Amherst News-Times, 1997-12-10

              Legion rezoning in discussion — Page 5| Community Chorus on stage — F
Amherst News-Time
Wednesday, December 10, 1997
Amherst. Ohio
I
Amherst is first in joint Metroparks proj
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
Amherst is one step closer to becoming the first cily in the slate to
develop a park partnership with the
Lorain County Metroparks.
Last week the counicl buildings
and lands committee approved
spending $300,000 for the city to
purchase land behind the police station on N. Lake Street.
At Monday night's regular council meeting council passed an ordinance authorizing the mayor and/or
safety director lo negotiate a con
tract to purchase and develop land
for a wesl side park. Mayor Higgins
announced the city had adopted a
master plan and with the Metroparks
would jointly purchase 34 acres.
An additional six acres would be
from a private donation, mayor*5ohn
Higgins explained. The city already
owns 23 acres behind the station. If
Double vision?
No, it's just day
of teaching seven
sets of twins
by KATHLEEN KOSHAR
the city is able lo acquire lhe additional land, there would be almost
60 acres available for park use.
A one-mile walking and biking
trail is planned, as well as soccer facilities, playground equipmeni, restroom facilities, two shelters and a
parking lot, Higgins said. The Metroparks would provide a park mana
ger and naturalist programs, Metro-
parks director Dan Martin said.
The total cost of the project is estimated dl $1.8 million. The park
partnership would be split three
ways, safety/service director Cookie
McLoda said. The Metroparks
would pay one third, the city would
pay one third and the rest would
come from donations. Martin said it
is important lo stress the three-way
split is a goal, not an absolute.
The city's total commitmeni to
lhe project would be $600,000,
which would be for purchase and
development. Half would be bor-
CONTINUED on page 2
News-Times editor
When you walk into lhe kindergarten classrooms at Powers Elementary
School, you may ihink you arc seeing double, again and again and again.
In fact, you may cross your eyes seven times. That's how many sets of
twins are enrolled in the kindergarten classes. Teacher Barb Guzik said
ihcrc may have been six sets of twins enrolled in the school at one time but
no one remembers the record-breaking sets of seven look-a-likes.
The abundance of multiple births may be a factor of lhe high enrollment
this year or lhe increased use of fertility drugs so prevalent among young
couples; school officials will never know.
The seven sets include the following:
In Lani Hart's kindergarten class are Kathryn and Amber Slotta, daughters of Laura Slotta and Edward Slotta. They were bom July 6, 1992.
In Guzik's class are Anthony and Costas Kocan, sons of Anthony Kocan
and Cindy Kocan. Anthony was bom on Nov. 18, 1991 and Costas arrived
on Nov. 19, 1991.
Also in her class is Eric Spanos, brother of Amber Spanos, who is
enrolled in Diane Coffman's class. The Spanos twins are the children of
Paul and Kathleen Spanos. They were born May 15, 1992.
Ashley Antonopoulos is also in Guzik's class. Her twin is Nicholas
Antonopoulos, also in Coffman's class. They are the children of Nicholas
CONTINUED on page 5
The seveTt sets of twins gather for a photo in a kirfQetgarten
classroom, not an easy feat for 14 five- and six-year-olds. They include (back row) Nicholas Antonopoulos, Jordan Sosinski, Jacob
Sosinski, Kathryn Slotta, (middle row) Jimmy Malloy, Ashley Anto
nopoulos, Anthony Kocan, Costas Kocan, Amber Slotta, Amber
Spanos, (front row) Matthew Malloy, Nicholas Parent, Christopher
Parent and Eric Spanos.
"!&»
WACKY WIENER
SCRUNCWE DOG
The "Glove and Bat Caddie" was invented by Austin Meggitt to
hold a bat and glove on the front of a bike.
Megan Miller shows off her "Wacky Wiener Scrunchie Dog" to
help keep her hair scrunchies togethenfpd looking good.
Steven Lockard has found a way to scoop hard ice cream with
his "Super Scooper."
Youngsters invent solutions for life's problems
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
Have a problem?
Need it solved?
Perhaps the fourth grade Horizon
students al Harris Elementary
School can help.
Fifteen students in the Horizon,
talented and gifted, program each
produced an invention to solve a
problem. Each student came up with
a problem and did creative problem
solving, Rosemary Hesmond, Horizon teacher, said.
'The students surveyed people to
find oul what problems they had,"
Hesmond said. "They then had to
come up with an invention and do
research to sec if their ideas already
existed."
The students, who meei once a
week for an hour and a half, began
studying about inventors and their
inventions al lhe end of September.
Each student did a tribute lo an in
ventor,  while  working  on  their
projects.
The young inventors were required to have a backboard with information about their product, a
model of their invention and an inventor's log, as proof of when they
worked on the project. They also
created an advertisement for their
invention and a trademark name.
The Glove and Battie Caddie was
created by Austin Meggitt. Meggitt,
who plays baseball in the summer,
said his invention solves lhe problem of riding a bike while trying to
hold on lo a bat and glove.
To solve lhe problem, Meggitt
added clamps to hold a bat and a
hook for a glove to lhe front of a
bike.
"I tested it around my neighborhood and it worked," Meggitt said.
"I might use it' every once in a
while."
To solve the problem of finding
CONTINUED on page 3
Pat Catan's craft center begins plaza move-in
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
Amherst Plaza lost yet
another lenant when Radio
Shack closed their doors three
weeks ago, but the arrival of Pat
Catan's may bring some life
back to the once thriving shop
ping ccnier.
Mayor John Higgins said no
official date has been set for Pat
Catan's opening, bul confirmed
building permits had already
been granted.
Star Builders began renovations on lhe old K-Mart building
Nov. 17, according to Steve
Mims. Star Builders sales rep
resentative. The electricity had
to be separated, restrooms had to
be put in and other renovations
need to be made before the store
is usable.
The building will also receive
a new facade, said Kaye Browning, of the Amhersl building department. Mims said footers
were poured last Wednesday,
beginning the outside work.
Mims said the plan is to be open
for lhe Easter season.
"The addition of Pat Catan's
will be a boom to Amhersl,"
Browning slid, "because people
will not need ic run oul to the
mall."
Higgins said one more major
business is looking al moving
into lhe plaza, but he cannot yet
say who it is.
"It is looking like a good
probability," Higgins said. "It is
somebody big."
After the toss of K-Mart, Re-
vco and Rini Rego's, which
were three long-time users, new
businesses are needed at the
shopping  center.  Higgins  said
ihosc three chains felt in order to
compete they needed new
facilities.
A new car wash will also be
coming to the area in the future.
Higgins said an Automatic Auto
Wash will open on Kresge
Drive. The hand car wash located behind lhe BP station, also
on Kresge Drive will remain.
MM
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