Amherst News-Times, 2001-09-12

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Teachers honored for service — Page 3   JBusy teen is new Eagle Scout — Pe
Amherst News-Time
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Wednesday. September 12, 2001
Amherst, Ohio
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Turnpike to plant barrier, install cameras
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by ERIK YORKE
News-Times reporter
Mayor John Higgins and president of city council John Dietrich
held a special session prior to Monday's city council meeting to speak
with a small gathering of citizens
about their concerns regarding the
Ohio Turnpike plaza.
Higgins and Dietrich discussed
what came out of a Sept 4 meeting
they had with turnpike officials and
Senator Jeffry Armbruster.
One of the most important issues
to the citizens, a barrier of some
kind between their properties and
the plaza, was touched on in some
detail according to Higgins and
Dietrich. The two informed the citizens that the turnpike has said they
might be willing to build a privacy
fence along segments of the plaza
perimeter.
Dietrich also informed the gather
ing that there will be surveillance
cameras placed at the security gate
to help prevent people from wandering onto private property adjoining
the plaza.
The topic of diesel fumes from
trucks parking on the plaza was also
discussed. «
"You're not going to be able to
do a whole heck of a lot about the
diesels," Dietrich said.
Higgins said that Armbruster suggested Amherst pass an ordinance
prohibiting compressed-air, or Jake
brakes within the city limits. This
would make using the brakes at the
plaza illegal. Citizens have frequently voiced complaints about the
noise caused by the brakes.
According to Higgins, turnpike
officials have said they will plant
any type of tree Amherst residents
want along the perimeter of the
plaza. The trees will serve as a
screen between the private properties and the plaza.
There will be another meeting between turnpike officials and Higgins
and Dietrich on Sept 24 and an
open public meeting will be held on
a Monday in October where turnpike officials will be present to answer questions.
In a public meeting on Aug. 13,
Amherst residents voiced concerns
over the turnpike plaza. Turnpike
officials and Senator Armbruster
were given two weeks notice of the
hearing but did not attend, accord-
t;
Cruel Intruders'
set pigeons free
to be scavenged
by ERIK YORKE
News-Times reporter
David Luczkowslri has been breeding show-quality pigeons for
more than 20 years. To his knowledge, neither he nor his birds ever
did anything* to harm anyone. Nonetheless, 15 of his 130 pigeons
were found or are assumed to be dead and another IS are missing.
Between midnight and 6 ajn. on Sunday, Sept 2 an intruder
crept into Luczkowski's pigeon barn and set 30 of the pedigree
pigeons loose in the yard. According to Luczkowski, pigeons do
not fly at night and were sitting in his backyard defenseless to
natural predators, such as racoons and hawks.
Luczkowski said that his pigeons, being bred for show quality,
are not like wild pigeons. They can fly only 30 feet or so before
becoming completely exhausted. This left the birds without any
way of protecting themselves from other animals.
Scattered about the lawn near the pigeon barn are clumps of
feathers belonging to birds that Luczkowski has presumed were
eaten by various animals.
When he went to the bam to feed the pigeons at 6 a.m., he said
that he saw birds everywhere, picking up the moonlight reflected
in their eyes.
1 just automatically started grabbing birds," Luczkowski said.
Now lost are about $700 worth of pigeons. The pigeons sell for
around $75 to $100 each plus a $40 shipping charge, Luczkowski
said. In addition to the cost of the birds, between $200 and $250 in
damage was done to the pigeon barn.
On the rear of the bam is a flypen, a large suspended cage where
the birds can get sun and water, that had its own roof. That structure had been completely torn off the bam. If not for the closed
plexiglass windows between the bam and flypen, Luczkowrki said
that he would have lost another 60 birds.
"It was strong enough that I could stand on it" Luczkowski said.
"It took at least two people to rip it off."
Luczkowski said that the South Amherst Police Department believes, as does he, that the intruder or intruders entered his property
by jumping the wire fence that divides it from neighbors on the
north. He said that an area of the fence had been pressed to the
ground.
The birds themselves are not unlike show dogs, meaning that if
he had a champion bird, its offspring could be sold at a higher
price. Because of the intruder, Luczkowski has lost some potential
revenue.
Luczkowski works two jobs, at Giant Eagle as a mealcutter and
at Cleveland Hopkins Airport as a customer service representative.
He is also finishing up his^degrec in travel and tourism at Lorain
County Community College.
