To: klinfante <klinfante@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: sfeller <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>; cmcdonough <cmcdonough@mtlebanon.org>; nsohyda <nsohyda@mtlebanon.org>; commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; repmiller <repmiller@pahouse.net>; smorgans <smorgans@mtlebanon.org>Sent: Tue, Oct 21, 2014 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: Kids Health & Safety Fair
I see. It is unfortunate that you consider anything about kids' safety as political. I am not surprised.
Since the purpose of the June 12 presentation was "NOT to discuss the potential harmful effect of artificial turf" as Susan Morgans wrote in her May 23, 2014 email to Andrew McNitt, I was hoping that you would take this opportunity to let others "discuss the potential harmful effects of artificial turf."
I hope you are able to attend Sunday's rally, Commissioners.
Elaine Gillen
Since the purpose of the June 12 presentation was "NOT to discuss the potential harmful effect of artificial turf" as Susan Morgans wrote in her May 23, 2014 email to Andrew McNitt, I was hoping that you would take this opportunity to let others "discuss the potential harmful effects of artificial turf."
I hope you are able to attend Sunday's rally, Commissioners.
Elaine Gillen
-----Original Message-----
From: Kristen Linfante <klinfante@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: Stephen Feller <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>; Coleman McDonough <cmcdonough@mtlebanon.org>; Nicholas Sohyda <nsohyda@mtlebanon.org>; Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; Rep. Dan Miller <repmiller@pahouse.net>Sent: Tue, Oct 21, 2014 8:52 am
Subject: Re: Kids Health & Safety Fair
Ms. Gillen,
For clarification, w e send out LeboALERTs only for municipal events/issues or in response to requests from formally organized groups or 501C3s. For instance, we will send out a once-a-year-alert for YMCA Indian Princess/Guide Registration or for youth soccer registration or for a membership meeting for the Mt. Lebanon Junior Women's Club. In the spirit of neutrality, we do not send out anything political in nature and have repeatedly denied requests from both the democratic and republican committees to publicize their party events. We will send out an alert for something that an elected official is sponsoring that is open to the public—for instance Dan Miller's recent fair for young people seeking jobs (although we generally don't even do that prior to an election.)
I hope this helps to clarify the stance of the municipality.
Regards,
Kristen Linfante
Commissioner, Ward 3
Kristen Linfante
From: Kristen Linfante <klinfante@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: Stephen Feller <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>; Coleman McDonough <cmcdonough@mtlebanon.org>; Nicholas Sohyda <nsohyda@mtlebanon.org>; Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; Rep. Dan Miller <repmiller@pahouse.net>Sent: Tue, Oct 21, 2014 8:52 am
Subject: Re: Kids Health & Safety Fair
Ms. Gillen,
For clarification, w e send out LeboALERTs only for municipal events/issues or in response to requests from formally organized groups or 501C3s. For instance, we will send out a once-a-year-alert for YMCA Indian Princess/Guide Registration or for youth soccer registration or for a membership meeting for the Mt. Lebanon Junior Women's Club. In the spirit of neutrality, we do not send out anything political in nature and have repeatedly denied requests from both the democratic and republican committees to publicize their party events. We will send out an alert for something that an elected official is sponsoring that is open to the public—for instance Dan Miller's recent fair for young people seeking jobs (although we generally don't even do that prior to an election.)
I hope this helps to clarify the stance of the municipality.
Regards,
Kristen Linfante
Commissioner, Ward 3
Kristen Linfante
Commissioner, Ward 3
(412)561-2790
(412)561-2790
On Tue, Oct 21, 2014 at 7:48 AM, ' egillen476@aol.com' via Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org> wrote:
Steve,
I would think that a "Kids Health & Safety Fair" is the correct forum for any group concerned about kids' health.
Nothing was mentioned about my request for a LeboALERT to be sent out on Friday concerning Sunday's Rally. I had copied Susan Morgans, but as usual, I got no response from her. In fact I received ZERO responses from anyone and it wasn't until you talked with "Rep. Miller's office about this issue" did I get a response at all.
Mr. Feller, the customer service level within the Municipality is subpar. This is Brewfest Poster Request Redux.
Elaine Gillen
Steve,
I would think that a "Kids Health & Safety Fair" is the correct forum for any group concerned about kids' health.
