Amherst News-Times, 2002-10-23

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Amherst News-Time
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CC may pass deadline
to buy police cruisers
despite budget for buy
by JASON HAWK
News-Times roportor
What began as the routine purchase of a new police cruiser escalated
into a debate last week over spending, during a regular meeting of city
council.
City departments must request
council's approval of purchases of
more than $15,000, including a
2003 Ford Crown Victoria that Amherst police asked to purchase for
$21,048 from their appropriated
budget funds.
Ward Three councilmember
Steve P'Simer immediately supported the purchase, stating that it
was being made from money already budgeted for that purpose. He
also staled that the police department was not using and returning
$200,000 of budgeted resources this
year.
"We cannot allow our fleet to exceed 100,000 miles per car and feel
Schools
anticipate
'exce
lent'
that we are providing safe conditions for our officers,*' agreed mayor
John Higgins. "The safety of our officers should be a number one
consideration.*'
But controversy came when Ward
Two councilmember Ed Cowger objected to the purchase.
Cowger told council that he
would vote against expediting the
purchase because he is wary of
spending money when a shaky 2003
report card
This should be a report card
Amherst schools superintendent
Robert Boynton will want to take
home and hang on the refrigerator.
School officials anticipate when
the state department of education
releases official data for the district
report cards on Friday the Amherst
schools will get a perfect 22 out of
22 standards. That would put the
schools in the "excellent" rating
category.
"The key word is we anticipate
we'll have 22 out of 22," Boynton
said. "We won't know for sure until the 25th of October, but that's
what we anticipate. It could be 21
out of 22. But we're really happy
about that"
The district report cards rate
school districts largely on the basis
of student performance on the state
proficiency tests given to students
in grades four, six, nine, 10, and
12. For each grade the test is broken down into five categories: citizenship, math, reading, science, and
writing.
The report card also includes
standards for graduation rate and
student attendance.
Last year the Amherst schools
were rated "effective" with a score
of 23 of 27 standards on the district
report card. They met the standards
in each area except fourth grade citizenship, math, reading, and
science.
This year there were only 22
standards on the report card because the 12th grade proficiency
lest scores removed from the list of
standards. The 12th grade test is
not required for graduation.
If the schools' projection of 22
ot 22 ctandards met holds up, it
would uvdiuye a marked improvement in the four* grade test scores.
Harris Elementary School principsu
Bbonda Neuhoff said she worked
out a program to target students in
need of intensive help on the proficiency teat and to provide Hut help
•sing state parity money to hire
three core curriculum tutors.
She said the staff at Harris has
been the key to the success of the
program. She said they have taken
f-ersonally the challenge of raising
the proficiency test score*.
"It's the teachers and the staff
and the core curriculum tutors."
Neuhoff said. "The people I work
with here are so enthused about it.
If I told then 'Stand on your head
and teach math; it will improve test
s', they'd do it."
city budget and possible city layoffs
loom.
"I truly believe that we can't
make any new purchases until we
have a full understanding of what
we're facing next year," he told
council.
He said it wouldn't do the city
any good to have a fleet of cars
without officers to use them, should
budget hearings reveal a need to lay
CONTINUED on page 8
Police chief Lonnie Dillon watches over the proceedings at City
Hall as city council members debate whether to purchase a new
Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser. Police officers say that older
cars with over 100,000 miles place officers at risk in pursuit
situations.
T^rfiporarily disconnected
Police direct traffic around a crash that plugged up the in-  released information about the crash, or stated whether vehicle op-
tersection of Lake St. and Milan Ave. on Saturday. Police have not    erators or passengers were injured.
Halloween
in Amherst
is Oct. 27
The annual Halloween parade
will be held on Sunday, Oct.
27, from 4:30-5 p.m.
Registration for the costume
contest will start at 3 p.m. at the
San Spring building, 480 Park
Avenue. Judging will start
promptly at 4 p.m.
The Amherst Fire Department is sponsoring this year's
parade.
Trick or treat in the city of
Amherst will be from 5:30-7
p.m.
In the event of iiw!-*r^u
weather, the p-irade will be
canceled atnd the costume contest witi be held at the Amherst
Fire Department, 414 Church
Sl
Youngsters are urged to wear
light colored or reflective clothing, and to take an adult while
trick or treating. Residents who
want to pass out candy should
turn on their outside lights.
Something big and scary haunts tha residents
of this houae en Cleveland Ave. All around town,
Amherstcnlans art decorating their properties
with silly, seasonal,
the HaMowaen spirit.
and macabre ornaments In
suit to
comply
by JASON HAWK
Nows-Times reporter
The Amherst and Amherst
Township residents who have
chosen to hold out against
hooking up to the "sewer to
nowhere" will now have to
face the Lorain County Board
of Health.
The board filed a complaint
last week that put the ball in
motion for county officials to
use the justice system to
force residents to comply with
sanitation codes.
The complaint was filed in
Lorain County Common Pleas
Court Tuesday and demanded
a court order against 13 Amherst Township residents and
several Elyria and Lorain residents. In all, 21 property
owners in the dispute have
failed to comply with the
county's mandate to tie into
the sewer system.
David Kelly, Terry Podich,
Mark Miller, Lenice Collett,
NeUie Collett, William
Dongcs, Richard Johnson,
Joan Johnson, Walter Mackin,
Mary Lynn Woodyard, David
Mitchell, Joann Mitchell, and
D Boys Four LLC were all
named in the grievance.
According to state law, the
citizens that reside within 200
feet of the sanitary sewer line
are required to connect within
one year.
"If the sewer goes by your
house, you're required to tie
in," health board attorney
John S. Keressi explained.
"If the sewer runs near
you, it doesn't matter if you
have a good septic system or
not. Legislators in Ohio have
decided that it's cleaner and
more environmentally sound
to tie in to a public sewer
system. They are definitely
more efficient," he said.
Keressi said that the major
goal of the suit against non-
compliant residents is to force
them to connect to the sanitary sewer, and that the
county doesn't want to fine
them or seek any damages
from the property owners.
"Basically, when we started
this process this spring, we
decided our goal was to get
as many of the people tied in
as we can," he said.
He also claimed that the
holdouts have not so much
refused as they have just
failed to comply.
One of the suggested reasons is that the cost of connecting to the system may be
prohibitive for some residents,
running between $2,000 and
$3,000.
Keressi pointed out that
while many of the area residents have already chosen lo
tie in, the minority that are
named in the lawsuit may be
made up of people who have
fallen through the financial
cracks.
"They may be people who
are not quite eligible for
funding aaritaanca, but don't
have enough liquid money lo
pay for a project like this,"
He also indicated that several local residents have been
able io obtain assistance in
the form of Lorain County
Community
were not included ia
the suit htir—ii they are
slated for
CONTINUED on page 11