Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Artificial Turf Fields: A Troubling Perspective


Artificial Turf Fields: A Troubling Perspective from Amy Stephan on Vimeo.

Please watch this interview with one of our nation's foremost experts on synthetic turf, David S Brown, Sc.D. He is a public health toxicologist. Dr. Brown has an interest in southwestern PA and may be willing to conduct another interview which examines how our region's high particulate matter levels, combined with the off-gassing from synthetic turf, and our already damaged watershed, will combine to be a health and eco-system disaster.

Without longitudinal, prospective studies that examine child health in relation to exposure to synthetic turf, we do not know the actual safety of exposing *children* to the chemical soup within synthetic turf over the long-term. 

Commissioner Franklin has Susan's ear UPDATED 2X



I see that Susan Morgans has written a piece on the fundraising efforts for turfing Middle and Wildcat Fields. field fundraising under way appears under the article about celebrating Earth on lebomag.com

Thank you, Susan, for mentioning those few words about environmental concerns, specifically
The proposal was controversial, with some residents opposed because of the approximately $1 million price tag and others citing health or environmental concerns.
For those readers who would like to hear a little more about health or environmental concerns, please read my January 13, 2014 post, "Whoa," says the EPA. UPDATED

It is wonderful how Commissioner Franklin is asking for help with fundraising efforts through our municipal magazine. Fundraising efforts will go toward the non-municipal share of this project. Nice.

Update February 26, 2014 3:13 PM Just got my mtl Magazine delivered. This article is on pages 23-24.

Update February 27 7:29 AM Don't miss the article, magazine changes on page 19 of mtl Magazine.

The Delta Development Group TOD Study is Here

As promised, Eric Milliron, Economic Development/Commercial Districts Manager, provided a copy of Delta Development Group's Mt. Lebanon Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Project Market Analysis, while we are waiting for it to be added to the municipal website. 

This should give residents additional information, in time for the March 10, 2014 TOD meeting, starting at 6:00 PM at the Municipal Meeting. Dan Remely also announced this meeting, which is scheduled to be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, in his board report at last night's school board meeting. 

Thank you, Eric for providing this study in a timely manner. The Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Project Market Analysis is available here.

Monday, February 24, 2014

More artificial turf coming to the high school

A RTK was filed for the capital projects list, of which 67 items were to be approved at tonight's school board meeting. The person who requested the list asked for it to be published on the school district website, but that idea was rejected.

The five year capital projects list contained something buried on the 23rd page of that pdf document.

No. 48 Install turf on upper practice field   HS  8 Yrs.     2016      $1,000,000
The upper practice field is also known as The Rock Pile. During the high school renovation, that practice field has not been available. According to the capital projects list, there is a plan to turf that area in 2016 for $1,000,000, and to be replaced on an eight year cycle. 

I was hoping to see something about this in the RTK that is due this Friday. Why wasn't this brought up at a Sports Advisory Board meeting? The high school athletic director should have known this was coming. Ed Kubit, the school board representative should have known that this was coming. Certainly, Dave Franklin should have known that this was coming. Yet, the commission is spending $750,000+ in our over tax dollars for the "new crown jewel." The SAB's portion is to be $250,000 or 25%, whichever is less. According to President Linfante, there were no other options.

At the same time, Mt. Lebanon School District is in the middle of a capital fundraising campaign. The $1,000,000 toxic turf will come out of capital projects fund.  Has MTLSD hired someone to fundraise for turf? It sure looks that way to me.


MTLSD Personnel Report Rev. 022414

There were some questions asked by parents a few months back concerning the status of an elementary school teacher. Either Solicitor Tom Peterson or Super Timmy indicated that any personnel updates would be listed on personnel reports.

The Personnel report Rev. 022414 should provide answers to those parents' questions.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Please wash your hands [aggressively] after reading this

A Mt. Lebanon parent sent me some pics of indoor turf somewhere in Pittsburgh.
What is that slimy thing??


Here is what the parent wrote:
Here is an anonymous pic of local indoor turf. The little ones *sit* on it when their coaches talk to them. My child played on this tonight (we didn't know the hazards until the Lebo issue came up). Anyway, my child said he/she got a piece in his/her mouth because the child sitting next to him/her on the field was playing with it. Kids can just grab the infill by the handful. 

