I have uploaded the podcasts from last night's Construction Update and the Combined School Board meeting. For the purpose of discussion here, I am only going to share some highlights. Please listen or watch the meetings for further information.
The 2013 Liened Properties list was approved for public viewing last night. Bill Cooper asked where the lists are published. President Cappucci said that in the past, the media would publish portions of the list, but that hasn't happened in quite a while. She failed to mention that I have been publishing the lists here. I filed a RTK for the list last Friday.
The Board knows that we are going to run out of the contingency fund. They have moved funds around to allow for flexibility.
The trophy case bid was approved last night for a total of $52,000 after much deliberation. The case is to be 74' long x 8' high x 16"-24" in depth. Larry Lebowitz said that we NEED a trophy case. Dan Remely pointed out many inconsistencies in the bid, yet the Board voted it through with Bill Moorhead and Dan Remely voting NO. It is sad that the bulk of the discussions at any board meeting are about construction. Aren't these people charged with the education of our children?
The artificial turf maintenance agreement was approved. Timmy said that the school district maintains Middle and Wildcat Fields by spreading infill and lining the fields. District costs are currently $129.37 in labor weekly for 30 weeks and infield mix and field dry runs about $1400 for a total for $5731. The School District uses those fields for Baseball. The labor cost for the turf would be $4331. Remely was the only one who voted NO.
The pool railing was brought up again by a resident. 24" is the current height of the railing. It meets all codes. Because of community request, it will be raised to 46" and will be completed before the beginning of the school year.
Update July 22, 2014 9:19 PM Mt. Lebanon School District to maintain turf fields
No discussion about Timmy's performance review or the newcomer tax appeals?
ReplyDeleteThose were not on the agenda.
ReplyDeleteIs the MTLSD baseball season 30 weeks long?
Did you know that not one SAB member or weepy sports mom asked the school board members to approve the sports maintenance agreement. Why is that?
Elaine
Elaine...it's all done quietly through the back door by the PTA cabal. And they also tweet each other and supportive SB members during public meetings.
ReplyDeleteDo you know that for a fact, 12:14 PM? I have spoken with members of the PTA who are against toxic turf.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Infield mix runs from about $75/ton to around $175/ton for the premium stuff.
ReplyDeleteOr you can buy 50lb bags for around $6.50 a bag.
Drying agent runs around $245 to $350/ton or around $13 or so a 50lb bag.
Field Marker Chalk runs no more than $10/50lb bag. It can be had for half that.
Somebody's buying a helluva lot of material for Wildcat and Middle Field prepping.
If they're pouring $1,400 worth of the above on Wildcat/Middle every year, I'm surprised the fields aren't level with the pool by now.
I'm betting the $1,400 in materials is the total for infield mix and drying agent for all the school district fields, not just Wildcat/Middle.
Plus, I was under the impression that youth baseball and girls softball or the Rec. Dept. supplied a lot of the bags of drying agent for games on district fields.
There is a conflict here!
ReplyDeleteKelly said the school district didn't do any maintenance on municipal fields.
Steinhauer says the district maintains Wildcat/Middle to the tune of $5,731.
That's a whole lot of money for doing nothing. Somebody needs to get their story straight.
Is the district's maIntenance dept. logging time and puchases that they don't really do?
Are public works staff telling Kelly they're maintaining WCM when in reality the school district is?
Does anyone really know who is doing what?
Yes, there is a conflict here. But who complains?
ReplyDeleteHow many spoke against the turf maintenance agreement yesterday?
I don't know why I waste my time here.
Elaine
Elaine, quite simply, you need to run for Commissioner. I and others will support.
ReplyDeleteI guess I need to run for School Board too.
ReplyDeleteForget it!
Elaine
Elaine, Don't be too harsh. After all when you have a school board that ignores 4,000 signatures asking them to cap the high school renovation at $80 million and they tell those 4,000 that they have 4,001 telling them to proceed without showing proof it's understandable that residents become cynical.
ReplyDeletePlus you have a commissioner tell everyone that they can ignore boards, advisors and taxpayers because they have the 3 votes needed, why should anyone show up?
What we should be spending money on is hiring Diogenes to scour the community for a few local candidates for office Instead of hiring $85,000 fund raising chairwomen and deer counters.
The other question regarding the conflict is whom do you complain too?
ReplyDeleteTim? Cappucci? Brumfield? Linfante?
We've seen how Kelly addresses questions. Steinhauer has gotten his dander up when people have asked questions.
The other thing to remember...
ReplyDeleteWe had a Superintendent that paid attention to detail, asked questions and expected accountability.
They got ot rid of her as fast as possible.
Her replacement read the writing on the field house wall before it was even built and high-tailed it back to Kansas.
We had two directors that looked closely at things and they drove them out too.
2:03 PM, last night had to do with the school board, not the commission.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the PTA? Where are the local political parties?Where are the parents who are concerned for their children's safety? Where are the fiscally conservative?
Where are the young athletes' parents and why aren't they speaking up against the turf maintenance agreement or challenging who is maintaining the fields? This just opens the door to turfing the Rock Pile.
