"This is bullshit and I am going home. I'm too old for this."
-T. Kelley
Boy, can I relate, Tom. Only thing is that I am a taxpayer and volunteer.
Here are my comments, and I will put up the commissioners' and manager's responses once I calm down.
There are four points I would like to make. So that I don't run out of time, I would like to read through them, and will wait for a response to all four points.
1. Some clarification please. We have been told on numerous occasions that if we have a question within the municipality, we should contact the PIO for information. I'm finding that is not the case when I needed assistance with the Brewfest poster. I never received any kind of acknowledgement or assistance from the Public Information Office. Should I be contacting my non-responsive commissioners, our municipal manager who has his hands full with RTKs or keep trying to contact the PIO?
2. I want to comment on Mt. Lebanon Advisory Boards.
I had contacted the Historic Preservation on several occasions concerning the historic Wildcat Field and the turf project. I received this response from Bill Callahan on 7:31.14
"As much as is possible, I separate my professional duties from my volunteer position on the HPB. My role as a member of that Board is, to the best of my abilities and within a volunteer framework, to provide technical expertise and, hopefully, the benefit of over 25 years’ experience in the field."
Fast forward to the August 18, 2014 Mt. Leb. Historic Preservation Board
Meeting. On page two of the Mt. Lebanon Historic Preservation Board minutes under Staff Liaison Report:
Susan Morgans reported that the permit application that
would allow construction on the turf project has been “lost,” somewhere between the DEP and the PA Historical And Museum Commission. The PHMC needs to comment on the permit for any construction involving federal or state funds in areas that could be eligible for National Register Status. He noted that when and if his office receives the application, there should be no problem—the park contains non-conforming resources and there would be no impact on any historic structures. He is working with the municipality and the DEP to identify what is holding things up.
"He" being Bill Callahan, PHMC Community Preservation Coordinator for the Western Region and Mt. Lebanon Historic Preservation Board member is using his connections on the PHMC to push through the Wildcat Field Turf Project.
On Page 10 of National Register of Historic Places , Main Park is considered a contributing site to the Mt. Lebanon Historic District.
The park itself, which features ball fields, playgrounds, and basketball and tennis courts, is considered a contributing site, but the recreation center, tennis center, and current pool house that have been built within the park after the period of significance are considered non-contributing buildings.
I am asking for Mr. Callahan's resignation because he does NOT separate his professional duties from his volunteer position. He will be using his position to push through the turf project for ballfields that are clearly contributing sites in the Mt. Lebanon Historic District.
I'm also asking for the chair of the ESB to resign. Through a RTK, she made some disturbing statements to our commission president about me, including dealing with me by setting me on fire.
3. I would like to get a detailed report of the meeting that occurred on Friday between Gateway and the DEP and ACCD.
4. During the discussion of PAYT, Promotion of sustainability
how does artificially turfing two ball fields promote sustainability, Kristen?
Brief responses:
1. Steve Feller said that I can address any problems that I have with the PIO with him.
2. No resignations. Kristen denied hearing anything about igniting me. I am always asking for resignations from people I do not agree with. ESB comment must have been a "typo."
3. No report was given to them, so no report will be given tonight. I doubt the commission even knew that Gateway was called to the DEP.
4. I ran out of time, so Kristen, I was corrected and need to address her as Commissioner Linfante, did not answer and reminded me more than once that I was out of time.
I am so sick of the crap that is being dealt out of that municipal building. I have posted the Right To Know where Kathy Hrabovsky joked about igniting. No apology. Nothing. We have a member on the Historic Preservation Board who will push his personal agenda, at Mt. Lebanon's expense. Susan Morgans can continue to be the municipal diva who can sit on my recorder TWICE, ignore my emails, sarcastically tell a junior commissioner candidate that I am "the keeper of the door" when I was trying to explain that the interview process had begun. The commission president can allow those to finish their statements, if they are in favor of deer culling, but interrupts me and anyone else who disagrees with her. What has my hometown become?
Sorry, Folks. I had to walk out.
Update September 23, 2014 7:18 PM Mt. Lebanon officials waver on pay-per-throw trash (Saved in Google Docs)
Update September 25, 2014 7:57 AM So now what? I contacted Manager Steve Feller and never heard back. Don't miss the solution offered by "Commissioner Linfante."
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50 comments:
No turf update?
Of course not. Why would they give us that?
I uploaded the first part of the Discussion Session. The PAYT presentation was awesome. Ed Reese, a member of the PAYT task force said that PAYT is not for Mt. Lebanon. Will that be received as well as the CAC's recommendation for the High School Renovation? That's my guess. Why would Kristen listen to anything but what she wants? It would end up costing us more money. Kelly Fraasch asked if Ed would be willing to spend an additional $25 a year for weekly recycling. His answer was no. He doesn't want to spend any more money than he is now. He's a smart one. I wonder which ward he lives in.
