Dear concerned resident & taxpayer UPDATED

An anonymous letter found its way to this blog. I have scanned it and is available as a pdf in the hyperlink above and as jpgs below.

Anyone care to comment? I am curious about the roof warranty. The author claims that the project is behind schedule. Was the FAT to be ready late January 2013? What about the 6th floor?

Update 9:55 PM  Perfect timing! The District has uploaded this 4:21 minute video illustrating the items mentioned in this anonymous letter.  The 2 small white boards are at the end of the video, not smart boards, but white boards. The large white board is at 4:01. Is that a 21st century classroom?  High School Project Photos

Our School Board Would Never Do This

Since the following news item had been sent to me by multiple readers, I thought it would be interesting to post the article on Lebo Citizens.

State lawmaker acknowledges making anonymous online posts, apologizes

Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, attacked constituents, who support shale-gas drilling in Washington, anonymously online.

“It was a shock that he would go to this, (that) a public official who's an educated man would go to this depth of harassing people when he doesn't have to.

“He can debate and have his opinion. And he doesn't have to bash his constituents.”

White's statement:

These attacks have included anonymous or fictitious posts on various websites,” White, 34, said in an emailed statement. “On occasion, I have exercised my First Amendment rights and responded in kind, which was an error in judgment that I regret.

“To be clear, I did not use government resources while posting comments on these sites.”

Here in Mt. Lebanon, we know our school board would never do this. Elaine Cappucci has told me flat out at a budget meeting that she has no desire to write on my blog. In a phone call to me, Mary Birks said that she works full time and doesn't have the time or the desire to read my blog. Of course, the heaviest blog traffic is during work hours on weekdays.  Certainly Central Administration would never read this blog, let alone post on it. Even our Municipal and District public information officers, would never post anonymously.

Who's on first?

Almost ten days ago, Mt. Lebanon voters cast their ballots for up to four school board directors. As I had noted before, the results are as follows:

Republican ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 38 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       998   19.72          
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       641   12.67
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       963   19.03          
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,391   27.48
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,049   20.73          
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        19     .38

Democratic ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 38 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,623   21.09          
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,064   13.82
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,980   25.72
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,227   15.94
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,772   23.02          
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        31     .40

So who won? As I understand it, and please correct me if I am wrong, the ballot should look something like this:

Birks, Moorhead, and Riemer will appear on both lines. Remely will be on the Republican line, and Hill will be on the Democratic line. (Thanks goes to a Lebo Citizens reader for explaining this to me.  Not sure if he wants to be identified.)

But what about Independents? According to the Post Gazette, you have to be an Independent at least 30 days before the Primary to run as one in the November General Election. (Again, thanks goes to the same person.)

Unless we have an Independent that meets the criteria, it looks like we are stuck with the five candidates listed above. What bothers me is that Remely received more votes that Durwood Hill did. Mt. Lebanon, are you kidding?

I would love to hear who the fifty write-in names were.  Can we come up with a successful write-in campaign?  Are there Independents who will step up to the plate? If not, we're in for more of the same. In the words of the infamous Josephine Posti, "Ugh!"

Lebo math at its finest

A reader submitted this for consideration. It appears that Jan Klein's numbers are not adding up.

Look at the Estimated value of Community Assessment in 2013 chart which was dated 8-May-13.

Assessed Value Per Tax Office (5/3/13): $ 2 ,715,449,015

The next line is interesting.

Less Historical % of Liens at Year End est at 1.6%: 43,447,184

Every year, this shows up in the budget. However, it never shows up as revenue when the liens are satisfied. They get paid eventually. Classic example is the $2.3 million windfall for the Covenant. Liens are deducted in the budget which cause the millage to go up.  We pay for the liens through our taxes and then when the District collects the liens, we never get a refund or see it budgeted.

Back to the chart. See the 22.61 mills in the orange box? That is our new millage for 2013-2014.  But Jan Klein skipped a step. The Anti Windfall Law requires that she first needed to establish the revenue neutral tax rate. That number is 21.17 mills.  How do you get the 21.17 millage? Take $54,914,220 (Budget- Real Estate Taxes at 2012-13 Millage Rate) and divide it by $2,593,675,608 (Adjusted Assessed Value) in the green box. That is the true millage neutral rate.  Jan's number is 6.8% over the revenue neutral tax rate, or a 1.44 mill increase.

