Kids could run into each other!!!!!

I am sorry I didn't hear this said at the last commission meeting.

Players scrimmaging on separate halves of the same field could run into one another or could hurt themselves when frequent use of a field leaves the grass full of mud or ruts, they said.

I wonder if the Trib reporter was able to keep a straight face when he included that in his article, Mt. Lebanon pushed to put turf on field. We need more field space because players could run into each other. 

I have never heard this threat mentioned at any school board meetings. This is an extremely dangerous situation. This is worse than people having flooded basements and garages.  Kids running into each other on a field definitely trumps kids walking to and from school on busy streets that have no sidewalks.

Those opposed to putting turf on more fields noted other upgrades they thought would make better use of the money, such as flood control or sidewalks in residential neighborhoods.
“I want to specifically request that you put sidewalks on this list (of potential projects),” said Doug Descalzi, one of several residents on and around North Meadowcroft Avenue who said their neighborhood would favor the municipality adding sidewalks to their streets.
“I don't see how you can have this list and not have something like this on it.”

The Descalzi Family made this video and posted it on YouTube.



Dave Franklin was quoted in Matt Santoni's article.

“I'm not going to suggest that artificial turf is more important than sidewalks or storm sewers, but I look at fields the same way as any other infrastructure,” said David Franklin, a member of Mt. Lebanon's Parks Advisory Board and Sports Advisory Board. “I don't think the decision to improve fields is a frivolous decision.”

Clearly, Commissioners, turfing a school district field is not a frivolous decision. We don't want kids running into each other on the playing fields. This is a top priority over sidewalks or assisting residents with flooding issues. Perhaps the Turf Board can suggest turfing basements next. They could then be used immediately by not having to wait for them to dry out. 

Generators at the high school...again UPDATED 2x

According to the District website, there was another break in the main electrical power line for the high school on Friday, July 26, 2013. Generators have been brought in again to provide power to the building.

Looks like another change order is coming. I hope our insurance covers this one too. Certainly, the contractors are never at fault, or at least the school board directors don't seem to think so.

Update July 31, 2013 6:54 PM I got a response today from Elaine Cappucci.

From:	Elaine Cappucci <ECappucci@mtlsd.net>
To:	egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Subject:	RE: power line break
Date:	Wed, Jul 31, 2013 5:26 pm

Elaine,

During excavation on Horsman Drive a power line which was not indicated on the plans or by the PA One Call system was hit. Nobody was hurt and power has been restored.

For the Board,

Elaine Cappucci

President, Mt. Lebanon School Board
ecappucci@mtlsd.net

Update July 31, 2013 8:25 PM All traces of the power line break have been removed from the school district website. No explanations were given. Like it never happened.

Lebo needs to demonstrate fiscal responsibility

Mt. Lebanon resident and Lebo Citizens reader, Bill Matthews submitted a letter to the editor of The Almanac. Here is the link to his letter. The letter is published below in its entirety.

Lebo needs to demonstrate fiscal responsibility

Mt. Lebanon School District is embarking on the second bond issue for our high school renovation. As currently planned, the financing will cost more than it should for three reasons: 1: The renovation is too big and expensive. 2: The financing plan is to �wrap� the bonds. 3: The plan includes capitalizing interest in the early years.

It will not change anything now to discuss the size and scope of the project; but we should never lose sight of the fact that our board, when they thought there was room in the budget, added amenities not recommended in the space plan prepared by our former superintendent, yet did not delete these upgrades when the initial building bids burst our bubble.

One could see the proposed bond wrapping coming years ago. Nevertheless, its primary purpose is not to soften the millage impact as alluded to by the board. The bonds are being phased in to provide for actual future millage increases up to Act 1 limitations. Between the demands of this financing, and normal operations, we can anticipate experiencing maximum allowable millage increases for the next few years.

The capitalized interest is, however, an opportunity to demonstrate some respect for Mt. Lebanon residents and taxpayers. The plan includes about two million dollars in borrowed money to fill out the interest expense in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The administration has acknowledged it has three million dollars that could be used to reduce the total borrowing, to which the board turned a deaf ear.

Here is a suggestion, in lieu of hoarding these funds the board could demonstrate some fiscal responsibility by at least paying the interest expense with the available reserves. Effectively, it would do two things: lower the overall cost of the borrowing and consequently, lower our go forward tax burden.

Our school board will be discussing the bond issue on Aug. 12, and possibly give direction to our financial advisor to sell the bonds; taxpayers with similar concerns or even better ideas should contact the board, maybe they will listen.