Looking at the handful of infill, (try to ignore the slimy foreign object) the "blades of grass" do separate from the backing.

The commissioners will have more discussions about turf during Monday's Commission Discussion Session.  Starting at 6:15 PM, J.T. Sauer and Associates will review turf infill options with the commissioners. I would be curious to know if J.T. Sauer can identify that slimy foreign object.

Item #2 on the Discussion Session Agenda, Commissioner Bendel will cover the next steps for the field project.

Stick around for the 8:00 Commission meeting, where residents can comment. I will not be at the meeting, due to a work conflict.

Friday, February 21, 2014

MTLSD Capital Projects to be approved on Monday

2014-2018 Capital Projects includes the capital projects list to be considered by the School Board according to Monday's Agenda. Only the 2014-15 project list is up for Board consideration, the balance is informational at this point.

The capital project list is on the last 2 pages of the document. It appears only items 1 - 67 are recommended for approval. 

Up to this point, I had not been able to complete the list of capital projects for the high school located on the sidebar of this blog. 

High school capital projects adding up to $916,000 include: 
  • $400,000 Install antenna and repeaters to improve cell phone coverage
  • $265,000 Auditorium sound system
  • $74,000 Trophy Case for Hall of Champions
  • $82,000 for 60 cafeteria tables and 600 chairs (document shows $102,000)
  • $55,000 Auditorium stage curtains
  • $40,000 replace broken and worn out furniture
Update February 25, 2014 11:40 AM At 1:51:32 of the podcast from last night's school board meeting shows an attempt from Dan Remely to amend the Capital Projects list by removing the $74,000 Trophy Case item. The vote went as followed:

Yes (To Remove Trophy Case from list)              No (Keep as is)
Bill Cooper                                                            Mary Birks
Scott Goldman                                                       Ed Kubit
Bill Moorhead                                                       Larry Lebowitz
Dan Remely                                                          Mike Riemer
                                                                              Elaine Cappucci

Amendment failed.


                                               

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Another TIF in our future? UPDATED

There may be another Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in our future. According to the Trib, T line project gets scaled-back ideas in Mt. Lebanon, the development costs could be reduced with the use of TIFs.
Specifically, the analysis showed a $22.3 million “gap” between cost and value for such a development, said Dan Santoro, a vice president who runs Delta's office in Pine.
“There's no developer in the world who would come in and cover those costs,” he said, noting that grants or tools such as tax increment financing could close the gap slightly.
We have heard "TIF" mentioned over the Zamagias property across from St. Bernard's Church. Zamagias has defaulted and now the State (we, taxpayers) is stuck with the debt. From Wikipedia:

Although the TIF method has been discontinued in the state it began in, California, thousands of TIF districts still currently operate nationwide in the US, from small and mid-sized cities, to the State of California which will be paying off debt on old TIFs for years to come. As of 2008, California had over four hundred TIF districts with an aggregate of over $10 billion per year in revenues, over $28 billion of long-term debt, and over $674 billion of assessed land valuation.[2] TIF began in California in 1952, but the state has currently discontinued the use of them due to a couple of lawsuits.
I was not aware of this, but according to the Trib, the public can learn more about proposals for the site and make suggestions at a 6 p.m. hearing on March 10 in the commission chambers at the municipal building.

Update February 22, 2014 11:50 AM I had emailed the commissioners about the March 10 hearing, as reported by the Trib. Here is some more information from Eric Milliron, Economic Development Officer.

Commissioner Bendel requested that I email you regarding the public meeting on garnering community input on March 10th. I am the staff lead on this effort and can supply you with the most up to date information.

First, thank you for your interest in this project. I appreciate you wanting to know more about the meeting. I think it is important to make a clarification. The meeting is not a hearing. Rather, it is an opportunity for residents/stakeholders to provide valuable input towards the first of two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to the development community. We are seeking information about what values we have in Mt. Lebanon for a project around the Mt. Lebanon T Station. Values is a broad term, but some issues that might arise are scale/massing of potential project, traffic impacts, parking, sustainability targets, etc.

There is a front page link to information on this meeting at => http://mtlebanon.org/ This link will provide additional information.

