Amherst News-Times, 1998-02-25

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Amherst News-Times
February 25, 1998
Amherst, Ohio
50 cents
Iding's big, but selling's bigger here
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Based on area real estate records,
"For sale" signs have been posted in
the yards of more lhan 100 Amherst,
Amherst Township and South Amherst homes in recent weeks, possibly the largest number ever recorded at this time of the year.
The large number of sales can be
attributed to several factors, although indications are the closing of
City moves
to protect
tax income
with laws
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Two requests for tax refunds from
Amherst workers who claim they
pay taxes in several other cities has
prompted the development of revised tax legislation.
The payment of tax refunds became an issue at the Feb. 16 city
council finance meeting after treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz said two
men requested refunds because they
reportedly have paid tax to cities to
which they travel as part of their
business.
Litkovitz told council the city
regularly refunds income tax to residents who live in Amhersi bul work
in other cities. In this case, however,
the men work for companies headquartered in Amherst but spend time
in Pittsburgh, Chicago and other cities to which they claim they have
paid income lax.
Litkovitz said she docs not wanl
lo provide lax refunds unless the
men can provide proof they have
paid Uix in those cities. "I am
hard pressed lo believe they arc going there and filing a tax return as a
nonresident," she added.
Regardless of business travel, she
said a person who works lor an Amherst company normally pays income lax io ihe cily.
To provide such refunds would
create an "accounting nightmare"
and increase the administrative cost
of operating Liikovitz's office,
mayor John Higgins said.
"I agree. If you work here, you
pay here," he added.
The practice also would hurt ihe
city's finances.
"1 feci il is incumbent on mc to
gel every rightfully owed tax dollar
to the city of Amherst. If wc start
this, wc arc going lo be losing a lot
of lax revenue and I am dead set
against thai," she added.
She said Amhersi docs nol cxpcci
employees of other companies outside Amherst lo pay taxes jusi because they may occasionally do business in the cily. Neither do neighboring cities, including Avon Lake
and Lorain.
"They feel as we do. it's a wash,"
she added.
CONTINUED on  page 2
Ford Motor Company's Thunder-
bird assembly plant in Lorain tops
the list of reasons, according to local
realtors.
As of Feb. 4,117 homes worth an
average of $159,875 were on the
market. That's more than most realtors, including Amhersi appraiser
Wanda Aschenbach, can recall. As-
chenbach operates the Appraisal
House on Leavitt Road.
In addition, a total of 427 homes
were sold in the area during 1997.
Sales totaled more lhan S43 million,
anolhcr record. In comparison, 399
homes were sold in 1996.
According to the report, 170
homes were sold between January
and July lasl year while another 257
were sold between July and
December.
Bul El Nino also has been good
for Northern Ohio real estate sales.
Bonnie Muniga, manager of the
Amherst Realty One office, said the
mild winter weather has contributed
to the surge in home sales. About 80
to 90 homes normally arc put on the
market in Amherst in any given
year. Most usually go on ihe market
in early spring, although this year
the belter weather has prompted
more people lo place their homes up
for sale earlier.
They include the families of Ford
Motor Co. employees who have accepted transfers to a company truck
assembly plant in Louisville, Ky.
"Basically, they wanl to get an
earlier start so they have a better
chance because most know more
homes have gone on the market be
cause of the (Ford) closing," Muniga said.
Nol all of the homes belong to
former employees of the closed
Thundcrbird and Cougar assembly
plant. Others may have planned to
buy their first home or "move up" to
meet the needs of a growing family,
she added.
So far, home prices have not drastically dropped due to the larger
number of homes on the market.
Those thai have been sold have been
no less than three lo five percent of
Check
it out
Harris Elementary
School students
dressed in surgeon
smocks examine a
puppy with the help of
Thomas Wood, veterinary director ol the Animal Protective League
of Lorain County. Wood
talked.to third and
fourth graders and allowed them to try their
hands at being veterinarians during special assemblies after they contributed $413.08 in
lunch money to the
APL's general fund.
State Issue II cash will help repair bridge
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
The cily has received a $200,000
stale Issue II public works grant to
help pay for the reconstruction of
the Cooper Foster Park Road Bridge
spanning the Beaver Creek.
The $358,000 projtxl is one of
nearly a dozen projects that will be
done this year as part of the city's
'.998 street improvement project.
Based on information presented
to cily council's finance committee,
the projects will be done in two phases and cost an estimated $1.1 million, about the same as last year, ac-
cordi ij to mayor John Hiacins.
Higgins said he cannot determine
the exact cost of both phases until
the cost of all projects is submitted
later this year.
Nearly $791,(XX) will spenl in the
first phase and includes aboul
$231,000 to rcpave five streets,
$226,000 for a Middle Ridge Road
storm sewer, $50,000 for a crack
and joint scaling program and
$20,000 for curblawn landscaping.
