Keep these in mind for Saturday UPDATED again

What a monumental task! Going through a list of Google Docs, I have tried to list significant documents obtained either through Right To Knows at various government levels or emails. I hope it is helpful for those attending Saturday's Anti-Turf Project Protest.

*November 19, 2013, Linfante announces to a turf supporter that it will pass with 3 votes
and again here 3 votes plus White going after Fraasch again

Nobody wants organic infill according to Deiseroth

Gateway donates to turf project

White mocks ESB and "diffuse Kelly F"

Linfante battles with Fraasch

Linfante/Hrabovsky and igniting/ignoring

Darren Gill, VP of FieldTurf contacts Elaine Gillen

Technical deficiencies, including proposed zinc treatment system, identified by the Allegheny County Conservation District

Franklin's research papers including 2009 Ridgewood Park, NJ study ---> April 2011 Ridgewood repairs turf after flooding  ---> August 2014 Ridgewood repairs artificial turf fields after costly flooding

Deiseroth requests infill with the least amount of lead

Franklin "rain on the organic parade"

Turf Project Task Force Presentation Spin Initial contributions and annual contributions

Deiseroth not billing us for his time spent fundraising

Addresses for April 24, 2014 "neighborhood meeting about the turf project"

McGill no Planning Board recommendation required for turf project

*Parks Advisory Board pushes back

* Environmental Sustainability Board's statement to the Commission concerning artificial turf and an audio montage of Linfante lying about the ESB's position on artificial turf

Fundraising updates, ESB reviews, Planning Board review - none occurred

McNitt "neutral third party to the project"

Bendel vetting McNitt

McNitt fee Not from Penn State, but from his own business

Morgans instructs McNitt - don't discuss potential harmful effects of artificial turf

ESB NOT cosponsoring McNitt presentation

McNitt's rehearsed answers for Q and A before presentation

Turf donation checks including $50,000 from Mt. Lebanon Baseball and $50,000 from Mt. Lebanon Soccer Gateway and other corporate donors are not identified by the Mt. Lebanon Community Endowment.

Silverman's economic plan

Deiseroth's future turf replacement cost estimate based on 108,000 sq. ft.

Evans misrepresenting himself to GeoTurf, Silverman contacted about hazardous materials in turf, Franklin berating Fraasch, Notes from initial Turf Project Task Force meeting

Application for NPDES Permit

Post Construction Stormwater Management Report

Department of Environmental Protection Responses and authorizing NPDES permit

Almanac Commissioners hear flooding and financial concerns

It never floods. Cedar Blvd. Closed due to Flooding

Fraasch on artificial turf

Update November 3, 2014 3:19 PM In addition to the videos that Albert Turfstein provided, please view the October 3, 2013 Sports Advisory Board Meeting. Click on Turf Project and watch Tim White say, "Mr. Bendel pissed away all the money we had."

*added at 9:51 PM 

Update November 4, 2014 12:56 PM The Sports Advisory Board Meeting Agenda is available here. Comments are limited to five minutes. They are allocating ten minutes for Citizen Comments.

Update November 7, 2014 5:43 PM The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the Middle and Wildcat Fields artificial turf project 

BTW, we want artificial turf for the Rock Pile

The commissioners filled a vacancy on the Environmental Sustainability Board (ESB) on Monday evening. Not sure of the circumstances for this new appointment, I asked during Citizens Comments for more details. Apparently, the school board directors no longer want to be a part of the ESB.

The following is a letter to Kristen Linfante and Steve Feller, from school board president, Elaine Cappucci:

On Jun 11, 2014, at 4:34 PM, Elaine Cappucci <ECappucci@mtlsd.net> wrote:

Kristen and Steve,

As you know, there is currently one open position on the Environmental Sustainability Board, and the School Board is slated to select a candidate.

In past years, there have been two open seats at a time, and the municipality has advertised the openings and accepted resumes and applications which were then sent on to us after the commission chose a candidate.  Unlike the commission, the School Board does not operate any other volunteer boards like the ESB.  We do not have any applications for the currently open seat.

When the ESB was formed, its purpose was to gain local government approval of the Mt. Lebanon Climate Action Plan, which was prepared by a group of resident volunteers interested in reducing energy use in Mt. Lebanon.  Both the commission and the School Board approved the plan and formation of the ESB.  The goal of the Action Plan was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy consumption, a goal the School District continuously works on.  Since that time the ESB has expanded their role, but the majority of their work has been on issues pertaining to the municipality, not the School District.  Our role in the ESB is limited to projects within our buildings, while the commission’s responsibilities are more far-reaching. 