CONTINUED on page 3
Chili reception
Members of the Amherst Police Department
.participate In a chHi cookoff on Sunday in support of the Genesis House, Lorain County's bat
tered women's shelter. The event was held on
Tappan Square in Oberlin.
ing to Ward Two Councilman Ed
Cowger. Instead the Turnpike Commission sent general counsel Thomas Amato and community liaison
Reggie Williams lo take down notes
about the residents' concerns.
A press release from the Turnpike
Commission stated the following:
"Due lo the lack of courtesy extended to jointly coordinate availability and the lack of advance notice, neither (Senator Armbruster or
CONTINUED on page 14
Donato's
to build
new shop
Pizza lovers in Amherst will not
only have a new pizza place on die
block this November, but according
to the company's slogan, they'll
have "the best pizza on the block."
Donato's pizza is currently building
a new restaurant on Leavitt Road in
the space once occupied by
Friendly's.
"We're thrilled with the acceptance of Donato's in the (Cleveland)
market" said Donato's vice president of corporate communications
Thomas Santor. According to San-
tor, the pizza chain has made an emphasis on expansion in the Cleveland area.
Donato's will join a community
with no shortage of pizza restaurants, many of which are independently owned-operated. Darrell
McCarty, owner of the Olde Town
Pizza House said that he is not worried about competing with the new
casta.
"We have a good location,"
McCarty said. His restaurant is located ia downtown Amherst on
Cleveland Avenue. "We've got
good quality and service."
According lo Santor, Donato's is
a very different pizza restaurant
compared to the other area pizza
shops.
"I would dare to say we have the
most sophisticated pizza making
process in the industry," Santor said.
He said that pizzas at Donato's are
made using digital scales, ensuring
the same quality of pizza every time
and at every location.
Unlike a lot of pizza chains, Santor said that Donato's is not simply
a delivery/pickup establishment operating out of a store front Instead,
they will have a free standing building equipped with a dining room
and a drive-through window far
pickup orders to compliment delivery
"It's a very comfortable
experience," Santor said. "Going
out for pizza is back."
He trains
for ancient
highland
contests
-
by ERIK YORKE
J?
New pastor brings
European past along
by ERIK YORKE
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News-Times reporter
For 11 years, Amherst native and
Marion L. Steele High School alum-
Sus Mark Vaienti has been competing in a sport in which he is now s
professional.
He's not in the NFL. He's never
i^ed up with Tiger Woods. He
doesn't spend his evenings rounding
the bases.
i Keep on guessing at all the possible professional sports and, chances
are you idD wouldn't be able to
guess, because Vaienti is a profes-
laonal Highland Games athlete.
The Highland Games are a aeries
Of strength related events whose origins dwell hi the Scottish High-
lands, thus the name. Now there are
*?'.
News-Times reporter
The Rev. Attila Szemesi comes to
the Amherst Congregational Uniied
Church of Christ from Michigan.
And Lorain. And Germany. And
Serbia.
Bom in Serbia in 1967, Szemesi
moved to West Germany with his
family at the age of three, living
there until he was 20 yean old.
When he was younger,
said, he didn't feel a
with the church.
"1 drifted away from the church."
he admitted. 1 guess it just wasn't
personal enough."
That would change for him ia
high school, where he
people he oiled, "real
who Szemesi said lived what they
believed. At the «e of 20. he fek
the celling to become a
The area of Serbia
was bora bad a
formed Theological Academy.
He began there in 1987, two years
before the fall of communism. Religious practice in Hungary, as well
as most of Eastern Europe, was
under tight restrictions.
1 remember standing in line at
the cafeteria at the Reformed Seminary and someone whispered to me,
would I like to come to his home for
a Bible study," Szemesi said. A
Bible study ia one's home at that
time was illegal.
It was not long before civil
broke out ia the Balkan
was drafted hi the Croatian Ws
Boanian War and the Koaovo i
flict Amid urging hy the church and
his family, Saemeai left Eastern
Europe for the United States m\
1992.
Ia Aaserica, Lorain specifically.
Bishop ZokM Sxacs at the Hadrian Reform Church. Being new hi
Highland Games coeapatiliont all   -
over the world, snd competitors       Mark Vaienti practices for the upoorreng
<**•   Oasstc Highland Garnse to be held In BetN
come from sl four corners
CONTINUED on page ,13
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