Bill Matthews
Mt. Lebanon

Commissioners: Stop and Face the Flood Waters UPDATED

Lebo Citizens readers know that on Monday evening, I spoke about the recent flooding issues and offered a solution to consider, instead of spending $700,000 on artificial turf. The PG's Harry Funk wrote in his article, Mt. Lebanon officials ponder spending

Other residents disagreed, including Elaine Gillen of Vallevista Avenue. She questioned the priorities of spending money on athletic fields vs. addressing safety issues, such as helping to mitigate some of the problems that contributed to widespread flooding on July 10.

My suggestion comes from personal experience. At the bottom of my driveway, Mt. Lebanon installed a backflow valve, also known as a back water valve. I understand there are now 55 of these valves in Lebo. They work!

In The Almanac's Eric Seiverling story,  Mt. Lebanon addresses flooding issues  (saved in Google Docs) Mt. Lebanon Municipal Engineer Dan Deiseroth was quoted as saying:

“In my tenure here, this is the fourth event of this magnitude,” Deiseroth told commissioners. “It’s happening more frequently.”

Four Mt. Lebanon cars were totaled due to the flooding. Carole Gilbert Brown reported in her PG article, Flooded residents in Scott seeking township help that Scott Township had five cars ruined.  She also reported:

Another Ryan Drive resident, Joe Woznicki, said stormwater runoff from the nearby Carriage Park Apartments has caused his property to sink 4 to 6 inches in 18 months. Seven other homes on the street are affected by erosion at the base of the hill from the complex's drain pipes that can't handle the heavier flows, he said.

These homes, as well as Beth El Synagogue and the Twin Hills Park, which is owned by Mt. Lebanon but is in Scott, are "losing more and more of ground surface," Mr. Woznicki said.

 But who got the commissioners' attention on Monday night? A mom of a five year old needing field space to play lacrosse and the sports cabal.

"I look at the fields in our community as I would any other item of infrastructure," said David Franklin of Pinetree Road, a member of the Mt. Lebanon Sports Advisory Board. "At some point, we need to update them." 

Coolidge Avenue resident Chris Sloan called Mt. Lebanon's field conditions substandard compared with some other municipalities and advocated the installation of artificial turf.
"It attracts people," he said. "It's an asset of our community. It could be on our 'pro' list when we do pros and cons."

So there it is in black and white. What is most important infrastructure to Dave Brumfield, John Bendel, and Kristen Linfante? Fields.  They would like to take $700,000 and put it toward turfing a field, and a school district field no less. Who cares about the people who had flooding? Certainly not those three.

Update July 26, 2013 4:53 PM I have started a new list on this blog, right above the change order list. I will post more streets as they come in here. You don't have to sign your name. Just submit the name of the street where residents experienced flooding.

We're surrounded by greed

Remember when the school district increased our taxes by 10.5% in May 2010? Sure you do! Mt. Lebanon Passes Budget To Pay For School Renovations Want to know how excessive that tax increase was? I filed a Right To Know for Jan Klein's July 1, 2013 report presented to the school board directors. My July 16 request was finally granted today.

The ONE PAGE report is located here. Notice the excess funds available from the May 2010 tax increase $2,375,000!!!!! How about that General Capital Fund, Dave and Dave? $6,350,000!!!

The commission majority wants to turf Mellon Field and the School District is sitting on $8,585,000, yet they want to wrap bonds to pay for the entire balance of high school renovation.

Dave Brumfield, Kristen Linfante, John Bendel, Dave Franklin, and all the rest of the sports people that were at the commission meeting last night: Why aren't you going after the school district to fix their own damn fields? For that, our sidewalks are missing on safe walking routes, people are plagued with flooding issues, our municipal building can't be locked securely, the golf course can't have a tractor, staff has to cut back, we can't close the pension funding gap, haven't paid for McNeilly, and we haven't started to fund the TOD project.  But hey, you have $829,561 just burning a hole in your pockets. So what do you want to do? Turf a school district field because it is a "safety hazard." Equally hazardous as people losing cars and damage to their homes due to flood waters or making kids walk to school on busy streets that have no sidewalks. What are you thinking, boys and girls??????

Brumfield has no plan

The commission meeting went as predicted. The sports people were there in full force. One by one, we heard their sad stories of kindergartners not being able to play lacrosse, soccer games canceled week after week because of wet fields. Never mind that the last major rainstorm dropped 4 inches of rain and that homes all over Mt. Lebanon were flooded, ground is saturated to the point that trees are being uprooted and streets are uplifted.