Doing the Lebo math:

  22.61 (Jan's millage)
 -21.17 (millage neutral)
1.44 mill increase or 6.8% over the revenue neutral tax rate


Let's look at the "20%" reduction in millage. (Blue Box)

 27.13 mills (2012-2013)
-22.61 mills (2013-2014)
4.52 mills

That is a 16.66052340582381% reduction, not 20% reduction!  Percentage calculator

I think there is some explaining to do, School Board. It ain't adding up.

Pay to play

On Monday, the school board approved the 2013-14 budget which includes student fees for sports and extracurricular activities.

The fee schedule for sports includes:

$40 for high school sports
$20 for middle school sports
$5 for intramural sports

Band activities will cost students $40.

Student activity fees are expected to generate $50,000 according to Item #17 on the Budget Reductions Concepts for 2013-14

Students will also pay $25 more to park next year when the parking fee increases to $75 a year.

Watching the election results? UPDATED 4X

Keep refreshing this link for up to the minute results of the Primary and Special Election. http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/elect/201305pri/el45.htm

At 9:30 PM
Representative in the General Assembly 42ND DISTRICT
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 27 OF 66 PRECINCTS COUNTED 40.91%)
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,547   37.02
           Dan Miller .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,408   57.62
           George Brown  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       215    5.14
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         9     .22

Republican ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 15 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED 39.47%)
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       351   18.85
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       251   13.48
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       368   19.76
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       504   27.07
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .       379   20.35
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         9     .48

Democratic ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 15 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED 39.47%)
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       605   20.93
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       382   13.22
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       738   25.54
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       488   16.89
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .       667   23.08
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        10     .35

Member of County Council DISTRICT 5
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 35 OF 88 PRECINCTS COUNTED 39.77%)
           Sue Means  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,178   59.77
           Krista Harris .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       792   40.18
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         1     .05

Update 10:56 PM
 Member of County Council DISTRICT 5
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 88 OF 88 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Sue Means  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,737   62.90
           Krista Harris .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,197   36.98
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         7     .12

Update 11:00 PM

Republican ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 38 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       960   19.65
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       622   12.73
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       930   19.04
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,341   27.45
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,013   20.74
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        19     .39

Democratic ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 38 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,591   21.16
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,042   13.86
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,932   25.69
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,195   15.89
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,728   22.98
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        31     .41

   Representative in the General Assembly 42ND DISTRICT
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 65 OF 66 PRECINCTS COUNTED 98.48%)
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,699   37.40
           Dan Miller .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     5,635   56.97
           George Brown  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       539    5.45
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        18     .18

Derek Hough and Kellie Pickler - DWTS  ;)

Update May 21, 2013 8:45 AM

Representative in the General Assembly 42ND DISTRICT
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 66 OF 66 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,837   37.27
           Dan Miller .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     5,881   57.13          
           George Brown  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       557    5.41
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        19     .18

Update May 23, 2013 8:55 AM Election Night Final

Member of County Council DISTRICT 5
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 88 OF 88 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Sue Means  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,808   62.71          
           Krista Harris .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,257   37.17
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         7     .12

Republican ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 38 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       998   19.72          
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       641   12.67
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       963   19.03          
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,391   27.48
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,049   20.73          
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        19     .38

Democratic ballot:
School Director MT LEBANON
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 38 OF 38 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Michael Jon Riemer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,623   21.09          
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,064   13.82
           Mary D. Birks .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,980   25.72
           Durwood Hill  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,227   15.94
           William J. Moorhead .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,772   23.02          
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        31     .40

Representative in the General Assembly 42ND DISTRICT
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 66 OF 66 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Dan Remely .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,837   37.27
           Dan Miller .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     5,881   57.13          
           George Brown  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       557    5.41
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        19     .18

Current Status of the Teachers' Grievance

At last night's school board meeting, a resident asked for an update concerning the grievance. Solicitor Tom Peterson answered the question by saying that the arbitrator issued an initial decision that neither the MLEA nor the District really fully understood.  They had different interpretations of the scope of the relief, so the District submitted a few questions to the arbitrator to clarify her award.

The arbitrator concluded that certain people should be advanced on the pay scale, but it wasn't clear whom or how many people. The District doesn't have any idea of the economic scope of the decision. They are waiting for a final award and hope to hear from her any time now.

The podcast is available here. The status of the grievance is answered at the very end of the podcast.

Budget passed

The Mt. Lebanon School Board Directors voted 6-3 to approve the 2013-2014 Budget. Three school board members voted against the budget; Goldman, Ostergaard, and Remely.

