Amherst News-Times, 1998-02-11

              Safety City donors sought — Page 12| Local scout earns gold status — Page 13
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\mherst News-Times
February 11, 1998
Amherst, Ohio
50 cents
yor's shopping for temporary city offices
have embarked on a
for temporary city
ly hall undergoes rc-
iblc renovations this
spring.
Mayor John Higgins told city
council Feb. 2 thai he wants lo rent
enough office space to house al least
100 filing cabinets and a dozen cily
h;ill employees, including himself
and  ihosc   in   the  auditor's,  trea
surer's  and   building  inspector's
offices.
At least two buildings are under
consideration: the San Spring Building on Park Avenue next to the Amherst Public Library and a vacant
building at 276 S. Main St.
The S. Main Street office was
vacated late last year by convicted
investment counselor Joseph Nem-
chik and currently is owned by a
bank.
Higgins said other buildings may
be considered if they are large
enough and easily accessible to the
general public. Only council chambers will be excluded from the offices, although he would like council and ks committees to meet in the
Amherst Historical Society's
Grange Hall on Milan Aveni
Environmental
study puts halt
on downtown
parking plan
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Plans to build a city parking lot
on property owned by former auto
dealer Milad Abraham have been
put on hold because of an inconclusive environmental impact report,
according to mayor John Higgins.
As a result, the mayor lold city
council's building and lands committee Jan. 20 he will have to "restart" his negotiations with Abraham for the purchase of the land at
Tcnncy and Church streets. Abraham once owned an auto dealership
on the property.
Following the meeting, the mayor
said he is concerned aboul the lack
i>l documentation on ihe possible
presence of an underground fuel
lank and how oils and other toxic
fluids were disposed.
"In short, we don't know whal
was taken care of and what wasn't,"
he explained. "Wc shouldn't assume
environmental responsibility for
what might be there and won't."
The mayor has been negotiating
wilh Abraham since late lasl year
for the property in an effort lo provide additional downtown parking.
The environmental study was done
al his request by a private engineering firm.
II the talks wilh Abraham break
down, Higgins said he is considering two olhcr pieces of vacant
downtown   property   for  possible
parking lots and will enter into talks
wilh their owners.
The lack of parking has been a
problem in downtown for many
years. Under a current ordinance, all
vehicles must be removed from the
business area by 2:30 a.m. daily so
lhat slrccl cleaning can be done.
Vehicles parked on business streets
aflcr 2:30 a.m. are ticketed.
Bul the complaint of Al Burgdorf,
owner of Al's Park Grille, spurred
council's police and fire committee
lo recommend changing the deadline lo 3:30 a.m.
According lo police chief William Hall, Burgdorf spends lime
cleaning and restocking his business
aflcr closing and cannol move his
car.
Some council member questioned why Burgdorf should parte on
Park Street, which is supposed lo be
used for store patrons. In ihe end,
ihey agreed to extend the time limit
an extra hour except during snow
removal emergencies.
In these instances, all vehicles
must be removed when snow depth
is iwo inches or higher lo allow
snow plows lo clean ihe slrccl.
Cars left on ihe street will be ticketed and towed.
Hall also said residents who park
on streets due lo driveway work or
lack of parking space should provide police with their license numbers to avoid being ticketed.
The same courtesy will be given
visitors to a residence, he added.
Fire Department
unearths treasure
in used truck buy
from Oberlin's lot
Someone once said thai one
man's junk is another man's treasure — especially if it will save him
mora lhan $500,000.
The Amherst Fire Department
doesn't consider Oberlin's 85-foot
aerial ladder truck io be junk even
though it is 29 year; old, has 15,600
miles on il and was in ihe repair
shop for a month last year.
The truck's age hasn't kepi Ihe
city from making a formal offer for
il. The total price is $36,000, less
lhan half the truck's original cosl.
The purchase includes $25,000 for
ihe truck plus an additional $ 11,000
for the equipment on il.
The city's intention was disclosed
by mayor John Higgins al ihe Jan.
26 cily council meeting and approved by council's finance committee Feb. 2.
According to Higgins, purchasing
the used truck from Oberlin will
save the city between $575,000 and
$670,000 and still provide the city
with additional fire protection.
The city has been discussing purchasing an aerial ladder truck for
several months to give firefighters
the exira dimension of battling fires
in multi-floor buildings. Il will also
enable them to shower water "down
"If we have to rent from anybody,
I would like it to be them because,
in effect, wc would be helping them,
and they arc a good cause," he
added.
Because of the moving involved,
Higgins said he would like to reach
an agreement on the temporary office space and council chambers by
no later lhan mid-March.
In the meantime, the cily is hoping ihe cost of the bell tower and
roof repair work will leave enough
money to do the planned basement
and first floor renovation work at
city hall, estimated at more than
$200,000.
Because of insufficient funds,
there arc no plans to renovate the
deteriorated second floor of city hall
lhat has been vacant for many years.
on to a fire from above and get ihem
(firefighters) off a roof," Higgins
added. "That's definitely more
desirable."