The deer management segment was more of the same. Kristen wouldn't acknowledge that the ordinance against feeding deer contributed to the reduction of deer population. It was said the last time this man was here, but Kristen ignored it. When Kelly Fraasch brought up the deer management task force which included six communities, Kristen LIED AGAIN, claiming she knew nothing of the task force. She knew and had a temper tantrum because she was not invited.
What a piece of work.
I also added a link to the four points I raised. See if you can understand what Dave Brumfield was saying during the historic field segment of my comments.
Elaine
Even our high school students when polled said PAYT was the least desirable option.
Somehow though our elected leaders once they get into office are ruled by or work for the hired help rather than their constituents.
It is the same at the school board.
On the deer situation—
If deer range over two miles and Mt Lebanon is only 6 sq miles what good does it do to cull in only one municipality.
Do deer read signs? Does the deer standing 50 feet inside Bethel, USC, Scott see the " Entering MTL" sign and stop because we have culling?
Doubtful! It sees the lush foliage and thinks "eats."
Also, if there is such mass death and destruction on our roads due to deer, where are the accident reports in the police blotter?
See a lot of hit n runs in the municipal parking lots but no deer accident reports.
Perhaps we should start shooting scofflaws. That's a joke commissioner!
Elaine: do you have the citizens comments to upload from the commission meeting? It sounded like the commission is also screwing policemen and their families in order to have extra money (to do things like turf the fields and cull the deer I guess).
I left early during Citizen Comments. When Kristen said that deer "management" [culling] should be a line item in the budget, all the prokill people don't realize that means a tax increase. They also don't realize that sharp shooters would be in their yards, without warning - while inside their homes, shooting with guns. They don't understand the baiting process, when rotting apples are dumped in their yards for weeks at a time to lure deer into their yards. Guess what rotting apples do to deer's feces? Let's just say that it creates a bigger problem.
I missed the police discussion. Don't forget how flood victims are also getting screwed so that we can turf fields and kill deer, 8:05 AM.
Elaine
We know for sure the commissioners are screwing homeowners who's basements flood in those 100 years storms every couple of months.
The logic behind the question "would you be willing to spend an additional $25 a year for weekly recycling" completely escapes me.
Let's say you put out a 40 gal. trash can of recycling now on the every other week schedule.
If we go to every week for $25 will you be expected to put out 20 gallons worth of recycling every week?
Or will you be allowed to put out a 40 gal can every week and how exactly does this promote conservation?
Now with weekly pick up you have diesel trucks plying neighborhoods and burning twice the fuel to pick up the same or more trash.
12:31 I think you have missed the math class explaining PAYT. You can toss as much as you want in recycling. In fact it is encouraged. This is what will reduce the cost of the garbage pick up.
The thought is that if you go PAYT then you either will have to have an additional storage container for recycling (assuming most people move to recycle more and throw away less) or move from every other week to once-a-week pickup of recylcables.
Would you recycle more if it didn't cost you anything? For anything you recycle you don't have to buy the special PAYT baggies.
I'm open to the idea. I still need to know what happens with household renovation waste. Worst case is that this kind of updating of homes is discouraged when we need a lot of it in MtL.
1:08 say again!
The logic of recycling is that you can toss as much as you want! Really?
I can cut down trees for paper, smash aluminum cans to my hearts content, and break glass bottles by the hundreds and double the amount of trips by garbage trucks because we call it recycling!
Please tell me you're not being serious?
Then you're also going to write that the object of PAYT is that you'll either have two choices: 1. By a large storage container, or 2. Have more frequent pick-ups.
When does the conservation begin?
Seems to me your argument is similar to a doctor telling you that you need to lose some weight and his solution to the problem is... rather than enjoying a sweet treat every other week, we'll double up and let you have the same treat or more every week.
Must be that new math or thinking that spreading tons of ground up tires on a ballfield is better for the environment than natural grass.
1:08 I could possibly take you position if it were true that recycling really saved energy or the environment.
But it doesn't in many, many cases.
If you really delve into the topic of recycling for many products you will learn that recycling say paper takes more energy and pours more waste into our rivers and streams - through the entire process from collection, to sorting, cleaning and processing than it does to make new paper.
5:18 I read the same article. Bendel is also quoted as saying something like "do we want to put the community through this". Really, Bendel? You are suddenly caring about your community and what you put them through? I've seen a lot worse and he didn't seem to care then.
I think commissioners only think about how much they can spend on their pet projects and they don't give a damn about who they hurt with double and triple taxes.
