Amherst News-Times, 1998-01-28

              Retter apartment zoning sought — Page 12     Muska's off to D.C. — Page 3
Amherst News-Times
January 28, 1998
Amherst, Ohio
50 cents
eyeing firefighter fund for city hall repairs
nI miller
News-Times reporter
Cily council will transfer up to
$450,000 from a firefighters disability fund to pay for much-needed repairs to the city hall roof and bell
tower.
The transfer of money into the
city's general fund was discussed by
city  council's  finance  committee
and mayor John Higgins during a
meeting Jan. 20.
Pending council approval, the
funds will be used in two phases:
the roof and bell tower repair, and
possibly the renovation of city hall.
The renovation includes relocating some of the offices on the overcrowded first floor to the basement
to provide additional office and storage space.
Council was expected to discuss
the fund transfer at its Monday
meeting.
The second phase will be implemented if there is sufficient money
after the repairs are made, Higgins
said.
Pending review by law director
Alan Anderson, the mayor said the
money can be legally borrowed
from the account. In the meantime,
two questions need to be resolved:
• Whether to transfer the money
into the general fund or a special
interest-generating account within
the general fund.
• The elhical or "moral" implications of using disability funds. Firefighters have each paid as much as
$9,500 into the fund over the last 40
years, but few have used it.
There is orfly one firefighter remaining on the fire department who
remains eligible for benefits. The
mayor   has   proposed   leaving
$54,000 in the account, more than
enough to cover the city's obligation
to him.
Following the meeting, Higgins
said the loan is the only alternative
open to the city because of a lawsuit
filed against him and council members by Anderson last year.
A county common pleas court
judge ruled that council can select a
bond representative to sell bonds for
renovation of cily hall, now esti
mated at more than $500,000. Anderson's suit claimed that only he
had the authority to hire a bond
counsel.
Council cannot issue bonds until
an appeal filed by the law director is
heard by a state appellate court.
In the meantime, continued deterioration of the building prompted
the need for what Higgins called an
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Ken Cross .
Eagles
bursting
with new
members
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
People seem to be lining up to
join the Amherst Fraternal Order of
Eagles now lhat it has completed its
new $1 million club on Milan
Avenue.
Aboul 200 new members have
joined the F.O.E. since il moved
inio its long-awaited new facility
last November and an additional
200 to 300 have made application,
according to president Ron Harper.
"Wc knew we had lo make the
move years ago because we were
just getting to be loo crowded," he
explained. "Now that we have
moved, we've got more people lhan
ever before wanting to join."
At last count, the F.O.E had 1,340
members, making it the largest Eagles club in Lorain County and its
district, which also includes Erie
Counly.
The 22,000 square-foot-facility
will be dedicated during special Jan.
31 grand opening ceremonies. Ken
Cross, the national membership and
inventory director, and director of
the F.O.E's heart and diabetes
funds, is among the Eagles officials
who will be present for the grand
opening.
Cross, of Milwaukee, Wis. is past
grand worthy president of the
F.O.E.
Officially, the club is Aerie 1442.
Unofficially, it's become the social
"in place" for Amherstonians these
days. Anyone who is anybody belongs. Members include mayor John
Higgins, police chief William Hall
and Lorain Counly sheriff Martin
Mahony.
Harper and club trustee Bill Lea-
zier said the organization sees itself
as civic group that enjoys having
fun while donating funds lo worthwhile causes.
Among them have been the Amherst school district and its sports
banquets, the Amherst Police Department's Safely Town, ihe Sandstone Summer Theater and various
community cleanup activities.
More than half its members live
in Amherst. Others either live in
Amherst Township, Soulh Amherst
or the surrounding area.
The former club at Milan Avenue
and N. Main Street has been sold to
David Moore, the owner of ihe
Crystal Mortgage Co., and is being
remodeled.
Eagles members were busy last
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Couple closing
camera shop
to finally enjoy
their retirement
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Two of Amherst's best known
shullcrbugs have decided to put
the lens cap on their 20-year-old
business.
