Amherst News-Times, 2001-10-03

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Church opens addition — Page 2 I Sports teams make waves in SWC — Pages 7-9
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Amherst News-Time
O t— o o
O   UO  X   X
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c tr o o
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
Amherst, Ohio
Downtown coordinator
makes Amherst priority
by ERIK YORKE
News-Times reporter
According to Lesia
Boytchuk-Schneider, fate
brought her to Amherst Born
in Toronto and having lived
in Canada, Germany and now
the United States, Boytchuk-
Schneider brings her talents
and skills to town as the
city's new downtown
coordinator.
Having worked in the fields
of journalism, public relations,
community relations and city
government, Boytchuk-
Schneider will now coordinate
Amherst's downtown revitali-
zation project. She will work
closely with the Amhem
Downtown Betterment Associ
ation (ADBA), city administration and city council to
see the project through.
"I have no allegiance to
the city, council or the
ADBA. I have allegiance to
all of them, in fact I have allegiance to the entire Amherst
community,'' Boytchuk-
Schneider said. "Only together
can we revitalize the
downtown."
Boytchuk-Schneider is no
stranger to city rcvitalization
projects. While working in
Toronto, she said that she
was involved in a project to
bring more people into certain
districts. The idea was to get
more people into the city to
shop and mingle, a project
that she said was extremely
successful and is now a
model for other Canadian
cities.
Now she faces an almost
identical, albeit smaller scale
challenge to bring shoppers
and sight-seers into downtown
Amherst.
"It has a lot of charm, it's
quaint," Boytchuk-Schneider
said. "I see a lot of potential
here."
Boytchuk-Schneider was extremely successful working in
Toronto. Toward the end of
her time there, she said she
was being groomed by her
uncle, an alderman, for political office. She said it was a
goal of her's at the time to
be the first female mayor of
Toronto.
CONTINUED on page 5
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Amherst's new downtown coordinator, Lesia
Boytchuk-Schneider sits at her desk at city hall
going over some documents.
Street
ordinance
tabled,
for now
by ERIK YORKE
News-Time* reporter
City council announced Monday
that an ordinance designating certain city streets not to be through
highways in an effort to lower speed
limits would be tabled.
The ordinance will resurface at
the next regular council meeting after a joint recommendation can be
reached by police chief Lonnie Dillon and safety service director Sherrill McLoda.
The ordinance has sparked controversy; if passed, it would give the
safety service director the authority
to change speed limits, as needed,
on any of the streets mentioned in
the ordinance. As it stands, the
streets in question are North and
South Lake streets. North and South
Main streets, Cleveland Avenue,
Elyria Avenue, Milan Avenue, Park
Avenue, Middle Ridge Road and the
portion of Cooper Foster Park Road
west of North Main Street
The ordinance came about as an
agenda request by Dillon in an effort to make streets safer. According
to Dillon, the speed limit on two of
the busier streets. North Lake and
North Main streets, have already
been lowered to 25 mph. That was
forced by several factors including a
new park entrance and an accident-
related fatality involving a young
boy on his bicycle.
Some council members have said
sidewalks would be a better solution
than lowering speed limits, something that Dillon does not feel
would be an answer.
"Sidewalks would be great but I
don't believe they're the solution,"
Dillon said. "I have sidewalks in
from of my house and kids don't use
them."
Ward Four representative Jennifer
Wasilk is one of the council members opposing the ordinance to designate streets as non-through highways. Wasilk, who is an environment- health and safety engineer,
said that she has never seen a traffic
study that has shown safer city
streets as a result of lowered speed
Rosemary Haas shows off her historic home on East Street. She was awarded a
plaque commemorating her home, built in 1870, as a century home by the Amherst
Historical Society.
■ -.•■'■	
Carlos and Julianna Robtes stand in front of their 141-year-old home on Spring
Street. The Amherst Historical Society recently bestowed upon them a plaque commemorating their home as a century home.
Century homes get historical society nod
by ERIK YORKE
News-Times reporter
Two Amherst homes were commemorated last Wednesday as being
century homes by the Amherst Historical Society.
Both the home on East Street
owned by Rosemary Haas and the
other on Spring Street owned by
Carlos and Julianna Robles have
stood the test of time for more than
100 yean.
According to Haas, her home was
built  in   1870  by  her  great
grandfather.
"The house has always belonged
to the family," Haas said.
