In response to a letter that was published the other day from a D.A.S., who compared Mt. Lebanon to Iraq's Fallujah, I thought it would be only fair to supplement his letter with more documentation. It gives a little more credence to their name, D.A.S.
All links were forwarded to me from various sources. Don't shoot the messenger!
Item 4 from Master DesignTeam minutes (from a right to know request)
Attachment 1 (from a right to know request)
Attachment 2 (from a right to know request)
Attachment 3 (from a right to know request)
Board and Candidate Questionnaire
Dear Friends
Commissioners, get all promises in writing. Handle the recreation updates the same way as the Veterans' Memorial. Get the money upfront when they commit.
Update September 4, 2011 9/4/11 Letter to the editor by David Reese
17 comments:
The names on the emails are the group that defaulted on an $8-Million fund raising to the school district. David Reese is a prominent member of this group
(D. A. S. means Deadbeat Athletic Supporters).
The really unfortunate part of this episode is the dishonesty with which the D. A. S. dealt with the school board. There is no excuse for setting an example like this for our children!
The only way to deal with these folks is to tell them to raise a given dollar amount of funds before any public participation (tax dollars) are given to build an athletic field for dishonest folks.
As to Mr. Reese comparing Mount Lebanon to Iraq this is nothing but character assignation of Mr. Reese's neighbors. The letter is unfortunately filled with bitterness or worse - it reminds me of the word, "vitriol." I am truly sorry Mr. Reese has decided to resort to such language but perhaps it reflects the lengths that the D. A. S. will go to in order to pick the pockets of their neighbors for their pet projects.
John Ewing
After reading the documentation, I believe Mr. Saunders summed it up. In the end, the sports people get what they want. I read the article in the paper. Mr. Reese's quote, "Petitions, lawsuits, and every manner of stalling tactics have been used to either delay or kill these proposals." We resorted to those "tactics" but we were unsuccessful. In the end, the sports people get what they want. The documentation mentions the turf. In the end, the sports people get what they want. The documentation mentions the high school renovation. In the end, the sports people get what they want.
The documentation mentions McNeilly Park. In the end, the sports people will get what they want.
Some sports people on this blog and other blogs are nasty, insulting, and rude. In the end, the sports people will get what they want.
Elaine, the documentation mentions Mrs. Posti's campaign. You have - here and on Blog-Lebo - illustrated how Mrs. Posti has violated the District's standards on plagiarism. In the end, the sports people get what they want.
Thank you for all of your hard work, but in the end, the sports people get what they want.
~Therese McDowell
Ms. McDowell: the documentation also mentions Mrs. Birks' campaign. She is a school board director. "In the end, the sports people get what they want."
Sarah Morris
Rob Gardner was in the documentation. In the end, the sports people don't always get what they want.
Elaine
Reflecting on my earlier comments perhaps D. A. S. should stand for Dishonest Athletic Supporters. We have had promises in the past to donate private funds to athletic fields but those promises have not been kept. A case in point was the purchase of McNeilly Field where the Dishonest Athletic Supporters said they would pay to grade the field – they did not do that. Now, that cost is about $900,000 – almost as much as the new storm water fee. Where will the money come from if we add a new field on top of the storm water fee? History tells us the Dishonest Athletic supporters will not fund raise to get the project going. The model that should be used to deal with dishonesty is to tell the Dishonest Athletic Supporters to raise a specific dollar amount before the government puts in any share. This model worked for the Library and partially for the Public Safety Building and is working for the Veterans Memorial, so why not use this successful model for athletic fields and let the younger generation live up to Mount Lebanon standards of hard work and honesty?
How did we go from 8,000 students to 5,000 students and need more fields? We added more sports and more age groups and more children to sports participation but no significant dollars were added to the budget for fields.
Granted a number of the additional children added to the mix were girls under Title IX. That was a good thing and should be kept. However, in these times of high unemployment, slower economic growth, and the mortgage mess, can we really justify putting folks out of their houses so kids can play more sports? Or is it a better alternative to put the money into education and give our children a higher standard of living in the future? I have heard many folks say they moved to Mount Lebanon for education but I have never heard folks say they moved here for sports. I have never heard folks say they want to come to Mt. Lebanon to teach their children dishonesty.
John Ewing
I see that a commitment to raise $3million was in one of the emails. How much has been raised, Mr. Reese? Nothing was mentioned in your letter to the editor. I do like your last sentence. "One can only hope, but hope does spring eternal."
Elaine
$3,000,000 buys a lot in Ohio, Elaine. Some athletic boosters are more honest than others:
http://www.indeonline.com/local_news/x635419871/Massillon-BOE-sets-fees-for-Paul-L-David-indoor-facility
From the article:
Madison athletic boosters have come closer to their dream of building a 50-acre passive and active sports complex with a $100,000 check from the Rockefeller Group Development Corp.