I asked that all the unassigned funds go to public safety issues such as the police radio, installing sidewalks leading to schools, and installing back water valves in the homes that are constantly flooded.  When my back water valve was inspected today, the plumber told me that there are 55 such valves in Mt. Lebanon. I said it was a no brainer to spend money on sidewalks and help people with flooding issues, not spend $700,000 on artificial turf.

A heated discussion followed among the commissioners. Clearly, it was decided in advance that Brumfield, Bendel, and Linfante were voting for artificial turf. Hints were made that municipal money was going to turf Mellon. The unassigned funds are to be spent on MUNICIPAL capital projects, not school district fields. Our staff has to cut back, but it is OK to blow $700,000 on school district fields.

The shining moment in tonight's meeting was when Kelly asked if Dave had a plan. He admitted freely that he did not have a plan. But they were quick to point out that this wasn't going to be spent immediately and that $700,000 was not enough to turf anything. It would have to come from the school district and -are you sitting down?- donations from the sports groups. No plan.

So after this goes down, and it will, the next want WILL be McNeilly. You mark my words.

Oh, before I forget, they will not be buying a golf course tractor or go for Building Security replacement. Think about what replacing Building Security means, Folks.

I have uploaded the podcasts to tonight's meetings. So if you are as hyper as I am at this point, listen to the commission meeting. It is available here.

$700,000 for turf?

Latest LeboALERT:

Mon 8 pm Commission mtg includes public hearing on capital investment. To see possible items: http://www.mtlebanon.org/documentcenter/view/9596

The Mt. Lebanon Commission will conduct a capital investment hearing on Monday, July 22, 2013 beginning at 8 p.m. in commission chambers, 710 Washington Road. The purpose of the hearing is to solicit input on the use of unassigned fund balance over the 10% threshold, which as of December 31, 2012, totaled $829,561. 

The big ticket item is Athletic field improvements/turf $700,000...for Mellon Middle School. That's right. The commission majority wants to spend municipal tax dollars on a School District field. Of course. Where is Brumfield's or Linfante's or Bendel's proposal? Does it matter that Brumfield and Bendel are coaches?

Other athletic improvements include another $200,000 Additional swim center improvements. Can anyone say...Climbing Wall? We just took out a Rec Bond for the pool!

Still more athletic improvements - Brafferton parking lot and basketball court $133,000

Is it going to be another meeting of sports parents with puppy dog eyes saying that Lebo is not spending enough on athletics?  This is making me sick.

2012 Liened Properties

Like clockwork, the combined July meeting is when the school board directors vote to publicize the liened properties from the previous year. This past Monday was no exception. Jan Klein explained that this list is made public annually to encourage those on the list to make payments on their liened properties. According to Ms. Klein, once they start making payments, their names are scratched off the list. When I published last year's list, I wrote this:

With mixed emotions...I filed a Right To Know for the list of tax liens for 2011 on Monday evening. My RTK was granted this morning. Josephine Posti sounded giddy during Monday's meeting when she singled out the media to say that this list will be available to publish. I apologize in advance if this causes any heartache for those individuals who can't afford to pay their taxes and have filed bankruptcy. My heart goes out to you. The taxes here are outrageous and it is a struggle to pay them.  I do see a familiar name who was endorsed by the Mt. Lebanon Republican Committee, instead of me.  For that reason, I am publishing this list. 2011 liened properties 

I see some repeat offenders on this year's list.  Please understand that there are individuals who cannot afford to pay their taxes, while others may be sticking it to the man. I am sorry for those who are struggling.  I am doing everything I can to expose the wasteful spending in Mt. Lebanon. I wish we, the taxpayers, had some recourse other than voting to get control of our local government.

Here is this year's list. 2012 Liened Properties

Presenting the Wrapper

I filed a Right To Know for the July 15, 2013 presentation made by Tim Frenz on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, so it looks like they have had a change of heart. The following is on the school district website:

School Board Discusses Second Bond for High School Project 
July 17, 2013

At the July 15 School Board meeting, the Board took action to proceed towards issuance of the final bond issue to fund the High School Renovation Project. The official action appointed Tim Frenz of Janney Capital Markets as financial advisor and Jim Webster of Houston Harbaugh as Bond Counsel.

The final amount and structure of the bond issue will be discussed at the August 12 Board meeting. Initial indication from the Board is that $32,950,000 should be considered as the amount of the bond issue which would wrap around current debt service payments to reduce the millage impact on the community to an estimated increase of .18 to .19 mills per year for three years totaling .56 additional mills.
Financing Update Presentation

So here it is, Folks. Financing Update Presentation (repeated for emphasis.)