We would like to ask the commission to appoint a new ESB member to the open position this year and for the next two open School Board positions since you have the pool of candidates for volunteer board positions.  At the end of that process, the ESB would be a board of the commission.

Respectfully,

Elaine

So the school board wants to back out of the ESB. This move falls in line with the school board's desire to tear down Building C, built in 1972 and supports their future capital project of artificially turfing the Rock Pile.

The commission president blindly honored Elaine Cappucci's request and never realized that it was a violation of the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon Administrative Code. 

140.2 Membership and Term. The Environmental Sustainability Board shall consist of seven (7) members each appointed for a three (3) year term. The initial terms of board members shall be one (1), two (2) and three (3) years. No more than three (3) members’ terms shall expire in any one year. Three (3) board members shall be appointed by the municipality, three (3) shall be appointed by the Mt. Lebanon School District and one (1) shall be selected by the six (6) seated members.

I asked if the ordinance needed to be amended, and the solicitor's response was, "Yes."

Additionally, I asked for the list of unassigned funds discussed at the Commission Discussion Session. Kristen was referring to items by letter, instead of explaining what each line item was for the public's benefit. That list has been posted on the municipal website. I could not find it on the website, so Steve Feller sent this to me this morning.

The link is: http://mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/10437
It was posted the next morning under finance dept.with a paragraph stating: 

Finance Department 

Documents

• The Commission had a public hearing on June 23, 2014 to consider projects for the unassigned fund balance and received comments at that hearing. Since then there have been a few additions. Here are the most recent items that are being considered, all of them under the general categories that previously were discussed. 2014 Capital worksheet

Thanks.
Steve 

Kristen would not approve items O and P, feeling that there was a statement being made. She went on to say that it had something to do with those opposed to artificial turf. Unfortunately, there is no statement being made. I can vouch for the need in Rockwood Park. The black rubber sidewalks are a perfect palette for sidewalk chalk drawings during cool weather like we had yesterday, but the children cannot walk on the black rubber in hot weather, let alone sit on the walk while creating their masterpieces. Unfortunately $1,500 is money not well spent, in Kristen's mind. 

This is what I am dealing with UPDATED

Through the Right To Know which I am still working through, I found Kristen's letter where she told fellow commissioners how the ESB Chair had Kristen "insist" on artificial turf. I posted it here and also sent it to the ESB, minus the ESB Chair, since I had an old email address of hers and did not have her new one. I sent further communication to the entire ESB concerning the RTK, including the ESB Chair, after I had a current list of emails.

I had a feeling that Kristen Linfante would weigh in on this email exchange, so I filed a Right To Know asking for all emails to or from Kristen Linfante concerning the ESB Chair, Elaine Gillen, Lebo Citizens from August 1, 2014 to and including August 3, 2014.

I love how Kristen still thinks I ran against her. I'm flattered that she would think that I would remove the word "organic" myself. I'm good, Kristen, but I'm not THAT good.

I don't see the humor in the ESB Chair's statement that Autocorrect suggested that igniting me is the only way to deal with me. I also don't appreciate the libelous statements made about me.

Here is the email exchange from my latest RTK.

Update August 19, 2014 7:31 AM After the ESB Chair joked about igniting me, she asked about Kristen's trip out west. Here ya go, Kathy. NEXT Up: Kristen Linfante Third summer that my commissioner has been MIA. By the way, no apology from the ESB Chair or Miss Kristen. Oh, how some women are permitted to behave around here.

Why GeoTurf and the ESB never had a chance UPDATED 2X

The lies started on November 25, 2013, when Kristen Linfante misrepresented the Environmental Sustainability Board's position on artificial turf.

No, actually it started before that. Back on November 20, 2013, Larry Evans, a retired FieldTurf guy from Mt. Lebanon contacted Kelly Fraasch and suggested that she call Penn State's Andrew McNitt for information about GeoTurf. Kelly followed up with an email to McNitt. Evans had contacted GeoTurf and said that he was a consultant to the commission. What Evans failed to disclose to Kelly was that McNitt had a partnership with FieldTurf and asking for his opinion of GeoTurf is like asking Coke their opinion of Pepsi. FieldTurf on GeoTurf Also in the email link, is an exchange that John Bendel had with the GeoTurf representative. The rep also indicated that irrigation is not needed with GeoTurf because it performs well in our climate. John seemed receptive to GeoTurf's product. But Dave Franklin was not. And we all know Dave Franklin's position on the EPA.

