Amherst News-Times, 2001-03-28

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Amherst News-Tim
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Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Amherst ,/Ohio
Vacation turns to work
for doctor on Fiji island
by PAUL MORTON
News-Times reporter
When people go on vacation, they
usually want to get away from work,
relax, and forget about their
troubles.
Amhent resident, Mike Med-
gyessy, a chiropractor, thought he
was doing that when he took a
10-day vacation to Fiji in the South
Pacific, but what he saw there
changed his mind.
'They're very nice people, but
they have very little," Medgyessy
said. "Their standard of living to us
is so low. Basic stuff, like sanitation
and water."
The island where he stayed has
one hospital consisting of two
rooms for treating patients and four
"cubby hole" patient rooms with
two beds each. The hospital is
staffed by one doctor and one nurse.
The village where Medgyessy
stayed featured a medical clinic of
sorts — one room with only the
most primitive medical equipment
Prom this one room, a single male
nurse cares for the medical needs of
the entire village.
"He has to handle prenatal and
postnatal care, infection, cuts and
bruises, broken bones, all that stuff
happens in that one room," Medgyessy said. "And this is a guy who
is really just a nurse who's got really basic, basic first aid training."
One man who drew Medgyessy
away from his vacation mentality
was an islander who had been stung
by a sting ray about a month before.
CONTINUED on page 12
Mike Medgyessy relaxes for a moment on the
island paradise of Fiji, where things are beautiful
but medical care is very limited.
The challenge: help design a new downtown
On Thursday, students — and residents — will turn into community
designers as they brainstorm ways
to improve the downtown Amhent
area.
The Amhent Downtown and Betterment Association, along with the
city government and the Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio, will
be hosting a downtown design
challenge. ,     ,
It will be held at Marion L. Steele
High School, in the library, and
starts at 7 pm. The event is open to
Rummage
sale aids
ADBA's
the public.
Urban Design Center officials,
who have been visiting Amhent and
scoping out the downtown area in
an effort to help renovate the district, will first make a presentation
on their work, according to downtown development director Greg
Balbierz.
Following the presentation, students, their families and any other
interested residents, will gather in
brainstorming groups to address a
number of design factors, such as
urban park areas, transportation
issues, parking, lighting, and retail
development, among others.
Students in the high school law
and government classes, along with
members of the MLS Leo Club, will
be among those in attendance.
Some specific issues that might
be addressed include such things as
the beautification of train underpasses or how the city can tie its historical heritage and the new Beaver
Creek Reservation park lands into
the downtown upgrades. Another
idea to be worked on is what the
city might do with some downtown
property, purchased from Miltd
Abraham.
The t-r__nstorming groups will
then make their own presentations
on what ideas they came up with.
Balbierz said the designers at the
Urban Design Center, led by associate director Andrew Baqueto, will
then incorporate Ihe ideas into a formal report that will be presented to
the city.
Balbierz said he is excited about
bringing people together from all
generations to work on the plan.
The design challenge is just one
way the city and the ADBA have
been working hard to improve and
renovate the downtown area.
Recendy, the city was awarded a
$400,000 grant for revitalization
projects. Each downtown business
property owner is eligible for up to
$10,000 in a grant through a one-to-
one match program.
Other events, planned by tbe
ADBA and the city, as well as com
munity sponsors, are planned
throughout the year including a
rummage sale on April 6-7 at city
hall, the annual community Easter
Egg hunt on April 14, a "Celebrating Amherst" dance on April 21 and
Pride Day on May 19.
In fact, in order to help keep residents up to date on upcoming activities, a new bookmark with dates and
events through the end of the year is
available at the Amherst Public Library. The bookmarks are free to the
public.
efforts
by DEMSE KAR8HNER
News-Times correspondent
Along Tenney Avenue, between
Church and South Main streets, sits
a long, yellow wall at the base of the
railroad tracks noted for its electric
mix of paint and graffiti
However, big plans are being
hatched for this wall with its unassuming display of local talent, starting with seed money from the upcoming rummage sale sponsored by
the Amherst Downtown and Betterment Association.
The wall caught the attention of
Dave Fox, president and spokesperson for the ADBA, a few yean ago.
He and other members of the association became interested in transforming the wall into a three-
d-mensional replica of an historic
downtown.
"It's not that we object so much
to the color of it, or the use of it, as
much as we're looking f«r a useful
community project that will make
our town even more unique than it
already is," Fox said.
Brackets would hold stone and
lumber facades resembling downtown Amhent as it might have appeared in the mid-19th century. Illumination of these utafNti structures, as well as windows snd doon,
are expected to heighten the three-
d-mensional feel of the new facade.
"It could be unique in that it rep-
resenu what Amhent looked like in
the 1830s, or it could be whatever
MB-ffQi-f. wants to imagirtf Amhent
could have looked like," Fox said.
Supporten of the proposal maintain that beatification of the commonly referred to "yellow wall,"
would add to the city's charm and
promote a resurgence of interest in
the city's cultural heritage.
In ac-itioo to touring the Amhent
Historical Sodety'i Sandstone Village, visiton io the ana would be
encouraged to spend time
downtown.
Mary Philips, treasurer of the
ADBA, and owner of Drapery Decor .ad Mcae U downtown Amherst
agrees thai die city's many attractions should be promoted.
"When I first came here, I
thoagbt this was the cuteat place I'd
ever _•_•." -to mid. It reminderl
%   are of _-__jrosny. Bvuyuuiy one
Teacher's advice to teens:
find job that's good for life
by DEMSe KAftSHNER
CONTINUED on page •
News-Times correspondent
It's another Monday moming at Marion L. Steele High
School.
