Policy Committee Meeting Changes

The School Board Policy Committee meetings have moved to Tuesdays at 5:30 PM, instead of Wednesdays at 4:30 PM. The next meeting is scheduled for this Tuesday in the Jefferson Middle School Library.

Interestingly enough, the Policy Committee will have their first review of Policy FEG, Construction Contracts, Bidding and Awards. Uh...the Policy Committee is getting around to review this policy now? Policy FEG, Construction Contracts, Bidding and Awards was last revised April 16, 2007.

Item #5 states: Policies and procedures will be developed separately for major renovation or construction projects prior to the commencement of each project.

The first item on the agenda is Policy DJA, Purchasing Authority. This policy was last revised April 16, 2007.

Audio recordings of the policy meetings are posted here on the MTLSD website,

September 4, 2012 Agenda 

1. Policies - First Review
    A.  DJA, Purchasing Authority
    B.  FEG, Construction Contracts, Bidding and Awards
    C.  IJOA, Field Trips by School Groups

2.  Questions and Comments from Residents

High School Renovation Update? UPDATED 2x

Now that school is back in session, I would love to get feedback from parents or high school students about the high school renovation. How is the student parking situation? How about those generators?  Are they noisy? How is the construction going? I haven't seen much activity around the athletic wing.  Anything going on there?

The School District has posted this reminder on their website. Traffic and Parking Reminders for Football Home Opener

The Mt. Lebanon High School football team kicks off their season with a home opener on Friday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m. against North Allegheny. We look forward to a great crowd at the game to cheer on the Blue Devils and would like to share some information to help you navigate the changes around the stadium due to construction.

Update August 30, 2012 5:39 PM I guess this is the District's response as written in today's PG story, "Mt. Lebanon High School renovation continues despite power outage."

School officials said despite this, the 31/2-year project is on schedule. The future athletic center is showing the most growth, as structural steel was erected in that building this summer, Mr. Steinhauer said.

Athletic Wing 8/30/12



Science Wing 8/13/12

He said the athletic center was among his favorite parts of the project "because you can really start to see progress."

Update September 2, 2012 4:00 PM Athletic wing after yesterday's rainstorm. Pooling along the back half again.

Athletic Wing 9/2/12 4:00 PM

The Neverending List

Through a Right To Know request dated 8/24/12 asking for "List of vehicle registration plate numbers, vehicle make model and color, with unpaid parking tickets from January 1997 through December 2011.  Please include the number of outstanding tickets per vehicle and the amount of the original fine." I am uploading the 1,717 page document and it is available here.
I had been denied the list of names of scofflaws, but license plate numbers are public information. I just didn't ask for the right information. 

Hoover has a beef with Chick-Fil-A

The principal of Hoover elementary has advised that Hoover Spirit night at Chick-Fil-A may be eliminated due to company president Dan Cathy's position on gay marriage.
You may remember the petition that I wrote about here, http://lebocitizens.blogspot.com/2012/08/check-out-this-petition.html There are now 25 signatures.
The Hoover website lists classroom supplies for K-5, but also states that "the district's schools provide the children with supplies throughout the school year."

There is a new service available at commission meetings!

I signed up to speak at last night's commission meeting.  For those of you unaware of the process, there is a sign up sheet in the back of the room for Citizen Comments. During the time Kristen Linfante admitted that she was having meetings with the school district and never updated the commissioners, I went to the back of the room and looked at the sign up sheet. (That was when Kristen said that the sports groups shouldn't be charged for fields.) I saw Dave Franklin's name scribbled on the sign up sheet.  He was not in the room, so I thought he was coming back. Nope,  Mr. Franklin was MIA.  If you listen to the podcast, you will hear President Brumfield make an announcement that he signed Dave's name as a reminder to him. It appears that Dave Franklin wanted Dave Brumfield to announce that there were approximately 300 signatures on his turf petition. I had never seen that done before.
If you have an announcement to make, or if you have your comments printed up, email them to dbrumfield@mtlebanon.org. He will read them for you. Thanks, Dave Franklin for that discovery!!

Joint Maintenance Agreement Approved 4-1

Last night's podcasts have been uploaded on to Lebocitizens.com. The end of Part 1 of the Discussion Session includes the JMA. I believe all of the commissioners asked Staff questions about the Joint Maintenance Agreement. Dave Donnellan emailed all the sports groups, Dr. Steinhauer, and Jan Klein in March asking about the Joint Maintenance Agreement.  He never heard back. On June 6, Jan Klein contacted Dave Donnellan to say that the YSA was not sure if they could move forward as an organization. There were two meetings held since then, June 26 and July 18. Last week, Klein got back to Donnellan to verify that the YSA and School District came to an agreement. The Commission did not get any information about the JMA until Friday when they received their packets.

During last night's discussion, Kristen Linfante, school board liaison, revealed that she was in touch with Elaine Cappucci, Commission liaison, to say that the School District was more concerned with maintaining the field maintenance rather than the YSA portion of the agreement. Kristen also said that we are the only municipality that requires sports groups to pay to use the fields. She wonders if the School District should even charge them at all. I guess that is a preview of coming attractions. Of course.

Kelly Fraasch and Matt Kluck asked to table the vote, but were outvoted. In the end, Kelly said that she would approve this six month extension only. Six months gives the municipality the ability to get out of the fiscal year with being reimbursed for the work that was budgeted for 2012. Six months gives all parties involved to decide to continue the JMA or to go with user fees. Six months also gives the YSA time to decide if they will continue as an organization. Matt Kluck was the only commissioner to oppose the six month agreement.

New JMA Amendment signed by Mrs. Dave Franklin

Through a Right To Know, here is the link to the Joint Maintenance Agreement Amendment signed by Timothy Steinhauer and Stacy Franklin, a.k.a. Mrs. Dave Franklin, on August 20, 2012. You may remember how Dave said on August 24, 2012 at 1:11 PM:

I'm not a member of the YSA. I never have been. I actively participate in several associations that are part of and contribute to the YSA, but I have no formal position or voice within the YSA itself. In fact, assertions to the contrary only underscore the misconceptions and frankly the lies that have been published here, not only about me but about the YSA.

Here is part of the amendment showing YSA's contribution being reduced to $23,000.

1. Paragraph 5 of the Agreement is hereby amended by the addition of the following sentence: "For the 2011-2012 school year, YSA's contribution is reduced to $23,000 due to a reduction in the number of fields, and YSA agrees to pay such $23,000 contribution on or before August 31,2012."

