How did Jan Klein pull this off?

http://www.mtlsd.org/district/hr/stuff/agreement_mlsd%20and%20jan%20klein.pdf

Best Opinion Piece Ever

Deer responsible for Mt. Lebanon road work

Any keen Almanac reader will guess why every road in Mt. Lebanon is being mended at the moment. It’s all the fault of the roaming hordes of deer. Deprived of their usual feeding grounds when the township decided to replace all the grass in Mt. Lebanon with artificial turf, they have taken to eating the roads.

Michael Murtough
Upper St. Clair

I'm definitely living in the wrong place.

It is no secret that I love to sew. In fact, I teach sewing on Castle Shannon Blvd. Today, Gloria Horn was so excited to see me because she was ordering the quilt panels featured in the latest Jenny Doan video. [Jenny Doan is a famous quilter and has many videos on YouTube.]


Only in Mt. Lebanon, deer are considered evil. Dangerous. One man wrote in to the PG, calling them rodents with hooves. Three weeks tomorrow, the killing starts for five months. These quilt panels may be all the deer that are left. September 8, Coleen Vuono wants to spend close to $90,000 to hire Bubba with a gun to wipe out the remaining deer in January.

Scott Twp. Commissioners Reiterate - No Hunting in Twin Hills

Scott commissioners reiterated Tuesday that they have not changed their opposition to deer culling in Twin Hills Park. http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/08/28/Scott-says-no-to-Mt-Lebanon-deer-culling-in-Twin-Hills-Park/stories/201508280096

On the home page of www.lebocitizens.com, is a nine minute audio clip of that meeting. Attorney Barbara Sollenberger did an excellent job. Thank you, Barbara!

Mt. Lebanon Commissioners should take note that Scott Township has no time clock. Ms. Sollenberger spoke for nine minutes and was treated with respect. In addition, a non-resident is permitted to speak at Scott Township meetings. Oh my!

It's a go!

From the municipal website:

Deer Management Update (August 25, 2015)White Buffalo Inc, the wildlife management firm hired to screen, train and manage archers who will conduct a bow hunt this fall, has concluded recruiting hunters. The archers, who will hunt up to 12 hours a week, were required to show experience through harvest verification and will need to have a Bow Hunter Education Certification before they can begin. Applicants who made an inquiry to White Buffalo by July 28 will be sent an application.

White Buffalo Inc. has enough properties [public or private?] in the pipeline to proceed with the hunt.  At this point they are only considering properties with a minimum of one acre, or properties that are near ravines, power lines, or other areas with at least 1/2 acre of woods or heavy vegetation. Informational meetings were held in the commission chamber of the municipal building Saturday, August 15, at 10 a.m. and Monday, August 17, at 7 p.m. View the presentation here. Residents also may contact White Buffalo directly by emailingmtlebodeer@whitebuffaloinc.org (please add to your address book to avoid responses going to spam) or applying online at http://www.whitebuffaloinc.org/#!contact/c1z0x. Please type "Mt. Lebanon Archery Program" in the subject line of the online form and complete the rest of the information requested. Properties in dense residential areas with few trees will not be suitable for the program. Please do not contact Mt. Lebanon Municipality directly. 

White Buffalo representatives plan to attend the September 8 commission discussion meeting at 6:30 to describe the final program, including the backgrounds of the manager and hunters, the number of public and private properties to be used and the safety procedures that will be required. Click here to review the contract detailing the June 30, 2015 deer management proposal.

******

Now would be a good time to get your signs displayed, if you haven't already. Need a sign? Email me at EGillen476@aol.com

"“We bit off quite a bit in the past few months..."

“We bit off quite a bit in the past few months, and we're still chewing,” Brumfield said. “Now it's like we're losing a tooth.”

The 2016 Budget, killing deer, implementing a pedestrian safety plan, choosing a firm to conduct a national search for Feller's replacement, and ultimately finding a new manager is quite a mouthful, Dave. Uncomplicate your lives and call off the deer killing, Commissioners. Seriously, Commissioners, where are your priorities?

Steve Feller will start working for the nonprofit, Municipal Risk Management, Inc. Here is what Guidestar has to say about Municipal Risk Management. http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/25-1507999/municipal-risk-property-casualty-company.aspx Steve Feller is the fourth to retire. Marcia Taylor, Tom Kelley, Coleman McDonough, and now Feller have all announced their retirements under the current commission. Are the commissioners cleaning house or is staff calling it quits because of the commissioners? Or is it because of other staff members? Speaking of other staff members, come on, Susan, you're next. 

The acting manager will be Keith McGill, Municipal Planner.

Read more: Mt. Lebanon manager resigning in October to take job with nonprofit

Update August 25, 2015 9:02 PM Municipal Risk Management is in Guidestar and have filed up to date returns: http://www2.guidestar.org/ReportNonProfit.aspx?ein=25-1407783 They must have had a name change.

New shipment arrived!

PLEASE stop the insanity

Read Matt Santoni's last sentence in Density, divide complicate effort to cull deer in Mt. Lebanon neighborhoods

I often hear people using the words "hunt" and "cull" interchangeably, but they have very important differences.

Bait - in a hunt, no bait is used. Bait is used in a cull.
Special permit from PA Game Commission - Hunt - N/A. Cull - Mt. Lebanon will have to apply for a special permit from the PA Game Commission.
Season - Archery season begins September 19 and ends January 23, 2016 with a break around the Holidays. There are no time restraints for a cull.
Safety Zones - Archers must be 50 yards away from any structure (house, shed, dog house, garage). All safety zones are waived with a cull. 