From the District website:

School Board Approves Final Budget At the May 20,2013 School Board meeting, the Board Approved the 2013-14 Budget. Here is the budget resolution from the Board agenda:

2013-2014 Final Budget Resolution: RESOLVED, That the Board approves, and attaches to the minutes, the formal Budget Resolution which establishes the Final Budget for the 2013-2014 School Year in the amount of $83,164,503. 

The Resolution calls for the continuation of the Real Estate Transfer Tax, the Earned Income Tax, and the Emergency and Municipal Services Tax, all of which are collected by the
Municipality, Tax Collection Agency or the County, and a portion of which is allocated to the School District. 

The real estate millage is set at 22.61 mills, or $2.261 on each $100 of assessed valuation. Of this amount, 13.61 mills is allocated to salaries and increments of staff, 3.98 mills is allocated to debt service, and 5.02 mills is allocated to general purposes. A homestead exemption for eligible property owners in the amount of $8,081 per home is included in this action. 

The Budget Resolution again permits installment payments, payable as follows: 50% on or before September 30, 25% on or before December 31 and the balance of 25% due on or before February 15. The penalty for late payment continues to be 10%, plus interest thereafter.

The Fresh Market Looking to Fill Two-Dozen Positions

From the Baldwin Patch:

http://baldwin-whitehall.patch.com/articles/the-fresh-market-looking-to-fill-two-dozen-positions-40bf268b

A variety of jobs are available. An assistant front end manager, seafood specialist and cheese specialist are among the opportunities open. Some part-time work is also needed. Click here for a look at all of the job listings.

The new store's "Interview Day" is scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South hotel, 164 Fort Couch Rd., Bethel Park, PA 15241.

To be considered and scheduled for an interview, apply online first.

Harris/Means Update [UPDATED]

This came in an email to me:

The PG and Trib endorsed Sue Means. PG said Harris wasn't informed or qualified. Trib said that Republicans made a mistake when they picked Harris over Means to replace Gastgeb and the voter has the chance to right that wrong.  Maybe if the three Republicans currently on council, led by Heidlebaugh, had not held the vetting and vote in secret, breaking the Sunshine Laws, we could have gotten the right selection.

On top of above, Cold Sparks is working for both the Wagner campaign and the Peduto campaign. That means Krista, et al is taking money from Democrats which should also disqualify her. Should Cold Sparks continue to work for the winner, then Krista and her husband will have to resign from the Mr. Lebanon Republican Committee...

Update May 24, 2013 8:10 PM

 

"Laurel: To Sue Means. Fifth District Allegheny County voters rejected spoils-system politics when they elected the Bethel Park Republican to serve out the remaining term of departed County Councilman Vince Gastgeb. She defeated Republican Krista Harris, appointed to the seat on an interim basis as a reward for a relative's work on another pol's campaign. Here's to voters who rejected such a machination."

http://triblive.com/mobile/4040053-96/pittsburgh-sports-lance

Updated change orders for May UPDATED 2X

The agenda for tonight's school board meeting includes an additional change order.

*j. GC-43-93 to Nello for $580 for partition wall with recessed shower and plumbing in Buildings J and K,

I updated the list with number 96 being the additional change order.

Speaking of change orders, $75,000 for winterization costs is getting Dan Remely fired up. The Almanac (Saved in Google Docs) writes:

“I cannot believe the contractor did not include any winterization costs for a four-year project,” said board member Dan Remely. He requested more detailed information about the change order or that it be removed from the agenda for the May 20 school board meeting.

Well, Dan Remely, it is still on the agenda for tonight. So much for trying to get the change order totals on the district website, Dan. At the January 21, 2013 school board meeting, you said that "the blogs" just have numbers for change orders. I guess we still have to rely on "the blogs," Dan.

This email is being circulated by Remely's campaign manager:

All,

Please feel free to share with all of your friends. This is the truth not the misleading misconception that Dan Miller put out in his mailer.

Dawn


When a Democrat tells you he’s the “low tax” candidate, be suspicious.
Look at what he’s done, not at what he says.

FACT: During Dan Miller’s tenure as a Mt. Lebanon Commissioner, taxes rose 14% - without any State mandates - and he still thinks taxpayers are getting a “bargain.”

Dan Remely Stands on his Record

FACT: Dan Remely was instrumental in cutting the cost of high school renovations by half.

FACT: Dan Remely has worked tirelessly to maintain quality education at the lowest reasonable cost.

FACT: Dan Remely has helped hold down school costs and has only voted to raise taxes when absolutely necessary to pay for State required pension contributions, unfunded state mandates and much needed high school renovations

NOW, Who do you think will keep taxes lower?

Vote for Dan Remely, the responsible choice for State Representative, he's made the tough decisions!