Excuse me, but when did MTLSD take over the Municipality? UPDATED

From the Mt. Lebanon School District website: 

"Student parking is available in the Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church Parking Lot and Dixon Field Parking Lot on a first-come, first served basis until paid permits are required on September 10."

Excuse me, but I'll park at Dixon whenever I please and suggest the students do the same and do not pay for a permit. The district has no authority to enforce and collect fees from students or anyone else that choose to park in a municipal lot. Who will be issuing tickets and how will they know if I'm in the Rec Center, the park, or the tennis courts and not a student parking my car? If the commissioners have somehow transferred control of the Dixon lot to the school district, when did this occur?

While I am on the subject of student parking and traffic patterns at the high school, the Campus Traffic Map indicates that we must make an illegal left turn into the North lot.

August 27, 2012 2:00 PM: Through a RTK, here is the Amended Church Parking Agreement signed by Timothy Steinhauer and Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church, where Timothy Steinhauer is a member.

A compromise on artificial turf?

Monday's commission agenda looks like the commissioners have come to a compromise. Based on Dave Franklin's petition showing 285 supporters (Petition for synthetic turf on Middle and Wildcat Fields) the Commission will be voting on an action to create an ad hoc committee to raise funds for an eco-friendly turf on any field in Mt. Lebanon.

Recommended Action: Move to authorize the Municipal Manager to secure proposals and retain a financial advisor and bond counsel for a $5.5 million recreation bond issue and begin the process to create an ad hoc committee to raise funds to install an eco-friendly turf field on an athletic field in Mt. Lebanon.

285 supporters is a good start for YSA's fundraising campaign.  Skateboarders were able to fund a skatepark that could have come to Mt. Lebanon, so this should be a cakewalk for YSA folks. If YSA can raise the funds, they can build it at Mellon or Wildcat or Middle Fields, or anywhere else for that matter.  You proved your point. The Veterans Memorial was built this way, so get busy and start your fundraising. I am glad that you linked your petition to Lebo Fields, Dave. You will be able to get more support that way. Good luck guys.

Wait a second!!!

Looking at the newly posted agenda for Monday's Commission meeting, I see the following action item:

Consideration of a Joint Maintenance Agreement with the Mt. Lebanon School District, Municipality of Mt. Lebanon and the Youth Sports Alliance of Mt. Lebanon.

A joint maintenance agreement has been in place for the past 12 years for field turf maintenance of athletic fields on school district property. The agreement expired on June 30, 2012.

The successor agreement is for a six-month period, and the payments shall be in four monthly installments of $8,925 totaling $35,700. The price has been adjusted due to the temporary elimination of two of the 14 original school fields during construction at the high school.

Recommended Action: Move to authorize the proper municipal officials to sign the agreement.

This was never a discussion item. How could the commissioners be voting on this, in light of all the confusion over payments by the YSA? The school district has more homework to do before they try to jam this down the commissioners' throats.  When will the YSA clean up their arrearages? Why is this successor agreement for six months? How was $35,700 calculated? Show us the math. The school board just approved this on Monday. When did it show up in the commissioners' packets? Who put this on the agenda? Mr. President, did you? Dave, please tell me how you plan to vote and WHY??? Folks, contact the commissioners at commission@mtlebanon.org and ask them how they plan to vote, and more importantly WHY.

Where is the Fraasch proposal?

I do not see Kelly Fraasch's August 14, 2012 presentation on the municipal website. I have added a link to her "Recreation in Mt. Lebanon" presentation here on http://lebocitizens.com/Lebo_Citizens/The_Facts.html Why is this so difficult? The YSA presentation was posted with no problems, complete with an upgrade for a more professional look. It was on the home page of the municipal website, as well as on lebomag. Remember how long it took for the Kluck/Cannon presentation to show up on the municipal website? It was buried in many layers of the website when it was finally added.
So glad to see my tax dollars at work.

Pitcher Park going to...

Carnegie!
My son and I were invited to attend the festivities in Carnegie Park on Forsythe Road, the new home of Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark. Since Joe designed the logo for Pitcher Park, he was presented an autographed poster from Tony Hawk. There will be skate decks made with his logo, but in the meantime, shirts were passed out to all the attendees of the event.  What a thrill for Mom!

We were hoping Mary Pitcher would choose Mt. Lebanon, but as it turns out, the enthusiasm from the residents of all ages, the council and mayor of Carnegie was overwhelming. It is a sweet deal. 85% of the $600,000 cost of the skatepark will be donated. 15% has to be raised initially in order to receive the donation. Here in Mt. Lebanon, Dave Brumfield said at the Pitcher presentation that it should come here because we're Mt. Lebanon. As soon as Mary heard that, she crossed her legs and turned her back to him and said,"Here we go."  It is that kind of attitude in Mt. Lebanon that gives us a bad name. You know, that sense of entitlement and arrogance that I have been writing about here on the blog.

Carnegie deserves this park. I am so thrilled that Pitcher Park will be built there. In this town, it is all about turf and forget about anything else.

Here is the press release:

It's been four years but when Dormont turned the opportunity away, Mary Pitcher did not have to go very far to find three communities that welcomed the idea of a memorial skatepark.

The Ken and Carol Shultz Family Foundation challenged Pitcher Park to reach out to the communities surrounding Dormont to see if there was interest and offered to donate 85 percent of the cost of the approximately $600,000 skatepark. Mt. Lebanon, Scott Township and Carnegie were approached with the idea. All three communities were asked to discuss and then approve the skatepark. Open meetings were held in each community to give residents a chance to voice their opinions. Every community approached approved and welcomed the project.

The lead designer, Micah Shapiro from Grindline Skateparks of Seattle Washington then came to Pittsburgh to view each site allotted by the various communities. Mt. Lebanon offered land in the Main Park above the basketball courts. Scott Township offered two tennis courts on the lower level of the park by their baseball fields. Carnegie offered about six different locations within their park.

Many factors came into play while making a decision between the three communities.. Among them were: Topography of the sites, location and accessibility, "at-risk" youth factors, ability to patrol and maintain the park and enthusiasm from the communities for the project.

Pitcher Park found that Carnegie made the grade in all these aspects.

The designer came to the conclusion that topographically Carnegie Park land would make for the most interesting design and flow to the skatepark.
The accessibility of Carnegie Park right off the Parkway, close to 79, close to the communities of Dormont, Greentree, the City of Pittsburgh, Crafton, Scott Township, Heidleberg and Mt. Lebanon would allow many different people to use the skatepark.
The skatepark being placed in Carnegie will assist many "at risk" youth and this coincides with the Tony Hawk Foundations Mission Statement.
The Police Chief there is very much in favor of "getting the children off the streets and sidewalks" and we have been assured that they will patrol the skatepark diligently.
The clincher of our decision was the enthusiasm of the "kid & family friendly" Council, the residents themselves and especially Mayor Jack Kobistek, who even requested that Pitcher Park holds competitions there yearly.