Erected in 1870 by Joseph
Schmitz, the house sits on land originally purchased by Schmitz from
>iilo Harris. Harris was the son of
Joseph Harris, Amherst's first sheriff and one of its founding fathers.
Haas said that the house had a
15-page deed, recording all of the
home's owners throughout the
years. She said that when she originally wanted the house, it was in
Theodore Schmitz's name, her
uncle. She said that her mother,
Margaret Meyer, bought the house
at that time.
Soon thereafter, Haas's brother
and his wife moved into the house,
moving out after they had their first
child. It was then, about 33 years
ago she said, that she moved in with
her husband, Monty Haas, now
deceased
They had three children in the
house, Don, Mike and Peggy. Mike
Haas still lives in the East Street
home and Don lives on Park Avenue in Amherst Peggy now resides
in New York City.
Unlike Haas, Carlos and Julianna
Robles were not native to Amherst
When they bought their home on
Spring Street they were simply
looking for a house large enough to
.Kcornodale themselves and their
five ciuldrcn.
"We wanted something big." Mr.
Robles said.
Their home was bulk iu 1860 on
land purchased from die Onstine
family. According lo Mr. and Mrs.
Robles the house was in very good
condition when they bought it 22
yean ago, when it was already more
than 100 yean old.
It was in pretty good shape,"
Mrs. Robles said. She added the
only major changes that they had to
make were matters of their personal
tastes rather than repair work.
The couple, manned 32 years last
Thursday, lived in Lorain prior to
moving to Amherst Their children,
Carlos, Steven, Manuel, Robert and
Irene are all adults now and living
on their own. Mr. and Mrs. Robles
hope that they will remain in the
historical home forever.
"This is it unless someone is going to pack our stuff up for us,"
Mrs. Robles said. "We've got too
much stuff."
"I would absolutely love to get
people to slow down." Wasilk said
"What I've found is that if you
lower the posted speed limit (vehicle speed) does not change.
"You jusi can't change fundamentals of human behavior." Wasilk
said, adding the only way to get
vehicles to slow down ii to have
more police cruisers visible.
WasUk Ims also been one of the
ion the
Bandits steal gumball
machine from grocery
A large gumball machine rack.
with ecvG-w. coiw opccMod fimrnmfai
in total, was stolen from the Amherst IGA on Aug. 11. The machines and their contents were worth
about $1/400 according to store
owner Robert Lane.
The machine rack was about
4'6"*4\ and k has not yet
Together again
subject of sidewalks.
"Sidewalks should be planned for
CONTMUED on page 2
The Class of 1946 of Central High School
celebrated its 55th reunion in August at the
Nordson Depot. Twenty-four members of the
class reunited Including (front) Don Qormley of
Yorba Linda. Calif.. Bob Walker, Pam Wavrick
Decker of San Diego. CaKf.. Peg Ward Bytor of
Mount Vernon, Ohio, Howard Maegle, (second
row) Louise Adler WUhelm, Donna Sanders Ep-
pley. Bid Wllhelm. Don Redman. Claire Jane
Duritng Coleman of Billings. Mont., (third row)
Frances Haas Braun, Beatrice Borowtcz Clapp.
Joan Sharp Wagner, Connie Barak Snuier, Marilyn Webster Schwartz of Detroit, Mich., Ken
Rogal. Leroy Holllngeworth. Bob Reenter, (back
row) Ruse Fritz, Carol Menz Fritz. Abort* Jackson Eddy of Leesburg, Fla., Qunver Lodge (a
guest), Floyd Lodge. Alan Sick and Jack r
of LowisvNe, Ohio.
It's prebabty at the bottom of ate
aarry soenewhere," Lane said. "I'm
they stole k to got the money
out of it"
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money oat of the machines shortly
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were located in an enclosed area at
the front of the store with automatic
sliding doors. Dillon said that only
shoppers going in or coming out of
the store at the time could have seen
the theft He said that employees
could not have seen it
"(The theft) really would not have
been noticeable where (the rack)
was sitting." Dillon said. He also offered another possibility on why k
Dil-
"It was probably a novelty.
Ion said, "tt's probably in a
cops have no leads ia the
~ Lenafe Dfllaa and
of where toe
to leJaaton to toe
Lane said that if any suspects an
arrested, he does plan to press
charges. He added that me rack wil
be replaced by bis insurance
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