If anyone votes for Dan Remely for any seat, you are seriously misguided. Watch Dan vote against the budget tonight. He should have started doing this seven years ago, not the eve of the Primary!

Update May 20, 2013 12:04 PM  Here is a 2009 document that details much of the early direction from the board on the cost of the project. The project is about where the board wanted it all along - at the borrowing limit - no matter what.  I don't see where Remely made any difference.

Update May 20, 2013 5:23 PM Agenda has been updated today, but I can't tell what has changed.

At least they got this right

Ouch! Read what the Trib has to say about Krista Harris.


Voters in Allegheny County Council's 5th District have an opportunity on Tuesday to use their franchise to right a political wrong.

When marginal Republican Vince Gastgeb of Bethel Park, a 13-year veteran, left the council in February to do Democrat Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald's bidding for the county Airport Authority, the GOP had the opportunity to name a replacement. It chose Krista Harris of Mt. Lebanon. Actually, she was a “chit choice” — a spoils appointment for the work of a political operative relative.

Voters in the district composed of Bethel Park, Bridgeville, Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair deserve better than such rank political spoilage. That's why they should vote for Sue Means, 61, of Bethel Park.

Mrs. Means is no stranger to conservative political circles. Trained as a nurse, she's long been engaged in politics — she's run, twice unsuccessfully, for the Pennsylvania General Assembly — and in community service in the South Hills. She's a good, engaged and decent person. And if you don't know her personally, you'll recognize the name of her family's business, Brookside Lumber.

Because there's no Democrat in the primary, the winner of the GOP primary on Tuesday will serve out the remaining two years of Mr. Gastgeb's term. Fifth District voters would serve their best interests (and that of the political process) by rejecting representation by proxy and voting for representation by Sue Means.

Read more: http://triblive.com/opinion/editorials/3999522-74/political-primary-sue#ixzz2TcC4XtmB

Final weekend before the Primary and Special Election

I was considering having another poll about the candidates, but since the Blogger poll gadget is so unreliable, I thought it would be better to allow readers to write about their choice of candidates.

If you attended the 42nd Pennsylvania House District candidates forum at the Bethel Municipal Building, or listened to the podcast on Lebo Citizens, who do you think made the best overall presentation?

George Brown - Libertarian
Dan Miller - Democrat
Dan Remely - Republican

If you want to sign your name, great. If you choose to remain anonymous, that is your right.

Who are you supporting in the Special Election? Just say why you are supporting your candidate without trashing any of the others. No negative comments. Who should win the Special Election?  

Care to comment about the County Council race between Krista Harris and Sue Means? I would like to hear some good, solid facts. No fluff. Who deserves our vote?

Finally, not much of a choice, but if you have something positive to say about the school board candidates, now is your chance. 

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday.

Legend...wait for it...ary UPDATED 2X

Last night, The Trib ran this editorial. Primary 2013: Remely in the 42nd The Trib writes:

But it is Dan Remely who, clearly, is the better choice and on a variety of levels.

The Trib has totally lost it. Clearly, Remely is the worst choice and on a variety of levels. How much did the good old boys pay the Trib for this one?  The classic line in that editorial is:

His engagement in the community is almost the stuff of legend.

THE STUFF OF LEGEND? How is this for engagement in the community? Side 1 Side 2 

Decide for yourself tonight at the Bethel Municipal Building, 5100 W. Library Road, near St. Valentine's.  The Candidates Forum will begin promptly at 7:00 PM.

Update May 16, 2013 7:03 AM The Trib's South Hills candidates for 42nd District seat want smaller House

Update May 16, 2013 9:30 AM The podcasts to last night's forum are available here.
http://lebocitizens.com/Lebo_Citizens/Podcasts/Podcasts.html

The Big Reveal

This is very confusing, but here it goes.  After the County Reassessment, our millage will decrease by 4.54 mills to 22.61 mills. But it is still a .42 millage increase.  No fund balance will be used.  Jan Klein will be setting aside funds that will not show up in the budget for appeals.  Asbury Heights and Concordia are the biggest appeals.

Larry Lebowitz commented on the outstanding grievance. The fund balance will be used if the grievance is awarded to union.

What I don't understand is how the municipality put this information in their agenda and shared it with residents on Friday, but the school board has to keep it under wraps.

The question remains about the gaming revenue. Still no final budget posted anywhere.

