I hate to be lied to

Over the past couple days, I have been having an email exchange with Dr. Tony DeNicola. the man who has a doctorate in bait. Below is a continuation of the email exchange that I had shared in my last post.

From: Anthony DeNicola <tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>; alauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Sun, Feb 28, 2016 7:53 am
Subject: Re: Bait

Elaine,

No problem at all.  I am still assessing how well our mechanical feeders are working at timing deer arrival times with some different baits.  We are trying to get the deer to come predictably after dark, so that is very difficult.

I will give it another week or so.  We still have plenty of time before the permit expires at the end of March.

Tony

On Sunday, February 28, 2016, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Tony,

I did a quick search and found this on Field and Stream's website. http://www.fieldandstream.com/answers/quick-tips/if-you-want-deer-bait-will-drive-deer-crazy-try-grape-kool-aid-guy-dnr-gave-me-ti 

"They also like peanut butter, apples, syrup, and pretty much anything else you would feed a five year old according to other posts. Good luck with the kool-aid. I'm sticking with corn."

We were told that you started baiting over a month ago. I'm am trying not to sound snarky,  but sincerely, I would think you would have some idea as to what bait has worked and what mechanism you are using to distribute it by now. Do you have an estimate as to when you will have it sorted out? This week? Next week?

Respectfully,

Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony DeNicola <tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>; alauth <alauth@mtebanon.org>; alauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 27, 2016 5:59 pm
Subject: Re: Bait

We are still sorting out the best method.  Once we have better data I will let you know.

Tony

On Saturday, February 27, 2016, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Yes, thank you for your response, Tony. I can understand that bait is a regional thing. From what I've learned at commission meetings, Mt. Lebanon deer are not picky eaters. So what did you end up using here? Also, what method of distributing the bait are you using?

Thanks in advance for your clarification.

I had originally made a mistake typing Aaron's email, so I have added his correct (I hope!) email address. Sorry about that, Aaron.

Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony DeNicola <tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org>
To: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>; alauth <alauth@mtebanon.org>
Sent: Fri, Feb 26, 2016 8:01 pm
Subject: Re: Bait

Keith,

Baiting is more of an art than a science.  We use a multitude of options depending on what the local deer seem to prefer most, what is available, and relative cost.  It can be apples, deer feed, corn, alpha pellets, etc.  We place bait out at each location where we are active, primarily on private properties throughout the municipality typically several weeks in advance of getting started whether it is for capture purposes or for lethal management programs.

I hope this helps,

Tony

Anthony J. DeNicola Ph.D.  | President |  White Buffalo Inc.

M: (860) 790-0224  |  tony.denicola@whitebuffaloinc.org

Find Us: whitebuffaloinc.org | Facebook | LinkedIn

IT IS ALL BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!

I have photos of the baiting being done at the golf course and at McNeilly - which wasn't to be part of the public areas.

Access to the golf course is from Arch Street in Castle Shannon.

Piles of corn in golf course

Piles of corn in the golf course

Woods below the golf course

Access to McNeilly is right by the creek behind the golf course. Go up the driveway on McNeilly.

Piles of corn in McNeilly

Piles of corn in McNeilly

Tuffs of fur, no blood at McNeilly

Piles of corn in McNeilly

If a Lebo Citizens reader can get the GPS coordinates, it would be helpful. There was no evidence of tree stands or trail cameras.

This is Tony's high tech system of baiting. No mechanical feeders. What a bullshitter. I always told my kids that if they did something bad, that's one thing. But to lie to my face made it worse. I hate to be lied to.

I won the second appeal. McNeilly is back in. Final - Final Archery Report UPDATED 2X

No surprise, but the Office of Open Records granted my SECOND RTK appeal today. The second appeal is identical to the first appeal, just different dates. They cited Gillen v Municipality of Mt. Lebanon in their final determination.

McNeilly Park is back in the shooting plan. Two pickup trucks were spotted at the entrance to McNeilly Park today, a white pickup truck with PA plates and a grayish pickup truck with out of state plates. There is only a sliver of land that is outside of the 1000' Federal Gun Free School Zone. Clearly, they are shooting there for the numbers, not to reduce deer/vehicular accidents by 50% in five years.