When we had the clowns from Wildlife Services in 2006-2008, all safety zones were waived. That is why they could shoot next to my house. That is why they could shoot on private property with permission, next to people's homes who did not permit shooting. If you were against guns being fired close to you, you're out of luck. Mt. Lebanon had a special permit from the PA Game Commission. Wildlife Services baited with rotten apples.

On September 8, 2015, Mt. Lebanon Commissioners will be presented with a full proposal from Wildlife Services. Coleen Vuono is urging the Commissioners to accept the almost $90,000 proposal and hire Bubba with a gun. They are not sharpshooters! That is a misnomer. The safety report that I have posted here, on my website, and sent repeatedly to the commissioners spells that out.

Please come to the September 8 Commission meeting and ask the commissioners to stop the insanity. Mt. Lebanon is no place for arrows and bullets. 

White Buffalo and John Hayes are encouraging INDEPENDENT archers to continue

It is getting to the point where I dread Sundays. What crap will the PG's John Hayes report next? Hayes didn't let me down. More crap is in today's Deer reduction redux: Mt. Lebanon tries managed archery to remove deer

Hayes starts out his propaganda with a woman who had called him on the phone. "Great," I thought. "He's going to write about the poor woman I met at the informational meeting who called Hayes with concerns about killing deer." Nope. No such luck. However, I delivered a "Not in My Yard" sign to her the next day.

More crap like this:

Infrared aerial photo counts of deer, which Mt. Lebanon has used, are notoriously unreliable but most commissioners say overwhelming anecdotal evidence has convinced them the community has a deer problem.

And this:

discrete archers have been quietly and legally dragging out deer for decades.

Kristen Linfante's replacement, Coleen Vuono told John Hayes that she received an email from a resident saying that there were eight deer walking down a residential street. My response would have been, "How long ago?" and "Seeing eight deer in Mt. Lebanon does not justify five months of killing deer."

Hayes posted a series of Q and A's from "independent hunters."

Will hunters who are not with White Buffalo be banned from Mt. Lebanon?

Can’t happen. Legal deer hunting already occurs on private property in Mt. Lebanon, and Maddock said he doesn’t want those hunters to stop. At the landowners meeting, he said he would not put stands on properties that are already being legally hunted, and he’s attempting to coordinate with independent hunters and urge them to shoot more does.

Do independent archers have to follow White Buffalo rules?

No. Neither White Buffalo nor Mt. Lebanon can set hunting laws, which are determined by the state legislature, or regulations set by the Game Commission. Participants in the managed hunt voluntarilywill exceed those restrictions.

Are the golf course and parks the sole domain of White Buffalo?

Like any other landowner, the municipality can let anyone it wants onto its property and keep the rest out. Most of the White Buffalo hunt will occur on private land with the owners’ consent, but some stands may be placed in municipal parks.

What if a deer takes an arrow and falls in somebody’s yard?

Same rule applies to everyone. Neither hunters nor police can enter private property without the owner’s permission, even to retrieve a lawfully killed animal. Only a Game Commission wildlife conservation officer can enter a property without permission to retrieve hunter-shot game.

Will there be a major outcry when a blood trail is spotted on Washington Road?

You bet. It’s Mt. Lebanon — expect a major outcry no matter what happens.

****

A second shipment of yard signs are due tomorrow. I have a waiting list of requests. Word has gotten out and I'm starting to hear from residents in Scott and Baldwin Twp., who live just outside the Mt. Lebanon borders. Scott Township commissioners have been notified of possible "legal hunts" in Twin Hills Park, located in Scott Township.

John Hayes is doing his best to promote Mt. Lebanon as THE place to hunt. What is up with this guy?

In the name of transparency...

Steve Feller sends out a weekly Administrative Report to the commissioners and municipal staff. Occasionally, they make their way to me usually from someone who knows someone who got them from someone else. A Lebo Citizens reader suggested that I post a copy of the AR on the blog. So in the name of transparency and open government, I bring you the August 21, 2015 Administrative Report.

Highlights from this week's AR include the denial of an appeal for a 7'6" fence by a pro deer kill resident on Pueblo.

The construction of the rain garden along Cedar Blvd. and Wildcat field, to supposedly help handle the rainwater flooding fiasco, looks like it might violate the Zoning ordinance for setback requirements.

Lebo Citizens readers will see the half truths concerning Jody Maddock and the archery program.

While I am on the subject of transparency, Mt. Lebanon Commissioners held a workshop on Public Engagement. Of course, the public wasn't permitted to engage. A Lebo Citizens reader emailed the presenter, Susan Morgans, requesting a copy of the presentation. She ignored him. So this tenacious reader went above Susan Morgans and asked Steve Feller for a copy of the presentation. I particularly enjoyed the recommendations in the Public Engagement Presentation on August 8, 2015. What a hoot!

Will we be told which public properties will be used for killing deer?

I am quite concerned with Steve Feller's weekly report which was sent to the commissioners and staff today.

More than 65 residents have expressed an interest in participating in the program, but Steve Feller failed to mention to the commissioners that only "ten-ish" of those properties are suitable.

I'm also nervous that White Buffalo will only share "the number of public and private properties to be used." Public properties? What does Feller mean by "public properties," when it used to be "parks?" Parks? Golf course? Parking lots? Schools? We've now gone from parks to "public properties." Another question I would like to ask is this:
Are all the private properties considered residential or will there be commercial properties being used? Places of worship? Assisted living complexes? Professional buildings? Apartment complexes? Did I miss anything?