New Mills Final Budget

Estimated value of Community Assessment in 2013

Budget Reduction Concepts

Mt. Lebanon Percussion Concerts

Mt. Lebanon Percussion Ensemble is proud to present the 29th annual "Evening of Percussion" Concert Series. This concert has been a staple in the Mt. Lebanon community for almost 3 decades, and is still going strong! The hard working students have had their talents showcased on the national stage over 7 times while maintaining many national sponsors. Don't miss a concert this good, this close to home! All concerts are in the Main Auditorium of Mt. Lebanon High School.

Concerts
Thursday 5/16 @ 7:30 PM
Friday 5/17 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday 5/18 @ 2:00 PM Children's Matinee
Friday 5/18 @ 7:00 PM Senior Recognition

Call the ticket line at (412) 563-4201 or visit MTLPERCUSSION.COM for more information.

Tickets WILL be sold at the door.

I hope it isn't too late to apply

The School District posted the job description for Campaign Manager & Executive Director, Mt. Lebanon Foundation for Education (MLFE) on April 12, 2013.  There is no posting deadline on the Job Postings page.  The complete job description is available here.

Jackie Foor is listed as the current executive director on the MLFE website. Next year's PTA Council President, Julie Daubner is the current director. Ms. Daubner is also Elaine Cappucci's sister[-in-law].

I see that travel is in the job description.  Does this position include travel expenses? If so, there are 23 Mt. Lebanon alumni in Hawaii.  In fact, there are Mt. Lebanon grads in 24 countries, in addition to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Not a bad gig.

Presenting PlanCon F, H, and I

This should have been posted on the school District website, Mt. Lebanon High School Project Documents. The PlanCon documents stop at PlanCon Part E on their website.  In fact, it hasn't been touched since September 12, 2011.

Through Right To Knows with the State, here are the rest of them.

PlanCon Part F

PlanCon Part H

PlanCon Part I

Mt. Lebanon in the PSBA news

Mt. Lebanon School District: ... The district is delaying borrowing the final $34 million necessary to complete the project with the expectation that state funding will be on-going at that time. However, with Act 1 limitations, the district has serious concerns about the ability to provide funding for the bonds if it does not receive the $450,000 missing in state subsidy on the first bond issue as well as the subsidy on the second bond issue once it is issued.

Read more: http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/issues-research/state-budget/budget_series-plancon-04152013.asp

Happy Mother's Day

This is our day, ladies! The one day that our kids and husbands recognize our tireless efforts. The pay stinks, but the rewards are great.

It is also Baby Deer Month.  From the Green Tree website:

MESSAGE FROM ANIMAL CONTROL

It is now May, which is Baby Deer month!

Fawns should start dropping anytime now, we remind residents that mother deer stay away from their fawns during the day and feed only at night. If a fawn is found PLEASE LEAVE IT ALONE as Mom will be looking for it at night.

Also important - Mother Deer are not overly appreciative of dogs this time of year and, yes, Mom can become very aggressive towards furball.

Please be alert and check back yards and along wood lines for baby deer. It is not the policy of Animal Control to remove fawns, in certain circumstances we will try to relocate to safer areas near where they are found. Deer are protected under State Game Laws.

Questions may be forwarded to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. 724 238 9523.

999 and counting

I noticed that this is my 999th post on the Lebo Citizens blog. What will my 1,000th post be about? How crappy the RCML is? My "obsession with Susan Morgans and her magazine?" Will it be about how we should never vote for Dan Remely or Mary Birks? Or will it be how the School District is pulling a fast one with the budget? Change orders? Timmy's next raise? The Turf Board? There is so much!

I missed the three year anniversary of my website, Lebo Citizens. I am a month into my fourth year.

I never seem to run out of material in Mt. Lebanon. Thanks to you, The Readers, I get a lot of help.  I could never do it without all the information you send me.
Stay tuned for 1,000.

The party left me

This morning, I received this letter to the editor from a Mt. Lebanon Republican. Perhaps the anonymous commenter on a previous thread had it right. "The time for a new Republican Committee that reflects the true heart of Mt. Lebanon Republicans has come."  Here is the letter to the editor:

Yesterday I received in the mail the Lebo Republican Committee candidate letter. The first thing I noticed was the ridiculous and pathetic writeup from Tommy Dunn. Here's the clincher--"most candidates of the opposite party sound like a Republican until they are in office, then their true colors come through". Uh, gee Tommy, you mean like Remely and Kubit? Or did you mean like Birks? I'm getting confused since they're all liars and nowhere near real Republicans.

