Amherst News-Times, 1999-12-22

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Wednesday, December 22.  1999
Amherst, Ohio
Ho, ho, holy cow;
post office busy
as Santa right now S
by STEVE BARRY
News-Times reporter
At Christmas, crowds and crowds
of people stand in long lines at the
mall and other places to buy gifts,
then show up at the Amherst Post
Office to stand in long lines to mail
packages and cards.
Other than at Christmas time,
Amherst Post Office handles around
20,000 pieces of automated mail every day. During Christmas the figure jumps to around 30,000, and
that's only part of the different types
of mail they handle.
At around 10 a.m. last Friday, the
crew at the Post Office had already
handled 40,000 pieces of mail,
(32,019 pieces of city mail, 5,800
rural pieces of mail and 1,100 in the
Post Office box mail), and that
doesn't include packages.
During Christmas your carrier
handles around 4,200 letters, bills,
magazines, and "junk" mail a day,
and each carrier averages 425 stops.
Thinking of sending a package
parcel post because it is cheaper?
Reconsider. All mail goes to Cleveland, but then parcel post packages
get shipped to Pittsburgh. That's
when the sorting actually starts, then
it is sent to its destination. Of
course, if you don't care if that
package doesn't arrive until Valentine's Day go ahead.
Priority mail on the other hand,
rocs to Cleveland for sorting and
CONTINUED on page 6
Amherst postal workers know they have more mail than time this holiday season, as they work to get the mail sorted.
Problem ordinances give council headache
by STEVE BARRY
News-Times reporter
A number of problem ordinances
have postponed city council's holiday break until after Dec. 20, and
will keep council president Wayne
Whyte from beginning his retirement until at least Dec. 21.
A special regular council meeting
will be held on Dec. 20 to attempt to
resolve all of the problem ordinances. Council committee meeting
Full-time
chief pay
is back in
committee
by STEVE BARRY
News-Times reporter
Ralph Zilch's proposal to become
Amherst's first full-time fire chief,
ran into a wrinkle at the Dec. 13
meeting of city council.
Resident Barb Kilgore wanted to
know what the city was getting for
the $40,000 a year salary Zilch
requested.
"What you are going to get from
mc, the fire chief, is a lot more control over the department for one
thing; there will be somebody there
during the day to answer questions.
The citizens of Amherst will be able
to get timely answers," Zilch said.
Councilman John Dietrich inquired about compensation time and
the pay scale to be paid out when
Zilch answers fire calls after scheduled hours, and how he expected to
be paid when attending meetings.
"We have a training with the men
every Tuesday night which amounts
to eight hours a month, of training,
which I really should be at," Zilch
explained. "That would be the only
additional money, everything else
would be taken out in comp time."
'That's not exactly the way this
ordinance reads," Dietrich said. He
then read a portion of the ordinance
and returned to Zilch. "Comp time
to mc is the same thing as money
any way you look at iL The biggest
problem this council is having
Ralph, is the way this got shoved on
us at the last minute, without having
a chance to look at it, study it and
talk about it"
There was a discussion about
overtime pay, and whether the city
would be legally forced to pay Zilch
time-and-a-half for hours worked
over. 40 hours. Both newly elected
law director Kenneth Stumphauzer
and present law director Alan Anderson gave opinions that indicated
that salaried employees were exempt from the lequired time-and-a-
huir pay scale.
There was a question  about
CONTINUED on page 3
will begin at 6:30 p.m. instead of the
usual 7 p.m. start time.
One of the issues facing council
deals with the proposed budget of
incoming law director Ken
Stumphauzer.
Amherst resident Barb Kilgore
look issue with the law director's
budget at last week's committee
meetings. She couldn't understand
why the law director's salary is doubling, instead of being increased in
step raises. Her other questions revolved around the timing of the
writing of the ordinance.
Stumphauzer is asking for council
to approve his yearly budget of
S107,720 with a 2.5 percent increase
per year over the next four years,
rather than the 4 percent increases
received by law directors of other
cities Amherst's size.
According to Stumphauzer, this
budget strictly covers three salaries
and nothing else. When one totals
the salary figures for the three, there
is a difference of $13,720. That difference reflects the employer's con
tribution (required by law) into both
Medicare and P.R.S. or Public Retirement System for each of the
three attorneys at approximately
S4.570 per year per person.
The biggest difference between
Stumphauzer and present law director Alan Anderson's budgets, is
under the current system, the city
pays $107,720 to the law director,
for the salary ($21,000) for a part-
time secretary, salaries for both the
law director and assistant law director, supplies and equipment to run
the attorney's office.