Wrap, wrap, wrap. They call him the Wrapper.

Tim Frenz, from Janney Capital Markets, a subsidiary of Janney, Montgomery, Scott LLC, presented two options to the school board at last night's July Combined Meeting. The board made this resolution:

General Obligation Bonds for High School Renovation Project: RESOLVED, That the Board authorizes Tim Frenz of Janney Capital Markets and Jim Webster of Houston Harbaugh to begin preparation of financial documents and legal opinions to issue General Obligation Bonds to complete funding of the High School Renovation Project.

I uploaded the podcast from last night's meeting and it is available here. While the presentation was long, here are the highlights, as best as I understand. There were two options, both involving wrapping bonds.

Option 1
Using the $1.7 million in the asbestos fund and taking nothing out of reserves, the board would consider financing a $32.9 million bond resulting in $35 million. (5 year phase in). This wraparound option would phase in a .56 mill increase. It reduces the annual payment and wrapping keeps the millage rate lower for the community.

Option 2
Using the $1.7 million in the asbestos fund and using $3 million in reserves, the board would finance a $30 million bond, resulting in a .5 mill increase for this wraparound option. (3 year phase in)

Dale Ostergaard pointed out that the reserves would need to fund five things.
1. PlanCon reimbursement, which won't happen this year either.
2. OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) reimbursement
3. Maintain the annual capital fund which amounts to $5 or $6 million, to allow for purchasing books, computers, etc.
4. Rifle range funding?
5. The MLEA Grievance

At this point, Ostergaard, Cooper, Birks, Lebowitz, Remely, and Posti opted for Option 1. Scott Goldman, the only fiscally responsible school board member opted for Option 2, based on further clarification from Jan Klein. She has set aside $1 million for the grievance. It could be plus or minus $1 million, but she decided to set aside $1 million.  According to Klein, there is approximately $8.5 million available total in all the funds. She felt comfortable taking $3 million from those funds and applying them to the second bond issue. Since Goldman was relying on Klein's expertise, he opted for Option 2.

Posti and Cappucci opted for Option 1.

In the end, it was a unanimous vote to go with Option 1 with the vote scheduled for August 19.

A few observations from last night's meeting:

Thanks goes to Mary Birks for trying to eliminate that one dollar for the wall padding.  Good work, Mary! You tried.

Larry Lebowitz gave his usual Rah Rah speech for Klein's excellent work.

Tim Frenz only had enough handouts for the board and had no PowerPoint presentation. He balanced his papers on his chest, pointing to his papers to make his presentation. A resident asked for a copy of his presentation and Mr. Frenz didn't have extra. The same resident asked Jan Klein for a copy and she responded with that she didn't have any extra copies and to File a Right To Know. So much for transparency.

There was no third option presented for level funding, only wraparound options.

We can refinance again starting in 2015 or 2016.

Frenz is a hero for not taking all the money out in 2009.

These bonds will not be an exception for Act 1. The Act 1 Index is getting tighter and tighter.

The drop dead date for the second bond is October - November. Berkabile says October. Jan Klein's sleep is important to her and would sleep better if this was done in August.

This will cost us $3.5-4.5 million to finance.

In addition to Mr. Frenz' presentation, a RTK is needed for Jan Klein's July 1 presentation to the board.

Tonight is a big night

Tonight, the school board is pulling a fast one, probably the fastest one ever. The second bond issue is going down tonight.

Unfortunately, I cannot attend the meeting. My guess is that only the regulars, David Huston and Paula Bongiorno will be attending. What a shame.

Change Orders for July 2013

The following change orders as listed on the July Discussion/Business Meeting Agenda:

a. EL-36-132 to Farfield for $18,685 for electrical power changes due to drawing omissions, coordination issues and unforeseen conditions,

b. EL-37-133 to Farfield for $28,907 for light fixture changes in both interior and exterior locations due to code requirements, maintenance issues and fire department review,

c. FP-03-134 to SimplexGrinnell for $13,814 for sound panels in the fine arts catwalk,

d. ME-08-135 to McKamish for $19,591 for changes in dampers in B and G Buildings due to drawing coordination,

e. ME-09-136 to McKamish for $10,915 for grilles and registers, louvers in machine room, steel beams in G Building, joist bracing and roof supports due to coordination issues and changes in drawings,

f. GC-64-137 to Nello for $14,798 for time and material work in B and G Buildings in May and June,

g. GC-65-138 to Nello for $26,375 for time and material work in F Building for June,

h. GC-66-139 to Nello CREDIT for ($33,502) to eliminate sport flooring in Athletic Room,

i.  GC-67-140 to Nello for $10,002 for signage,

j. GC-68-141 to Nello CREDIT for ($150,000) to eliminate the final cleaning of construction areas after an initial sweep-cleaning.

k. PL-19-142 to Vrabel for $8,942 to add a circulating pump to Field House water heater, and

l. PL-20-143 to Vrabel for $2,991 to install a bottle filler in the Athletic Facility Lobby.