The donation came about during negotiations between the borough and the Rockefeller Group on Dec. 23 when the borough purchased from the developer a 50-acre property located behind Madison High School for $13 million.
The land is part of the 550-acre former Exxon Mobil tract that the Rockefeller Group hopes to develop once a general development agreement is approved by Florham Park.
The proposed complex will probably result from a joint venture with the borough, the school district and the Madison Athletic Foundation, the non-profit group that grew out of the Madison Huddle Club, a football booster club.
The complex will most likely begin with a turf field in the nine-acre "pit" the Madison Board of Education has leased from the Rockefeller Group and before that, Exxon Mobil, for many years. Also envisioned are three turf fields, a concession stand and restrooms, said Martin Horn, chairman of Madison's Recreation Committee and a board member for the foundation, the check recipient.
The total cost of the complex is estimated at $3 million
John Ewing
I updated the post with David Reese's letter to the editor. I received numerous emails telling me that it is not online. Instead of continually emailing the scanned article, I decided to add a link here. The following is an example of a typical response.
"Thank you - it now puts everything into context. This fellow gives the impression of being a bitter old man as well as that unfortunate caricature - the Mt. Lebanon Snob."
Mr. Reese,
How dare you compare Mt. Lebanon to Iraq! Several members of my family are in Iraq fighting for your freedom. Count your blessings that you have freedom of speech, that you can write character assassination-filled letters to the editor, read blogs, and go to meetings to present your side of an issue.
I read your emails and your letter to the editor. Stop your whining. Neighboring communities are not investing and growing as you claim. Everyone in the state is cutting back except Mt. Lebanon.
Jackie Reese - no relation!
Why must every issue degrade to bickering and insults. I want to be clear that the "sports people" did not come to the commission and ask for this proposal. When we learned that we could not sell McNeilly and had to use it as a recreational facility I tried to determine its best use. As I agree with the hundreds of people who have pointed out the effects of our field shortage I focused on developing fields.
I then approached the various field sports groups (except field hockey which was my mistake) and asked to meet with them. We discussed their current usage of fields, what they were spending on other fields, what their current contributions were, what facilities were most needed and how they could contribute to the project as well as finance the continuing operation of the facilities. After consulting with the municipal engineer on prior plans a framework was developed and brought to the commission.
None of what occurred was dishonest or self-interest. None of the men or women I discussed McNeilly with will ever score a point on any of these fields. They are volunteer coaches. Some of these men are 10 years passed when their children were playing yet they still volunteer countless hours. I am sickened by the attempts to characterize these men as dishonest or selfish. The fact that we now have D.A.S. in our lexicon is an embarrassment. I know a handful of the people who have spoken or e-mailed in support of this project and would hold each of them up as an example of why Mt. Lebanon is a great place to live.
At First Friday I had an exceedingly long conversation with a concerned resident about this project (you know who you are and I am sorry for taking so much of your time). That resident had many questions about the project that had not been previously discussed in any public forum. I was happy to answer the questions and believe that I provided answers to many of his questions. Even those speakers who addressed the commission in August got answers to their questions and seemed left at a point where they did not say they were against the project rather they were preaching caution. I had always hoped that blogs such as this would serve as another forum to discuss issues. I must sadly admit that I no longer believe this to be true.
Elaine I commend you for your hard work on this site but I can't see myself continuing to review and respond the posts given the prevailing tone. I will still try to respond to e-mail requests should anyone have a question.
Good luck.
Dave Brumfield
Thank you for commenting, Commissioner Brumfield. I was reacting to David Reese's insulting letter to the editor. I was also pointing out the history behind the "D.A.S." lexicon. I had been given proof of several donations being promised by the sports people. Call it what you want, but the proof is there. Bill Lewis and I were "preaching caution" to the Commissioner so that you get all donations in writing.
The sports groups are calling the shots here in Mt. Lebanon.
McNeilly was also to be designated as a dog park, but we dog owners have not united so that comes to fruition.
Elaine
If I may just add a comment here, the issues of concern about the the high school "renovation" project are really benign as to the sports program, which I and many other opponents of the "renovation" plan, support. The issues is a false one, however, if one hears that some people think there was log-rolling over certain elements in the "renovation" plan in an effort to find broader support. I don't know about such matters as I had no involvement in them. I do know that the school board's Grand Vision is excessive in many ways that have nothing to do with sports, as such, and it is a distraction (just like the side-bars about sound systems and seats in the auditorium, or LEEDs certification, or hard-wiring for computing) when the issue is not about programming, but what physical facilities are required to support the academic program (which includes sports, and computing, and the arts, etc.). We should really try to focus on the issues, not on the games people play, unless we are considering abuses of power committed by the elected decision makers themselves and their paid staff and consultants.