It has been a long haul for this organization just trying to donate a skatepark but the people of Carnegie have made the organization and project feel "AT HOME" and because of that we are confident that this location is the "right place" to erect a skatepark to honor Vincent and Stephen Pitcher.

Carnegie is the future site of Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark and we will be announcing the location and holding a brief unveiling of a sign on Thursday August 23 at 7:00 PM with much over due....EXCITEMENT! :)

For more information, visit http://www.pitcherpark.com/index.html

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-west/carnegie-to-be-home-of-memorial-skate-park-650253/

You ain't seen nothin' yet

Josephine posted the new five year Act 93 Agreement. The School Board's objective was to craft "a compensation and benefit package that is market competitive and respects internal equity." This agreement includes the following administrative positions: Principals, Assistant Principals, Technology Directors, Supervisors, Director of Special Education, Athletic Director, and all members identified as Act 93 employees.

Under Salary,

A. Annual compensation adjustments for administrators shall be determined by the Board of School Directors with input from the Act 93 Committee and the Superintendent. Administrators with a Meets Expectations rating shall receive a compensation adjustment equal to the Act 1 Index (Special Session Act 1 of 2006), but within the range of 1.4% to 3.5%. If the Index percentage for any given year falls outside of the above mentioned range, either party may exercise their option to meet and discuss the matter.

B. In addition the Board may authorize additional funds that can be used for merit and/or salary adjustments. The Superintendent has the discretion to award those additional funds based on individual performance and potential for any administrator earning a rating of Meets Expectations or Far Exceeds Expectations.

Look at the fringe benefits. They are unreal. Could someone with a knowledge of the previous agreement, kindly compare it to this one, which the dynamic duo (Posti and Cappucci) put together?  I can't believe what I am reading.

Here is Posti's perspective taken from her Center Court blog:

Tonight, the Board will take action on a new five-year Act93 agreement. This agreement applies to principals, assistant principals, the technology director, supervisors, the director of special education, the athletic director, and all members identified as Act 93 employees and it details compensation, benefits and the evaluation system used for our administration. Its development is the result of many years’ worth of discussions and observations and more than a year’s worth of negotiations. Mr. Ostergaard and I began negotiations with Mr. McFeeley, Mr. Freil and Mr. Wolfson last year and Mrs. Cappucci and I continued that work this year on behalf of the Board.


The new agreement is much simpler and streamlines the compensation process, eliminating the “lump sum” provision as well as the tenure bonus for administrators who have worked in the District for 10 years or more. It also bases annual salary increases for this group on the Act 1 Index, offering them a predictable roadmap and the Board a better forecasting tool along with the ability to consider merit increases for the District’s high performers.

This five-year agreement uses the Act 1 Index as a basis for merit increases identifying the minimum as 1.4 and the maximum as 3.5. 1.4 is the historical low of the Act 1 Index and while the historical high was 4.4, the Board chose a more reasonable cap for merit increases. This year’s Index is 1.7% and is locked in next year at 1.7 because it is a reassessment year, giving the Board and the administration an indication of the possible merit increase that two of the five years of the agreement are based upon.


The administrators’ evaluation tool will also be improved, basing measurements not only on achievement of their annual goals but on performance of their day-to-day management duties. The end result is an agreement that takes into account our community’s high expectations of the District’s management team along with our taxpayers’ available resources which the Act 1 index helps indicate. I’d like to thank Dr. Steinhauer and the negotiation team for their thoughtful, collaborative work during the past year.

It is getting to the point where I get suspicious after seeing the words, "collaborative" or "collaboration." Why is that?

YSA is costing the kids $7,000 UPDATED

At Monday's meeting, the Board approved the Joint Maintenance Agreement extension even though the agreement had expired. At approximately the 38.5 minute mark on the podcast, during "Comments from Residents and Taxpayers Concerning Action Items for This Meeting," David Huston urged the Board not to approve the following:

Joint Maintenance Agreement Amendment: RESOLVED, That the Amendment to the Joint Maintenance Agreement dated as of July 1, 2010 is amended in the form presented, and the Superintendent is authorized to execute such Amendment on behalf of the District.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Joint Maintenance Agreement between the District, the Municipality and the Youth Sports Alliance is extended for a period of six months, through December 31, 2012, with the District paying $35,700 to the Municipality for services similar to those provided previously, and the Youth Sports Alliance paying between $10,000 and $11,000 to the District (based on the number of participating children), and with other terms and schedules to be specified in an Extension Agreement acceptable to the Superintendent and the Solicitor, and to be signed by the Superintendent.

David gave the following reasons:

• The amendment is for an expired agreement.
• The Municipality is not a party to this agreement.
• The YSA's "contribution" is being reduced from $30,000 to $23,000.
• The Board is catering to the YSA's payment schedule, so that it is convenient for YSA.

Listen to Tom Peterson's explanation. I have not been able to provide an audio clip of this portion of the meeting, so tune in at the 38.5 minute mark of the podcast. Of course, Timmy was grateful for the YSA. Jan Klein also spoke. Josephine chimed in to say that since the YSA is made up of volunteers with turnover of officers, discrepancies could occur. The relationship is a collaboration, so the District will not come down on them punitively. The Board wants to work creatively with YSA so that they (the YSA) can continue to do good for our children.

The discussion resumed at the time of the vote. See 01:10:48 of the podcast. By reducing the YSA's contribution by $7,000, the taxpayers (or the students) will take the hit since there will be less revenue collected. Mary Birks needed help with that. We cut staff so that we could reduce costs, but since the YSA is collaborating with the School District and they do good for our children, it is OK to reduce their "contribution" by $7,000. The vote was unanimous.

Update August 21, 2012 9:30 AM Audio clip of both parts of the YSA discussion.

Change Orders and PlanCon I

Tomorrow evening, the Board will be approving PlanCon Part I. See Agenda C3. According to the PA Department of Education,

PlanCon Part I accounts for changes resulting from change orders and supplemental contracts that occur subsequent to PDE approval of PlanCon Part F “Construction Documents.”

PlanCon I is explained in this document, PlanCon Part I Instructions Unfortunately, these instructions expired on 06-30-12. The devil is in the details, so I am leaving this up to you detail guys, but I found this to be interesting:

A change order is a transaction for additional or changed work with a contractor already under contract to provide work which is substantially similar to, or incidental to, that covered in originally approved plans and specifications, or for such minor changes and additions to the plans and specifications as may become necessary or desirable.