Letter to the Editor: High School Renovation Accounting

Here are the latest figures for the Mt. Lebanon High School renovation (or reconstruction) project:
Total project hardware cost through the end of July, 2015: $86,390,431
Total project cost, including "soft costs," through the end of July, 2015: $102,375,450
(To put this in perspective, the total project cost through July, 2015, represents $3,089.46 for every man, woman, and child in Mt. Lebanon)

During the "Construction Update" of 10 August 2015 it was announced that there were no change orders (CO) in the pipeline for August, 2015. However, that does not mean the end of additional charges. We will likely see more change orders coming next month. Here is the latest accounting of change orders through the end of July, 2015:
Total Spent: $4,545,383.57 (includes refunds)
Average Transaction: $16,772.63 (includes refunds)
Median Transaction: $10,081.00 (includes refunds)
Count: 271 Transactions (total CO's and refunds)

The following table breaks out expenses and refunds separately
Average CO: $20,809.03
Average refund: -$36,762.79
Median CO: $11,064.50
Median refund: -$7,774.00
Total spent on CO's: $5,243,876.57
Total refunds: -$698,493.00
BALANCE: $4,545,383.57
Contingency Fund (FORMERLY $4,276,000.00 – add $538,000.00): $4,814,000.00
Available Balance: $268,616.43
% used: 94.42%

There have been 38 months of change orders, averaging $119,615.36 per month. For the first seven months of 2015 the monthly average is $73,773.57. The District spent all of its original contingency amount as of February of 2015, requiring an infusion of over a half-million dollars of additional cash. While it is true that the amount of money spent on change orders per month is decreasing, the project is not over and there are many unknowns associated with the upcoming building demolition. Despite assurances at the beginning of this project - oft repeated, at least until the late Fall of 2014 - the original contingency fund amount of $4,276,000 was not sufficient to cover the expected additional costs of construction. It remains to be seen whether the additional infusion of $538,000 will see the project through to the end.

Stay tuned.

Richard Gideon

How about this teachable moment?

At Jody Maddock's recruiting meeting, someone asked about the impact of killing in front of children. Mr. Maddock said that we are at the top of the food chain and that if children see a dead deer during the archery season, it would be a "teaching moment." In talking with other members of the community, we find this offensive.

One Mt. Lebanon resident, taking Maddock's suggestion to the extreme, said that if we want teachable moments, why don't we just take our kids to Rockview, a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections prison ironically located in Benner Township so that they can witness an execution.

I placed another order of yard signs yesterday since the supply is dwindling. If you have a sign, thank you! Plant it in your yards, if you haven't already. When, not if, people ask you how to get one, you may give them my email address, EGillen476@aol.com.

Mt. Lebanon Commissioners will host archers in our golf course and public parks for five months starting September 19. Some Mt. Lebanon residents will be using their yards as killing fields. To avoid any confusion, these signs are available for your yards with a $5 donation.

Speaking of signs, remember this at the entrances to our parks?

Or this one at the golf course?

Mt. Lebanon will be posting new warning signs during the next five months. Private residents who are volunteering their properties to kill deer, will not.

Shaking my head

According to Harry Funk's article in The Almanac, Mt. Lebanon superintendent receives raise, donates part to capital campaign,  Dr. Timothy Steinhauer received a 6.6% increase in salary after receiving a "satisfactory" performance review, and will donate $5,000 of his new salary of $186,625 to the capital campaign. Last month the assistant superintendents received salary increases which were within the 2.8% average salary increase as previously identified as the average Act 93 administrator increase.

At the August 17, 2015 school board meeting, Steinhauer announced the five recipients of the Mt. Lebanon Great Alumni Award for 2015.

Fr. John Chakos graduated from Mt. Lebanon in 1959. He was our priest at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church for 31 years. Father John and his wife Sandy are now missionaries in Guatemala. 

Jack Daly graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1984. Daly organized the Case Engineer Support Group, a nonprofit which builds physical and occupational therapy equipment for disabled adults and children.

Greg Gnipp, class of 1986, whose work with the U.S. Public Health Service includes working in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and helping to contain the Ebola virus in Liberia.

Our school board president Larry Lebowitz, class of '80, is an attorney with Cohen & Grigsby. His received national attention with this youtube video at 1:45 time stamp where he said, "our goal is clearly not to find a qualified and interested U.S. worker," Many articles were published such as this one Outsourcing: How to Skirt the Law.

And the fifth recipient is Josephine Posti. Josephine graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1986. As school board president, Josephine was caught plagiarizing four years ago. Consequences, not corrections (with more incidents) , and Much ado about...Mt. Lebanon board chief's blog.

The award recipients will be honored at the September 25 luncheon and again that night at the Mt. Lebanon High School football game.

Steve Feller's Retirement Announcement

From: Stephen Feller [mailto:sfeller@mtlebanon.org]
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2015 11:14 AM
To: All Employees
Subject: transition

To All Employees:

 I have informed the Mt. Lebanon Commission that I will be retiring from the Municipality.  My last day of work will be October 15, 2015.  I have taken a new position as Trust Administrator and Chief Administrative Officer of Municipal Risk Management Inc., a non-profit self-insurance pool that provides workers compensation and property and casualty insurance for local governments across Pennsylvania. 

 While I am very much looking forward to this new professional challenge, I am leaving Mt. Lebanon with mixed emotions.  I am so incredibly proud of all the great things you have done, and it has been my honor to be a part of this team the past fourteen years.  I admire the hard work you perform every day and will very much miss working with you. 