Last night, Jody Jodi Joe D. Maddock gave a final report via telephone. As reported in The Almanac, Mt. Lebanon posted his final report here on the municipal website.

High-percentage female harvest cited as success in Mt. Lebanon archery hunt

Sharpshooting for Mt. Lebanon deer cull could begin this week

I love what "Southside Slopes" wrote in his/her comment: "Sharpshooters killing wildlife. Police arresting jaywalkers. Taxes sky high. Plot for a new apocalyptic movie? Nah. Just Mt. Lebanon circa 2016."

Update February 24, 2016 6:38 PM  Office of Open Records sides with Mt. Lebanon resident

Update February 24, 2016 6:54 PM It looks like Tony DiNicola made a boo-boo on the final Final Report. Plus, no info on the bait or in which QUADRANT the deer were killed. Here is the correspondence I had with Keith McGill.

Good evening Elaine,

I spoke to Tony and he indicated that the omission of the Conservation District from the final archery report was an oversight on his part and he apologized for the error.

The final reports from 2006-2008 were provided by USDA. The municipality currently tracks deer/vehicular collisions by location. This information is useful in determining where to post deer crossing signs. I'm not sure what the statistical correlation would be between where deer have been removed and deer/vehicular collisions given the municipality's open deer population and typical range that a doe or especially a buck will travel. In my email response to you on February 4th I wrote:

Good afternoon Elaine,

The information posted to the website today for the archery program represents the final deer removal numbers for the program. There will be another a final report that includes additional information related to the program. Since we have not yet received the report I am unable to provide you the specifics as to what that other information will be.

I did not indicate that the report would include locations. The report as posted is final. I will add a note regarding the use of the Conservation District.

As to the type of bait being used or the method being used to place the bait, this is an operational issue and as such Chief Lauth or Deputy Chief Gallagher may be a better resource to provide a response.

Keith 

On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 4:45 PM, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:


Hi Keith,

Thank you for posting Jody Maddock's final Final Report on the municipal website. http://mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/13897


There are a few issues that I would like to bring to your attention. I do not see the Conservation District listed for the archery program. At Election Day, I spoke with Temp Smith (Steve M., you may have been standing there at the time) where as of Election Day, they killed sixteen deer from the Conservation District behind his house. Temp lives onWhite Oak Circle. He said that the archer was courteous and even asked him if he wanted any meat. Temp's only complaint was that at one point the coyotes had gotten to the deer before the archer had a chance to get it. You will have to check with him directly on that. My point here is that the Conservation District was not mentioned at the meeting or in the final Final Report.


Second, in the first two years of deer killing (2006-2008) the summaries included where the deer were killed. The first year was rather specific. The second year, the deer killings were plotted by quadrants. In order to track the deer/car collisions, it is necessary to know the number of deer killed from which areas. Keith, you had stated that the information would be in the final Final Report. The records from the previous years are still available on the municipal website. Would you please get that information from White Buffalo and have them or the municipality plot which areas the 104 deer were killed being consistent with past years?


Finally, what kind of bait is being used for the "sharpshooting?" What is the method used for spreading the bait?


Thanks in advance, Keith.


Elaine Gillen

4 Public Properties Identified

Through my latest Right To Know, I found the list of public properties that are being considered. The four are:

Robb Hollow Park
Golf Course
Bird Park
McNeilly Park

Public properties and maps

This will give parents nightmares. From Steve Felle's September 4, 2015 Administrative report:

Update September 4, 2015 12:35 PM Highlights from the following link of documents include:

With four public properties and ten - fifteen "quality" private properties, White Buffalo would be fortunate to "harvest" 100 deer.

Deer are smart and will avoid public land that is being hunted, so expect fairly rapid diminishing return. Extend the hunting season as long as possible and have as much private property as possible.

If Mt. Lebanon wants to set aside some money to support meat processing costs, it is typically about $70 per deer.

An archery program is difficult to sustain over time and typically has a honeymoon period of 2-3 years.

The density of the homes is problematic, so Jody Maddock wants to be conservative in any estimate.

And from Steve Feller:

"Several emails were not produced that dealt with persons volunteering to donate their time or property to the program either as an archer or property owner. These were not produced under two exceptions:

(1) The Act at Section 708(b)(1) provides as follows:
     (1) A record the disclosure of which:
           ***

(ii) would be reasonably likely to result in a substantial and demonstrable risk of physical harm to or the personal security of an individual.

(2) The Act at Section 708(b)(13) provides as follows: 

         (13) Records that would disclose the identity of an individual who lawfully makes a donation to an agency unless the donation is intended for or restricted to providing remuneration or personal tangible benefit to a named public official or employee of the agency, including lists of potential donors compiled by an agency to pursue donations, donor profile information or personal identifying information relating to a donor."

Would someone like to translate that for me? Is that saying that the people who want to open their yards to killing and put our adults, children, and pets at risk want protection? Isn't that a bit ironic?

By calling the private properties "Donations," the identity of the landowner is protected.  Wow. They have it all figured out.

Deer Protest on Connor Road

I'm sorry I missed today's deer protest on Connor Road. Logistically, it was a poor choice for a protest. But that was exactly the point to selecting this site. Surrounded by natural gas transmission lines and Duquesne Light equipment, as well as luring deer across a heavily traveled road is a formula for disaster.

McNeilly Park, 990 feet away from Seton LaSalle, just 10 feet shy of the 1,000 ft. restriction, demonstrates that they don't know how to use a GPS. And the commissioners don't have a problem with these guys firing guns. It is also pretty slimy that Wildlfe Specialists LLC. and the municipality are willing to cut it so close by a few feet. A Lebo Citizens reader has an appointment on Monday with the Seton LaSalle school principal.

Protesters rally against deer cull on Connor Road

https://twitter.com/PG_Czebiniak/status/571760390809493504/photo/1

Protesters demonstrate against Mt. Lebanon deer culling program

                     Keith Hodan | Trib Total Media

                      Keith Hodan | Trib Total Media

                      Keith Hodan | Trib Total Media

                      Keith Hodan | Trib Total Media

                     Keith Hodan | Trib Total Media

Cull Protesters Demonstrate in Mt. Lebanon

                                          Mt. Lebanon residents protesting.                                        
Photo credit: Tim Lawson/KDKA

Opponents of Mt. Lebanon deer cull protest at corral site

“They want to shoot a gun where there is high traffic, gas lines, and power equipment,” Ms. Chicchi said, pointing to a small yellow flag, which she said indicates gas lines, sticking out of the ground on the side of the road.

“In addition, members of the community needed to alert the proper authorities that neither the Mt. Lebanon commission or Wildlife Specialists LLC applied for a gas permit to shoot where gas lines are. In addition to that, one of the cull sites, McNeilly Park, is approximately 300 feet behind a gas station. That’s putting the public in harm’s way.”

In the same article:

Robert Grimm, 56, also of Mt. Lebanon, has been a hunter for more than 40 years and was holding a bright neon-orange sign reading, “Real Sportsmen Say No Deer Corrals.” He came to the protest to give a view on the issue from a “sportsman’s perspective.”

More on our "official community magazine"

When I had my little Market District get together last week, Bill Lewis was kind enough to share this letter to the editor of Mt. Lebanon Magazine.

Bill raised many concerns in his 2006 letter in regard to the July/August 2006 article, Around Town Community Endowment Launched. As usual, Mt. Lebanon Magazine only reported the entertaining part, and not the rest of the story of community issues.

• The Municipal government spent $36,000 in tax funds to create the MLCE. 
• The Commission wasted $40,000 when sports organizations backed out of funding support for McNeilly Field/Park.
• The Mt. Lebanon Soccer Association was to contribute $135,000 to the MLCE for the specific purpose of developing athletic fields. [Why is this sounding like déjà vu?]
• Public officials and youth sports leaders were claiming that people with children wouldn't move here and housing prices would fall if we didn't have more fields. [Remember, this was in 2006.] 
• When was spending $36,000 discussed in a public forum? 
• Why does the magazine taint the good thing it does with editorial and publisher hype and managed news?

Thank you Bill, for sharing this letter with me and now, the rest of the community. I looked in the Blog Lebo archives to see if anything was written about this. As usual, I got side tracked because of all the information in those archives and found this about Mt. Lebanon Magazine and the TIF issue for Washington Park. Laurels and Lances Some things never change. Anyway, I did find this post on Blog Lebo called, Donation Allows Endowment

As one reader pointed out, Mt. Lebanon Magazine is definitely not a news magazine. In the words of former Commissioner Humphreys, Mt. Lebanon Magazine remains the "house organ" and "propaganda tool" for Mt. Lebanon.

Yes, let's get the record straight. UPDATED

It has been nine days since this comment appeared on Lebo Citizens. There is no admission that you had things wrong, 6:12 PM.

"Seems to me the YSA and now the SAB have consistently supported improved quality *and* quality of fields. 

Contrary to Kelly's blog post, the Robb Hollow field would *not* have been a full-sized field. So the ROI of developing it would have been pretty low, with respect to gains for organized sports. 

So Kelly's plan was not "exactly what they [SAB] asked for." It would have left essentially unchanged the burden on existing fields for games, which would do little to improve the state of overuse which you rightly mention as a concern of YSA/SAB. 

Just wanted to set that straight. 

December 16, 2013 at 6:12 PM"

Trib reporter Matt Santoni asked Commission Kelly Fraasch about the Commission's decision to turf Middle and Wildcat, instead of spending the money on improving Robb Hollow Park and the municipal golf course. Mt. Lebanon leader questions turf fund

An unidentified sports person here expressed that he or she was unaware of Kelly's plan and was under the assumption that it was for a dog park only. I have been saying all along that the McNeilly/ Robb Hollow swap was sabotaged because Dave Franklin had his sights set on developing McNeilly next. Well here it is, in the last paragraph of the Trib article.

“From a field-sports, development perspective, it doesn't bother me that those restrictions are there on McNeilly,” Franklin said. “There's nothing to suggest we can't develop it five, 10, 15 years from now.”

I don't know what else to do, to get the community to see how we are being taken for a bunch of chumps. Linfante, Bendel, and Brumfield should be ashamed of themselves.

We've been duped UPDATED

Remember this article on the Mt. Lebanon Magazine website? home(town) improvement There was a $4.5 million bond issued in January. Last night, the Commission approved the multiple contracts for the pool. The grand total construction cost of all five contracts is $3,953,900. This does not include the cost of a project manager, since there are multiple contracts.

The Recreation Bond will not be used for Robb Hollow. It will not be used for the golf course. It will not be used for Public Works. It is going toward the Pool. The entire bond and then some.  We've been duped.

I should have seen this coming. Here are the minutes of a November 6, 2012 Park Advisory Board meeting. Notice who attended the meeting. That was the first clue.

IV. Recreation Bond UpdateDonnellan reported that an Ordinance for a bond issue not to exceed $4.8 million was introduced on October 22. He stated the bond was to include $3.3 million for swimming pool improvements, $750,000 for Robb Hollow improvements and $500,000 for golf courseimprovements. He said a public hearing would be held on November 13, and a vote on the Ordinance was scheduled for November 26. (Editor’s note: The Ordinance was enacted immediately following the public hearing on November 13).Kelly Fraasch announced that there was a meeting scheduled for November 11 at 1:00 p.m. to walk Robb Hollow Park and discuss possible improvements. Members of the Nature Conservancy, Parks Advisory Board, Environmental Sustainability Board, and the Friends of Robb Hollow Park were invited.John Vogel distributed a copy of an email from Ms. Fraasch detailing plans for the meeting. Vogel requested that Donnellan forward the meeting invitation on to board members who were absent.A discussion of the planned improvements followed. There was concern among the group that the Parks Advisory Board had not had sufficient input into the planned projects and that they did not reflect the recent prioritization of projects from the board.Fraasch reported that the Commission was discussing a committee to review athletic fields.The Parks Advisory Board recommended that the bond issue funding for improvements to the golf course and Robb Hollow Park needs further consideration.Fraasch presented her latest proposal for Robb Hollow Park. The plan included opening access to the upper and lower areas of the park, moving the leaf operation, grassing areas for additional greenspace; as well as providing opportunities for future development of a play area, outdoor classroom, dog park and pavilion.