Fire chief Ralph Zilch said the
85-foot extention ladder will be especially useful for fires lhat occur in
two or three-story buildings. He said
taller buildings, possibly motels,
may be built within Amhersi Township on completion of the turnpike
interchange on Rl. 58.
Oberlin fire chief Dennis Kirin
said his city will replace the vehicle
in mid-March with a new ladder
truck costing $673,000.
Ihe older vehicle was manufactured by the Stuphen Co. in Columbus in 1968 for about $87,000. The
cily will replace it with a truck
equipped with a 100-foot extending
ladder and hose bucket.
The older truck has a hose platform. It was taken out of service last
March after an inspection found ihe
devise lhat connects the platform to
ihe ladder had been bent. It cost aboul $30,000 to repair.
The truck also has low mileage
considering its use. Similar trucks
owned by Cleveland may have as
CONTINUED on page 13
Dave McCarty, manager of Olde Town
Pizza, lakes down the name of one of the Amherst Critters and Such 4-H Club members, as
he prepares to place a pizza into the oven.
Each member was taken into the kitchen and
allowed to create their own personal pie. Afterward they took a tour of the building.
Critters invade pizza parlor
and get their little mits dirty
The Amherst Critters and
Such 4-H Club spent last Tuesday afternoon at ihe Olde Town
Pizza House, 195 Cleveland Avenue, eating iheir way through a
special project.
They got to create — and
consume — iheir own handmade pizzas.
Aboul 20 kids in the club,
ranging  from age five to  13,
were led to ihe kilchen and allowed to create their own pizzas.
Cheese, peppcroni, peppers and
everything in between was piled
high as manager Dave McCarty
instructed the kids on how lo
make a perfect pic.
After everyone ate, McCarty
look small groups on a lour of
ihe- building, walking the kids
through the kitchen and coolers.
He explained how the store op-
crates and how all employees
work together for a successful
business.
The Critters were all smiles as
they enjoyed the afternoon.
Organizational advisor of Ihe
group, Cheri Hcffcman, said the
group travels lo different businesses, and that this was just
one outing for ihe Critters.
One young critter carefully places her
dough on the counter and reaches for the
sauce. 4-H club members were shown how to
make a pizza and than allowed to pile theirs
with any toppings they desired.
Once a community meeting place
and small theater, it has been badly
damaged by roof leaks.
The mayor said grants for the restoration of historic structures are
nearly impossible lo obtain because
of federal and state cutbacks in their
use. Nevertheless, he is considering
seeking grants from one or more
private philanthropic organizations
in the area.
Donation
of house
to expand
AHS room
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
The' Amhersi Historical Society
has received an unexpected birthday
gift for its 25th anniversary — a
house al 157 Jefferson St.
But there is a mystery about the
house the society doesn't wanl to
talk about or can't — it was donated
by an anonymous source.
Society president Lilly Krebs said
she docs know lhat it formerly was
lived in by a Ford Motor Co.
worker. The employee accepted a
transfer from the closed Thunder-
bird assembly plant in Lorain to a
Ford truck plant in Louisville, Ky.
How the home came into the
hands of the donor was not
disclosed.
The two-story house abuts the
society's historical Sandstone Center properly on Milan Avenue and
will become ihe society's new headquarters, Ihus relieving overcrowding in the Quigley Museum, Krebs
added.
The Quigley museum will be
used for historical displays but not
the society's offices.
Formed in 1973, the society will
become 25 years old April 10.
The donor was aware this year
marks the society's quarter-ceniury
of existence but also was interested
in helping to alleviate overcrowding
and providing another entrance or
exit to the Sandstone Center, she
explained.
Land adjacent to the home will
eventually be used for the additional
entrance or exit.
The historic group began moving
in Monday and is expected to be
fully in place by early next week.
Krebs said the additional room
will eventually enable the society to
set aside space where people can do
genealogical research.
The headquarters will be open
Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
and is ihe sixth building to be acquired by the society. Others arc the
Quigley Museum, the Grange Hall,
St. George Chapel, the recently
moved and rebuilt Greek Revival
House and an octagonal barn.
The home is at least 80 lo 100
years old. Research will be done on
il ihis year lo determine its actual
age.
"Right now, we're very busy
planning things for the year, bul
we'll be doing ihe research as soon
as wc can," Krebs added.
The historical society will begin
its year-long celebration Feb. 25
wilh a flashback to the 1930s al the
old Grange Hall on Milan Avenue.
The event will feature a film about life in America during the thirties. People who lived during the era
are encouraged to bring a photograph of how they looked al lhat
time.
Residents who were bom after the
thirties are asked to bring an artifact
from the era or a photo of relatives,
including their parents who lived
during ihe Depression era.
The historical society's March 25
meeting will feature a report on research being done on Amherst's iwo
cemeteries, Cleveland Avenue and
Crown Hill.
April will be a special month for
the society. Il was created on April
10. 1973, which also was the 100th
anniversary  of  the  chartering  of
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