Contrary to popular belief...

The plan to artificially turf Middle and Wildcat Fields (or as Susan Morgans likes to call it, "Field Enhancement Project") has NOT been voted on. The vote to assign funds took place in November 2013. There has been no vote to artificially turf Middle and Wildcat Fields.

This has NOT gone to the Traffic Board.
No traffic study has been done even though the entrance to the fields is being relocated.
This has NOT gone to the Historic Preservation Board.
The Environmental Sustainability Board is against the project.
The Parks Advisory Board is against the project.
The Planning Board has not voted on this project.
The Zoning Hearing Board has NOT been involved.

The Recreation Department has sent over 8,000 emails, soliciting for the non-municipal share of the project.

The Public Information Office has updated the Mt. Lebanon website to include Field Enhancement of Wildcat and Middle fields. Additionally, a plea for donations to the non-municipal portion of the project is included in the update.

A public fundraising campaign is under way to garner the $250,000 in non-municipal funds needed to make this project happen. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to the project: Field Donations 

It was a wise decision on the part of the PIO to share an unedited version of the Mellon artificial turf infomercial. It includes members of the audience calling out to David Donnellan that he was lying.

This is NOT a done deal, Lebo Citizens. The bid opening is this Thursday at 11:00 AM in the Recreation Office. Bids will be awarded at the end of this month or the beginning of July. The Sports Advisory Board only has a 98% commitment of the required $250,000 portion. According to the Mellon presentation made by John Bendel, $101,879 is cash in hand, and an additional $143,250 has been pledged. We have been told that if there is no $250,000 cash in hand, the bids will not be awarded.

No toxicologist at Field "Enhancements" forum UPDATED

I asked the commissioners if they were able to get a toxicologist to speak at Thursday's Turf, I mean Field Enhancements educational forum and the answer was No. John Bendel and Kelly Fraasch got into it about that. Kelly said that the whole purpose of the meeting was to have a toxicologist speak about the safety of artificial turf. It turns out that they contacted someone as late as yesterday and he was unable to attend. Charlotte Stephenson spoke later and offered to bring a toxicologist. John wanted to vet the expert before permitting him to speak. Kristen piped up to say that they don't want anyone from Mt. Lebanon because they could be biased. You see, a Mt. Lebanon toxicologist could think the turf is perfectly safe, but is opposed to the cost. One resident thought that it was because there were no toxicologists who are in favor of artificial turf. John Bendel was getting snarky with me about the expert from Penn State, Dr. Andrew McNitt. What he failed to mention was that Andy has a partnership with FieldTurf, the artificial turf company whose VP of Global Marketing in Montreal was attacking me yesterday. I never heard back from Mr. Gill, by the way.

There is no conduit going in at Middle and Wildcat Fields, according to Bend it With Bendel. Funny, that is what is in the bid documents. There are no other phases, according to Bendel. John did send me this late this afternoon:

The commitments by the Sports Associations are as follows:

Soccer: $50,000
Baseball: $40,000
Lacrosse: $20,000 (lacrosse parents another $28,000 on their own and sent to the Endowment)
Softball: $7,500
Football: $6,500
Field Hockey: $1,000

The summary of contributions is attached. For some reason, I can read it with no problems on my iPad, but on my Mac laptop, it is junked up. Just a heads up. The title of the document is:

Non-municipal sources Initial Project Cost

 98% Committed

The bottom line totals, in case you can't read it, are 

Cash $101,879

Pledged $143, 250

Total $245,129

Here is the email that I never received. John sent it to me after the meeting, with an apology.

Sorry, I don't know what happened. I thought it went through

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

Elaine,

Yes, the June 12 meeting will be video recorded.

The Commission established that the non municipal funds be in hand before we award the contract, not when we accept the bids. The emails from David Donnellan and me confirm that. As far as the $5,000 from a corporate donor that will be available in December, the Commission will need to decide if we are willing to make an exception to the cash in hand requirement for a firm commitment for a relatively small amount.

The contributions made to the Endowment were primarily made by individuals. I do not believe the Endowment would release the names of contributors nor do I think they should. Moreover, I don't know why it matters who the individuals are that donated to the project. 

I am aware of the concern regarding surface temperatures on turf. Our speaker, Andy McNitt, will address this issue at the June 12 meeting.

On Jun 8, 2014, at 8:11 AM, "'egillen476@aol.com' via Commission" <commission@mtlebanon.org> wrote:

John,

Will the Mellon presentation be video recorded? If not, will there be an audio recording?