The second clue was that none of Kelly Fraasch's presentations ever made the Municipal website. However, the YSA Recreation presentation was posted.  Where is her study for Robb Hollow? You can find it here, on her blog.

Look at page 55 of the new Capital Improvement Program 2014-2018. (Allow for extra time for the large document to open.) More discussion for turfing and lighting Middle and Wildcat Fields with a $200,000 non-municipal contribution, either from the YSA, advertising or grants.  Yeah, right.

No dog park, outdoor classroom, play area or improvements to Public Works space. No hopes of developing Robb Hollow, which would have released us from McNeilly. Even Moody's said the $4.5 million bond was to be used for renovation of recreational facilities. We've been duped.

Update August 15, 2013 2:20 PM $3.95 million in recreation upgrades get Mt. Lebanon commission's OK

Brumfield has no plan

The commission meeting went as predicted. The sports people were there in full force. One by one, we heard their sad stories of kindergartners not being able to play lacrosse, soccer games canceled week after week because of wet fields. Never mind that the last major rainstorm dropped 4 inches of rain and that homes all over Mt. Lebanon were flooded, ground is saturated to the point that trees are being uprooted and streets are uplifted.

I asked that all the unassigned funds go to public safety issues such as the police radio, installing sidewalks leading to schools, and installing back water valves in the homes that are constantly flooded.  When my back water valve was inspected today, the plumber told me that there are 55 such valves in Mt. Lebanon. I said it was a no brainer to spend money on sidewalks and help people with flooding issues, not spend $700,000 on artificial turf.

A heated discussion followed among the commissioners. Clearly, it was decided in advance that Brumfield, Bendel, and Linfante were voting for artificial turf. Hints were made that municipal money was going to turf Mellon. The unassigned funds are to be spent on MUNICIPAL capital projects, not school district fields. Our staff has to cut back, but it is OK to blow $700,000 on school district fields.

The shining moment in tonight's meeting was when Kelly asked if Dave had a plan. He admitted freely that he did not have a plan. But they were quick to point out that this wasn't going to be spent immediately and that $700,000 was not enough to turf anything. It would have to come from the school district and -are you sitting down?- donations from the sports groups. No plan.

So after this goes down, and it will, the next want WILL be McNeilly. You mark my words.

Oh, before I forget, they will not be buying a golf course tractor or go for Building Security replacement. Think about what replacing Building Security means, Folks.

I have uploaded the podcasts to tonight's meetings. So if you are as hyper as I am at this point, listen to the commission meeting. It is available here.

Tree stands in McNeilly Park

It was brought to my attention yesterday that a tree stand, which is used for hunting, was spotted in McNeilly Park. I reported that to a commissioner yesterday. I didn't contact MY commissioner due to her passion for killing deer. The police located two tree stands this morning in McNeilly Park. It was confirmed by Public Works, about an hour ago, that the tree stands have been removed. Thanks to all for your quick response concerning this matter.

McNeilly Park - outstanding debt

The following public information was sent to me from the Commission.  There is still outstanding debt on McNeilly Park.

McNeilly
Amount Borrowed	2004	2,000,000
53% of total issue
Paid 25,000 in principle before refunded		13,250
2010A issue refunded		1,986,750
19% of total issue
Have paid 15,000 in principal to date		2,850
Total still outstanding		1,983,900

Just putting it out there.  Draw your own conclusions.