Hellas/GeoTurf provided their references here:
Hellas Reference List pages 1-66

In January, GeoTurf Contact info from 1st Turf Project Task Force Meeting Minutes is on page 68. But something happened in February. GeoTurf missing on vendor list from 2nd Turf Project Task Force Meeting Minutes page 70

In fact, there are two DIFFERENT sets of SAB meeting agendas for February 6, 2014.
From the Municipal website with no mention of the ESB's position on artificial turf
SAB meeting agenda from my RTK See page 126, item #5 ESB Position on Artificial Turf. Mt. Lebanon falsifies official records of its agencies! The meeting minutes skip #5.

FieldTurf - Turf Vendor Questions page 164 "Synthetic turf poses no health risks." Yet, the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) released a consensus statement GUIDELINES TO PREVENT SUDDEN DEATH IN SECONDARY SCHOOL ATHLETICS PROGRAMS In Maryland, schools canceled outdoor activities when it was 93º outside. It was too risky for athletes playing on artificial turf. 

On a side note, I found the Mt. Lebanon Community Endowment contract on pages 128-162.

On Monday's Discussion Session agenda is Dr. Phil Johnson. He will speak about the health and well-being of our populations – including pregnant persons, infants, children, those with respiratory disease including asthma, those with allergies, those with neurodisabilities or disorders; those with cancer or surviving cancer; and those at risk of developing cancer. You can read his letter to the residents of Mt. Lebanon here.
Funny how the second item on the agenda, Wildcat/Middle turf improvements, follows an update from Republic, our new trash collectors.

It's not over! Public Hearing on Unassigned Funds July 8 will be introduced at Monday's Commission meeting by John Bendel. Look at the first item on the list. Also on July 8, the funds will be allocated and the turf bid will be awarded.

Update June 22, 2014 12:07 PM Kelly Fraasch sent out this email yesterday about tomorrow's meeting on artificial turf.

Update June 22, 2014 1:10 PM A suggestion was made to me this morning. Since the public is not permitted to speak during Discussion Sessions, we should wear our "No Artificial Turf" stickers or print out this sign, I [Heart] Lebo Sports on shirts or on paper for both meetings.  

Another board emasculated by the Commission

For anyone keeping score, another board has been emasculated by the Commission. Let's see. So far, the Environmental Sustainability Board, the Parks Advisory Board, and the Planning Board have told us that the Commission voted on November 25 for a project that no one knew about. I have published the ESB's statement about being misrepresented by Kristen Linfante, commission liaison. I published the August 2013 Planning Board agenda prior to any concrete plans about the project. During a Sports Advisory Board meeting, the Parks Advisory Board liaison admitted that the PAB had not been informed.

No public hearing occurred. Boards were not informed. The vote came down to three commissioners - Dave Brumfield, Kristen Linfante, and John Bendel. Kristen let it be known that they are the decision makers and don't need any input from boards. 

Don't forget to attend tonight's meeting at Wildcat and Middle Fields, starting at 6:00 PM.

I would like to add that the Trib's Mt. Lebanon residents stand against turf project article made reference to the April 30 ESB meeting. The location has been determined. It will be held in the Municipal Building. The flyer for the meeting is here. 

What was your first clue, Kristen?

Lebo Lebo commission tables zoning change after outspoken criticism by The Almanac's Nick Lewandowski

Commenting on the decision to table the motion, commission president Linfante expressed a continued commitment to transparency. “I recognize some of you may not trust us,” she said.

I couldn't help but laugh when I read Kristen Linfante's quote.  What tipped you off? Was it when you lied about the ESB's position on artificial turf? Was it the emails in my RTK where you stated that you would apologize for misrepresenting the ESB? Was it how you pulled a fast one with your nomination petition? Uh, when you said that no one in your family plays sports, yet I hear that your son has quite a pitching arm for baseball? Could it be your deer incident report? How about trying to get a straight answer about Steve Feller asking you for your personal emails for my RTK request? And of course, there is that tiny issue about moving to Mt. Lebanon in 2005, and the new assessment window begins a little less than four months later. Were you even unpacked? And that is just what you have done.