 I am committed to insuring a smooth transition for Mt. Lebanon, and I know that you will join me in this effort.  Thanks so much for your dedication and friendship.

 Steve Feller 

Deer killing informational meeting #2

The second meeting to recruit residents who wish to donate their properties for killing deer was held this evening. It was the same presentation as the one given on Saturday. I asked Keith McGill, prior to the meeting, if Mt. Lebanon was recording the meeting. He said that "It was decided not to record the meeting." Then he clarified "It, not me." The podcast has been uploaded and is available on my website.  http://www.lebocitizens.com/Lebo_Citizens/Podcasts/Podcasts.html

Things I learned tonight:

• There is no goal of 100 deer, as we were told by the commissioners. There is no cap. There is no minimum.
• If a child sees a deer dying, it should be handled as a teaching moment.
• We're at the top of the food chain.
• Everyone is responsible for killing deer, even vegetarians. Farmers kill animals to protect the crops which vegetarians eat. If we fly on an airplane, animals are killed on the runways and in the air. (Approximately at the 1:08:00 time stamp)
• There is no way to stop poachers.
• When Jody Maddock interviewed archers, he never asked the ones who admitted to hunting deer in Mt. Lebanon if they were observing the 50 yard safety zones. It wasn't any of his business.
• Of the 60+ private properties , about "ten-ish" qualify.
• There will be a count given to us at the end of the archery season.
• There were no commissioners at either meeting. The only staff member in attendance at both meetings was Municipal Planner Keith McGill. On Saturday, Former Finance Director Marcia Taylor volunteered her property.
• One resident asked if permission from neighbors must be obtained every year. Maddock said no. Keith McGill said yes. He said that approximately 600 homes are sold every year in Mt. Lebanon, so yes.
• Saturday's presentation was more graphic. Maddock toned it down this evening.
• Jody Maddock said that I was very nice on Saturday. I replied that I'm always nice. Michalina laughed. In fact, it brought a smile to the faces of all the haters.
• John Hayes was not there this evening.

About the same amount of people attended tonight as they did on Saturday. 

John Hayes couldn't keep his mouth shut

Had I known this was John Hayes, I would have said something about it.

As I wrote previously, I attended the informational meeting on Saturday designed to recruit private properties to kill deer. John Hayes sat across the room from me, posing as a Mt. Lebanon resident. He did not have a pen and paper in hand, but sat mostly with his arms folded. Hayes even spoke during the meeting, not identifying himself as a member of the press. What is up with this guy?

Posted online this morning at 12:00 AM, is John Hayes' Mt. Lebanon property owners preparing for possible deer archery hunt.

While mostly civil, the two-hour informational meeting devolved near the end into sharp words among residents, which municipal manager Keith McGill tried to mitigate. Outside the municipal building, opponents of the plan set up booths to press the case for safety and animal rights.
The Richardsons of Rockland Avenue attended with hopes of signing up their yard, but left abruptly.

John Hayes, you failed to mention that it was a prokill person who was firing off "sharp words" to a resident who was questioning the program. There were no opponents of the plan setting up booths. A couple of us went for pizza at Mineo's. And the Richardsons live on Rocklynn Place. There is no Rockland Avenue in Mt. Lebanon.

John Hayes, is there something in this for you? It sure appears that way.

Archery program F O R E V E R UPDATED

Where do I begin? I went to the meeting this morning which was set up to recruit private property owners. The plan is to set up this program to run F O R E V E R. See the 1:29:00 timestamp. This is approximately where Mr. Maddock told us that the program is FOREVER. Jody Maddock wants us to set up relationships with archers much like people in Florida have with their bug guys. A friend of mine once told me that in FL, they always invite their bug guy to weddings. Jody said once we stop, the deer will come back.

Here is what I learned. They need a 50 yard safety zone from the tree stands to any structure. This can be from sheds, dog houses, homes - any structure. They had 65 applications from archers, but are only using the top five or seven. The message is to use their archers to keep the rest outta here. We are in a special regulations area which permits archers to buy as many tags as they want. A tag costs under $7. The archery runs from September 19 to the end of January, with a short break around Christmas time. There is no hunting permitted on Sundays, so this will be six days a week from sun up to sundown. The public parks will be identified and fluorescent orange will not be worn. Hunters will typically hunt 15 feet up on a tree stand, but will also hunt off of decks, and even from kitchen or bedroom windows. I recorded the meeting and hope to have it posted on lebocitizens.com some time this weekend. See update.

I learned that this is not euthanasia. Mr. Maddock hopes for rapid massive hemorrhaging. It results in a faster death. Ugh.

I think I need to order more signs.

Update August 16, 2015 8:31 AM I uploaded the podcast of the informational meeting. I believe it is the only recording of this meeting. It was unclear that the municipality made its own audio recording. The podcast is found on my website. Here is the link.  http://www.lebocitizens.com/Lebo_Citizens/Podcasts/Entries/2015/8/15_Entry_1.html

They're sneaking in Timmy's raise!

The August 17, 2015 School Board Business Meeting Agenda has a little surprise.

*(6) Salary Increase for Superintendent: RESOLVED, That the Board rates the performance of the Superintendent as satisfactory and approves the salary of $184,625 effective July 1, 2015.

See the *? This is how they are sneaking in Timmy's raise. 

All matters of new business were considered and discussed by the Board at its Discussion Meeting on August 10, 2015, except as noted (*).