Nothing was mentioned about my request for a LeboALERT to be sent out on Friday concerning Sunday's Rally. I had copied Susan Morgans, but as usual, I got no response from her. In fact I received ZERO responses from anyone and it wasn't until you talked with "Rep. Miller's office about this issue" did I get a response at all.
Mr. Feller, the customer service level within the Municipality is subpar. This is Brewfest Poster Request Redux.
Elaine Gillen
28 comments:
As I wrote on Mt. Lebo Residents Against Child-Health Risks of Artificial Turf (Facebook):
I tried to get a spot at the Kids Health & Safety Fair on Saturday for the Advocates For Lebo Kids' Health and was denied. I asked for a LeboALERT to be issued for the Rally on Sunday and was denied. I hope people spread the word, because there is no cooperation from Mt. Lebanon. They don't want the secret out that this stuff is toxic!
Elaine
If I were Dan Miller I would be very concerned about Elaine's praise. So far, every single thing that Elaine has advocated or been in favor of has gone down the drain. Talk about the kiss of death!
Thank you, 2:27 PM.
Elaine
By same token, 2:27 PM, when I said that Cedar was prone to flooding, it flooded twice in nine days. When Darren Gill, the big shot from FieldTurf was attacking me his product, about a gazillion stories surfaced about him and the problems with FieldTurf. When I said that you are not safe in your own house when Kristen wants the shooters to kill the deer, a five day old baby was shot in the head while being in his dad's arms in their living room. When I said that artificial turf was carcinogenic, NBC Nightly News and CBS ran stories about the young soccer players getting cancer.
Believe me, I would love to be proven wrong.
Hope to see you at the rally, 2:27 PM. Even though you get everything you ever ask for.
Elaine
Dan Miller is running unopposed, and would win even if he had the endorsements of Fidel Castro, Karl Marx, and Kim Jong Un - which I am sure Mr. Miller doesn't want! The same is true for Republican Tim Murphy - the only candidate running for the US 18th Congressional District. That means on November 4th the only race in Mt. Lebanon will be for governor; where the choice will be between an inept incumbent who apparently does not know what goes on in his own administration, and a so-called "businessman" hypocrite who could not find his way out of Econ-101! Is it any wonder that voter turnout in Mt. Lebanon is so low?
The problems we face today... conflicts, destruction of nature... and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share.
Dalai Lama (XIV)
The school board was asked about the "Rock Pile" yesterday.
http://www.thealmanac.net/article/20141021/NEWS/141029978
Will the fat old jocks send their little team players dressed in uniform with tears in their eyes.
Most likely, 8:06 AM. That's fine. The kids need to know that adults care about their safety. Maybe the parents will learn a thing or two about the hazards of artificial turf.
I am thrilled that people stepped up to organize the rally. I promised them that I will promote it on the blog. Thank you, Advocates for Lebo Kids' Health!
Elaine
Forbes Magazine: Buyers Remorse Surfacing Over Artificial Turf Fields
VOTERS REJECT ARTIFICIAL TURF IN THREE STATES
So someone organizes a protest, a substantial and potentially effective effort. And what does the author of this blog do? She buries the informational post halfway down the front page and chooses to write about petty behind the scenes tifts she has with public officials. Am I the only one sick of this?
I guess you are, because the past two days have been high volume traffic, almost record breaking since this blog's beginning of November 29, 2010.
But to please you, 2:00 PM, I am adding another post promoting it AGAIN. With no help from the municipality, thank you very much.
Elaine
I am also going to make people aware of an announcement from the school district:
"We have been notified by the municipality that Dixon Parking Lot (on Cedar Boulevard) will be closed beginning October 27, until further notice due to an upcoming turf installation project on Wildcat and Middle Fields."
Elaine
Isn't that funny... suddenly the Dixon Lot is closed the same day as the protest.
Sure it's coincidental!
Dixon is closing on the 27th; the "Rally for Lebo Kids' Health" is on the 26th.
2:00 PM: The only thing I am sick of are the bullies LIKE YOU!!!!! You must be a narcissist! You need help! Go find something else to do besides tearing people down. Did you know that you can raise your low self esteem by going to counseling?!!!