Under the budget proposed by
Siumphauzej, the city would contribute the $13,720 required by law,
plus three salaries (totalling
5107,720) for three attorneys. All
other expenses, health insurance and
secretarial salaries would be the responsibility of the law director.
Ken Stumphauzer would receive
a yearly salary of $40,000 a year.
Scott F. Serazin, would be appointed prosecutor/assistant law director and  be  compensated  at
The Door of Jubilee at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Amherst. Rev. Martello is standing with some of the alter boys in
celebration of Jubilee 2000.
Church opens up for Jubilee 2000
by STEVE BARRY
News-Times reporter
Father Larry Martello, the
pastor of Sl Joseph's Church,
will open the barricaded door
of "Jubilee" on Christmas
Eve, in preparation of
Eucharist.
The main entrance to the
sanctuary was sealed Nov. 28,
at the beginning of Advent,
and begins "Jubilee", a year
long Catholic celebration of
Christ's birth. The sealing of
St Joseph's front door was
done in conceit with the Vatican celebration of Jubilee
2000.
The symbology of the
closed door of Jubilee, is that
Christ is the door to God the
Father, and before Christ, the
way to the Father was closed.
Jesus completed the work He
was sent to do, by allowing
Himself to be crucified on a
Roman cross, and with his
sacrificial death — as proved
by His resurrection three days
later, the doorway into God's
presence was opened for any
and all who would seek God
through the open doorway —
which is Jesus.
"The pilgrimage can go on
because of Christ," Martello
said. "This is a time to celebrate the gift of our salvation.
This is a time of renewal, not
to be afraid of apocalyptic
visions. A time of joy and
celebration."
The year of Jubilee, according to Catholic tradition, will
begin on Christmas Eve,
When Pope John Paul II
breaks the seals that secure
the door at St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Seals will be broken and
doors opened at the Cathedral
of St John the Evangelist in
Cleveland and of course, at
Sl Joseph's in Amherst The
door of the Basilica in Rome
has been sealed for 25 years.
On Jan 2, 2000 St John's
in Cleveland, designated as
the diocese church of the pilgrimage, will be open between 2 and 5 pjn., and
those making the pilgrimage
will be received in 20 minute
intervals, with each of the
Bishops leading them in '
prayer and reflection. Persons
making the pilgrimage will
receive a Jubilee Year
indulgence.
The year of jubilee is an
old testament custom, established by Jehovah God (God
the Father) as given to
Moses. Every 50 years in the
Jewish calendar was a year of
Jubilee, where all debts were
forgiven, all loans considered
paid off, and indentured servants released.
Tbe tradition of the door of
"Jubilee" and year long celebration, was designated by
Pope Boniface, for the year
1300.
CONTINUED on page 3
S32,000 a year, and Abraham
Lieberman would become a civil as-
sistant at $22,000.
According to Stumphauzer, what
the city is gaining under his budget
is a third attorney at slightly over
what the city now pays for a legal
secretary. Having three lawyers with
expertise in different areas, gives
them the capability to handle nearly
every legal matter, he said. It would
eliminate the need for most addi-
CONTINUED on page 12
Country
residents
keep their
tradition
For the 68th year, preparations
are being finalized for the annual
visit of Santa Claus on Christmas
Eve to Brownhelm Township.
Brownhelm Township began the
tradition of a yearly visit from Santa
in 1932. At the depth of the Great
Depression, the pastor of the
Brownhelm Congregational Church,
the Rev. Robert Albright had a conversation with Mrs. Tennant Wilson
about the plight of the many children in the township who would go
without Christmas presents that year
because of the lack of money.
Within three weeks, 20 volunteers
had gathered, fixed and readied a
stock of used toys, homemade doll
clothes and candy.
Through the years, the six Santa
Claus "helpers" and 20 total volunteers of 1932 has grown quite a bit
This year, more than 850 homes will
be served by the dedicated volunteers of Brownhelm Community
Christmas.
Eighteen Santas are needed, plus
the same number of drivera and
route chairmen, 12 elves, and dozens of other volunteers who ensure
the goodies are delivered on Christmas Eve.
These people, including the local
4-H club, will pack, assemble and
distribute about 400 pounds of
candy, 10 cases of apples, seven
cases of grapefruit, 11 cases of oranges, 178 baskets for seniors and
500 gifts for children, ages 10 ani
under. The truly needy are *««"»qfflwl
and food baskets are provided to
them.
The work of these people ia driven by donations only. Then ___•
never been a sdiritation program to
keep the tradition alive.
There is a cigar box at Canada's
Brownhelm General Sion, at __•
comer of Baumhart and North
Ridge roads, where people can drop
their cash donations.
Oa Dec 23, at 3:30 pjn., *e
pad-art wttl arrive at d» Brownhelm Church of Chrijt tm Nook
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