Work issued as a change order usually costs less than $10,000, but may be higher for unforeseen conditions discovered during construction. For changes affecting architectural or scheduled area, or building capacity, a revised Part F room schedule and floor plan must be submitted for PDE review.

 In an earlier thread, David Huston posted these numbers:

These numbers are from PlanCon I to be approved 20-AUG-2012:
Act 34 Maximum Building Construction Cost
A. Part D Based on Estimates (D20, Line C) $44,977,920
B. Part D Based on Estimates * 1.08 $48,576,154
C. Based on Actual Costs (I06, Line C) $42,974,012
If C > B, then a second Act 34 hearing is required

The running total for change orders is:

1. $189,306
2. $82,360.57

Total $271,666.57

According to Monday's Construction Update, the second change order should result in a partial credit towards the first change order. I don't know what that number is, but if we already approved the first change order, it is not clear to me how spending more money will reduce the amount already spent.

Letter to the Editor - Lebomag.com

The following letter to the editor appeared on lebomag.com and will also appear in the latest mtl Magazine.

Opinions                                August 17, 2012

Letter to the editor: recreation

It is with great disappointment that I read in this morning’s paper that the Mt. Lebanon Commission again failed to find a way to advance a workable plan to improve our community’s recreation infrastructure ( http://triblive.com/home/2416636-74/lebanon-recreation-commission-fraasch-improvements-municipal-parks-bond-commissioners-fields ). To be honest, I’m embarrassed of our facilities and the community’s inability to invest in our future. Since becoming a Mt. Lebanon resident over five years ago, I’ve staunchly defended it as a great place to live—particularly with a young family. I still firmly believe that to be the case, but as my children grow older and become more active in recreation programs, I’m starting to question. Particularly when I see the lack of commitment by the municipality to do what needs to be done to keep our community vibrant and attractive to families—which are vital to keeping a community healthy.

The commission’s efforts to invest in “hidden” infrastructure, such as our storm and sanitary sewer systems while also keeping up with the equally important road maintenance and delivering other municipal services are commendable. But this is not enough to keep our community healthy and growing. Families don’t move to communities because of good sewers, roads or trash collection; they move to top rated school districts in communities that offer safe, attractive places for the kids to swim, play ball and enjoy nature. The Mt. Lebanon School Board made the tough decision, based on well-founded analysis from their staff and experts, to invest in the future of our children. It was a tough decision, but they worked hard and the high school renovation project is under way. Unfortunately, it appears that the municipality, despite years of analysis and discussion, can’t do the same. This unwillingness to make a decision may result from fear of being criticized by the vocal minority, or it may be due to distraction with less important but chronic issues such as the deer population, which I must assume find our community particularly welcoming as compared to neighboring communities, based on the amount of media coverage and discussion at commission meetings (and special meetings) deer get in Mt. Lebanon.)

These remarks may seem particularly pointed, but I don’t have much choice. As a member of the silent majority—young, working, busy families who don’t have the time to attend every commission meeting and write dozens of emails—I have less opportunity to impress upon you the importance of this issue. It is the silent majority that is the heartbeat of the community. Although a population that is diverse in age is important, families are the common denominator behind every community that is thriving. And more than any other segment of the population, families are mobile. They can choose where they live—and there are lots of communities in this region that will welcome them with open arms (and safe, attractive parks).

Thanks to the commission for taking a leadership role in our community. Thanks also to the municipal staff; which does wonderful things with limited resources, behind the scenes, and under constant scrutiny. Parks are important to my family, other families in Mt. Lebanon, and families that are thinking about moving here. Please find a way to make us proud of our recreation system again. And let me know if there is anything I can do to help you get there.

John K. Trant

Sandrae Drive

Editor’s Note: Mr. Trant is the chief strategy officer for Cranberry Township in Butler County.

*******

I was glad to see this article on lebomag.com. Yes, the vocal minority wants artificial turf. It is unfortunate that the absence of artificial turf is what is stopping some of the commissioners from moving forward with Kelly's comprehensive plan to improve our parks and recreational facilities. 

USC Superintendent is at it again

From Upper St. Clair Patch:

USC School Administrative Changes Represent Savings

Take a look at who's who for 2012-13 and some positions that have been eliminated.

The following restructuring of the Upper St. Clair School District administrative team represents approximately $100,000 in salary savings for 2012-13, according to information provided by Dr. Patrick O'Toole, superintendent:

• Dr. Sharon Suritsky was officially appointed as assistant superintendent after serving as acting assistant to the superintendent/supervisor of special education since 2009.
• Melissa Garvin started her assignment as the supervisor of special education in February. She came to USC from Wesley Spectrum Services, where she was director of academics and instruction.
• Patrick McClintock-Comeaux returned to USC as principal of Baker Elementary School, from Stephen C. Foster Elementary School in Mt. Lebanon. He was a teacher and curriculum leader at USC from 1995 to 2001.
• John Rozzo, who has served as assistant principal at Fort Couch Middle School since 2005, became the academic principal for both Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools.
• Lou Angelo, who was recently named the Pennsylvania Assistant Principal of the Year, was promoted to associate principal of Upper St. Clair High School. He had been the assistant principal at the high school since 2006. Christine Mussomeli was hired to replace him as assistant principal, effective Aug. 15.
• Amy Pfender was named assistant principal at Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools, effective March 1. In her role as special education curriculum leader, she has assisted principal Karen Brown at Boyce Middle School since 2009.

As part of the reorganization, two district office positions (director of human resources and director of operations, community relations and special projects) and one building-level position (director of high school guidance) have been eliminated.

********

Here in Mt. Lebanon, we pass out administrative raises left and right. Has there been a complete turnover in school principals in Mt. Lebanon? I lost track.

http://upperstclair.patch.com/articles/usc-school-administrative-changes-represent-savings

Check out this petition

Just when I thought I had heard it all about Chick-Fil-A, this petition pops up. Mt Lebanon School District: Return all monies received from Chick-Fil-A "Sprit Night" fundraisers
Jan Loney started this petition three weeks ago. To date, there are 24 supporters.
Note to Pursuing Ketchup: Don't go to Chick-Fil-A for donations. There are 24 people who will want you to return their donation.

Lebo, kiss another million dollars goodbye UPDATED

The Bridgeville tax collection company, Central Tax Bureau of Pennsylvania is shutting down in the next six weeks. Trouble is, they owe Mt. Lebanon more than a million dollars in earned income taxes.