 Agenda item h to Nello is a result of this action item on the agenda:

(5) Fitness Room Flooring – On July 10, 2013 the District received bids for the supply and installation of an improved rubber floor matting consistent with weight rooms for the proposed fitness room. The lowest bid meeting specifications was from Franklin Interiors with a bid of $73,588. Nello Construction has offered the District a credit for the specified floor of $33,502. This flooring is necessary to provide adequate safety and protection in the free weights lifting area. The Superintendent recommends award of this project to Franklin Interiors, Inc. in the amount of $73,588 as the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications.

School district website is down...UPDATED 2x Includes Second Bond Issue

And just in time for the ONE meeting in July. Normally, the school board directors hold two meetings a month. The first meeting is a discussion meeting where the school board introduces and discusses what is posted on the agenda. The second meeting is the business meeting where a vote is taken. In recent years, July is a combined meeting.

Monday will be a construction update, followed by the combined discussion/business meeting. Here is the problem. There is no agenda posted or available to the public. The summer months are when raises are passed, change orders are snuck in, as well as other important issues. July is also when Josephine Posti gets giddy over the tax liens list that becomes public information.

So all this will be happening on Monday, and no agenda has been posted.

Update 1:01 PM The school district website is now up.  The agenda for Monday's meeting is available here.

Update 1:30 PM No biggie. Second bond issue is an action item.

1. "Second Bond Issue for High School Project – The High School Renovation Project Budget totals $109,650,000 of which only $75,000,000 has been funded through the initial 2009 Bond Issue. With the pace of the project, the balance of funding must now be considered. There is $1.7 million in a Capital Fund for asbestos removal which should be dedicated to this project since that was what the funding was originally dedicated towards. Utilizing these funds leaves a gap of $32,950,000 which can be funded by a new bond issue. The size of that bond issue could be reduced if the Board desires by using some of the funds either in the General Capital Projects account or by excess funds not utilized for operations in the General Fund from 2011, 2012 and estimated from 2013. The Superintendent recommends the Board discuss the size of the bond issue borrowing and authorize Janney Capital Markets and Houston Harbaugh to proceed towards bond issuance over the next month. The Board will have to take action to approve the sale of the Bonds either at the August Board meeting or at some later date if market conditions indicate that waiting would be in the best interest of the District." 
   

Unassigned funds designated for artificial turf

My last post was focused on spending unassigned funds for deer management. In order to maintain some semblance of order, I am reposting Kelly Fraasch's proposal here for any turf discussions. Fraasch 2012 Unassigned Funds proposal Two hot topics on any one thread would have people complaining about reading through too many comments.

Kelly is proposing spending $389,700 to go toward eco-friendly turf. She is outvoted on artificial turf. It's all over but the cryin' on this issue too. Kelly points out that this would put the municipality into spending more than ONE MILLION DOLLARS into field improvements over the last two years.

Again, how much have the sports groups paid in municipal field fees? Zero. You want to talk about fairness?

It's all over but the cryin'

Looks like we're gonna shoot us some deer. At last night's commission meeting, Kelly Fraasch took the time to put together her 2012 Unassigned Funds proposal. She is the only commissioner who ever does. I understand it will be uploaded on her blog.  I think the flooding in Mt. Lebanon delayed things.

Reading the last page (page 12) of her proposal, the commissioners are trying to work with Kristen Linfante and come up with a compromise.

Here is what Kelly proposes, from what I can see:

• No deer will be killed on public spaces, such as parks and parklets. 
• All shooting will be done on private property.
• The homeowner must provide insurance. 
• Funding must be matched by private donations.
• Notification must be given to the community.
• Neighbors must sign off on the designated areas.
• Private property must be a mandated size with regard to distance to roadways, neighbors, etc.
• Kelly would still like to see sterilization as the preferred deer management method.

