School Board Exposes The Cold-Hearted Municipality

I just finished watching the April 9, 2018 school board meeting. I was particularly interested in the Firing Range Discussion starting at the 1:19:35 time stamp. I am blown away with what I heard.

Larry Lebowitz asked how the municipality could not share the district's same concerns about proximity of the range to the Goddard School and houses. The Goddard School is within the 1,000 feet Gun Free School Zone, something that I have been questioning for several years now, with high-powered rifles being discharged to kill deer in Public Works and Robb Hollow. The "sharpshooting" sign was recently removed after I posted Public Space Kills Breakdown

Also, I want to point out that even though the "Sharpshooting" program is over, there is at least one sign remaining by The Goddard School, part of the Gun Free School Zone. They can kill there because preschoolers are not protected, under the law.

School Board Liaison to the Commission Al Frioni reported that Philip Weis issued an opinion to the municipality that The Goddard School does not meet the definition, under the statute, of a school. You see, the Gun Free School Zone Act only applies to K-12. School Director after School Director repeated, "They're little kids." Thank you, Larry. Thank you, Elaine. Thank you, Sarah. I have been saying this for years! Even Bill Cooper said that the gun culture is something that he abhors.

Larry, you nailed it! When you said, "How could we, in good conscience, considering what's going on in our world, and what we just heard a couple weeks ago at the symposium that Dr. Steinhauer and the Chief put on,... actually even consider moving forward with this." Amen, Larry.

I must say this. I hope the Democrats on the School Board keep this in mind when voting in the Primary next month. Ask yourself which candidate would agree with you.

One more thing. I just have to put this out there. Remember the statement that Larry made. "This is about supporting something which is contrary to what we have been trying to do, which is to support a safe community for our kids." That is why it kills me whenever Tim Steinhauer notifies parents that there is "sharpshooting" being done in undisclosed areas starting at 4:00 seven days a week and to stay on sidewalks.  Isn't that contrary to what you are trying to do?

Another School Safety Letter and FAKE NEWS | UPDATED 9:37 AM

The following letter was sent to parents yesterday, following the heinous shootings in Florida.

From: Dr. Timothy Steinhauer <noreply@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 4:23:37 PM
To: Mt. Lebanon Parents
Subject: School Safety Letter

Dear Mt. Lebanon Parents,

A terrible tragedy took place yesterday in Parkland, Florida. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, families, students, and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Please know that we have safety procedures in place for each building and that we review them regularly with our administrators, faculty and staff. In addition, we train within our buildings and with Mt. Lebanon Police, Fire and MRTSA for all types of emergencies. As more details emerge about this incident, we will work with emergency management officials to make adjustments to our plans as necessary.

Communication is always key to helping prevent such terrible incidents. Parents should talk with their children, as well as with our faculty, staff, and administrators, if any concerns of this nature become evident.

Our students, parents, staff, and community members should know that we will continue to do everything possible to maintain safe, welcoming, and nurturing schools for all of our children. Their safety remains our highest priority.

Here is a link to the District’s Safety information: https://www.mtlsd.org/page.cfm?p=561

Sincerely,

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.
Superintendent

This is just two weeks after this letter was sent to parents.

From: Dr. Timothy Steinhauer [mailto:noreply@mtlsd.net]
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2018 1:28 PM
To: Mt. Lebanon School District Families
Subject: Updated Deer Management Information

Dear Mt. Lebanon School District Families,

In our ongoing effort to keep you apprised of local issues, I am sending you information that I received from the Mt. Lebanon Municipality concerning the upcoming cull beginning on February 1 through March 31 of 2018.  I have attached a letter from Assistant Municipal Manger Ian McMeans with details about the program and a link to more extensive information on the Municipal website at http://www.mtlebanon.org/2114/Deer-Management-Information. This same information is also being shared with all of our principals, teachers, and support staff. Please do not hesitate to contact the Mt. Lebanon Municipality or Mt. Lebanon Police Department should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Letter from Municipality 0118.pdf**

And just hours after this was printed in The Almanac:

Firing range approved for Mt. Lebanon public works facility

Municipal manager Keith McGill said he discussed the matter with school board member Al Frioni, the liaison to the municipality, and learned: “There appears to be general support for moving forward" with a financial commitment from the school district.

FAKE NEWS! I don't want to play the "Bash The Republican" card, but Al Frioni, a Republican, should never have made the statement that there is general support with a financial commitment from the school district.

Update 8:33 AM
From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>; hfunk1213 <hfunk1213@yahoo.com>; TSteinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Fri, Feb 16, 2018 8:17 am
Subject: Fwd: This just makes me crazy
Keith,

I know you guys are all about firing lethal weapons in undisclosed areas in Mt. Lebanon thirty minutes after elementary school kids are dismissed from school, but your quote in The Almanac is just over the top. Nothing has been approved. If Al Frioni made this commitment with you, he was totally out of line.

Elaine Gillen

Update 9:17 AM

From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>; hfunk1213 <hfunk1213@yahoo.com>; TSteinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Fri, Feb 16, 2018 9:15 am

Subject: Re: This just makes me crazy

Thanks for your quick response, Keith. Please keep in mind that even though the municipality has been discussing the possibility of a shared facility with the school district since at least 2014, you can't assume that there is general support for moving forward.

Elaine

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>; Harry Funk <hfunk1213@yahoo.com>; tsteinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Fri, Feb 16, 2018 8:53 am
Subject: Re: This just makes me crazy

Good morning Elaine,

Thank you for your opinion. You are correct that the school board has not taken an action or even offered any comments to the municipality on this issue. The statement was not made by Mr. Frioni, but is based on the fact that the facility would meet the needs of the High School rifle team. The municipality has been discussing the possibility of a shared facility with the school district since at least 2014. Hence the comment that there appears to be general support for moving forward.

Keith

Update 9:37 AM

From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>; Harry Funk <hfunk1213@yahoo.com>; tsteinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Fri, Feb 16, 2018 9:33 am
Subject: Re: This just makes me crazy

Good morning Elaine,

You are correct, which is why the next paragraph in the article reads as follows:

“Had we stayed with the golf course site, this project was always financially planned to be able to move forward without contribution from the school district. So the capacity’s there from a budget standpoint,” McGill said about municipal resources, “and we’re looking for the school district to partner because we’ll create one facility that meets the needs of both groups.”

Thank you,

Keith

Firing Range Approved UPDATED 121517

Plan approved for new firing range in Mt. Lebanon

Despite concerns raised by Castle Shannon and Mt. Lebanon residents, the Commission approved plans for the firing range at the golf course. In a 3-1 vote, with Kelly Fraasch opposed and John Bendel absent, the firing range, which has been located at Public Works for forty years, will be built at the golf course.

The Castle Shannon line is on three sides of the golf course. Residents from Pine Avenue, as well as those concerned with the close proximity to Myrtle Avenue School attended several public hearings, but we all know that public hearings have never influenced commissioners when their minds are made up. 

The firing range will be built on the sloped area next to the golf course's lower parking lot, which will be expanded by seven spaces. The building will not interfere with golf course operations, parking or the garden plots. (Map data ©2017 Google)

“It is no secret that I am not supporting this particular part of our renovations for public works. I think that we should have had full consideration and location on Cedar Boulevard,” Fraasch said about the street that runs parallel to the public works facility property, “not putting in a new structure over at a place that’s going to be impacting that neighborhood.”

Update December 15, 2017 4:02 PM From Keith McGill's Administrative Report today: