Not sure why Lebofields.blogspot.com is inactive or why the turf petition seems to have seen better days too, but I did receive this email that has been making its rounds through Lebo Bubble Ball circles.
I would have thought more people would have shown up to urge commissioners to spend "leftover money" on turf. It is unclear why Dave has not worked out the details for which field - Mellon or Wildcat. Maybe Mr. Franklin can explain here. Perhaps he can explain what the commissioners should do with that 25-car parking lot that is going to be added to Brafferton that has no plan.
Go at it, Dave!
From: Dave Franklin [mailto:davefranklin4@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 11:38 AM
To: davefranklin4@gmail.com
Subject: Turf in Mt. Lebanon
If you have ever sat in the bleachers at a turfed field in another community and wondered why Mt. Lebanon does not have similar facilities, this email is for you.
At 8:00pm on Monday, July 22, the Mt. Lebanon Commission will host a public meeting at which time they will invite citizens comments and discuss the various options for how to best use this year's unassigned fund balance.
By way of background, the unassigned fund balance is essentially leftover money - money that was not specifically allocated to an item in the annual budget, and which is remaining at the end of the fiscal year. This year's unassigned fund balance totals approximately $840,000. There are several items which the commissioners have already identified as suitable options for some of this money, thus reducing the overall total to something just below $800,000.
Importantly, however, four of the commissioners are in favor of spending a portion of the unassigned funds for a turf field project, and three of those four are interested in spending a significant portion of the unassigned funds for a turf field project. The newly formed Sports Advisory Board fully supports this proposal.
Exact details as to the where (Wildcat or Mellon) and when still have to be worked out, but this is a significant step in coming closer to securing another turf field for Mount Lebanon. The purpose of this email is to encourage each of you to attend the public hearing on Monday and to show your support for this option. While a majority of the commissioners are in favor of this expenditure, I think it would go a long way in establishing a strong consensus if we have a good crowd there to speak in favor of this proposal. If you are unable to attend, please send an email tocommission@MtLebanon.org expressing your support for allocating a significant portion of the unassigned funds to a turf field project in our community.
Thanks
Dave
22 comments:
I sent my notice of support to my commissioner! Thanks for the notice, I didn't get the original email.
Glad I could help. Seems I am better at this than Dave Franklin on this one too. I am a better blogger than him too.
Elaine
Sorry 6:57, your opinion doesn't mean anything.
Mr. Franklin doesn't think you have the "mentally toughness" to offer an opinion!
What was the count of that overwhelming suppprt for turf on that petition
324 to turf Middle and Wildcat Fields. I don't know how many want to turf Mellon.
Elaine
324, is that even 1% of the community?
Got Sidewalks? Urge the commission to fund the sidewalks needed on North Meadowcroft. It's the major walking route to the schools, it doesn't have sidewalks on either side after Shadowlawn, it's a high volume/high speed collector street, several kids and adults living there have disabilities and have no accessibility, the street qualifies for traffic calming right now, it has a history of petitioning for sidewalks since the houses were built, all the residents have signed in favor of the sidewalks,the road leads to Twin Hills Park, and the route meets PA Code for a Hazardous Walking Route to School. What more does Mt Lebanon need to fund a sidewalk? If Mt Lebanon wants to be truly walkable and provide safe routes, it has to invest in sidewalks.
Well 8:51, yoi need to pack the house when the commissioners put turf on the agenda.
If you want it you're going to have to put your commissioner on the hot seat and tell 'em before you spend on turf you better put in my sidewalk. Who's your commissioner, Bendel? Bug him, you know Franklin and the SAB are.
Elaine can't fight your battle for you.
Elaine, I have not posted on this blog for quite some time, as the anonymous comments really annoy me and take from the credibility of this site. However, my guilty pleasure is reading the posts, especially those regarding the turf/athletics topic.
As you know, I am very much in favor of youth athletics in our community, but not in support of turf on any field. This blog seems to be heavily biased against the "deadbeat athletic supporters". Therefore, I am compelled to report that the Baseball and Softball associations have recently made out-of-pocket improvements to the Dixon/Middle complex. The scoreboards were upgraded to the tune of about $17,000 and lean-to structures were installed over the Middle bench areas to provide shelter in case of inclement weather. I do not have any exact numbers on this project yet, but I think it will be in excess of $10,000.
With that being said, I believe that the fund balances can be utilized for more pressing matters (pick your project) than turf. My preference is to upgrade infrastructure. Upgrades to the athletic facilities should be considered, just to keep them in presentable condition. These would include re-seeding, grading, drainage improvements and retrofitting Brafferton for field sports use. I believe that each youth sports organization would be happy to help fund these improvements with proceeds from their registration fees, paid directly to the Rec Department. Not maintaining these facilities will create eyesores and convert community assets into liabilities. This is only responsible management of our resources.
As far as turf is concerned, many of our neighboring communities have grass athletic fields. The USC facility along McLaughlin Run Road is all grass, Peterswood Park in Peters Twp.is all grass, Scott Park and the CV Intermediate facilities are all grass. The Dick’s facility in Cranberry is all grass. What makes our community so different from these neighbors? Why is it that turf is the only answer that is being considered?
In my opinion, MTL was the leader in providing facilities such as golf courses, tennis courts, public pools and ice rinks for our residents. Other communities are only now catching up to us and have newer facilities. Thus, our facilities look old and dated. We just need some public/private collaboration to adjust the facilities to our current needs and maintain them to the best of our financial abilities.