In addition to Kelly's list, I would like to add a few:

• Kristen must have deer baited and shot on her property.
• In fact, all the commissioners must volunteer and have deer baited and shot on their properties.
• NO municipal funds should be used for culling. It should be paid ENTIRELY by those who want deer killed. We have to pay for stormwater. We will have to pay for garbage. Let the ones who want deer killed pay for it completely.

As usual, Kristen shot down (oh jeeze, poor choice of words) a resident who spoke against deer culling last night. Kristen doesn't collaborate; she doesn't communicate; and she doesn't cooperate. Why does this woman get everything she ever wants without the least bit of work? No research. No updates on her  website since the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook last year - the one weekend she decided to post an article about shooting deer. 

What really sucks is how when I started to write this post, there was a glorious site outside. I saw a double rainbow and a doe with her fawn. I guess that will be interpreted as an incident on her map. Put up another dot on your map, Kristen!

A new shuttle service?

I saw this article on lebomag.com. new uptown shuttle service  I have mixed emotions about this and thought I would throw it out there to Lebo Citizens readers. I keep thinking about how, especially when the service is free on Thursdays since it is sponsored by a vodka company, that it could encourage SUI (Shuttle Under the Influence). People get in trouble for walking under the influence. 

The website still has some bugs, but for those interested in learning more, the lebomag.com article says to visit http://www.mountlebanonvalet.com/

Cedarhurst's Hidden Gem

I never miss the Mt. Lebanon Garden Tour. Being a Mt. Lebanon resident for most of my life, I am always amazed at the hidden treasures that are nestled in the community. I was not disappointed yesterday.

I had heard stories about Cedarhurst Lake, and even caught glimpses of it driving on Lakemont, but what I saw yesterday was nothing short of amazing.

  

A brace of ducks by the canoe

My photos were not able to capture the feeling of being on vacation. My thanks to the Baer Family and to all the families who opened up their gardens to us. Another great Garden Tour!

Flag at the Veterans Memorial

Last year at this time, Lebo Citizens reader Richard Gideon submitted the following editorial concerning the flag at the Veterans Memorial. The U.S. Flag at the Mt. Lebanon Veterans Memorial.

Being a vexillologist, Richard:

...was curious about the height of the flag pole and the size of the flag to be flown from it. As this is a memorial to our military veterans and those killed in our nation's wars, I was reasonably sure the flag would be "G-spec" - meaning it would meet the current requirements that the U.S. Flag have an aspect ratio of 1.9:1; but I was curious about what size the architect had chosen. As it turns out, I was wrong to make that assumption.

About two weeks prior to the dedication ceremony, I made preliminary efforts to contact some of the people who were on the memorial committee, asking them about the height of the pole and the size of the flag to be flown. I heard back from two members, but neither one had the answers. One recommended that I contact the Mt. Lebanon PIO person, Ms. Susan Morgans. I anon wrote to Ms. Morgans, explaining to her that I was a professional Vexillologist and a registered Government Contractor, and my primary business was supplying military streamers and flags to military departments and organizations. I asked her for the height of the pole and the size of the flag. Her response was as follows:

"The architects are well aware of the specs and the flag and pole conform. Thanks."

Yesterday, I received the following email from Mr. Gideon:

I am very pleased to report that a new U.S. Flag meeting the U.S. CODE, TITLE 4 (which includes EO10834 and PL94-344) and DDD-F-416F (a Department of Defense document describing proper U.S. Flags for use on military reservations) is now flying at the Mt. Lebanon Veterans' Memorial. It measures 8'11 3/8in x17' and is made out of parachute grade Nylon material. I was just up there and took a number of photos. When the wind catches it the sight is awe inspiring!

 V/r
Richard Gideon

Richard included a photo in his email.  Spectacular, Richard.  Thank you for your efforts!

We want our money back

Did you know that the municipality is over taxing us? Want proof? Here is the agenda for Tuesday's commission discussion session.


Open Discussion Session (Room C)
6:20 P.M.
1. Unassigned fund balance:
     a. Tentative list of designations
     b. Date for capital investment discussion hearing – July 22, 2013

Last year, we had spent $1.3 million in unassigned funds.  This year, we have available for more indiscriminate spending by the commissioners, approximately $840,000. That represents 2.39% of extra money in its cash reserves, after the normal 10% held in reserves.The vultures are circling. 

What do the commissioners want to do with that money? See my post, Mt. Lebanon weighs surplus spending

In the Trib article, nothing was mentioned about what our president, Matt Kluck wants. He has been advocating all along to give the money back to the people.

Funny, I don't see anything for Outreach, or any other drug programs.