I looked on Super Timmy's blog to see what he has been up to lately. This is his latest entry.

Mt. Lebanon School District to ramp up fundraising campaign

Mt. Lebanon School District to ramp up fundraising campaign

Mt. Lebanon School District's fundraising campaign has received $1.1 million in pledges and has about $300,000 in hand, but organizers should do more to spread awareness of the effort and court big donors, a consultant said.

Consultant Margaret “Maggie” Schmidt said the campaign had strong and active volunteer leadership, yet was having trouble instilling a sense of urgency in potential donors with the $109.65 million high school renovation nearly complete.

“The high school renovation project is nearly completed, and there's been no real incident, no critical thing out there making people say, ‘Yes, there's a danger here or a challenge here and we need to make this happen,' ” Schmidt told the school board Monday.

The $6 million fundraising campaign originally was planned in 2012 to offset the second round of bonds issued for the project.

However, it couldn't have been started in time or raised enough to avoid borrowing money.

With bonds funding the renovation, proceeds from the campaign will be split between other capital projects and an endowment fund that will award grants for classes and programs at the schools.

So far, the campaign has secured a total of about $1.1 million in donations and pledges, with most coming from two “pacesetter” donors, Schmidt said.

In fundraising parlance, pacesetters are the early, big-money donors who help a campaign reach as much as half or two-thirds of its goal while fundraisers still are making private, individual appeals to potential donors.

Schmidt's comment was the first time anyone disclosed in a public meeting how much had been pledged and raised since the fundraising effort began in 2013.

Almost half of what's been raised so far will reimburse the cost of starting and running the campaign, though most of those expenses were one-time fees for things like purchasing software, said school board president Lawrence Lebowitz.

“The equipment, if you will, to run the campaign has been purchased and now we're just talking about personnel costs going forward,” he said.

The district will need to hire a new director for the capital campaign because Alyssa Jackson DeLuca resigned this year.

Schmidt has been filling DeLuca's role on an interim basis but said she has other commitments.

DeLuca's salary was about $82,500 a year, and Schmidt is being paid up to $2,000 a month for part-time work.

Schmidt recommended forming a panel to take requests and award grants to district projects and programs using some of the $300,000 the campaign has in cash, and using a planned grand opening ceremony for the high school renovation in the fall to draw parent and alumni attention to the fundraising efforts.

The campaign will broaden its search for additional “pacesetter” donors to bring in more large gifts, will look for donations from foundations or corporations and will do more to spread the word about the district's needs and reasons for the fundraising, Schmidt said.

“One recommendation is to make the campaign more public, which would mean that more people would know about it, more people would know the rationale and why it's important,” she said.

“It's different than going out and starting to mass-mail information to people.”

She also recommended evaluating the campaign in six months to assess whether the $6 million goal is still realistic.

The board will vote Monday on a contract that would allow the campaign to accept donations online or via credit card, using an add-on to the DonorPro software the district already bought.

The district will pay DonorPro a flat fee of $10 per month, plus 20 cents per transaction and 2.89 percent of each donation made via credit card, which Superintendent Timothy Steinhauer said was pretty typical of such contracts with payment processors.

Matthew Santoni is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5625 or msantoni@tribweb.com.

The new commissioner is like Kristen on steroids UPDATED 2X

Comments tonight were overwhelmingly against using weapons to "manage" deer. Getting the PG to admit that is another story. In Mt. Lebanon considering sharpshooters for deer management, we read

While the commission has said its goal is to reduce the number of deer versus vehicle collisions by 50 percent in five years, 10 residents – some of whom carried “Not in my Yard” signs – spoke out against the culling program, saying that bows and bullets flying through the community presents an even more serious safety issue for Mt. Lebanon.

There were only 12 residents who commented tonight during Citizen Comments. 

The above photo captures Coleen trying to pull a fast one. She added an item to the agenda tonight, 11B, which would have started the process of having the USDA come up with an agreement/contract that the commission would vote on September 8th. Fortunately Dave and Kelly immediately voiced opposition, Steve and John followed suit after they heard why Dave and Kelly opposed it because of transparency and it being"wholly inappropriate."

Coleen is Kristen on steroids. Watch the video when it comes out, there’s more to it than what is being conveyed here. Coleen is dangerous.

I had to walk out of the Wildlife Services portion of the Commission Discussion Session. It appears Wildlife Services is not exempt from the Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, but they do have a way around it. Such sleaze bags. As I explained in an earlier comment, they could get permission from the School District and the Municipality. Additionally, private property next to schools is also exempt, according to Wildlife Services.

We will have seven months of Hell starting in less than six weeks, with an overlap of 24 hours a day of killing during the month of January. Another sleepless night ahead of me and at least nine others tonight.

Signs arrived!

Want a sign? Email your request to me at EGillen476@aol.com. 

LEBO PARKS FOR PEOPLE, NOT HUNTING

The following information has been submitted by Mt. Lebanon resident, Kimberly Schevchuk.

KIDS SOCCER & BOW-HUNTING DO NOT MIX. 