Update April 29, 2012 6:06 PM   Soccer support for McNeilly Park
                                                  DCNR Grant Application
                                                  National Park Service Grant Application

Another done deal

President Dave Brumfield announced at the last commission meeting that he would be meeting with the sports groups to discuss current athletic facilities and future priorities. Now this appears on Google Maps.

With the pathetic groundbreaking ceremony still fresh in our minds, when did we, the residents of Mt. Lebanon, lose control of our community?

Like a phoenix, the rec bond rises from its ashes.

Gee, did I say that the rec bond issue was dead? Not according to the Trib $7 million loan could be nixed in Mt. Lebanon

Because DeIuliis excused himself between the discussion and voting sections of Monday's meeting because of an unspecified illness, the commissioners could revive the issue and hope for a fourth vote at a special Nov. 2 meeting when they are refinancing other bonds, Miller said.

Not according to the Lebo Alert:

Mt. Lebanon Commission will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Bldg. to consider refinancing 2007 bonds.

OK, Dan, only 'cause I like you...

I am going to attempt to explain what happened tonight with the recreation bond.  Dan, Dave, David, Bill, and Dave, help me out here if I don't get it completely straight.  It was a long night and they were nice enough to stay after the meeting to try to explain it to me.

At the Discussion Session, we heard a presentation from Steve Diaz where he proposed a business offer to look at ways to get funding from the government and public/private partnerships.  All five commissioners were present for this proposal. I know how much he wanted per hour, but it was never discussed at the meeting, so I am not sure if I can disclose that here.  Let me just say that it was a crap load of money.  How am I doing so far, guys?

OK, Discussion Session is over and Joe DeIuliis high tails out just before the Commission meeting is ready to begin.  It is time for the vote for the resolution for the rec bond.  Dan Miller explained that the resolution was a compromise for the community.  He had made a passionate speech about the whole process including working on the pool project with Joe D., the years of research that were behind this resolution, and incorporating different suggestions made along the way. I believe Dan was sincere.  Dave and Bonnie also explained why they were behind the bond.  I will put the meeting online as soon as I can so that you can hear their thoughts.  Joe, of course was history.  I guess he was thinking votes.  Then Matt explained why he was not for the bond.  He wanted to pursue obtaining a line of credit from another bank which he felt had more to offer when PNC advised against obtaining a line of credit.  It was a very heated discussion.  Then came the vote.  Here is where it gets confusing.  The resolution passed 3-1.  But the bond issue is dead. In order to pass a bond, there must be four votes for it to pass.  So no pool improvements, even though it was Joe's project, no McNeilly fields, no improvements anywhere - not for the golf course, the Rec Center, existing fields.  Nothing.  It was a package deal. While I was against developing McNeilly Park, I had said many times that we need to fix what we have, including the fields we have, the pool, and the Rec Center, and that is not happening either.  According to those who stayed after the meeting, the time was right for this bond. 
Dan asked me to write about this and ask the question, was this the right decision for the community?  So there it is.  Was this the right decision for the community?


Update: Dan Miller's blog Compromise Rec Resolution Defeated,
 Podcast of meeting

Baldwin Patch announces tonight's Commission meeting

I have been following the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch and see that they announced tonight's Mt. Lebanon commission meeting. http://baldwin-whitehall.patch.com/articles/mt-lebanon-s-public-meetings-may-be-a-place-for-baldwin-township-residents Give it up, Baldwin.  The sports groups get their way in this town. Read this letter from the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devil Club signed by the Keystone Oaks Principal. We're stuck with this land.  If you want to buy it, and take it off of our hands, Baldwin, that would be swell.

Tonight's vote for McNeilly Fields and Pool Resolution

Tonight, the Commissioners will be voting to adopt Resolution R-16-11, the recreation bond issue.  No need to bring the kiddies dressed in their uniforms because it is going to be adopted.  Here is the resolution on Dan Miller's blog. http://danmillerward5.com/pool-and-fields-resolution The Commission has researched this project thoroughly and are content to build the fields at McNeilly Park.  I think it is a waste of money, but I am just one person. Chalk another one up for the sports groups.  Son, still zero places for skateboarders.