Mary Abbott, tax office manager for Mt. Lebanon and chair of the Southwest Allegheny County Tax Collection Committee, said Centax owed the town more than $1 million in earned income taxes.

“It is so sad on so many levels,” Abbott said. “There are so many people who are hurting.”

Greentree sued Central Tax on Wednesday. "Manager David Montz said the company owes the borough at least $30,000 in earned income taxes from 2011 and more than $150,000 in local service taxes."

What is Mt. Lebanon doing about this?

Derelict tax collector Centax to close in six weeks

Update August 23, 2012 1:08 AM From Mary Abbott:

"The Trib mis-quoted me. What I said was the the Allegheny Southwest TCD estimated that Centax owed the entire district $1,000,000. This was an estimate only and the final amount actual not be determined at this time. The amount Mt. Lebanon would be due is a very small portion of that."
Mary

The Trib reporter confirmed this in writing: I figured it out, when I sent it for editing, it was unclear what I was referring to, either the town or the district, so it’s my fault.

It’s been fixed on the Web and we’ll run a correction. Sorry about that.

And again, Mary’s absolutely right, she told me the district, not the town, that’s what I had in my notes.

Can they do this?

The School District has posted their agenda for this Monday's meeting.

(6) Joint Maintenance Agreement Amendment: RESOLVED, That the Amendment to the Joint Maintenance Agreement dated as of July 1, 2010 is amended in the form presented, and the Superintendent is authorized to execute such Amendment on behalf of the District.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Joint Maintenance Agreement between the District, the Municipality and the Youth Sports Alliance is extended for a period of six months, through December 31, 2012, with the District paying $35,700 to the Municipality for services similar to those provided previously, and the Youth Sports

Alliance paying between $10,000 and $11,000 to the District (based on the number of participating children), and with other terms and schedules to be specified in an Extension Agreement acceptable to the Superintendent and the Solicitor, and to be signed by the Superintendent.

Has the Municipality signed off on this? I thought there were a gazillion kids involved in Youth Sports. Now YSA will be paying based on the number of participating children? Gee, they (meaning both MTLSD and YSA) can't account for YSA payments, how will they keep track of the number of kids? And our super Super is signing this? The man who lies at meetings? At least they are now calling it by its proper name, Joint Maintenance Agreement. Can the District get a discount on multiple orange jumpsuits? Any extra large ones for the Commissioners? Oh, this really stinks.

YSA Payments To Date

I bit the bullet and filed another Right To Know asking for a list of YSA payments made from 1998 to the present time. As of August 15, 2012, here is the list of payments.
Note, they are NOT up to date in their payments.

Updates on Recreation Proposal

Kelly Fraasch updated her blog to include her updated recreation proposal which she presented last night. As before, she has provided a link to her revised proposal.  http://www.kellyfraasch.com/2012/08/15/updates-on-recreation-proposal/

Kelly's initial proposal included lights at Middle and Wildcat Fields. I understand that Dave Franklin felt that lights were not necessary. So Kelly removed them from her revised proposal.  My gut feeling is that YSA didn't want to fork over the money that they proposed in their turf presentation. Isn't that just like them to offer something and then not deliver? Want to read Dave's slant on this? Read his blog at http://lebofields.blogspot.com/2012/08/robb-hollow_14.html#comment-form I just love to promote Dave's blog. He can never say that I don't present both sides. Haven't seen him do that for my blog.

At last night's commission meeting, I had to get something off my chest. On Monday evening, I attended Carnegie's skate park public hearing. I recorded it and emailed it to the commissioners. As I said in Citizens Comments, I hope that the commissioners take the time to listen to it. I may post it here, but have to switch computers to do that, if anyone is interested in listening to it. What a difference there is between the two communities. Carnegie has a mayor and six councilmen and women. We, of course, have a manager and five commissioners. Carnegie doesn't have a swimming pool, ice rink, golf course, and their best field is no better than our worst field. Yet, I heard nothing but excitement from these folks. Not Larry "I'm excited" excitement, but honest to goodness excitement. They take pride in their community. They spoke of fundraising. Carnegie had proposed a smaller skatepark for their kids, but the residents were thrilled to find out that a larger, nicer skatepark could possibly be built in Carnegie. I heard words like, "We're so lucky to have this opportunity" and "Thank you." It was refreshing. Here in Mt. Lebanon, we get empty promises, demands for artificial turf, entitlement, arrogance, and have grown men acting like spoiled brats. It isn't all about field sports. I think the YSA people have a lesson to learn here.

True to form

In today's Almanac, Electrical line mishap topic at Mt. Lebanon meeting  (Electrical line mishap topic saved in Google Docs)  

The board discussed a second change order at the Aug. 13 meeting. It amounted to $82,360, to Nello Construction for installing Geofoam along the north and east perimeter walls of Building H. The material is needed to properly support the walls, as the method for doing so had not been specified in the original construction plans. This drew the ire of board member Dan Remely. “Why are we now trying to engineer something that everyone knows was supposed to happen?” he asked. “To me that’s not $6 million in specs. That’s someone saying ‘here boys, have at it.’ In my opinion this is errors and omissions on maybe three or four different sides.” Taormina declined to speculate as to why the plans did not contain more specific notations indicating how the walls should be supported. He explained that the Geofoam was the most cost-effective solution, and could even lead to a credit for a portion of the first $189,000 change order. Projects are most likely to generate change orders with earthwork and renovations to existing buildings, because it’s never certain exactly what the contractors will uncover, he said.

Maybe they will find that pot of gold that we need. Somone told me that the District assumed FULL responsibility for any additional cost for unknown conditions under Building C, in order to keep bids down. Another brilliant move by our school board directors, headed by Dan Remely and Elaine Cappucci.

I guess the running total of change orders (see sidebar) will be increasing. True to form, Jan Klein could not answer The Almanac's question.

Beginning next month the board will also begin reviewing a series of smaller change orders. Asked to provide a rough cost estimate for the total changes, director of fiscal services Jan Klein replied, “individually they are small orders but they do begin to add up.”

Please answer the question, Jan. So what is a rough cost estimate for the total changes?

"A gift to this District"

The YSA is the School District's best friend, according to last night's meeting. The YSA volunteers to maintain our fields. They don't have to do it. Anything the YSA contributes is a gift to this District. According to Dr. Steinhauer, YSA has paid $328,000 in support of fields.