In fact, at the February budget retreat, Kelly Fraasch was the only commissioner concerned about a drug task force.  Remember how I was the only one covering that retreat? That was when the PIO was writing about Noah's Ark on Facebook. Here are the commissioners' priorities from that February budget retreat. 

Hey, Commissioners? How about a reduction in our taxes? Do you have that much money that you need the school district's help to spend our money? We all know that the Sports Advisory Board (SAB) will want turf SOMEWHERE in Mt. Lebanon.  As The Trib reported in my July 1 post:

School board President Elaine Cappucci said the district has no plans to put turf on any fields. “So that would be a new expense. Nobody from the commission has approached us about the proposal. … I can't tell you what the board would feel about it.”

My guess is that the SAB, a.k.a., Turf Board will come back to turfing Middle and Wildcat Fields again.  The date for the hearing is July 22, 2013.

Get in line, SAB. You will be up against the deer cullers, the Outreach people, and the people like me who just want the commissioners to stop overtaxing us, and give us our money back.

Bullet range

Today, I sent the following email to the commissioners, Steve Feller, Tom Kelley, Chief McDonough, and Dan Miller:

Commissioners,
I am sending this to you all and copying State Representative Dan Miller on his personal email since his "contact me" is not conducive to emails. Dan recommended that I send it that way. Let him tell you that when he was doing target practice in the military, the targets were 1,000 feet away.

If our goal is to come up with a deer management plan, and we all share a common goal of safety, please consider Kelly's nonlethal plan. It meets all of our goals.

The map below shows the bullet range of a stray bullet. The map is of a town in NY which is 1.5 miles in its widest point. It is conceivable that a shot could be fired on one border of Mt. Lebanon and travel all the way to the other side of Mt. Lebanon.
Elaine Gillen

It can be argued that Mt. Lebanon isn't level or wide open for a bullet to travel that far, but consider this.  If a bullet can travel two miles, are you really safe if someone on your street wants deer killed on their property? Or if someone on the next street wants a deer killed in their yard?  That bullet can cover a lot of ground.

A gun expert told me, aside from the absolute BS statistics that Linfante tosses around to justify a mass deer kill, there is also the liability faced by the township should anything go amiss. The commission cannot guarantee anyone's safety. It would be ridiculous for a sane person to even pose that question. It would be like asking the commission to guarantee there will be snow on Christmas Day. Impossible. How much would that cost? Whoops, there goes the "surplus." As for accuracy, this person is considered an "expert" shot but wouldn't pull the trigger within the boundaries of Mt. Lebanon. There is no controlling external factors or just plain having a bad day.

There is something that is really bugging me about this whole thing. Dave Brumfield would never vote for a deer cull unless the deer got to carry guns too. What has changed him? Did he sell out for a turf vote? In Kristen Linfante's own words, she is a lone wolf on deer culling. Suddenly she has two more commissioners "seeing the light." What gives? Three votes for a deer cull. Three votes for turf. Imagine that.

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Please help the Public Information Office

This was not sent to me by the PIO, but I am doing my part.  I know they would do the same for me. ;)

From: Laura Pace Lilley <lpace@mtlebanon.org>
Date: Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 1:21 PM
Subject: Mt. Lebanon Magazine in the Final Four of Social Madness!
To: All Employees, Commission


It’s been a great ride: since June 3, mtl — Mt. Lebanon Magazine has been participating in the Pittsburgh Business Times’ Social Madness contest…and we’ve made the FINAL FOUR of the local competition! If we win the national competition, we score $10,000 that will go directly toOutreach Teen & Family Services, a fantastic local service agency that helps children, teens, families --- everyone --- stay healthy and on track.

And the big benefit is we're getting lots of new people engaged on our social media outlets so the word is getting out about our town, from special events to things they need to know, like public meetings, construction and water issues.

But we need your help once again...this round is less than a week in duration and our competitor, ZBrand ad agency, is fierce.


Please vote for us DAILY in the MEDIUM category here: http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/socialmadness

Go to our Facebook page and like posts, share posts or comment on posts.

Go to our Twitter page and retweet Tweets!

Please share this on your social media pages, through email, etc. Send to your book clubs, your social groups, your plumber...EVERYBODY.