Please, no anonymous comments on this.

Any relation?

In the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch, Robert Heally III interviewed Principal Scott Hagy of Keystone Oaks High School about the McNeilly Park "Sports Complex."

Keystone Oaks High Principal Scott Hagy and Seton-La Salle President Gary Rodgers were both interviewed for the Oct. 6 report, but neither had concerns over the proposed McNeilly Park.
"Mr. Hagy expressed no concerns in regard to criminal activities or traffic at the proposed McNeilly fields development," the report reads.

Isn't Mr. Hagy, Mt. Lebanon RB Luke Hagy's dad? Please tell me there is no connection.

Read more: http://baldwin-whitehall.patch.com/articles/more-details-available-of-mt-lebanon-baldwin-twp-athletics-complex

This is how it works, Josephine

Remember this?  Baldwin's McNeilly Park Dan Miller sent me a map showing the boundary lines. I asked him about it yesterday.  I got it today.
Map of McNeilly Park
Dan explained that the red corner of the property is in Baldwin.  It is in the lower right hand corner of the park. 

This is how it works, Josephine.  We had questions about McNeilly Park and we got answers.  I am still waiting to get a response from SOMEONE on the board about the 25 questions that I sent last Saturday, October 1. We have ten optimistic voters who believe you will answer our questions about the high school project.  In fact, five sincerely believe we will get nine individual responses from the board.

Thanks again, Dan. 

Staff Report on Issues Pertaining to Proposed Improvements at McNeilly Park and Swimming Pool

Or... Everything You Ever Asked About McNeilly Park and more

The Commission asked the Mt. Lebanon staff to prepare a report on the proposed improvements at McNeilly Park and the Swimming Pool by October 6, 2011.  Here is the link to the 112 page report.
Staff Report on Issues Pertaining to Proposed Improvements at McNeilly Park and Swimming Pool 
It includes traffic studies, public safety review, a written analysis of maintenance costs, a proposed fee schedule for use, comments from advisory boards, maps, etc.  It is all there - from 2003 to today, October 6, 2011.

I haven't had a chance to read it, but it looks pretty impressive. Thank you,  Commissioners for your transparency, as usual.

Oh come on! Not again!!!

On the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservations Partnerships Program Grant Application Form, the Mt. Lebanon Soccer Association had pledged $125,000.  This sounds vaguely familiar.  Did that money ever come through?

On the application form, there are some points that have never been divulged publicly that suggest some unresolved issues.

On page one, section II, only Mt. Lebanon is listed as the project address; no mention of Baldwin Township.
Section III shows the MLSA pledge.

In Section V, number 2, another "Partnership" with Mt. Lebanon Youth Sports to develop the park was mentioned.  There was no mention of a recreation bond, where the "partnership" comes from our wallets.
Number 3 proposes expansion of the walking trail.

Section VII, number 9 indicates that no Federal funding will be accepted for this project. (See below.)

There is no mention of Baldwin Township on the final page.

Copy of the National Park Service Grant

Baldwin's McNeilly Park

Baldwin will be getting a new park.  It is called McNeilly Park.  Yes, part of "our" McNeilly Park is in Baldwin. I wonder if Baldwin will be sharing the expense of developing the park, or will our recreation bond be footing the entire bill? Will Baldwin be sharing their police force for public safety coverage? Will Baldwin be able to use the park? Do we have to get zoning approval from both Mt. Lebanon AND Baldwin? And what about the grant money that we got? Did we tell the Federal government that the land is also in Baldwin? It just keeps getting better and better.
McNeilly Park 17 acre parcel Baldwin and Lebo
McNeilly Park 6 acre parcel in Mt. Lebanon

Update October 6, 2011 7:00 AM Mt. Lebanon Planning Outdoor Athletics Complex to Border Baldwin Township  We only gave Baldwin FOUR DAYS notice? Baldwin Township residents: We share the same concerns and more. The athletic groups are strong in this community and will get their way.  That is unfortunate for the rest of us.