KEEP OUR CHILDREN, FAMILIES & PETS SAFE 

STOP THE BOW-HUNTING PROGRAM IN OUR URBAN PARKS & YARDS

ONLY YOU CAN STOP THE BOW-HUNT 

FAST ACTION ESSENTIAL – CALL, WRITE, & SPEAK AT COMMISSION MEETING

THE COMMISSION PLANS TO GIVE FINAL APPROVAL ON Tuesday, Sept 8^TH

^{Commission contact information – to be most effective, send your e-mail to all the Commissioners}

^{John Bendel (412) 559-2571 jbendel@mtlebanon.org Ward 1} 

^{Steve Silverman (412) 491-3794 ssilverman@mtlebanon.org Ward 2}

^{Coleen Vuono (412) 862-5422  cvuono@mtlebanon.org Ward 3}

^{Dave Brumfield (412) 596-4095 dbrumfield@mtlebanon.org Ward 4}

^{Kelly Fraasch (412) 580-7665 kfraasch@mtlebanon.org Ward 5}

^{The next Commission meeting this Tuesday night (August 11th) is critical} 

• ^{Deer management is scheduled to be discussed at 7:15 p.m.at the Commission Discussion Meeting which starts at 6:25 p.m. in Committee Rm. C in the Municipal Building. There will be contractors answering questions at this meeting. The public can listen, but not participate in Discussion Meetings.}
• ^{The Regular Commission Meeting in the Municipal Chambers in the Municipal Building starts at 8:00 p.m. Residents may make comments and ask questions only at the beginning of this meeting.  There is a sign-up sheet to speak as you enter.}

^{The Commission is already considering approving an $89,513 rifle-hunt contract to immediately follow the archery hunt, before even evaluating the outcome of the bow-hunt.  Municipal deer management is being driven by politics, not safety or scientific evidence of community need. Commission actions in fact reflect a disregard for prior experience and public safety.  The rifle shooting contract under discussion is with USDA APHIS Wildlife Services – which the municipality used before and resulted in a deer bleeding out in a family yard and the contractor lying to the police to cover up their mistake.  The excuse the “expert sharpshooters” used for their mistake was “they did not know that they had shot the deer.”  [Their excuse from a safety perspective is even more terrifying than admitting to be a poor shot.]  The Commission had such a bad experience, that Commissioners at the time swore they would never use the contractor again and they acknowledged the need to re-evaluate the assumed “safety” of using sharpshooters to manage deer.  Despite this knowledge, the current Commission specifically requested a proposal from USDA APHIS Wildlife Services and is seriously considering hiring them.  It is time for residents to tell the Commission that we are serious about not wanting lethal weapons in our parks & yards. Only resident voices can stop what is clearly a failure of the current Commission to recognize the danger of shooting arrows and rifles in one of the most dense communities in Allegheny County.  Members of this Commission have even stated that they do not think that residential density matters.  It is time for the Commission to apply common sense, stop use of lethal weapons in our community, and pursue proven effective non-lethal deer management alternatives.} 

• ^{Get more information on lebocitizens.com} 
• ^{Sign petition to stop bow-hunt on lebocitizens.com - signatures needed, but direct communication with Commission is essential}
• ^{Place a sign in your yard – look for sign-up on lebocitizens.com}
• ^{Tell your neighbors & friends living in Mt. Lebo & ask them to act quickly. –Residents do not know and have a right to voice their opinion about the use of lethal weapons in our community parks & yards.  GET THE WORD OUT!} 

*************

NOT IN MY YARD

No Bows & Arrows – No Hunting - No Way

APPROVED BOW-HUNTING IN MT LEBANON – GET THE FACTS

Contract specifics

• On July 14^th the Mt. Lebo Commission signed a contract with White Buffalo Inc. to promote & organize a hunting program with volunteer archers in Mt. Lebanon to start this September.
• Total program costs will be much higher than the $15,460 contract.  Additional costs include: municipal staff time for program administration and implementation as well as costs for Police response to resident concerns and injured deer not successfully killed by the first arrow.
• Bow Hunting will be permitted both in Mt. Lebanon Parks and in resident yards.
• Hunting will occur simultaneous with recreational park use, e.g. kids soccer practice & games, families in parks, runners, dog-walking, and playground use.
• Bow-hunting in Mt. Lebanon Parks can occur anytime during daylight hours throughout the entire deer hunting season. 
• State regulations permit bow-hunting  
• From one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset
• During 5 months  (September, October, November, End of December, and January)
• Commission not making public in what yards hunting will occur.  Don’t we have a right to protect our families and pets and know what areas to avoid?
• Lethal weapons approved without due-diligence.  Bow-hunting program was approved & contract signed without specifics on location, times and safety issues.
• Allows Mt. Lebanon to become a magnet for bow-hunters statewide.  Once Mt. Lebanon opens the parks & yards to program hunters there is no coherent plan to keep non-approved hunters out.  Is the municipality going to patrol all our parks and all approved private properties for five months during all daylight hours to keep non-program hunters out?
• Modern deer management or open hunting season?  After one antlerless deer, male or female, the hunters are permitted to shoot whatever deer they want, e.g. antlered males.  Modern scientific deer management practices focus on females and include non-lethal deer management methods such as sterilization or contraception.  These alternatives have been proven effective.
• Arrows can kill and maim deer, people, and pets and can ricochet after nicking a tree, rock, or other solid structure.
• Arrows can travel the distance of 4 Mt. Lebanon houses, i.e. between 297 and 342 yards.
• Urban bow-hunting is not humane or safe.  Often bow hunters do not successfully kill on the first shot.  The program and state law requires hunters to follow & try to kill injured deer.  Now exactly how does that play out safely in our dense urban community?

The Commission will finalize the bow-hunting program on Tuesday, September 8th.

Call, write the Commission immediately & come on Tuesday and tell the Commission to 

STOP THE BOW HUNT.  URBAN PARKS ARE FOR PEOPLE, NOT HUNTING.