Please explain why the words "artificial turf" are never used in any of the LeboALERTS, or any other municipal announcements such as what is on the municipal website.

I would also like to confirm with you that the non-municipal funds (cash in hand) will be released to the municipality prior to the bid being accepted. Here is the email exchange. that you had with Dave Franklin and David Donnellan clarifying Dave Franklin's statement.Also, the $5000 being donated in December should not be considered as cash in hand. 

At the SAB meeting last week, Pam Scott asked about contributions made to the turf project. Dave Franklin asked Pam to specify which contributions by asking "Private?" She said yes. Who are the corporate sponsors and /or public donors and how much are their contributions?

During the SAB meeting, Kimberly Schevtchuk was on the defensive before she could even speak. She tried to share her research with the SAB but was fired questions from all angles. Many were the same questions that were asked of her previously. One of the issues that came up at the SAB meeting was turf temperatures. A Lebo Citizens reader shared his findings on my Lebo Citizens blog. I hope you consider reading this post.

Elaine Gillen

Note: I asked for corporate sponsors and public donors.

Shortly after I received John's email, Kristen sent me a confirmation that the meeting will be video recorded.

Well, that's all she wrote tonight. Good night.

Update June 11, 2014 1:09 AM I lied. I'm still up. A WTAE camera person (gender neutral, thank you) was filming residents during Citizen Comments. I wish I had taken a picture of the commissioners. They were white as ghosts. They had no idea what was going on. Are they doing a story on the Newcomers' Tax or are they going to write about how the community is getting screwed over the MWC turf project? We will know for sure in July. :)

Update June 11, 2014 4:30 PM Independent expert?

Andrew McNitt's Overview

Current

• Professor of Soil Science/Turfgrass at Penn State University

Past

• Associate Professor of Soil Science/Turfgrass at Penn State University

Education

• Penn State University
• Penn State University
• Penn State University

see all

Connections

500+ connections

Websites

• Sports Surface Research Center
• Turf News Blog

Andrew McNitt's Experience

Professor of Soil Science/Turfgrass

Penn State University

Educational Institution; 10,001+ employees; Higher Education industry

2012 – Present (2 years)

Associate Professor of Soil Science/Turfgrass

Penn State University

Educational Institution; 10,001+ employees; Higher Education industry

2006 – 2012 (6 years)

Andrew McNitt's Projects

• Divot resistance and tensile strength of Kentucky bluegrass sod as a function of mowing height, nitrogen fertility and sand topdressing

  • September 2012 to Present
  Team Members: Andrew McNitt, Evan Mascitti, Thomas Serensits
  Many professional sports fields are re-sodded annually, especially in the NFL. Because these fields are resurfaced so often, what happens at the sod farm can be almost as important as what the turf manager does at the stadium. The use of thick-cut sod is common when the field must be resurfaced during the season, but no scientific research has examined this process.
  
  The goal of my master's...more

Andrew McNitt's Skills & Expertise

1. Agronomy
2. Horticulture
3. Soil
4. Turf
5. Golf Courses

Andrew McNitt's Education

Penn State University

Ph.D., Soil Science

1995 – 2000

Penn State University

M.S., Agronomy

1991 – 1993

Penn State University

B.S., Horticulture

1979 – 1983

Penns Valley High School

Andrew McNitt's Additional Information

Websites:

• Sports Surface Research Center
• Turf News Blog

Interests:

Athletic Field Construction and Management, Sports Fields, Synthetic Turf,

Groups and Associations:

STMA, KAFMO, Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council, PSU Turfgrass Alumni

• 
  Athletic Turf Management
• 
  California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA)
• 
  Golf Association of Philadelphia
• 
  Golf Construction and Remodeling Network
• 
  Golf Course Superintendents, Assistants & Interns
• 
  International Sport Management Association (ISMA)
• 
  Landscape Contractors
• 
  PSU Turfgrass Alumni & Friends
• 
  Penn State 4-Year Alumni
• 
  Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
• 
  Philadelphia Golf Course Superintendents Association
• 
  STMA
• 
  Synthetic Turf Council

Update June 11, 2014 7:07 PM At last night's meeting, Charlotte Stephenson offered to locate a toxicologist for tomorrow night's meeting. Here is the email exchange she had with the commissioners and manager today. It is a little confusing to follow, but start from the bottom of the Google Doc. 

Note: Steve Feller contacted Dr. Johnson on Monday afternoon!