The meeting will be structured in the following format:

1. Brief History + Overview of Current Efforts at the proposed development site;
2. Review of relevant studies => TRID, AECOM Engineering Study and most recently the Delta Development market analysis (which will be a part of said RFP)
3. Open Discussion with audience to understand matters of interest.
4. Break Out Session(s) => We will aggregate matters of interest and break the audience into smaller working groups to develop thoughts in a digestible manner. Many of these thoughts could then be included in the RFP.

The goal of this session is to provide the development community an understanding of what the community expects from any potential project. Clearly, this information will be valuable to not only the development community, but Municipal officials as we work with all groups to develop around the aforementioned site. I expect that the product from this session will be brought to the Commission for their review and input. The information will also be brought to the Economic Development Council (EDC). The RFP crafted will be publicly advertised and will be found on the Municipal website. I'd be happy to let you know when this happens. If I had to guess (and I don't like guessing...) I'd say this should happen late March.

Based on the proposals received a second RFP will be issued that would expect more analysis from any potential developer.

This meeting is the first step in a longer journey to actualizing a good project that has the potential to not only offer new product in our central core, but potentially act as a catalyst for additional renovations and projects (where feasible).

There will be other public meetings as things move forward.

Following is a link to my presentation to the Commission on 1.14.14 => http://mtlebanon.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=104&meta_id=3479 (minute 47 is where I discuss the meeting + RFP process).

If anyone has questions, here is Eric's contact information.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Audio montage of Nov. 25 and Feb. 11 discussion sessions

I am working on getting a side-by-side video to show the duplicity and inaccuracies.

I did receive this from a Lebo Citizens reader:
Attached is a highly edited montage of discussion sessions of the 25th of November, 2013, and the 11th of February, 2014. It starts with Kristen's statement of 25 November saying that people might be surprised to learn that the ESB is "not necessarily" opposed to artificial turf, and segues into the rather spirited discussion of 11 February when Maria Joseph says the ESB most definitely is against artificial turf. I had to edit out a lot of "in between" comments in order to keep to the point, which had to do with the ESB's actual position on turf.

Like any news story covered by electronic media, a reporter must decide what material is germane to the subject upon which he or she is reporting. The 11 O'Clock news does not televise an entire school board meeting, but may take snippets of it that are relevant to an issue. That is what I did in this case. I focused on whether the public might misapprehend the ESB's position, given statements made by Commissioner Linfante. You can certainly decide whether it is useful to the discussion on the Blog.  

Audio montage of November 25, 2013 and February 11, 2014 meetings 



Thanks to all who are helping me with this.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Environmental Sustainability Board's statement to the Commission concerning artificial turf

As I had vowed at the February 11, 2014 Commission meeting, I will do everything in my power to warn parents about how municipal and school district tax dollars will be used to fund and maintain artificial turf, let alone to allow healthy and active kids play on these toxic fields without warning.

Below is the official statement from the Environmental Sustainability Board read at the February 11, 2014 Commission Discussion Session by ESB member Maria Joseph. Video is here.

To the Mt. Lebanon Commission -

It is our understanding that the Sports Advisory Board (SAB) of Mt. Lebanon will be presenting their project proposal for installing artificial turf on the Middle and Wildcat Fields of Mt. Lebanon Park at this evening's discussion meeting.

As an integral entity within the township, our mission as a board supports the overall mission and comprehensive plan of Mt. Lebanon, and specifically its goal of promoting environmental sustainability in projects going forward.

The Environmental Sustainability Board (ESB) would like to officially make a statement as to our opinion on this matter. We would also like to note that the ESB was misrepresented at an earlier Commission meeting, in which our then liaison stated the ESB was in favor of installation of artificial turf in Mt. Lebanon – to be clear we are not in favor of artificial turf.

As a board, we feel that the installation of artificial turf, especially turf which uses plastic and rubber materials, is counter to our mission and the overall mission of the township. Our concerns stem from reports, both scientific and anecdotal. We believe that the health of the young children who will play on this material, as well as the surrounding ecological system, may be at irreparable risk.

While studies have only been performed on adult athletes, additional studies have been ordered by the EPA to determine health effects of artificial turf on children, since children are more susceptible to toxins due to their higher metabolism and the fact that they are lower to the ground.

Some of our environmental concerns have to do with storm water runoff from artificial turf which has been shown to contain enough zinc to negatively affect water ecosystems. This should be of great concern with Painters Run creek nearby. Potable water may be wasted due to the watering of the fields to decrease the heat to an acceptable level for play, and subsequently, that watering will increase storm water runoff which is a critical regional issue.

We ask that the Commission and the SAB take time to think further on this project, as well as educate the residents of Mt. Lebanon on this project to allow for a wider understanding and opportunity for comment. As residents ourselves, many of us are concerned for our neighbors living near the park where this turf is to be installed. Are they aware of possible noxious fumes emanating from the newly laid artificial turf? Are they aware of the potential for “Heat Island” effect, not only for those playing directly on the turf, but for nearby residences which can see increased temperatures as a result? Have the residents of Cedar Blvd., Cedar Lane, Mayfair and Vee Lynn drives been notified of this project?

As a board whose mission it is to support environmentally sustainable practices in this township, we ask that you seriously reconsider the installation of artificial turf on these and any other fields in Mt. Lebanon. However, in the event that this project continues forward, we strongly suggest the use of organic turf materials for these fields. While this option may be less used in communities throughout the United States, we believe that this would be an excellent way for the township to shine above other neighboring communities and be a leader in sustainable efforts. As it is, both materials would have to be replaced after a number of years. Why not use organic turf materials as an experiment to further
sustainable practices in the township, and minimize the potential health and environmental risks in the long run.

We thank you for your time and further consideration on this matter.

Sincerely,

The Environmental Sustainability Board of Mt. Lebanon

Update February 15, 2014 12:49 PM Post Gazette Artificial turf could come to Mt. Lebanon fields

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Oh snap SAB! UPDATED

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Sports Advisory Board (SAB) gave their report on the artificial turf project for Middle and Wildcat Fields last night. David Donnellan was kind enough to email a copy of the presentation.

The videos have been uploaded on the municipal website.

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's Discussion Session Part 1, specifically when the Environmental Sustainability Board (ESB) made their official statement concerning artificial turf. Since members of the ESB were in the audience, Kelly Fraasch asked if they could hear from the ESB. See 38:57 time stamp. At 39:10, Dave Brumfield declared that they got the ESB's recommendation. At 39:16, you can hear from a member of the ESB say, "No you didn't."

At 40:40, Maria Joseph made an official statement. She started out by saying that the ESB was misrepresented by the Commission liaison. Kristen interrupted Ms. Joseph to say that it wasn't true. 
Ms. Joseph included the fact that residents on neighboring streets were never notified of the potential risks. At 46:05, Kristen continued to defend herself.

Dave Franklin stated that the fields will not be irrigated because we don't have enough hot days to warrant irrigation. (Remember how the pool pump went down on 100º days?) He also challenged the ESB saying that they were alerted to this plan. He said that the minutes show that turf has been discussed at the last three or four ESB meetings. Decide for yourself if that is true. ESB minutes

Kelly Fraasch asked why residents in her ward were never notified about turf going on Middle and Wildcat Fields. Dave Brumfield jumped on Kelly saying that they have NEVER notified neighbors about projects. Kelly asked, "What about Brafferton?" Dave said that he only asked them a question. Here is a question for Dave. What about dogs being allowed in Williamsburg? I seem to remember him having a meeting in Williamsburg Park to discuss the subject. 

I loved how Kathy Hrabovsky told Dave Brumfield, "Sorry, but you are interrupting." The Daves and Kristen looked REALLY bad. Finally, Kristen said that there were five elected officials here who are responsible for making decisions. Ultimately, it is their decision. It is three Commissioners' decision to turf those fields because they saw no other option. She said that there was simply no place to put grass fields. Uh, what about Robb Hollow? Kelly had plans for TWO FIELDS.  What happened to improving Brafferton? Kristen said that they had no choice. She also pointed out that the new commission liaison (Kelly Fraasch) to the ESB happens to be against turf. What is Kristen insinuating? 

One other thing that I would like to point out that transpired during the SAB presentation. Dan Deiseroth, municipal engineer from Gateway and also first donor, but now anonymous, had a meeting with the Mt. Lebanon Community Endowment. I couldn't believe it when I heard it.  Go to 12:09 of Part 1 of the Discussion Session. That just doesn't feel right to me.