There was a comprehensive Recreation, Park, and Open Space Plan done in 2002 by Pashek Associates. It is a very large document, over 149 MB, but can be viewed here on the Municipal website. To save time, consider Pashek pages 2-4 & 2-5 particularly, and all 8 "highlights" particularly items 6 and 7.  They can be viewed here. The YSA contributions are not a gift to the District. They are responsible for daily preparation for its own use of the fields including dragging, brooming and lining of the fields.

This brings us to the Joint Maintenance Agreement. We have yet another story about YSA's payments. They are NOT up to date on their payments. According to Dr. Steinhauer, the YSA has made their $30,000 payment for the 2010-2011 school year, but the 2011-2012 payment will be changed to $23,000 since Article 4 in the Joint Maintenance Agreement Extension states:

4. The total cost for each year of this agreement shall be paid by the District in monthly installments. The monthly payments by the District to the Municipality shall be $6,941.66 ($83,300/ 12), payable on or before the 256’ day of each month. The agreement will be amended and price cost renegotiated should there be a reduction in total fields being maintained or alteration ofthe playing surface.

The School District has been in negotiations with YSA, and have decided to lower their $30,000 per year commitment to $23,000 due to any inconvenience as a result of the high school renovation and the reduction of fields.  Furthermore, the School District is considering a six month extension contract which would align more with the YSA's collection of dues. According to Dr. Steinhauer, the YSA contribution will be reduced to $10,000 or $11,000 for the six month extension. Dr. Steinhauer stated that the Municipality is reducing the School District's JMA responsibility to $35,700. I have not been able to verify this with the Municipality. Here is the audio clip of the JMA portion of last night's meeting.

A Portion of Cochran Road Closed

Cochran Road in Mt. Lebanon Closed For Fire

Former School Board president's PA Cyber connections prompts federal inquiry

Joe Rodella, former Mt. Lebanon school board president in 2008, is on the board of PA Cyber. His company, RoData, Inc., sold the school teleconferencing equipment for the facility. According to the Post Gazette's PA Cyber connections prompt federal inquiry, RoData's

president is Joseph Rodella who reported having a 40 percent interest in the firm on his financial disclosures filed with PA Cyber: Mt. Rodella was a PA Cyber board member from 2008 to 2011. 

The company did $4 million in work for PA Cyber from 2005 through this year.

I was not involved with the school district politics in 2008, but I understand Joe Rodella was president of our school board. That was also the year that YSA was let off the hook for their Joint Maintenance Agreement commitment.

The article continues with:

Using Costars is legal, Mr. Weiss said, but buying from RoData while Mr. Rodella was on the board "could not happen in a regular school district," he said. "Clearly, this is a problem, I think, under the Ethics Act."
The state Ethics Act bars public officials, including charter school board members, from using their offices to financially benefit themselves, immediate family or businesses with which they are associated.

Again, since I don't know Mr. Rodella, I did search his name on this blog and there were seven posts associated with him.  

Very sad news

Mt. Lebanon just lost a good guy.  Joe Wertheim passed away this evening. Joe was very active in the community. In November, Joe was one of the four write in candidates for school board. He was on the board of the Mt. Lebanon Library. The following is from Cynthia Richey:

I'm so sorry to let you know that Joe just died. The liver cancer was just too much.

He was a remarkable person: kind, generous, and with the biggest heart and a great spirit. He loved the library and all the Friends' activities, especially the Book Cellar. It's so very sad that his life was cut short. He still had so much to give the community. He had been the Friends' treasurer for many years before joining the library board about 13 years ago. He served 2 terms, and was President of the Library board. He then volunteered to be the Friends' President, which he was until the time of his death. A couple of years ago, he was appointed to theLibrary board again to fill an unexpired term, and had just been reappointed in April to another three-year term.

He will be sorely missed by many-- most of all our library family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Elaine and son Ben.
I'll let you know when I hear about arrangements.
Cindy

Cynthia K. Richey, Director
Mt. Lebanon Public Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA  15228-2252
412-531-1912 x211
direct: 412-942-0922
richeyc@einetwork.net
www.mtlebanonlibrary.org

School Board Agenda Part 4...Joint "Field" Agreement

There is too much going on with the August 13 agenda to have it all in one post, so I thought I would break it up into parts. Here's Part 4....Joint "Field" Agreement.

Joint Field Agreement Revision and Extension with Municipality and YSA – The Municipality and the YSA have been in discussion with the District concerning revision of the current agreement to account for fewer fields in play as a result of the construction at the high school. Also in discussion is the possible extension of the Joint Field Agreement for a six month period through the end of this calendar year recognizing that there are fewer fields for the youth sport groups to use. The proposed changes will be reviewed with the Board at the meeting.

First of all, it is the Joint Maintenance Agreement, not Joint Field Agreement. Extending the agreement for a six month period, as I interpret it, means extending the expired contract six more months. I am confused by their logic. If there are fewer fields for the youth sports groups to use, why are we extending it? And what about that minor detail called the $30,000 fee?

School Board Agenda Part 3...Considering an Act 93 agreement

There is too much going on with the August 13 agenda to have it all in one post, so I thought I would break it up into parts. Here's Part 3...Considering an Act 93 agreement.

Act 93 Administrative Agreement – The Board will be asked to consider an Act 93 agreement with the District’s administrators.

How many times are we going to see this? Wasn't this voted on previously? Was a 6.9% increase for Jan Klein not enough? Wasn't this agreement Josephine Posti's and Elaine Cappucci's baby?

School Board Agenda Part 2...Saving 2%

There is too much going on with the August 13 agenda to have it all in one post, so I thought I would break it up into parts. Here's Part 2...Saving 2%.

Treasurer’s Report – The treasurer’s report for the month of July reflects cash transactions which are quite typical for this time of year. The large collection of real estate taxes in July is due to residents paying bills to take advantage of the discount period saving 2% on their tax bills. About 87% of our residents take advantage of this payment option. July is also the first month utilizing our new bank accounts which is reflected in a number of accounts with zero balances. The new accounts are working as intended. The superintendent recommends approval of this report.

OK, maybe not worthy of a post, but since there was some discussion about spreading out the tax payments, I thought it was interesting that 87% of us take advantage of the discount period in order to save 2% on our taxes.

School Board Agenda Part 1...Change Order #002

There is too much going on with the August 13 agenda to have it all in one post, so I thought I would break it up into parts. Here's Part 1. Change Order #002

High School Project Change Order #GC-002: RESOLVED, That the Board approves Change Order #GC-002 dated July 24, 2012, to Nello Construction in the amount of $82,360.57 for the installation of Geofoam along the north and east perimeter walls in Building H in substantially the form presented.

We need to look up the amount of the first change order, so that we can keep a running total.