If the concern is about the effects of kids playing on toxic tire filled turf, then I think we should have the protest at the MTL/USC high school game on Friday evening at the stadium. I bet you the grade school kids are playing their games on it this weekend as well. I haven't heard anyone say we should protest the high school games. I think we should. They are kids too!
9:20 It's a great idea to hand out fliers at the USC game. USC intends to turf great grassy fields as well. I'd love to see the permit they get for those fields, too. Similar numbers, Gateway?
2:00 pm, we learned from Eddie Kubit how to survey the community and according to post here and talking to people on the street the majority have a preference for Elaine's writing on this blog. ;-p
So if the protest works and they decide to go with the Nike ground shoe fill, will everyone then be happy? Sounds like a reasonable compromise. Just wondering what the goal is? My guess is those in charge wouldn't be opposed to that type of fill. But I have to wonder, what will everyone here do if they say "OK, Nike fill"...
They won't go with the Nike fill. They wouldn't go with the organic infill either. Keep in mind that the backing and the blades of "grass" are also bad. Then we get to go through this every eight years.
The rally is not going to stop the project. I got a report today that the grass has started to be ripped up.
My goal, through all this, is that parents educate themselves and not rely on what the commissioners, PIO, other staff members, and SAB want you to know. They need to decide for themselves if they want to take the risk with their own children.
Elaine
How this for a reasonable compromise?
Sod WC/M and maintain the natural grass in tip-top shape. Then use the balance of the private money to improve the grass playing surfaces of all the fields. Perhaps add a dedicated practice field at Robb Hollow to alleviate some of the stress to the regular fields. Then should it shake out that tire crumb fields are truly is safe we can proceed with artificial turf.
It's not like all of our fields couldn't use some TLC.
Forgot to add, our tax dollars will be used to turf the school district Rock Pile, and replace the high school stadium turf which is not lasting as long as promised.
God forbid if a kid gets cancer, I won't have the bad karma that the commissioners, staff, SAB, and school board members will have to deal with. It's on their heads. I have done everything I could do, to get the message out. I pray that I'm wrong.
Elaine
Why spend a million or two for artificial turf that will wear out in 8-10 years when you could probably resod the whole field 'Like New' every year for less money!
That way you get new grass every year and you don't have to worry about health or environmental issues.
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2010/03/16/cchs-opts-to-revive-football-field/ak1zwy2/
"One month after turning down the artificial turf option, Coal City Unit School District 1 gained its footing Monday with regards to providing a quality surface for its football field at a reasonable cost. Board members gave their verbal consent for district officials to revive the field surface using a process called “top dressing.”
Top dressing is a process that involves a machine moving across the field, spreading dirt in the low spots and dropping a small layer of top soil across the top. The process then involves reseeding and fertilizing over the soil.
“It smooths the fields out,” Superintendent Dr. Kent Bugg said, “and it helps us maintain the crown on the field after we get on the program of doing this for two or three years.”
A significant advantage, as Bugg noted, is that this process will prevent the district from having to resod and recrown the football field in the future. It has been more than 10 years since the district has resodded and recrowned its field, Bugg said.
“It was due, but that would have cost about $70,000 to get done,” Bugg said."
Has anyone ever, EVER seen them top dress any field in Mt. Lebanon? Won't even mention re-sodding.
Even at this stage where they're tearing out the grass at Wildcat, we could stop turf, re-sod and be ahead of the game!
No wonder our fields are in bad shape.
Gateway told the DEP that the municipality fertilizes the fields, like it's a bad thing. Have you ever seen that happen? Did the DEP think Gateway was saying pesticides? I hope the DEP and Gateway know that there are organic, eco-friendly fertilizers available, not that any have been used here.
Elaine
I've never seen a field watered, fertilized, top dressed or re-sodded in the 20-some years we've lived here.
I have seen bags and bags of drying clay poured on fields to dry out puddles before games and I'm told that is the worst thing you can do to a field.
From Forbes Magazine 10/22/2014.
"three years ago FieldTurf (the leader in artificial turf) filed a major lawsuit against its largest supplier – Royal TenCate based in Holland. By their own admission, at least 167 Fieldturf fields have failed because the synthetic grass fiber has degraded prematurely. "
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