Finally, once again, I want to thank the Mt. Lebanon Environmental Sustainability Board for their official statement.

Update February 15, 2014 11:08 AM Here is the ESB statement that was read at the February 11 Commission discussion meeting.  

Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club Safety Reminder


Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club
MLAC safety reminder
 Good Evening MLAC program participants,As I am sure you are all aware, the attempt to make the locker room floors less slippery did not work as well as hoped.  I spoke with the athletic director this afternoon and I can assure you that the district is as disappointed and frustrated with this as we are.  They are looking at all options to improve the condition of the floors in both locker rooms.  Until the district is able to make changes, please remind your swimmers to be careful.  Should they fall please have them let a coach know immediately.

Also we continue to have issues with drop off and pick up of swimmers at the pool.  For those dropping off swimmers please stay to the right side along Horseman Drive and Stadium Drive.  Please do not park or stop on the left hand side so that traffic can continue to flow around the facility.   If you are staying for minnows or a lesson, please park in the south lot and walk down to the pool or in the commissioners lot near the stadium entrance and walk up.

Thanks for your patience while we continue to deal with these ongoing issues.  We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow!

Thanks
Laurel
Laurel Chiappetta
MLAC VP, instructional programs 

Can you hear me now?


The school board is considering spending $400,000 for better cell phone coverage at the high school. The spent quite a bit of time at the school board meeting on Monday night justifying this expense under Capital Projects. The question was posed at the 20:34 minute mark of the discussion session.

It seems as though there are land line telephones in every classroom, but cell phone coverage is poor inside the high school. While construction is being done at the high school, the school board feels that this is the time to install cell phone repeaters. Since we rely on our cell phones in emergency situations, the school board directors consider this as a safety issue.

The $400,000 cost is item number 43 on the capital projects list totaling $1.6 million, not totaled on the agenda.  The Almanac covers the capital projects list in more detail here, Lebo schools to use $1.6 million for capital projects.

Ye Old Trophy Case is on this list. Dan Remely reminded the board that budget cuts are getting more and more difficult every year. Why is $75,000 being considered since it serves no safety, general maintenance, or educational purposes? The answer is that the capital fund is over $5.6 million. The school board is still considering how the trophy case will be paid.

If anyone is looking to file a Right To Know, the list of Capital Projects, including the top 67 items, would be a good start. This year's list is $500,000 more than usual.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

My message to the Commission

I delivered this message during Citizens Comments at the February 11, 2014 Commission meeting:

I have some handouts, but only enough for Commissioners Linfante, Bendel, and Brumfield. I passed out 3 different cigarette ads, but all 3 are required by law to print a warning from the Surgeon General.

Surgeon General's Warning lower left corner

I believe there are nine different warnings to pick from. These warnings must be on every pack of cigarettes and every cigarette advertisement. Commissioners Bendel, Linfante, and Brumfield, are there warnings from the Surgeon General on your ads?

Why am I passing these ads out to you? Mt. Lebanon is getting artificial turf, no matter what. You three have made it happen. In fact, it was stated on my Lebo Citizens blog yesterday that Commissioner Bendel will be hailed as a hero when this turf goes up. Not if the Sports Advisory Board can raise the funds. When. I have spoken to parents of four different field sports here in Mt. Lebanon. They had no idea about the EPA's warnings regarding artificial turf and NONE of them had heard of your plans to artificially turf Middle and Wildcat Fields. Needless to say, they are quite concerned. 

At a previous commission meeting, I printed out the webpage from the EPA, listing these warnings. I also stood here and talked about these warnings. I believe it is your duty to convey these EPA warnings to all parents of children who will be playing on these toxic fields. In fact, it should be required and disclosed on all registration forms for youth field sports. 

I am just ill thinking about how my municipal and school district tax dollars will be used to fund and maintain artificial turf, let alone to allow healthy and active kids play on these toxic fields. I want to be able to sleep at night, knowing that I have done everything in my power to get that message out to parents. There are moratoriums and voters rejecting artificial turf all over the world. It absolutely needs to be stopped here in Mt. Lebanon. One of these days, we will be hearing about turf abatement, just like we have asbestos abatement. In the meantime, the EPA warning should be required and disclosed on all registration forms for youth field sports.