The Harrisburg Democrats think the same way. The Senate passed Bill 76 that keeps the property tax for the school debt service, increases the sales tax, and replaces the earned income tax with a personal income tax at a higher percentage rate. The Democratic governor candidate is proposing a tax on natural gas and of course all of this is to fund our schools. To hell with higher home heating bills when the gas companies tack that new tax on your gas bill.
Can you imagine Harrisburg determining Mount Lebanon's school budget in a fair way? I can't.
They can all go to Hell.
Thanks, 5:18 PM. I added a link to The Almanac article in the 7:18 PM update.
I resent the fact that this is coming down to an exercise in behavior modification; to model ourselves after our commission president and ESB chair. Yes Kristen, we all strive to be like the two of you. Just like Mary Poppins. Perfect in every way.
Elaine
Yep, Bendel, He's that guy that wants to spend an extra $300,000 of taxpayers hard-earned money to rebrick a small street for the sake of its historical value that probably 50% of Lebo residents couldn't find-- even on a map.
You are most welcome, Elaine.
I too do not want a government that believes its function is to modify my behavior.
I hope everyone visit the sites offered in 3:09's comment.
To 7:31, I'll share this quote: "The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." — Abraham Lincoln
I don't think that the taxpayers of Mount Lebanon need a behavior modification plan. The ones need a behavioral modification plan is Bendel, the 4 clown commissioners, and the sports cable middle school jock want-a-be's.
"Hugh," would you mind resubmitting your comment and leave out your reference to the "kid?" I don't want to get sued.
Elaine
7:31 We moved here from a State that gave each school district "X" amount of funding. If the district wanted say new band uniforms then they fund raised for them. Same for new football uniforms. We didn't have differences like what there is between Mt Lebanon, Upper St Clair, Peters and McKeesport, McKees Rocks etc. Do NOT expect any property tax reform EVER in PA! The school teacher's unions will kill it before they allow it to ever see the light of day. We attended a meeting several years ago about moving PA to year round schooling. The biggest hurdle in doing this was the tax increases needed to fund teacher's salaries. THEN they projected that $200,000 salaries to be the norm.
Elaine not sure what your reference to the "kid" means especially about being sued but have some of your Constitutional rights (Think First) being taken by a commissioner? I've read that you have had issues with the now President but does she have the "Right" to staunch someone's speech? I saw that you said that the PIO won't answer questions you submit. Same with some commissioners. But here's a question... You said that the President cut you off because of time. Can another resident allot their time to you like they do in the House and Senate? I'm off to bed as tomorrow we fly to China. They are more open than Mt Lebanon's commissioners!
I don't recall Dave Brumfield suggesting the next step should be to obtain feedback from the community at large when it came to turfing the ball fields.
Maybe I just missed that part.
Nick M.
I wish we could use a carrot or stick approach to modify our elected officials and public servants behavior.
Unfortunately our only opportunity for behavior modification is at the polling place and 70% of the registered voters squander that small opportunity.
Two items.
President Linfante proclaimed that once the commission had a majority vote they didn't need to listen to feedback from anyone.
Then Mr. Brumfield like his counterpart, Ed Kubit at the school district, can always proclaimed his feedback was from 4,000 and one anonymous constituents as opposed to the 4,000 that signed a petition asking for a scaled-backed high school project.
Looks as if PAYT won't get Brumfield the money needed for his indoor lacrosse building. Guess we'll see calls for a massive tax increase...Elaine maybe we should ALL submit plans to build chicken coops. If these goons are up-in-arms over that maybe they would get off the turf issue. How's that for "Behavioral Modification"?
11:22 PM, your suggestion would never fly with "Commissioner Linfante." At least with me.
I purposely read through all my points so that I wouldn't run out of time. I don't believe I did. Now, it appears that I need to raise less points so that my comments, as well as their responses, fall within the five minute time limit. More behavior modification.
Elaine
Want to do something that really impacts our waste disposal problem?
Try eliminating the mtl magazine and 90% of its staff. There is nothing it does that can't be provided by the Almanac and INMTL magazine.
Now now, 8:31! mtl magazine is a bastion of the 3 tenets of sustainable waste: reduce, reuse, recycle.
You see, mtl magazine reduces awareness of community issues. It does this by reusing the same rhetoric that our elected officials use to justify their positions. And it promotes recycling in the most obvious way: by giving you one more thing to toss in your recycling bin!
3 cheers for mtl magazine and sustained... er... sustainable waste!
Yea, after BottomDollarGate, MTL Magazine goes from my mailbox into the garbage can in my garage before ever making it into the house. Until Morgans is sent out to pasture, at least one MTL Mag will make it to the dump each month.
That's two 11 am so we've increased our municipal recycling by at least one ream of paper and the only thing it cost us was a couple of quick ttrips to the recycling can.