Once again, thank you very much.
--

Laura Pace Lilley
Senior Editor/Online Editor, mtl—Mt. Lebanon Magazine
Public Information Associate
710 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15228
412.343.3552
www.lebomag.com
www.facebook.com/mtlebanonmagazine
www.twitter.com/mtlmagazine
www.linkedin.com/company/mt-lebanon-municipality
http://www.youtube.com/mtlebanonpio

Mt. Lebanon weighs surplus spending

Not a big fan of the Trib after they said that Dan Remely is legendary, but Matt Santoni covered this pretty well. Without reinventing the wheel, here it is.

Mt. Lebanon commissioners are considering how to spend an $829,000 surplus from last year's budget, just as representatives of sports groups have asked for upgrades to playing fields.
Sports Advisory Board members on Monday outlined for commissioners improvements that the collection of 13 youth and adult sports and recreation groups requested.
They include structural repairs to platform tennis courts in the community's main park, an electric Zamboni for the ice rink, a pavilion for events at the golf course and artificial turf and lighting on the playing field at Mellon Middle School.
The Youth Sports Association previously sought artificial turf at Wildcat and Middle fields, a pair of adjacent softball and baseball fields in Mt. Lebanon Park off Cedar Boulevard, said non-voting advisory board member David Franklin.
Advocates hoped turf would make the fields available for more sports and would absorb more wear and tear than natural grass, but they never got support from a majority of commissioners. The sports groups next turned to Mellon, off Washington Road and Castle Shannon Boulevard, Franklin said.
“Given the sense among the board about which asset needs it the most, we believe that Mellon really is in line to be improved with artificial surface and lighting,” he said.
Commissioners John Bendel, Dave Brumfield and Kristen Linfante — a majority of the five-member panel — later voiced support for putting some of the money toward the advisory board's recommendations, though Kelly Fraasch and Matt Kluck had reservations about doing so without a clear plan for the improvements.
Bendel, liaison to the sports advisory board, said he supported spending $30,000 of the surplus on improving the police department's radio communications. Police Chief Coleman McDonough said there has been bad reception in parts of the public safety building after the Federal Communications Commission required emergency personnel to use different bandwidths for their radios.
Bendel said he wanted another $87,400 for a mid-block crosswalk along Washington Road, $75,000 to study development above the Mt. Lebanon light-rail station and tracks and the remainder of the surplus on field enhancements, including turf at Mellon or Middle/Wildcat.
He later said adding turf and lighting to a field would require financial contributions from the school district and sports groups.
“The amount we're talking about is not enough to complete the project, and that needs to be filled by somebody,” Bendel said.
“I'm with John on putting the rest toward fields,” Brumfield said. “The intent is to hold these other funds to see if a plan comes up to improve the field situation.”
But Fraasch and Kluck, the commission president, disagreed.
The municipality is making up to $200,000 in improvements to turn a baseball/softball field off Brafferton Drive into a field for lacrosse, soccer and football, Fraasch said, and the municipality doesn't know whether the school district would support turf at Mellon.
School board President Elaine Cappucci said the district has no plans to put turf on any fields. “So that would be a new expense. Nobody from the commission has approached us about the proposal. … I can't tell you what the board would feel about it.”
Municipal manager Steve Feller will draw up a new list of projects that could be funded with the surplus, reflecting the ones that had the majority of the commissioners' support.
When the municipality ended 2012 in better financial shape than it expected, the extra money put its cash reserves at 12.3 percent of its expenditures. Normally, 10 percent is kept in reserve.
A public hearing on potential uses for the surplus must be held before commissioners can vote on how to spend it, Feller said.

Matthew Santoni is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5625 or msantoni@tribweb.com.

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Copyright © 2013 — Trib Total Media
Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoodsmore/4255881-74/sports-board-fields?printerfriendly=true#ixzz2XnzKtyfw 

I can't wait until the budget meetings start and each municipal department is told that they have to cut back because the commissioners are going to spend the surplus on the school district.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Contrary to what a certain school board member reports, state education funding has not been cut again. Governor Corbett signed the state budget last night. 

From Pittsburgh Business Times:

Corbett noted the budget does not raise taxes on working families, and touted increased education and early childhood development funding, as well as funding for people with intellectual disabilities, domestic violence and rape victims, and the state's Children's Health Insurance Plan.
"This budget once again provides record levels of state funding for basic education while meeting our obligations to those in need, ensuring the safety of our citizens and supporting our job creators," Corbett said in a prepared statement.

The Trib reports:

An increase of $122.5 million for basic education is one of the budget's key features.

According to an April 2013 report, the State Basic Education Funding for Mt. Lebanon School District  increased by 3.4%.

I would like to point out that only one school board candidate sees the true picture of state funding.  Durwood Hill nailed it. Remember that when you vote in November.