After I spoke, Commissioner Fraasch pointed out something to the effect that the entire commission can be held responsible, not just the three I mentioned.

Update February 12, 2014 12:10 AM It appears that we have someone on the Commission who is quite familiar with the dangers of asbestos.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Introducing Our "New Crown Jewel" UPDATED 2X

That is what the Sports Advisory Board is calling the turf project for Middle and Wildcat Fields.

Sports Advisory Board Video from Feb. 6, 2014

A presentation will be made to the commission on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 6:15 PM. Notes from the presentation are:

Fundraising YTD $56,500  Target is $250,000

Contributions include:
$47,500 from Sports Associations
$5,000 PAC
$4,000 from an anonymous donor (Gateway?)

Contributions are being handled by Mt. Lebanon Community Endowment.

Signage revenue would be considered as non-municipal contributions

Recommended fee schedule:
Recognized Mt. Lebanon Sports Associations would be charged $15/hour per field. It is estimated that a minimum of $12,000 in fees collected annually would be allocated for turf replacement.

In lieu of fees, MTLSD would be responsible for field maintenance.

Vendor List 1/15/14 meeting
Field Turf
Astro Turf
Shaw
Prograss

Some vendors from 1/15/14 also sell organic fill turf, and none spoke highly of organic fill turf. Organic fill (coconut shells and cork) tends to float away. It freezes. There is a tendency for "stuff" to grow in it and would need a pesticide treatment. It also decomposes.

Vendor List 2/7/14 meeting
GeoTurf organic fill turf


Project Schedule
Design Development - pending Commission approval Feb./March 2014
Construction Documents & Specifications April/May 2014
Advertise Bids May 15, 2014
Open Bids June 4, 2014
Award Bids at either the June 10 or 23rd Commission Meeting
Begin Construction July 15, 2014*
Completion Date October 21, 2014

*Flexible may be August 1, 2014

There was discussion of potential capital projects using more unassigned funds. Everyone was in agreement that McNeilly is out of the question. Dave Franklin was silent. Also, instead of buying a mower for the golf course, a number of smaller projects could be completed instead.

My takeaway: Organic turf is not an option. We'll see what my RTK reveals, if it ever gets granted.

Update February 9, 2014 10:25 AM Organic infill would be an Add/Alternate.

Change Orders for February 2014

The change orders listed in the February 10, 2014 School Board Agenda have been posted.  Gone are the days where change orders are described as ___ in B Building, Fine Arts, Little Theater, Athletic Wing, etc. They are virtually impossible to keep track now.

All the change orders listed below (totaling $127,050) have been reviewed by the architect, PJ Dick and the District administration.

a. ME-21-210 to McKamish for $18,991 for ductwork and boiler bypass changes,
b. PL-28-211 to Vrabel to $9,206 for water line and hydrant repairs,
c. FS-01-212 to CAC for $619 for sink addition,
d. GC-97-213 to Nello for $37,244 for drilled pier mobilization adjustments,
e. GC-98-214 to Nello for $40,974 for site work and repairs,
f. EL-57-215 to Farfield for $19,441 for lighting, controls and power repairs, and
g. CW-02-216 to Reed for $575 to raise casework for dishwasher.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

A sad day for the PIO

Did you all get the new Mt. Lebanon magazine, Mt. Lebanon Neighbors?

Fake Lebo writes, "Look at what came in the mail today. Yet another magazine (3 now) to tell us how great we are. Lebo, Lebo, Lebo!" 

I don't agree. This magazine is much friendlier than the "official community magazine." Mt. Lebanon Neighbors will be a monthly publication, at no cost to Mt. Lebanon residents. I did not get an elitist vibe when I read it. I am sure that it is being dissed in the Public Information Office, but I found it to be a breath of fresh air.

Good luck, Mt. Lebanon Neighbors! 