Think how much paper we'd save and how much energy consumption we'd eliminate if we shut the proaganda-laden, look-at-me rag down.
Incredible as it may seem, but one of our country's founding fathers commented on this very subject regarding MTL magazine.
"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." —Thomas Jefferson
I guess though we'll have to revise Jefferson's quote to be gender neutral otherwise Mt. Lebanon residents won't be able to comprehend his warning.
The Jefferson quote applies to required union membership and dues payment as well !
I'm not pro or anti turf, but can we get away from making Wildcat sound as if it's our version of the National Mall?
Fenway Park is historic....Wrigley Field is historic....Wildcat is a field next to a swimming pool. Sorry to break the news to those in the bubble. Do residents take their out of town guests to visit "historic wildcat field?"
Yes 8:59 there is a lawsuit just initiated by two teachers in Philly that may answer whether unions can compel members to fund ideas by force.
About as many real estate agents who will be driving prospective buyers to look at the turf, 9:10 PM.
Don't worry, 9:10 PM, payback's a bitch. If the turf doesn't go through, we'll have sharpshooters killing deer in Mt. Lebanon. And our taxes will go up too.
Elaine
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
Nice try 9:10.
Where was your lame comment when Franklin, Brumfield and crew were defining this field next to the swimming as our "crown jewel" that would attract young families from near and far with big wallets ready to pay a premium for our houses.
One thing is certain, it is just a field and spending $1-2 million turfing it won't make our kids better soccer or lacrosse players!
10:28 to be politically correct you'd better revise that quote to be gender neutral or someone might not get the point.
Given Fenway is the same age as Mt. Lebanon, it is a Pittsburgh tradition to destroy historic ball yards. Consider Forbes Field. Three Rivers Stadium. Wildcat is in every Mt. Lebanon History Book.
Concerning deer culling, please read prior posts about
killing deer in Mt. Lebanon.
I don't have the strength to get into it again. Looking back, I sure have taken a lot of crap from "Commissioner Linfante" over the years.
Elaine
The solution is fire the PIO. We're paying for our Mtl garbage to be publicated all ready.
I think the solution is that those at 710 Washington Road need a major attitude adjustment. The ones to blame are the commissioners who condone this type of behavior.
Elaine
Absolutely agree about the need for an attitude adjustment in our local government offices.
We don't need carrot or stick behavior adjudtments and we don't ned some pompous _ _ _ _ _ telling us to get a hobby.
These officials and public servants forget who is in charge.
It isn't all their fault for the attitudes because 30% election turnouts show a large percentage of their constituents are too lazy or apathetic.
127Historic or not, a natural grass field is nicer to look at than an artificially turfed field. Artificial toxic turf is UGLY! And ugly is something that the snobs in the Public Information Department usually frown upon.
Regarding PAYT-Can the powers that be in Leboland please stop trying to tell me how to run my life? I don't need behavior modification and I certainly don't need mommy and daddy, aka the nanny state, telling me how much garbage to throw out every week. I am perfectly capable of deciding what is trash and what is recyclable. Thanks.
the main problem is that the deer are eating all the expensive landscaping.. period.. the deer accidents are just BS... most of the anti deer folks i know love squirrels and birds and feed them daily..
Maybe those people concerned about deer eating their expensive landscaping should put in artificial plants and flowers!
Agree 11:18, I'm sick of these people feeding us BS information and science and then using it to manipulate our lives and behavior.
Remember, Remely justifying LEED pursuit for the high school because the students would learn from it and could then teach their parents how and why to change lightbulbs.
Wildcat field is clearly as historic as everything else in the entire historic district. So either delist the whole district, or keep the field intact. Otherwise, it's just more of the same cheating to win in Mt Lebanon.
The school district dropped attainment of the LEED certification baloney 3 years ago as not being cost justifiable. Actually they were desperate in trying to reduce project costs because they were exceeding PlanCon allowable limits. They're still ending up with a Taj Mahal boondoggle impossible to factually justify, and continue to exclaim "it's for the children".
Yes, you are right that they did drop the LEED pursuit but that doesn't negate the BS they handed out to the public to justify it initially.
The BS continues as they claim Harrisburg/Corbett have cut funding for K-12 education. Look at the latest CAFR report, it is higher for 2013-14 than it ever has been.
It is the same type of BS the commission is dealing out on the turf and will continue to foist on a sleeping public about the benefits of PAYT and recycling.
Bet a paycheck Brumfield is drooling over Seattle's newest tax... law on garbage! The good ole garbage collector out there will determine if you threw away too much food and fine you. Soon they will hire Garbage Police officers to check your garbage.
Is Brumfield drooling over the tax or the prospect of 1st. picks at the food excess being thrown ?
He appears to be that kind of guy.
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