Lastly, I believe that the current SAB format is untenable, as there are too many vested interests represented. The make-up of this board should consist of impartial arbiters that can evaluate and decide projects and funding on a case-by-case basis. Each organization or a collective group of sports organizations should develop cohesive plans and present them to the SAB. In turn, the SAB should evaluate the proposal and its presentation. If viable present the plan to the Commissioners for approval and funding.
PS—Look at the USC website. Apparently, they receive ARAD funding to maintain their facilities. Do we utilize this method for things other than the library?
Finally a rational sports voice. Sorry, Mr. Bachorksi, that my anonymous post don't sit well with you, but I agree whole-heartedly with your comments and approaches.
Absolutely rational, practical and acceptable probably to a lot of the people being branded as anti-sport, anti-kid.
I will tell you I've sent basically a similar wish in the past to the commissuoners, signed of course.
You won't get any argument from this anonymous poster.
Anon 10:43:
I think that my position is not unique. There are probably many in the “Silent Majority” that also want a balanced approach to managing our community. Let’s face it, many people move here for what this community has to offer in the way of education, recreation and community in general. On the flip side, those who leave here also benefit from the same features advantages and benefits that MTL offers when they sell their properties. As one whose children have finished with the MTL educational and athletic phases, I fall in the latter category. So, it is really important that we all come to some consensus on how we move into the future so that we protect all of the community interests. Selfishly, I want to maximize my property value if/when I decide to move along.
Unfortunately, this blog tends to polarize the issues. The characterizations here are either “fer it” or “agin it”, with little thought for the in-betweens. Zealots from both sides snipe and vilify each other on a regular basis. I am sure that these same folks are rational human beings that if presented with viable alternatives would come to some workable compromise. The trick is to provide such a forum for the alternatives. For the most part, I find that our community leaders do not demonstrate effective leadership qualities to get us past the petty and self-serving disputes that are detailed regularly in this blog.
I have never been embarrassed about the condition of our fields and I've lived here since I was 6.
It's mind-boggling to me that anyone should care about such stuff!
If you walk down Meridian Drive to the corner of Brafferton Dr. you will find a STOP sign installed behind a municipal tree. I noticed the sign walking but I don't think it is visible to a driver of a car until it is too late to see it.
Unfortunately, we have too many examples of the municipality doing silly things and most of them center around unfunded recreational facilities, Twin Hills, McNeilly, Brafferton field, Mellon field, Middle, Wildcat, unnecessary swimming pool expenses a golf course with an irrigation system that doesn’t work.
If parents want improvements for their pet projects, including sidewalks, they are going to have to figure out how to pay for them and have the money ready up front. We have had too many false starts in recreation and athletics where promises have been made and then ignored. The sports people seem to have this down to an art and they have wasted too many resources for taxpayers to finance another fiasco.
The District wasted $35,000,000 on excess expenses. $28,800,000 was identified by Dirk Taylor using P. J. Dick’s figures. The District fired Mr. Taylor for exposing the Board’s flawed plan. The school board issued bonds two years too early wasting $5,000,000, and we will eventually have $2,000,000 in change orders for the schools.
To put it simply, if the HS project had been managed properly we would not need the second bond issue. Admitting this seems to be a BIG problem for Directors. They keep backing the people that caused the problem. The Board members and the Superintendent are rude and crude when dealing with the public. We don't even have five candidates for four board seats. I think the smart people stayed home or moved away.
Too many other communities are laughing at us for flaunting our big spending and we keep making the same mistakes – building something new without funding and not keeping up the older infrastructure. The Municipal side sugarcoats our problems with Mtl magazine and the District sends nothing at all.
Thanks, Chuck. This is from the USC website which Chuck mentioned in his 10:05 PM comment.
"ARAD Gives Generous Grant to the Township of Upper St. Clair
The Township of Upper St. Clair values Allegheny Regional Asset District for their continued support with our development of Boyce Mayview Park. With ARAD's generous contribution for 2013 of $130,000 in capital support and $190,000 in operational support, the Township is able to continually maintain and expand facilities and services for our regional audience."
Elaine
12:45, Meridian goes between Country Club Drive and Haverhill Road, not Brafferton Dr.
The tree obstructed your view of the street name instead of the stop sign.
Chuck 10:05, Peterswood is not all grass:
http://www.thealmanac.net/article/20130708/LIFESTYLES03/130709956
There is no middle ground when it comes to turf.
Mt. Lebanon is a very different town than Cranberry or Peters. We are more city-like with older homes and less area for field athletics.
Adding turf would forever change the neighborhood feel of our town for the worse.
"Tax and Spend" Dave is at it again -- if we have it, let's spend it, he says, just like a spendthrift (would you have a guy like this manage the trust fund for your aged mother or your kids?) --- Dave, it is excess taxes, beyond any amount the commission budgeted -- guess what?--it is the people's money and should be returned to them---we did not all get a 4% retroactive raise this year, or is the affordability of living in Mt. Lebanon not important to you?
Sorry on the bad info on Peterswood. There is one turfed multi-purpose field in that complex.
I understand that MTL is a more urban setting, but my question was more focused on why we need turf v. grass. Why are our needs different from neighboring communities?
12:45 here,
Sorry, my mistake, the street name is Milbeth, not Meridian.
12:45 and 3:18, Milbeth goes between Briarwood Avenue and Sleepy Hollow Road, not Brafferton Drive.
The tree obstructed your view of google maps instead of the stop sign.
Maybe I don't agree with turfing, but I'm impressed that Mr. Franklin engaged in the debate with a hostile crowd.
Although I completely disagree with Mr. Franklin’s position on this matter, I do respect his personal perspective and willingness to put his name to his comments. He understands that this blog typically represents the complete opposite of his beliefs, so he should be prepared for a passionate (not hostile) response to his posts.
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