Below that Tommy Dumm, oops, Dunn, includes his helpful tips. Again, he launches a real winner--"When you are in the voting booth, no one is looking over your shoulder, no one knows how you vote. Make your vote count". Aside from being totally patronizing (by virtue of voting it DOES count, Tommy Dumm) he seems to be suggesting that Republicans are afraid to be open with whom they're supporting. Given the candidates endorsed by the MLRC, I can understand why. But if he's aiming to motivate voters, he has failed. Big time.
Then I opened up the flyer. After tamping down my gag reflex, I noticed there are two people I've never heard of running for commission seats. I must be really out of it since I thought there was only one seat up for grabs. I can't blame the MLRC for that...on second thought, yes I can. They still don't get the whole communication thing. (Tommy, I don't know it worked in Alabama or wherever you're from but up here we have a thing called email. And if that's too complicated for you, try mailing out a monthly letter. You might even get people to start showing up at your meetings.)

So once again the MLRC is backing some candidates who will not only not make a difference but likely be a detriment to the party. I think we all know Remely's track record. Nice to see him so committed to a particular goal that he's running for two different offices simultaneously. Now that's dedication and integrity.

Then we have Krista Harris. First off, she's what we could call a carpetbagger. Second, she works as a "political consultant" in a firm that has a record of backing losing campaigns. Of course that fits well with the MLRC so maybe my criticism is redundant. Also, I got one of her mailers. Cute attempt with the whole mom and baby bit. But what are your ideas? Why are you running for County Council? Considering you already have a bad relationship with the county executive on a board dominated by Dems, just what do you think you'll accomplish? I'm suspect of someone unknown in the community. It all smells a lot like a certain pol named Obama.

John Ferguson is a nice guy. But come on. Isn't it time for someone new? Maybe nobody wants the job. Forget my opinion. Go John!

On the back of the flyer is a blurb "I am a Republican because...", and it lists five beliefs. Smack dab in the middle is this gem-" I believe in a limited government that practices fiscal responsibility and works to lower taxes so individuals can keep more of their hard earned money". Oh yeah? How's that working out for the community?

I've had a lot of conversations with neighbors in the last few months, both Ds and Rs. They all agree the R party in Lebo is a sorry shell of what it once was and it is basically dead. After the primary, where I will write in my own candidates, I will be changing my registration to Independent. The local committee is a joke. Notice I said local. The party seems to be doing relatively well outside our borders. Maybe someday I can be persuaded to come back. Remember this quote-"I didn't leave the party. The party left me".

A moral compass for the town?

One of the good old boys from the RCML strikes again. This time, T. Michael Brown submitted this opinion to the PG. Political boasting In case he has forgotten, Dan Miller was first on the scene of a burning house, while driving through Ohio. Firefighter makes valiant effort Is Remely proud of himself for wanting to relax the fire codes standards for our high school renovation? They push...and push...and push Is this why he sent one of his henchmen to attack Miller?

Does the name T. Michael Brown sound familiar? It should. Is this the same T. Michael Brown I knew it was the same T. Michael Brown all along. Ironically, I had contacted then president of the commission, Dan Miller, since I didn't know what to do about the packet. President Miller recommended that I not make any accusations toward T. Michael Brown. Then this article came out. Candidate withdraws from Mt. Lebanon commission race

T. Michael Brown's letter is laughable. He certainly is no moral compass for Mt. Lebanon.

Municipality Sets the 2013 Millage

The agenda for Tuesday's Commission meeting states that the Municipality will be reducing the millage from 5.43 mills to 4.51 mills.

Consideration of Resolution No. R-6-13 fixing a tax rate for 2013.

On December 11, 2012, the commission, through Ordinance 3226, set the millage for 2013 by formula to comply with application anti–windfall legislation and court orders. The municipality is now formally establishing the rate previously set by formula. The 2013 rate will be 4.51 mills. The 2012 rate was 5.43 mills on each dollar of assess valuation.

Recommended Action: Move to adopt Resolution No. R-6-13.

On the School Board front, the final budget for 2013-14 will be presented and discussed Monday evening as listed on Monday's agenda. Will the millage remain at a millage rate of 27.67 (unadjusted for any change in assessed value) an increase of .54 mills (unadjusted for any change in assessed value) over the 2012-2013 school year? Isn't the proposed budget supposed to be available in its final form on May 10? It is May 10, and I don't see anything on the District website.