Oh, not a Bentley!

There was a three car accident on Friday afternoon at the crosswalk in front of Washington School. The first car stopped for a pedestrian crossing at the crosswalk, when two cars failed to stop and hit the first car. The Bentley seemed to be impacted the most. No pedestrians or deer were at fault. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

Ouch! That's gonna cost a lot.

Police arrive

Fire truck arrives

Coming to Lebo UPDATED

The commission is considering "sharpshooting"* next. Coleen Vuono wanted it approved at the last commission meeting which is against protocol. Steve Silverman supported Coleen, while John Bendel will consider it. Thanks to Coleen (Kristen's appointed replacement), Wildlife Services is on Tuesday's Commission Discussion Session Agenda.

"Sharpshooting"* is what the prokill people are now demanding. See And the Darwin Award goes to MTL Resident Becky McDermott UPDATED Kristen Linfante pushed for "sharpshooting."* Mt. Lebanon veterans Bill Hoon, Dan Miller, and Jim Cannon all spoke publicly on this issue and agree with the statement above, "No expert could ever say shooting in a residential area is safe. There is little control. And once that bullet leaves the rifle, there's no way to get it back."

It is not going to stop anytime soon. All Wards 1 and 3 Commission Candidates are for "sharpshooting"* in Mt. Lebanon. This is what is coming next, Folks. 


*To call this "sharpshooting" is a misnomer. 

Stop Mt. Lebanon's Violent Plan To Kill Deer

Update August 9, 2015 1:36 PM The June 26, 2015 proposal made by Wildlife Services has never been made public. I posted it here on Lebo Citizens on July 12, 2015, in the post Here is DeNicola's and Maddock's Proposal.  A direct link to Wildlife Service's June 26, 2015 proposal is here. Using bait, Wildlife Services estimates that the cost of killing up to 150 deer for 20 nights will cost Mt. Lebanon taxpayers $89,513.50.

Here's a first!

There are no change orders on the August School Board Agenda! The August 19, 2015 Discussion Meeting Agenda has been posted for Monday's school board meeting. There's always the possibility  that some change orders may be slipped in for the August 17, 2015 meeting, but as of now, no change orders for August.

Other items on the agenda include a mystery agreement with Janice Klein, the finance director for the school district. Jan Klein should have retired years ago, but has been able to hang on by being a master at playing the shell game with stakeholders.

The school board is going to get wild and crazy and spring for the $10 per month plus 2.89% plus $.20 per credit card transaction so that people can charge donations to the school district capital campaign. This item was tabled at last month's meeting.

From a Title 1 Federal grant for $335,896, the school district will use $100 of the $335,896 grant for supplies for the homeless. Their generosity just warms the heart, doesn't it? The bulk of the grant will be spent on two full-time reading specialists at Lincoln and Washington Elementary; and two .5 reading specialists at Lincoln and Washington (Salaries totaling $240,000). Two more grants totaling approximately $129,000 will also be approved this month.

Naming of High School Library - Approval is requested to name the Library located in the High School in honor of Richard J. Madden for his contribution to the education of our students through The Richard J. Madden Foundation. His Foundation has been providing post-secondary scholarship assistance to students graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School since 2003.

And finally, an assessment of the capital campaign is going to be a topic for discussion. Have we reached the end of the quiet phase?

Our worst nightmare

Tuesday's Discussion Agenda

Item #5
1. Discuss USDA sharpshooting proposal
2. Discuss sterilization proposal with Dr. DiNicola Keith McGill will introduce Todd Puckett of USDA APHIS Wildlife Services and review issues that have been raised.

These are the bozos who don't count bullets, were chewed out by then president of the commission, Dan Miller for lying to our then police chief Tom Ogden, allowed a deer to bleed out and die in front of someone's home on Lindendale after traveling 100 yards from being shot, didn't have drug tests, couldn't recite answer four questions about gun safety and have been known to shoot themselves in the feet. Here is the safety report that I have had on my website, lebocitizens.com.

USDA APHIS Wildlife Services 2008 Firearm Safety Review

I shared this report with our current commission and heard nothing from any of them.

This is getting way out of hand. The Coalition for Coexistence has started a petition, not a pledge this time, that is short and to the point. Please take the time to sign it. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-mt-lebanons-violent-plan-to-kill-deer

The garden biddies hand carried their petition door to door and stood outside of Giant Eagle to collect signatures. It was rather long and residents relied on them to explain what was on the petition. A usual response was that it was to do something about the deer. Some said that they were unaware that deer were going to be killed. Our petition is one sentence long, and easily comprehended. A hard copy of this petition will be distributed tonight at First Friday, as well as downloading a copy here. 

In addition, I ordered these yard signs today. They should arrive in a week. Email me privately if you would like to order one.

Saturday's Commission Goal Setting Session to Review Financial Trends and Public Outreach UPDATED

On Saturday, August 8, 2015, the commission will hold their third goal setting sham...er...I mean... session. According to the agenda, the work session will begin at 8:30 AM and conclude at 11:30 AM.

I am particularly interested in the second item on the agenda.

The following recent email exchange with John Bendel was like pulling teeth.

From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com> 
To: jbendel <bendel@mtlebanon.org> 
Cc: commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; philip.weis <philip.weis@bipc.com>; sfeller <sfeller@mtlebanon.org> 
Sent: Wed, Aug 5, 2015 8:07 am 
Subject: Re: board email addresses 

John,

It appears that "sidestepping transparency and record-keeping laws by using a personal email system" is making national news. I do hope the commission decides to take a positive step forward and do the right thing for Mt. Lebanon.