If there is any possibility of voluntary fund-raising, that would be a good thing. But, rather than focus on who said what and then did nothing, it would be more constructive for anyone to start such an effort. I doubt, however, that there will be any takers for a campaign of contributions until people are convinced that the "plan" makes sense and is viable. So, we come full circle. Mr. Brumfield is correct, we need to be civil, but the first element of civility is taking seriously what other people think. It would be nice if the elected officials of Mt. Lebanon gave civility a chance and actually made an effort to address the substance of the many legitimate concerns which have not been "satisfied" among the clear and large majority that oppose what the school district has "planned" for us as well as the manner in which they have conducted the process by which they have tried to force it upon this community.
Unfortunately, the name-calling has too often started and continued from the "leaders" who are supposed to be moderating the dialogue and responding to the input they will not heed.
Page 17 of attachment 1, above, is an email released under the Right-to-Know Law by the School District. You can see the names of the Dishonest Athletic Supporters in the “From,” “TO,” and “Cc” fields of the email.
Notice candidates for school board and sitting school board members are part of the dishonesty.
Also, notice at the bottom of the email a question asking Elaine Cappucci, Jo Posti and Rob Gardner if they want blind copies of emails. All of them were not included in the “To and “Cc“ fields of the email so they must have been blind copied. Why is it necessary to send blind copies emails to board members or candidates if they are being open and honest?
John Ewing
Thanks Dave B. I very much appreciate you letting people know the facts about the McNeilly proposal. I also appreciate your willingness to try and improve our current recreational facilities.
I spent last night at the Blue Devil Club football fundraiser. It was a great event attended by close to 300 people. A number of people asked me about the McNeilly project and I told them that we still need one more vote. Of course they were disappointed but we all agreed that youth sports will continue to survive and benefit the kids in our community with or without themuch needed additional field space. In the end, that's what is important.
I find it amusing that Mr Ewing often suggests that the adults in youth supports are a bad example to the kids. Well, I am pleased to offer as my final words on this blog that the adults involved with youth sports represent the absolute best of what Mt. Lebanon has to offer. I wouldn' t want my kids to be mentored or guided by anyone else.
Dave Franklin
Thank you Mr. Franklin for exposing Mr. Brumfield as part of the dishonesty problem.
John Ewing
To Mr. DAS:
1. The stalemate could be alleviated with a simple referendum vote. Yes, one side would "lose" but at least both would have had their voices heard. That's better than stuffing an expensive agenda down everyone's throats.
2. Mt. Lebanon will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Whether you like it or not, we are an older community. That means more narrow streets, smaller yards, aging infrastructure and near total development. Face it and get creative.
3. It is unfair to ask ALL township taxpayers to pay for more fields in the hopes that a few students will get athletic scholarships. Get out there and raise the money your group has promised.
4. With strong competition from countries like China, Japan and India, we should be focusing on the education of our kids, not concentrating on athletic facilities. Visit one of the local universities and see how many foreign-looking students you see.
5. There's no reason why some of the larger fields can't be used by more than one group at a time. We're not talking about professional sports here.
6. You claim your group is a minority. You forgot to mention that minority is making all of the decisions. Stop acting like anyone with a question or different opinion is a bad guy. This country is still a republic where elected representatives are answerable to their constituents.
7. In case you are so oblivious to anything outside of Mt. Lebanon, please understand that this country is in a recession with no new job growth. Have some compassion for those in this community who have lost jobs or who are working several jobs to pay their taxes. Also, it would behoove both the school district and the municipality to do some historical research. Many Pittsburgh areas that are today regarded as undesirable were once renowned places to live. What happened? Urban sprawl, excess spending, poor decisions. And yes, it could---and is---happening here. Look around.
Residents might be more inclined to accept development of another park if some of our officials didn't have such a poor track record in this area.
I am referring specifically to Twin Hills and McNeilly parks, though the recently resolved improper use of Robb Hollow Park comes to mind, too.
Commissioner Dan Miller hit the nail on the head when he spoke of the inaccessibility of McNeilly Park. As for Twin Hills, which Mt. Lebanon purchased from Scott in 1995 for $1 million, every resident and official should be praying a landslide doesn't occur there. Scott residents have reported that the steeply-sloped land that holds abutting Chatham Park, as well as some residential homes, has been slipping since 2003.
If a significant landslide should occur, Mt. Lebanon most likely would be stuck with some of the repair costs, which in part would involve sanitary sewer lines. And we would have to abide by Scott's regulations, since the land is in that township, not our municipality.
Any official involved with the Twin Hills purchase should be ashamed and embarrassed.
I think we need to stop comparing ourselves to Upper St. Clair, Peters and South Fayette. They are all newer and larger communities, but they also don't operate seven neighborhood elementary schools.
Sometimes you just can't do it all.
Carole Brown
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