Who wants to take over the blog? People write in and talk the talk. I am sick of it all.
Elaine
No one would blame you if you did decide to give up the blog, Elaine.
ReplyDeleteBut should you decide to keep plugging here is a suggestion.
Continue with your excellent reporting and expose, but discontinue accepting comments, signed or anonymous. Perhaps accept contributions from SB directors, commissioners, board members so they can offer facts etc., but no citizen comments.
Maybe the blog makes it too easy for people to vent and therefore feel like they're doing something.
Given information on what our elected officials are doing, but with no where to comment you might get them to contact officials or go to meetings or at the very least organize and then vote.
Just a thought.
12:14pm. Did you file a RTK for the tweets?
ReplyDelete3:39 PM, thank you for your kind words, but the reporting and the expose´is what takes up the most time. We have a well paid municipal staffer who puts in the same hours as I do and can storm out of a meeting saying he is too old for the bullshit with no repercussions (and only a few years older than me), commissioners and school board directors who do as they please without fear of a recall vote, and I'm guessing over 20,000 adults in Mt. Lebanon who do nothing. Why bother?
ReplyDeleteI am not here to provide entertainment. I have been doing this, hoping to get people involved, and make a difference. What I am seeing is indifference. I am wasting my time. If people can't even fight for their kids' safety, that is really sad. I am thankful that my kids and grandkids will not be exposed to toxic turf.
The school board has admitted that they need more money to finish the high school project. Where is the public outcry? Where are those 4000 people who signed the petition? Nobody gives a damn. I just hear that we need to vote the clowns out of office. How many more voting cycles are we going to hear that rhetoric over and over? It is suggested that I run for commission. Been there. Done that. I'm not doing it again. Besides, I would make even less of a difference than I am trying to make here since I will be the minority and not being able to say anything publicly. And then there is the school board... I'm wasting my time.
Since I am on Social Security, I wish more people would have put up a fight over the money being wasted here. I guess our leaders have more money than brains and nobody is stopping them. I want my life back. I don't have the support to make a difference. If anyone is interested in taking over, please email me.
Elaine
Nobody has made me an offer, 5:20 PM. The media is no different than Timmy's fluffing machine.
ReplyDeleteElaine
That is because newspapers don't do real investigative reporting much anymore.
ReplyDeleteIt is like our own Public Information Office. They only publish stuff they want you to read - not real facts.
The school board may not realize that a teacher died on the field on a day much like today. That was on a grass field before the Astroturf was put in. 1971, if I remember correctly. Add thirty degrees for artificial turf, Folks. I can't believe Dan Remely was the only one who voted against the agreement. Scott Goldman was not present and did not phone in. This will be on seven of you.
ReplyDeleteElaine
ESB, I suggest you get Mr. Remely to be your school board liaison since your current one, Elaine Cappucci, voted in favor of the toxic turf.
ReplyDeleteElaine
The school board has dropped the ESB like a hot potato. No more need for a school board liaison. Surely the turf issue had nothing to do with it.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm really confused. Timmy states that the school district maintains the fields by spreading infill and lining the fields...which I don't really consider maintenance. The confusing part is that on the LeboBaseball website there is a document that basically states that the baseball association are the ones who maintain the fields, not the school district or the municipality.
ReplyDeleteThe document can be found here:
http://www.lebobaseball.org/assests/fieldMaintenance/fieldMaintenanceTipsReminders2013.pdf
Under section 5 it states:
"We are responsible for maintaining the fields once yearly prep is completed by the township /school district."
Nick M.
Elaine I remember the coach dying... I was just a young kid but my oldest brother was on the football team then. Wasn't it Coach Golf or something like that? I would LOVE to be at the meetings but Tuesday I have to work late. In fact I just got home. I think that people are just beat down to the point that all their fight is gone. I work in medical research and have NEVER seen so many doing the bare minimum. There's no energy. Why fight what can't be stopped?
ReplyDeleteYes, Coach Richard Goff and English teacher at Mt. Lebanon.
ReplyDeleteYou're in luck, 12:08 AM! The next commission meeting is a Monday night. My signs are still up and for good reason.
Elaine
When will, or will, the last School Board meeting be televised on the Mt. Lebanon channel? Many residents do not have computers to view the meetings.
ReplyDeleteJust an update from my 4:24 comment on July 22, 2014. No one has emailed me about taking over the blog. I don't know what I was thinking. People don't have time to go to meetings, so why would anyone have time to do this? It's really not a bad gig. The hours are long, the pay sucks, people can write letters to the editor and call you a begrudging Republican, while others thank mystery donors for their generosity, which in reality is just a laundering scheme, forgetting that the majority was funded by fleecing taxpayers. It doesn't get any better than this.
ReplyDeleteElaine
If the following is true—
ReplyDelete"Wages and salaries were up 1.8 percent in the 12 months through June after rising 1.6 percent in the 12 months through March. Benefit costs jumped 1.0 percent in the April-June period, the largest increase since the second quarter of 2011, likely reflecting expanded health insurance coverage." — whis the school district handing out 2.9-3 percent and more raises, like they're candy?
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101883205