May Change Orders

The list of change orders for May has been published on the agenda for Monday, May 13, 2013.  They are as follows:

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The following change orders are presented for Board consideration. All the change orders listed below have been reviewed by the architect, PJ Dick and the District administration.

a. EL-26-84 to Farfield for $3,038 to replace LED fixtures on Bldg F 5th floor Lobby,
b. GC-35-85 to Nello for $2,857 for closure plate on H-4 stairs,
c. GC-36-86 to Nello for $7,039 to remove diagonal bracing in F Building,
d. GC-37-87 to Nello for $37,404 to finish stairwells and drywall in F Building on a time and materials basis (April work),
e. GC-38-88 to Nello for $6,023 for bent plate modification at G Building where it meets F Building – unforeseen condition,
f. GC-39-89 to Nello for $7,406 for south parking lot concrete wall height increase,
g. GC-40-90 to Nello credit for ($550) for entry mat changes in all buildings,
h. GC-41-91 to Nello for $1,749 to change swimming pool bulkhead in seating area,
i. GC-42-92 to Nello for $2,003 for removal of steel from roofing,
j. GC-44-94 to Nello not to exceed $26,911 for joist modification in the athletic facility on a time and materials basis,
k. GC-45-95 to Nello for $12,563 for temporary grading and asphalt to reopen Horsman Drive related to rework of loading dock,
l. GC-46-96 to Nello for $6,676 to shore roof in G Building at F Building for missed steel beam,
m. GC-47-97 to Nello for $847 for door and door hardware modifications and addition of four Knox boxes for fire department,
n. GC-48-98 to Nello for $16,275 for additional fire extinguishers added by Municipality,
o. EL-27-99 to Farfield for $5,318 for concrete around conduit instead of stone,
p. EL-28-100 to Farfield $3,231 to re-pull and terminate voice and video feeds in the Little Theatre, and
q. GC-49-101 to Nello for $75,000 for winterization costs.

The total amount for May is $213,790.00.

This is so bad UPDATED

The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a Candidates Forum for the special election for the 42nd State House District and news to me, Allegheny County Council seat.

Please look at the photos of the candidates for the special election. The names under Dan Miller and Dan Remely are switched. Dan Miller is wearing the suit and tie. Dan Remely is the man with glasses.  Your're welcome, Mr. Miller. :)

Candidates Forum Flyer

Update May 10, 2013 4:27 PM The corrected flyer is below.

531-5300 is no more

A LeboAlert was sent out yesterday with this information:

This is an important notice from LeboALERT. Call 911 if you need police for any reason. 531-5300 is no longer in service. For regular municipal business, call 412-343-3400 from 9 to 5. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

I emailed the commissioners asking about the animal control phone number.  On the Municipal website, the animal control number is listed as 531.5300. (http://pd.mtlebanon.org/contactus.html after clicking on this link. http://www.mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?NID=2093)

Commissioner Fraasch asked Steve Feller to answer my question, which he did. 

Hi Elaine: The preferred number to call for animal control is 412-279-6911. However, residents can also call 911. Both numbers are answered by County call takers and the information is forwarded/dispatched to the animal control officer via radio. Thanks. Steve

I also received this response from Police Chief Coleman McDonough:

Elaine: We're in the process of rolling out a new website (within the next week to 10 days) that will reflect accurate info. The 531-5300 tel # is answered at the 911 center by 911 operators; however, the problem is that it doesn't always get answered because they prioritize calls made directly to 911. Since it's not being answered, we decided to eliminate it.

Anyone remember those 531-5300 stickers that we had on our telephones? I think my dad still has his. That number has been disconnected.  Spread the word, especially to our older residents.
 

How Twin Hills Park will be used is up in the air

In today's PG, freelance writer Carole Gilbert Brown reports in her article, How Twin Hills Park will be used is up in the air that the agreement for Twin Hills was never executed. 

In an April 21 post on the Lebo Citizens blog (www.lebocitizens.blogspot.com), Mt. Lebanon solicitor Philip Weis explained to a resident who had contacted him that the township was in the process of determining what Scott's park rules are and whether they would apply to Mt. Lebanon.

Scott has its own work cut out for itself, after it was discovered recently that a maintenance and police/fire protection agreement drafted in August 1994 for Twin Hills had not been executed, even though the planning commission and its commissioners had approved the land's purchase.

"It just fell through the cracks," surmised board president Tom Castello, who was not a commissioner when the sales agreement was made.

Scott officials are checking to see how their ordinance differs from Mt. Lebanon's.  A 1971 Scott ordinance does not allow dogs in its parks. The agenda for the original purchase is here.  The meeting minutes can be found here.

"Thank you for your interest in our community schools."