According lo cily engineer Mill
Pommcranz., ihe Issue II grant cuts
the city's share of the Cooper Foster
Park Road bridge project lo
$128,840. The work is included in
Ihe first phase of projects.
The new bridge will be wider and
have sidewalks to accommodate ex
pected residential growth in the
neighborhood and increased traffic.
The road will be rehabilitated from
N. Main Street to about the city limits, about three-quarters of a mile
cast of Oak Point Road, Pommeranz
said.
The Middle Ridge Road storm
sewer work will be done from the
area near Beaver Creek to the eastern cily limits. The road is showing
signs of being washed out during
periods of heavy or prolonged rain.
"Wc need lo control ihe water
flowing down the road, especially in
the winter time lo prevent freezing,"
Higgins said.
Pommeranz said total Phase I
construction   costs   total   aboul
$650,000. An additional S64.000
has been set aside for contingency
costs.
Streets on Ihe asphalt rehabilitation and resurfacing program and
their estimated cost are Oakhursi
Drive, $80,000; Idlcwood Dnve
from Sunset to Forest Hill drives,
$35,(XX); Sunset Drive, $40,000;
West Martin Avenue from North
Lake Street to ihe bridge, $50 .(X)1);
and Georgia Avenue, $26,000.
As last year, Pommeran/ said ihe
landscaping of residenlial curblawns
lorn up by street resurlacing will be
done by a local contractor in ensure
juxhI work. In previous years, ic.si-
denls expressed dissaiislaciion wilh
landscaping work done by the road
construction companies.
The second phase will cost about
$300,000 to $350,000 and involves
reconstruction of a small bridge on
Quarry Road north of Milan Avenue. The bridge work will cost
more than $130,000.
Il also includes aboul $100,000
for equipment and $50,000 for the
repayment of a street repair loan taken out several years ago, Higgins
said.
Several other streets may be resurfaced or repaired if money is left
over. They are all or portions of
Woodside, Walnul, Green Foresl
and Maple Creek drives, and Virginia Court.
the lasl listed price.
A.J. Schrcibcr, manager of
Homctnark Realty, doesn't agree.
According lo him, some home
prices arc holding steady while
some sellers have decided lo ask
less because of ihe over supply.
Price cuts mainly have occurred in
homes costing S130,(XX) and more,
but nol as much among those costing less.
Homes sales have been slow but
CONTINUED  on  page  2
Grapplers
win first
SWC title
for school;
eye state
by DIANA HOUGLAND
N-T sports reporter
Good things come to those who
wail. And the Amherst Cornel varsity wrestling team has waited a
long, long lime, actually since the
beginning of Marion L. Steele lime.
But Saturday, during the Southwestern Conference Tournament
held al Avon Lake, they were finally
rewarded for their years of frustration and hard work. They found
themselves being crowned as the
SWC champions after knocking off
three-lime champion Otmstcd Falls
by iwo slim points
Going into the final rounds, the
Comets, who have led the conference all season, found themselves
trailing Fails 160.5 to 152.5.
But knowing what they had to do,
the Amherst grapplers won seven of
11 in the championship round to
grab the elusive title. While winning
ihe SWC for ihe Inst time in wrestling history al Amhersi, the Comets
also crowned the most champions,
four, in ihe school history.
"They really did a nice job,"
Cornel head coach Bill Walker said.
"Their backs were against the wall. I
thought wc might win five or six bul
wc won seven."
The final standings in the 38th
annual wrestling tournament were
Amhersi 181.5, Olmsted Falls
179.5, Fairview 162, Wcstlakc 105,
Avon Lake 76, North Olmsted 57,
Rocky River 28 and Bay 5.
In the final rounds ihe four Comet
champions were sophomore Jake
Pcrcival who at 112 pounds won his
second title by defeating Olmsted
Falls' Paul Hodcrmarsky by a 3-2
decision, and seniors Matt Moos in
the 135-pound class, Paul Adamson
in the 160 class and Adam Sludsiill,
claiming his second championship
in the 189 class.
Moos won his title by a 7-3 decision, Adamson by a 13-2 decision
and Studstill by a 14-7 decision.
Other Comet wrestlers who competed in the tournament were Joe
Falbo in the 103-class who finished
third, 119 pound Kyle Klekota who
finished second, Ryan Lahctla who
also finished second in the
125-pound class, John Falbo finishing third in the 145-class, Ron Gar-
giulo who finished third by a pin in
ihe 152-class, Joe Ramsey finishing
second in ihe 171-pound class and
Wayne Johnson, who at 275, finished fourth in his class.
While there was plenty io celebrate and cheer, the Cornels' work is
still nol over.
On Friday and Saturday the Amhersi grapplers will be al Southview
competing in the Sectionals hoping
io wrcsilc their way to Suite. Walkci
is hoping to send al least ten of his
young men lo the District Mcei.
"They have wrestled well all sea
son and hopefully it will carr>  io
state," he said. "We are peaking at
the right time "
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