Packs of students, rushing
to their next class, throng the
hallways and thread in and
out of classrooms.
Kids sporting bleached
heads and pierced noses coexist with their more
cc-ns-av__ive-.c-oking peers
wearing oversized sweatshirts
and baggy jeans.
Joe Dahman, a veteran art
teacher and softball coach at
the school who will be retiring at the end of the school
year, seems tight at home.
Respect for all of his students and dedication to their
education are central tenets to
his teaching philosophy.
He insists, "You've got to
be straightforward with the
kids. They're smarter than
people give them credit far."
While finishing his degree
in commercial art at Youngstown Stale University, Dahman had the chance to do
some coaching and realized
that a teaching career would
allow him to pursue both
interests.
He recalls, "It was one of
the last fields, up until that
time, that had crossed my
mind."
Dahman spent three yean
teaching art and business
courses and coaching freshman football at Blyria
Catholic High School before
fsy^smmtjmm   g   pfl4fftffl_t   g_   fyft
Amhent middle school hi
1973.
Ten yean later, he decided
to move to the high school
where he has taught a variety
of art i mast!., forwring on
different mediums, i*M**inWng
drawing, painting, woodwork-
ing and pottery.
Ia an effort to rhalfcman
both Us tftriffHt and
*
Try, try, again: mayor
will try to ignite talks
on joint economic site
Jo* Dahman
Students received lessons in
various poetry forms, including haiku, while pref aring to
interpret poems using
waaescolon.
"We have come up with a
curriculum so that we are Hying to build upon what they
learned in junior high and
elementary school," Dahman
says. One way he has accomplished this goal is by incor-
pnn__~y ait history rfimni
into his art courses.
Students might study tbe
I pa-ntk-ft of Scent, for exam-
pie, before trying to emulate
P0II__L__t__B__ifB_ Daw EpM-p-OUS
he explains.
"They're really eager to
leam."
Dahman uses a sports metaphor to explain his decision
to retire after 34 yean of
teaching.
"I'd like to stop teaching
while still at the top of my
game. I'm still having fun,
still contributing. I want to
leave on a high note," he
says.
With his days currendy
crammed full of activity and
the ___Uy commitmnaw to
for
ao
D-___-pU-_-I-___ OO fcPf_Wft__.
la addition to the intellectual rifon of teaching. Dah-
a
in Us
hi$
Far
the work of artist MC Bscher,
he co-toad the hdp of a
variety of sports, inriiatrng
track aad foothal
Cunendy, he is coaching
gbtosoftbalL Although this
can make for a long day (he
arrives at school before 7
am. aad doesn't ant home
until evening pracilpf ia fin-
a_____pp_P-a_-#e   •__-•__--•   _wn   t____-__i__p   m\   _a
buoy
One option he is seriously
considering is working part*
ttoe for an airline to allow
him noport-o-tins to naval often. Ha is also conakkring
teaching art courses pant-toe
CoI-opa Ha adds, "I __tjoy
"Ito g-to ase to te
aad throwing on
wheat" He'll ha
io enjoy those
CONTMUIOon
•    by PAUL MORTON
News-Times reporter
Three years after a joint economic
development district agreement between the city and Amhent Township fell through, Amhent city offi-
cials are trying to reopen
negotiations.
Mayor John Higgins said be made
a proposal to the township trustees
several months ago for a JEDD in
the RL 58 corridor, where the Ohio
Turnpike Commission plans to start
cc-nstructic-i of a turnpike interchange this summer. Higgins said
Dennis Abraham was the only township trustee to respond to the
proposal.  •
Mean while, township trustee Ron
Leoni is reportedly negotiating a
JEDD with the city of Lorain. Lor-
ain recently agreed to coonect to the
county's "sewer-to-nowhere",
which wiO service the area.
Under die agreement with Lorain,
township residents would be
charged the same sewer rate as Lorain residents, and the township
would have access to Lorain's economic development department
Higgins said the JEDD agreement
with Amhent would deal primarily
with the extension of city safety forces into the township. He said the
city currendy backs up township
safety forces and could easily extend fire and police protection to
any incoming businesses in the
districL
"And their income from the
JEDD would certainly cover the
cost of any fire protection," Higgins
said.
While township and Lorain officials have suggested a three-way
agreement with the township, Lorain, and Amherst, Higgins said he
would not favor such an arrange-
mem. And he said the property owners in the affected area were opposed to a three-way deal as well
"We have talked with the property owners," Higgins said. "And to
a man that was at the meeting, they
were very supportive of a two-way
JEDD with AmhersL but not with
For any agreement to became effective, it must be approved by voters in the township, unless it is approved by all three township trustees. If all three trustees approve the
agreement, a vote by residents is
unnecessary.
Michael Brosky wants
chance to serve court
Amhent resident Michael R. Brosky has declared Us candidacy for
Oberlin Municipal Court judge,
hoping to win the seat that wHI be
vacated by retiring judge Martin
Heberling,
An Amhent resident for more
than 20 yean, Brosky is a Marion L.
Steele High School graduate.
He mid he is entering the race be-
cmmte-tebUistonwt_s«__atd_.
court mat all people toriy while
County
ing it
ite aaa am yean <
a magistrate for the
Court of
served aa a prosecutor for the dries
of Sheffield Lake and _____-__. He
also toa a private law f-actJoe in
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