I missed this one about the trophy case

The Almanac ran this opinion piece last month, Districts need to set fiscal priorities. (saved in Google Docs)

First, on top of its multi-million dollar high school renovation, Mt. Lebanon is actually considering spending nearly $74,000 on a trophy case for the athletic building. To put that into perspective, the district recently approved a contract with Kristen Friedrich Schaffner for psychological services on an as-needed basis. Mt. Lebanon assistant superintendent Dr. Deborah Allen noted that she didn’t expect the cost of said services to exceed $15,000 – and should that expenditure increase, it will be brought to the board’s attention.

We ask you this – what is more important, a trophy case or the mental well being of students? 
...thankfully, at the board’s Jan. 20 meeting, it was decided to delay the vote on the bid. The board is now trying to decide if they will fund the trophy case with funds from the district’s capital campaign or as a capital project.
I wonder if Ms. DeLuca is telling potential donors that their donation is not going toward education, but to a $74,000 trophy case. Another little factoid that was posted on a previous thread concerning the ONLY bidder:
"Low bidder" for trophy case, Viking Woodworking is owned by the father of the author of the Devil's Advocate article entitled "You and I are not equal."
January 31, 2014 at 10:26 PM 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

A new twist in transparency here in the bubble

On January 24, 2014, I filed a Right To Know asking for "All communication to and/or from Commissioners concerning artificial turf from November 1, 2013 to January 24, 2014."

I chose November 1, thinking there would be some history leading up to the November 25, 2013 meeting when I posted It's been fun, but I am done.  Little did I know just how much history was out there! Here is the response that I received from Manager Steve Feller.




I would LOVE to narrow my request, because I don't have $750 or so for this Right To Know! What do I eliminate? Kristen Linfante lied about how the Environmental Sustainability Board is behind artificial turf. John Bendel's Mt. Lebanon Field Enhancement Proposal was never publicized.  The commissioners wouldn't honor Kelly Fraasch's request to add the word Eco-Friendly to the proposal. Dave Brumfield wasn't comfortable with all public Boards and Authority meetings being recorded as mentioned during the January 27, 2014 Discussion Session. Commissioners designated unassigned funds to turf Middle and Wildcat Fields and will designate more this year to turf our best field in the Municipality, claiming it is all about curb appeal. Sports Advisory Board members suddenly went silent here on Lebo Citizens. No mention of the EPA's findings concerning artificial turf. "Whoa," says the EPA.  Creating an Ã¼ber Sports Advisory Board Task Force. For all these reasons, I decided to go for the whole enchilada.

Is this a new tactic in transparency? All they have to say is, "There are 1500 emails. Do you want to pay a gazillion dollars?" This is all within their rights. It is all legal. I do understand that there is quite a bit of work involved.  

In the four years that I have had lebocitizens.com and starting my fourth year for this blog, I have spent hundreds of dollars demanding transparency from our local governments through maintaining my website and for filing Right To Knows. I am asking for your help to pay for this Right To Know request. Please make a contribution this one time. Contact information is located in the sidebar. Don't let them scare us off. Expose the commission for what they really are. I would greatly appreciate it. 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

How do you tell your second grader...UPDATED 2X

To be aware of prostate cancer? That is what one parent asked me. Where is this coming from? This letter was sent to parents on Friday.

From: Michelle Murray <MichelleMurray@mtlsd.net>
Date: January 31, 2014, 8:28:29 AM EST
Subject: Cancer Awareness Week
Reply-To: Michelle Murray <MichelleMurray@mtlsd.net>
Dear Parents of Howe Students:
Next week, February 3 - 7, is Cancer Awareness Week.  All Mt. Lebanon Elementary Students will be participating by wearing the "color of the day/cancer."
The list of Cancers and the Colors for the week are:

Monday- White- General Cancer Day
Tuesday- Teal- Ovarian Cancer Day
Wednesday- Light Blue- Prostate Cancer Day
Thursday- Pink- Breast Cancer Day
Friday- Red- Gilda's Club Day
Help us to increase awareness by encouraging your children to wear the appropriate color each day. Thank you.

Michelle Murray
          Principal

I understand that some parents are concerned. What do you think?

Update February 3, 2014 12:39 PM I wasn't quite sure what teal looked like. Here is what I found:
teal
Update February 3, 2014 12:48 PM Thanks to Wikipedia, here is a color chart and list of awareness ribbons. It is ironic that teal is also the color for anti-bullying awareness.