More on Commissioner Kelly Fraasch's plan

With Kelly Fraasch's presentation just a few days away, the Trib ran this article Official seeks support for rec spending.  Go to http://www.kellyfraasch.com/2012/08/01/recreation-in-mt-lebanon/ to read more about her comprehensive plan which was posted on August 1.

LeboALERT: School opens August 27

From:	LeboALERT <noreply@mtlebanon.org>
To:	EGillen476 <EGillen476@aol.com>
Subject:	LeboALERT: School opens August ...
Date:	Wed, Aug 8, 2012 12:03 pm

This is an important notice from LeboALERT.  

School opens August 27. For an update on traffic patterns around the high school construction site, visit www.lebomag.com or www.mtlsd.org.

Only problem is that there is nothing on the Mt. Lebanon School District website. Susan Morgans wrote a nice article about traffic patterns here at lebomag.com.  This proves that we really don't need two public information officers. 

Here we go again with School District Assessment Appeals UPDATED

At the last Municipal Discussion Session, Dave Brumfield brought up school district assessment appeals. You may recall that Dave thought it would be a good idea to share the expense of appeals with the school district. This was when he was under the impression that the school district would be going after both underassessed and overassessed homes. Josephine Posti denied that she ever said anything about underassessed homes. Well, Josephine brought up appeals with Dave again. The most recent agenda shows that school district assessment appeals may be a topic for this Tuesday's Discussion Session. http://mtlebanon.org/archives/35/Discussion%20Session%2007-23-12.pdf  Dave had mentioned at the last meeting how he THOUGHT he understood the school district's plan to be going after underassessed homes next year, but now he is not so sure. Posti claims that they were never planning to go after underassessed homes. Interestingly enough, this letter went out to some of the commissioners today, which I was cc'ed, and ties in with the whole assessment topic.  Even though it was signed, he would rather not have his name published on Lebo Citizens. I am reprinting it with his permission. Here it is:

In today's Almanac in the deed transfers it shows Joe D's property recently transferred at $650,000. Though that conflicts with the sale price reported on the county site of the sale dated 6/18/2012 at $550,000. Don't misunderstand I'm not singling out Joe because I have a vendetta against him, today's paper only brought the assessment fiasco to mind and his property is a good example. It also appears to support James [Fraasch]and Tom Moertel's conclusions.

The 2013 assessed value on Joe's property is $345,000! Since the sale took place in 2012 and his 2012 assessed value is $187,000 the inequity of the system looks even worse. The difference being $463,000 (or $363,000 if the real sale was $550,000). Still the average home value is around $245,000!

So let's look at this another relative way. What does Joe's property have to do with me or any other homeowner. If the deed transfer is accurately reported in the almanac, if Joe's place were assessed at it's "fair market value" and isn't that what the reassessment is suppose to reflect, the $650,000 deed transfer IS the "fair market value." It is what a buyer is willing to pay and what the seller is willing to accept.

That means there is $305,000 of taxable value the school district and municipality is missing out on IN 2013 AND EVERY YEAR UNTIL NEW ASSESSMENTS. With a 27.13 SD millage rate that's approximately $8,300 in actual uncollected taxes each year from just ONE property. Looks like the muni misses out on approximately $1,600/yr due to underassessment. 53 homeowners wouldn't have to chip in $30/yr for Kelly's rec plan from just this one property if correctly assessed.

So, if you/they pursued that fair value they could essentially give say 15 senior citizen homeowners a $20,000 exclusion and still remain revenue neutral. They could give 30 homeowners a $10,000 exclusion. They could give 60 a $5,000 exclusion. Or 120 a $2,500 exclusion.

And how many high priced homes are paying less than their fair market value based on recent sale prices and reassessed values in Lebo?

I find it horrible that the school district will spend $150 arguing against a homeowner that may think his assessment is $20, 40 or $60,000 too high while there are properties that are underassessed by hundreds of thousands.

If the municipality undertook corrective action maybe we wouldn't have to charge stormwater fees, or borrow for street paving, or float bonds for pool upgrades.

Update August 10, 2012 3:45 PM The latest Commission Discussion Agenda is showing "School District Assessment Appeals" has been moved back to the August 27, 2012 meeting.

Judges rule to cap Mt. Lebanon police pension plan

In July 2006, thirteen Mt. Lebanon retired police officers and several active police officers went to their pension plan administrator over a grievance with the COLA cap, but the administrator denied the petition. It then went to the Commissioners, and then to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, and finally to Commonwealth Court.

Commonwealth Court ruled the Mt. Lebanon police union's interpretation of COLA benefits violate Act 205, the Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and Recovery Act.

According to Judge Jubelirer, Mt. Lebanon's actuary, G. Herbert Loomis, testified that his cost estimate was based on a 15 percent COLA cap and that an analysis of a 90 percent COLA cap would have significantly increased the projected financial impact of the plan modification.

This ruling will save the municipality thousands of dollars a year.

Court disallows higher benefit for Mt. Lebanon police retirees

Lebo has a new swimming coach

According to The Almanac, Mt. Lebanon has a new swimming coach. Breaking up hard to do for swimming guru Donati (Saved in Google Docs). Tom Donati left Upper St. Clair to coach the high school teams as well as direct the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club.

"Because he lives only a stone's throw away from the high school, Donati doesn't dread working in the community in which he resides. He wants to give back, he says. He wants to see the program return to the days when the Blue Devils dominated the waters, winning 12 WPIAL titles, nine for the boys and three for the girls."

Pittsburgh's first ReuseFest

Pittsburgh's first Reuse Festival will take place on Saturday, August 11, 2012 from 10 AM - 2 PM at the South Side Works. This event offers the public an opportunity to redirect their useful, but unwanted items to nine local organizations that can put them to new purpose. There is no fee to donate. Donors may simply drive up, complete a basic form and direct their items to the appropriate organization. There will be an information and activity section to the event if you are interested in learning more about
the various projects. More information is available at http://www.zerowastepgh.org/reuse

The organizations include: Global Links, Construction Junction, Off the Floor, Pittsburgh Center For Creative Reuse, Goodwill, FreeRide, Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project, and the Animal Rescue League. and the Pennsylvania Resources Council.

Animal Rescue League http://www.animalrescue.org; - Canned fruit or vegetables and shelled nuts except peanuts (for wildlife center), Blankets (both shelter and wildlife center), Dog and cat crates or carriers

Construction Junction http://www.constructionjunction.org; – Useable building materials including Windows, Doors, Tile, Ceiling Fans and more.