Even though these comments were submitted under another post, I believe they deserve their own space on this blog. The following comments were submitted by Richard Gideon under Primary and Special Election News UPDATED:

Blog Readers:
In regards to the question of whether I asked the other candidates the same 14 questions I posed to Mr. Hill, the answer is that I sent the questions to Mr. Riemer recently and received the following reply:

"Council PTA has compiled a list of questions for the school board candidates. Please visit the website and review the responses.

Thank you for your interest in our community schools."

Replies from Mr. Moorehead are still pending. I did not ask these questions of Ms. Birks or Mr. Remely, as their positions are well known.

Although Mr. Hill answered only four of my 14 questions for reasons that he has delineated in an earlier post in this thread, I give him high marks for being willing to address the remaining questions in a face-to-face meeting (I forgot to ask him if he has Skype! - that would solve the face-to-face issue).

Addendum:
The list of PTA questions and candidates' responses referenced by Mr. Riemer may be found here: http://www.mtlsd.org/district/districtpta/schoolboardcandidatesqanda.asp

How disappointing.  Mike Riemer will be a perfect fit on the school board. Don't answer our questions. Instead, give the Cappucci response.  "Check the district website for answers." Nice.

OK, so I read the responses to the PTA's questions in the link provided by Richard Gideon. What a joke. Mary Birks forgot to include how she rolls her eyes at Scott Goldman whenever he expresses his opinion.  Riemer thinks we have a very lean budget already. It is not clear to me what he means by reviewing the drug and alcohol policy. Does he want to change that? The PTA question was, "Do you have any specific changes you want to make to school district policies..."

So who are the officers on PTA Council?   


2012-2013 Officers

President
Sheryl Cohen
skccreations@aol.com

1st Vice President
Julie Maselko
themaselkos@gmail.com

2nd Vice President
Sara Dougherty
tjdsjd@verizon.net

3rd Vice President/Superintendent
Dr. Timothy Steinhauer
tsteinhauer@mtlsd.net

Treasurer
Jennie Bhojwani
jenniebhoj@hotmail.com

Recording Secretary
Teresa Saxton
4saxtons@comcast.net

Corresponding Secretary
Julie Daubner
geo.mom@verizon.net

Historian
Hannah Vaughn
hvaughan@mac.com


2013-2014 Elected Officers

President
Julie Daubner
geo.mom@verizon.net

1st Vice President
Sara Dougherty
tjdsjd@verizon.net

2nd Vice President
Julie Maselko
themaselkos@gmail.com

3rd Vice President/Superintendent
Dr. Timothy Steinhauer
tsteinhauer@mtlsd.net

Treasurer
Jennie Bhojwani
jenniebhoj@hotmail.com

Recording Secretary
Teresa Saxton
4saxtons@comcast.net

Corresponding Secretary
Julie Smith
juliejsmith23@hotmail.com

Historian
Hannah Vaughn
hvaughan@mac.com


Just an FYI, President Sheryl Cohen was Josephine Posti's campaign treasurer when Jo ran with Rob Gardner. President Elect Julie Daubner is Elaine Cappucci's sister. Ms. Daubner went from 2012-13 Corresponding Secretary to 2013-14 President.  Interesting.

Candidates Forum update

I pulled together a nonpartisan committee, in efforts to sponsor our own forum. A meeting room was reserved; however, since the candidates have not shown any interest, the reservation will be canceled on Monday.

The committee felt that the current crop of cronies have nothing to gain by it. They are all on the same page and there is nobody with a substantially different educational outlook to challenge them. Why would they subject themselves to hard questions when they feel they don't have to?

Since this is only a primary election for school board directors, a lot could change in time for the General Election. This would give Independents a chance to step forward and challenge the status quo.

Many thanks go to the committee. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Timmy's 2009 Drug and Alcohol Task Force

Earlier this week, I filed a Right To Know for the "recommendations made by Dr. Steinhauer’s task force created November 2009 regarding student drug and alcohol use as reported by Peter Berg at the December 21, 2009 Regular Board Meeting." * Fortunately, the District chose to grant my request in a timely manner. Below is the two page report.

2009 Drug and Alcohol Task Force Report

Back in February, I penned the following post. Our kids are dying As a result of that post, Kelly Fraasch took on this serious issue and together with Josephine Posti, formed a drug task force.

Recently, I sent an email to the school board with the tragic news of another young person's death, this time too close to home. The only school board member to respond was Scott Goldman. Scott, I want to publicly thank you.  You are a class act.

Timmy, keep up with the bathroom photos and renovation tours.  Daniel Pink must be so proud.



*Meeting minutes have not been posted since February 2013. Here is another example of incompetence within the District. The staff must be swamped by the stack of pizza receipts.