Paul Ruminsky and his wife,
Doris, will permanently lock the
door of Parke Camera, 281 Park
Ave., when they close their little
photo shop for the last time
sometime in late February.
No firm date has been set.
They want lo sell off all or most
of their merchandise before settling into retircm>Ma*r-<He>U*-79
and she is 75.
But his health, more than their
golden years, has more to do
wilh their decision. It was
prompted by a small stroke Paul
suffered last June.
It didn't disable him, but it
was a warning that Ruminsky's
doctor lold him not to ignore.
"I was lucky. It could have
been much worse," he explained. "The doctor told me to
slow down and start taking it a
lol more easy and kind of take
more time lo smell the roses.
We've worked a lot over the
years and want to enjoy life
more."
Al first the Ruminskys, who
run the store themselves, considered selling the business but
found a small camera store isn't
ihe kind of business for which
banks arc willing to make loans.
A few people did express interest but couldn't secure the
necessary financing from banks.
"If you were buying a home,
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Paul and Doris Ruminsky will be closing the
doors of Park Camera at the end of February
to take time to "smell the roses" after 20 years
in business.
Substation to finally get proper phones
After nearly a four-month delay,
ihe Lorain County commissioners
have agreed to pay for the installation of two phones lines needed for
a new sheriffs substation al the
Amherst Township Hall.
The approval will pay for the installation of internal and external
lines. The internal line will be used
by deputies while outside lines will
be connected to a specially designed
emergency call box from which residents or passersby can call 911.
The internal line was approved
Jan. 15. The external line was nol
because of an error on the agenda,
according to commissioners' clerk
Roxannc Blair.
The mistake was corrected by a
simple resolution amendment approved by the commissioners Jan.
22.
Lorain County 911 has agreed lo
provide special outdoor call boxes at
substations in Amherst, Penfield and
Eaton townships. The lines, how
ever, must be paid for by the county
commissioners because the sheriff's
department does not have money
budgeted for them.
Based on Century Telephone
rates, Blair said the commissioners
will pay $80 a month for the two
Amhersi Township lines as well as
an initial $100.50 installation
charge. Charges at the other town-
. ship substations will be based on
Alltel fees.
The outdoor call boxes can be
used by people wilh an emergency
and will connect them with 911 service when deputies are not in the
substation. Officers will be in the
general area, less than five minutes
away.
The call boxes also can be used
for roadside auto assistance and
eventually may be connected to the
sheriff's department if enough
emergency calls are made. Their design will not allow general purpose
calls to be made, according to Lor
ain County sheriff Martin Mahony.
The indoor lines will be used by
deputies to accept or make calls.
They also will enable them to send
reports by computer modem to the
sheriff's department, Mahony
explained.
Eventually, the sheriff said he
will ask the Ohio Department of
Transportation to provide signs that
can be posted throughout the area
pointing to the substation and call
boxes.
•~^ Township,
CC oppose
Golden
Acres idea
Employees of the Chief Wrecking Co. of Lorain look on as a
steam shovel seems to take a big bite out of the former Bob Morris
Big Lot at Cleveland Avenue and Leavitt Road. The property is be
ing cleared to make way for construction of a Rite Aid pharmacy
this spring.
Amherst and Amherst Township
officials have joined forces to oppose the possible closing of Golden
Acres and the sale of its property for
commercial use.
Two letters, one signed by city
officials and another by the township trustees, have been sent to Lorain County commissioner Michael
Ross opposing a plan that could include moving the nursing home to
the former St. Joseph Hospital in
Lorain.
Ross is seeking a feasibility study
to determine if the nursing home
and its patients should be moved to
a vacant wing of the closed hospital.
Last month, the commissioner
said he wanted to make better use of
all county facilities, including Golden Acres. The study will determine
if the hospital can house its patients
and if Ihe nursing home's 20 acres
has commercial development
potential.
Township and cily officials have
made it clear they don't like the
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