Elaine  

-----Original Message----- 
From: egillen476 < egillen476@aol.com> 
To: jbendel < jbendel@mtlebanon.org> 
Cc: commission < commission@mtlebanon.org>; philip.weis < philip.weis@bipc.com>; sfeller < sfeller@mtlebanon.org> 
Sent: Mon, Aug 3, 2015 5:24 pm 
Subject: Re: board email addresses 

Hi John,

Thank you for bringing this up at the next work session. To answer your question in one word, "Yes." But it is more than just that. If you go on the municipal website under Boards and Authorities ( http://mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?NID=29 ) you will not see any staff liaisons listed for the Parks Advisory Board, for example. If you go to the page for the Parks Advisory Board ( http://mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?NID=75 ) Tom Kelley's email address is still listed with no mention of a commission liaison. Because I am friends with the head of the PAB, I was able to send Hugh an email about some issues last year concerning Rockwood Park. At that time, I told him my thoughts about having an email address for each board, and he thought it was a good idea. It would beneficial if residents had a way to contact each group. This was around the time when Tom Kelley stormed out of a meeting.

Each board email address could be set up just like the commission's email system, commission@mtlebanon.org, For Parks Advisory Board, it would be PAB@mtlebanon.org., Parking would be parking@mtlebanon.org, etc. 

Just as you are to be using mtlebanon.org for your emails, board members would be required to use their mtlebanon.org emails for municipal business, something that would make Steve Feller's job a lot easier when filling requests for open records. The boards are subject to right to knows. This would make Mt. Lebanon more transparent and also allow residents an easier way to provide input to the advisory boards. As you know, attending meetings can be difficult for residents.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Elaine

-----Original Message----- 
From: John Bendel < jbendel@mtlebanon.org> 
To: egillen476 < egillen476@aol.com> 
Cc: commission < commission@mtlebanon.org>; philip.weis < philip.weis@bipc.com>; sfeller < sfeller@mtlebanon.org> 
Sent: Mon, Aug 3, 2015 6:52 am 
Subject: Re: board email addresses 

Elaine,

We can bring this up at the resident engagement discussion session. 

Can you help narrow for me your specific question, do you want to be able to provide input to the advisory boards?

On Aug 2, 2015, at 1:03 PM, " egillen476@aol.com" < egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Thanks for your response, John. The problem with the current system is that none of the boards' emails are available through Right to Know requests unless they have included a commissioner or a staff person in their email exchanges. It makes Steve Feller's job more difficult trying to track down emails for Open Records requests. I have been working toward a change in this system for a couple of years now. It would lead to a more transparent government. Isn't that what you folks strive for? I would hope so. 

Please consider adding my request to your next work session on public outreach. 

Thank you.

Elaine

-----Original Message----- 
From: John Bendel < jbendel@mtlebanon.org> 
To: egillen476 < egillen476@aol.com> 
Cc: commission < commission@mtlebanon.org>; ddonnellan < ddonnellan@mtlebanon.org> 
Sent: Sun, Aug 2, 2015 9:21 am 
Subject: Re: board email addresses 

Elaine,

You are correct the SAB's next scheduled meeting is September 3. There is an opportunity to address the SAB at citizen comments during each Board meeting. The specific issue you brought up regarding the turf field was handled the through the proper channels - you informed the SAB staff liaison and the person responsible for the field, David Donnellan, and the Commission. 

On Jul 29, 2015, at 7:40 AM, "' egillen476@aol.com' via Commission" < commission@mtlebanon.org> wrote:

John,

I appreciate your response. Thank you.

The next Sports Advisory Board meeting is September 3, 2015, unless it is canceled. It would still be helpful if taxpayers had a way to contact boards via an email address.

Elaine 


-----Original Message----- 
From: John Bendel < jbendel@mtlebanon.org> 
To: egillen476 < egillen476@aol.com> 
Cc: commission < commission@mtlebanon.org>; Recreation David Donnellan < ddonnellan@mtlebanon.org> 
Sent: Tue, Jul 28, 2015 10:19 PM 
Subject: Re: board email addresses 

Elaine,

Recreation Director Donnellan is aware of the issues at middle and wildcat fields and is taking steps to address them. He is the person that is responsible for programming and operations. The Sports Advisory Board will discuss this at an upcoming meeting.

On Jul 27, 2015, at 5:59 PM, "' egillen476@aol.com' via Commission" < commission@mtlebanon.org> wrote:

Commissioners,

This is one of those situations where residents need an email address to contact the Sports Advisory Board. The 'crown jewel" that was forced upon taxpayers is being abused. It isn't a difficult request. All that is needed is something like SAB@mtlebanon.org .

Elaine Gillen

Item 2a is rather concerning to me. According to Susan Morgans, there is no value in public engagement. Remember this post? "We see no value to Mt. Lebanon residents of releasing daily reports," Asking Susan Morgans what causes citizens who might otherwise contribute to disengage is rather comical. She could answer that question with two words. Susan Morgans.

Update August 5, 2015 10:08 PM Honestly, how much are we paying these folks? Here's another email sent to the commission, Steve Feller, and Phil Weis.

John,

I just checked the Boards and Authorities webpage ( http://mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?NID=29 ) and see that it has been updated. Thank you. However, if you click on Steve Silverman's name for the Parks Advisory Board and Community Relations Board, Dave Brumfield's email pops up, not Steve Silverman's. 

Thanks for your help.

Elaine Gillen