Free Ride http://freeridepgh.org; - Bikes, Bike Parts, and Tools in working order-(especially screw drivers, wrenches and allen keys).

Goodwill http://www.goodwillswpa.org; – Gently used Clothing, Shoes, Houseware Items, Books, and Sporting Goods

Global Links http://www.globallinks.org; - Scrubs (gently-used, men’s/women’s), Nebulizers, Wheelchairs, Hearing Aids, Canes, Crutches, Walkers (folding), Shower Benches

Off the Floor http://offthefloorpittsburgh.org; – Kitchen Tables and Chairs, Dressers, End Tables, Bed Frames and Cribs.

Pittsburgh Center For Creative Reuse http://www.pccr.org; - Art and Craft supplies, School and office supplies, Artwork, Corks, and Fabric

Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project http://tote4pgh.com; - Tote bags, Backpacks, Messenger bags, Softsided briefcases, and gym bags (in new or in gently used condition), Conference "swag" of any type in new condition, and luggage

The event takes place at the surface lot near the intersection of 26 and Sydney at the South Side Works. Volunteers will be on hand to direct traffic. If you wish to park and visit the information area, please use the nearby parking garages or street parking as no vehicles can be left unattended in the donation area.

Please note that this is not a chemical collection or recycling event. If you have question about the items you'd like to donate, please call 412-488-7490 ext. 236.
Pgh Freecycle Mods

Putting things into perspective

While we have been discussing floating a $5 million bond for repairs for our pool, parks, tennis, golf course, ball fields and ice rink in the municipality, today's Pittsburgh Business Times named our high school project in their latest list.

Largest Active Pittsburgh-Area Construction Projects

(ranked by total project cost)

1. ATI Allegheny Ludlum rolling mill     $1,160,000,000    High-tech hot strip mill
2. U.S. Steel Clairton upgrades                   $250,000,000    Rebuild C Battery at Clairton plant
3. Turnpike roadway, bridge reconstruction $113,201,000 Rebuild 6.87 mile stretch of PA Turnpike
4. Penn American system upgrades             $101,000,000 Upgrades to Hays Mine, Beck's Run, other system facilities
5. Charleroi Locks & Dam expansion         $96,500,000  Upgrade/expansion of locks
6. Turnpike reconstruction, bridge work     $91,304,000 Roadway and bridge reconstruction
7. Mt. Lebanon High School addition/renovation $87,000,000 Additions/renovation to senior high school
8. Freeport Bridge and ramps                   $62,900,000 Relocation and replacement of existing bridge
9. Penn Hills Senior High School            $60,000,000 Construction of new high school
10. McKeesport Area Sewage project       $55,716,000 Renovations to multiple treatment plants, pump stations, sewer lines
11. South Chestnut Ridge turbine project   $50,000,000 23 two-megawatt turbines
12. Masontown Bridge renovation/reconstruction $49,824,095 Replace existing two-lane bridge with four-lane structure
13. Squirrel Hill Tunnel rehabilitation    $49,495,000 Update to electrical, lighting, control, ventilation and structural repairs
14. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic high School   $49,000,000 Construction of new high school
15. University of Pittsburgh freshman residence hall $45,000,000 Construction of 11-story freshman dormitory
16. River Vue Apartments                    $40,000,000 Convert 16-story bldg. into 218-unit apartment complex
17. Penn Hills Elementary School          $38,666,656 Construction of new elementary school 
18. Connellsville Senior High School work    $37,883,800 Additions/renovations to high school  building
19. Slippery Rock University Student Union Building   $37,000,000 Construction/renovation of student union building
20. Alcosan Main Pump Station upgrade       $36,709,500 Upgrade to Alcosan plant

Recreation in Mt. Lebanon

There has been much discussion about recreation proposals in Mt. Lebanon. We heard from the YSA and their desire for artificial turf for Wildcat and Middle Fields. James Cannon III presented an alternate proposal for natural grass called Keeping it Real, The truth behind artificial surfaces in Mt. Lebanon.  Both presentations are available on the municipal website here.  Ward 5 Commissioner Kelly Fraasch has been working on a proposal for months and it has now been posted on her blog. A number of us received this email from Kelly.

Hello,  

I have been preparing a comprehensive proposal for months to present to the Commission regarding our recreation needs.  

Each of you have either taken the time to discuss Mt Lebanon’s Recreation issues or have been kind enough to help contribute to this proposal. 

I distributed a draft of this proposal to the Commissioners at the last meeting and have received numerous requests from residents to see what the presentation involves. 

After a conversation with our Commission President, I thought it would be time to have the proposal “go public” rather than waiting till I present on August 14^th.  

Please see the attached link to my blog and find the presentation available for review. 

www.kellyfraasch.com/blog  

Thank you again for your interest in this important topic for Mt Lebanon.  

Kelly

Please take the time to look at Kelly's presentation.  If you have questions about Commissioner Fraasch's proposal, you can email her at kfraasch@mtlebanon.org. If you care to comment on her plan here, please sign your comment with your real name. Thanks to all.   

A closer look at the JMA, YSA, MTL, MTLSD, MTLH, MLAC, TBDC,and any other letters of the alphabet

Fascinating information is pouring in about these groups. I received this link from the July/August 2002 issue of mtl Magazine.  See pages 30 and 31 about fields and YSA. http://ebooks.mtlebanon.org/mtl/mtl-072002/files/31.html  There was talk about turfing Jefferson from the time Smartchan was superintendent ten years ago.  The JMA earned the PASBO (PA Association of School Board Officials) award of achievement, but it doesn't look like PASBO ever reviewed the 990 forms.  According to the article, drainage was already rectified. Lots of interesting information, including The Blue Devil Club and Marcia Taylor's involvement.

I also received more 990's. The Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club does a fiscal year, only their fiscal year is from 1 September to 31 August of the following year. Here are their 990's.
Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club 2008 990
Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club 2009 990
Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club 2010 990

The Mt. Lebanon Hockey Association also reports on a fiscal year basis starting 1 May and ending 30 April the following year. Here are their 990's.
Mt. Lebanon Hockey Association 2009 990
Mt. Lebanon Hockey Association 2010 990
Mt. Lebanon Hockey Association 2011 990

I'm intrigued with all these non-profit groups in Mt. Lebanon - especially the field sports groups.  No one group has $200,000 to contribute towards this scheme to carpet and light Wildcat/Middle fields.  The Soccer Association comes close, with net assets of $179,687 - and MLAC has $131,592.  YSA certainly can't come up with the $200K by themselves - they only have a net worth of $31,918!  They must be counting on contributions from other field sports groups to bring $200,000 to the table.