be a pelting zoo consisting of local pets and a pet parade
in which veterinarian Mark Gigliotti
will be judging the beauty contest
for pets from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on
Saturday.
Also new this year is the Penton
Farm Market/WOBL sponsored "catapult" from which a watermelon
throwing contest will take place.
Dave's Games of Sandusky will
be providing carnival games including a new Powerman as well as ring
toss, and the like and Captain Fun
Amusements of Grafton will be providing rides including a new ride to
the Jamboree this year Scooby-Doo
for the kids.
Arts and crafts vendors will be
displaying their handiworks and
Amherst artist Neal Jenne will be
creating his pen and ink masterpieces at the historical society's
•booth.
Souvenir mugs, polo shirts, t-
shirts, trivets and teapots as well as
prints featuring Jenne's work will be
sold by the historical society featuring the Quigley House, the first in a
series of items that will feature each
of the society's protected buildings.
The Amhen  £ iety
will a so be .        „ ese
Raffle this year whac $5 will buy
five tickets, of which each can be
placed ;nto a box of your choice depending, on which ,irize you are
hoping to win. Gift baskets of
beauty products, gift certificates for
local restaurants, health club memberships, floral centerpieces and
more will be raffled.
One b\% enticement to enter the
raffle > ould be a chance to win a
free fib at Dad's Gas Station or the
complete auto detailing package
from Ed Mullinax.
There will be numerous door
prizes and a special raffle "Second
CONTINUED on page 7
Residents say they're awash in water woes
by VICKIE HAUFF
News-Tribune correspondent
Water problems on the west side
of town brought about 20 audience
members to the June 26 city council
meeting.
For more than an hour the heated
discussion of flooding on Crosse
Road and Milan Avenue went back
and forth between residents and city
.officials.
Norman Miller of 275 Crosse Rd
presented council with large display
maps and photographic collages
representing his flooding problem.
Miller said he has asked his council ward representative Terrence
Traster to witness his problem during the last flooding episode he
"This has been going on for five
years, this is not a new problem,"
Miller said
MiHer said his flooding problem
is the result of the runoff of storm
water from North Ridge Road which
has no storm sewers, causing the
water to flow across Crosse Road,
through property owners' yards and
even into their basements.
This, combined with a blocked
ditch that is located in the back of
Resident Norm Miller shows council and the city administration
some of the problems he has to deal with concerning flooding on
his property.
Flooding takes its toll on Miller's property and
he wants the city to get to the bottom of the
trouble.
property on North Ridge Road and
where Crosse Road residents' septic
tanks flow, causes gray water to fill
basements and yards.
Miller said his basement floods
due to water rising above his base
ment Mock, and seeps in between
the block and his house.
Before deciding to come to coun
cil. Miller checked lo make sure that
his own drainage was working properly, the sump-pump was working,
and assessed many possibilities before deciding it was a problem he
CONTINUED on page 3
City opts to accept
land donation/offer
City council voted unanimously
last week to purchase three lots in
the downtown area from Milad
Abraham at a coat of $285,439.
In exchange, Abraham will donate two parcels of land, valued at
$264/198.
Tbe 7-0 vote came after a discussion regarding the former discrepancies of the purchase, including price
and appraisal value. It was decided
that this ordinance be passed oe
emergency lo ensure the city can
lock in a deal with Abraham and get
tbe project underway, after three
yean since first looking into this
purchase.
Mayor John Higgins answered
questions regarding the discrepancies, stating that Abraham's asking
price was higher than the city's appraisal of the property and that the
purchase agreement was contingent
upon an Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) study and Abraham remedying any problems the
EPA finds.
Formerly, it was reported in the
News-Times that Abraham was asking mare than 10 percent of the original appraised value and the city
could not pay thai amount. A new
appraisal was conducted and council
Approved the purchase conducive to
the agreement that Phase I and if
needed Phase fl of the EPA's findings will be met
Phase I is an environmental study
conducted to see if any dangerous
chemicals or devices remain oo die
wvperty, in this case two large Aid
holding tanks were found under the
ground where a service station once
atood. Abraham agreed to have the
ing in the ground, then Phase II
must be put into effect Phase II is
another environmental study which
is more precise in detail regarding
such hazardous materials.
In 1996, the city forced Abraham
to demolish the three abandoned
buildings which were dilapidated
and in a state of disrepair on the
property. Besides a service station,
there were also a house and a car
dealership on the property. Since
then the land has been sitting
vacant,
Higgins believed purchasing the
property for the city would make a
great improvement to the parking situation in the downtown area and
hopes it will attract a few more retail shops.
This could be the catalyst for the
downtown revitalization program,"
Higgins said. "More parking would
really help the Main Street Project,"
According to a study conducted
by registered surveyor and engineer,
Charles P. Waryu of Lorain, the
proposed parking lot could mean an
additional 156 parking spaces with
room for additional retail businesses
on Park Ave. and Church SL
Although it will not directly affect some of the businesses on the
western point of downtown, indirectly it will free up space in front
of storefronts in that area which will
mean convenience for patrons of
those businesses.
Tbe Main Street Project is designed to bring business back lo the
downtown area and revitalize the
city as a whole and with tbe new
parking space and possible addition
of new retail businesses, Amherst is
sure to see an increase in downtown
County doesn't like sewer deal
by KATHLEEN WILLBOND
News-Timee editor
The city has moved one
step closer to annexing the
property surrounding the
"sewer lo nowhere" that was
built in Amherst Township
four years ago
But the city's insistence
that the sewer link include
the annexation of about 595
acres of property from Amherst Township isn't sitting
well with county
commissioners.
City council last week approved on first reading a resolution indicating it is the
intent of the city to accept
the RL 58 sanitary sewer into
the city's wastewater system,
pending annexation of the
property.
The sewer has not been
operational since it was constructed in 1996, after a
glitch developed between the
county and the city of Lorain.
The county assumed Lorain
officials had agreed to accept
connection of the sewer system; since then, the county
has been trying to figure out
how to connect the system.
Amherst officials see the
sewer line as a way to boost
the city's tax base through
annexation.
Mayor John Higgins said
the annexation of nearly 600
acres of township land into
the city could generate much-
needed tax dollars, that will
conversely help the city make
repairs to its wastewater treatment system.
Without the additional tax
revenue, Amherst would not
be able to accomodate the
CONTINUED on page 3
*eve
been made te mat project
there is say
to suspect
The five lots total -bout 13
between Park and Tenney
with two of the lots with frontage
Church Street
S.Amherst
woman rolls
van in crash
A South Amherst woman escaped
serious injury when her minivan
flipped over in an accident on Oberlin Road in New Russia Township
last week.
According to state highway patrol
dispatcher Mary Peskar, Jill Sittin-
ger of South Amherst was traveling
northbound on Monday, June 26, on
Oberlin Road near Butternut Ridge
Road when she was struck by a sta-
tionwagon driven by Janet Dyles of
Oberlin. Peskar said Dyles was
.southbound on Oberlin Road, aiming led onto Butternut Ridge Road
and into SUtinger's vehicle.
The impact faced Sittuiger off
the roadway, where she drove onto a
utility pole support wire, turning the
minivan onto its passenger side.
Oberlin firefighters were summoned
lo the scene as a precaution.
Sittinger was reported te have
possible injuries, but she did not re-
;y medical service at
tana treated.
Dyles was cited for failure to
A Nghway patrol Hooper .nvestig-tee an accident lent Monday ttmkm tha minivan at Wl onU
mm. Than warn no aertous injuria* reported.
I