The truth is over an email exchange between our Public Information Officer, Susan Morgans and Penn State's Andrew McNitt.
Susan writes, "The purpose of this meeting it [sic] NOT to discuss the potential harmful effects of artificial turf..."
Not to discuss the potential harmful effects of artificial turf? That wouldn't look good, now would it, Susan? Yes, I know that the PIO is paid to write fluff, but to intentionally avoid any discussions of potentially harmful effects is unethical, at least to me. I can't believe that even she would stoop that low.
May I remind Susan that she is being paid to disseminate information to residents of Mt. Lebanon, not to organize a "meeting tightly to control any potential problems."
I was relieved to see a police officer at Mellon that night. I remember how I felt threatened at the not for the general public public meeting on April 24. Little did I realize, he was there because of the "small but vocal minority of people who have come to oppose the project recently, long after it was voted on and plans made to move forward."
Update July 30, 2014 8:37 AM I took a quick glance at the RTK. I will be adding to this list throughout the day, but will not break it down by separate updates.
It turns out that Andrew McNitt has a separate business and billed Dan Deiseroth (Gateway) for $2500. He was not representing himself as an expert from Penn State.
John Bendel had his list of Q & A for the June 12 presentation on June 5. Here it is.
Bendel sure was prepared! He had Dan Deiseroth vetting Andrew McNitt. Obviously, McNitt gave the right answers. Here are his responses. Check out McNitt's answer to Item C.
I just love how Susan Morgans was ready for a scene. "We will have a police officer there, and if there is any disruptive behavior that person will need to leave. We cannot invite guests to speak at a meeting and have them publicly debased or bullied." I have scanned a few emails together since they relate to the June 12 "Field Enhancement" meeting. Read page 3 for Susan's justification for using words such as "field improvements" and "field surface."
"July 26, 2014 at 7:21 PM," I saw your letter with your email address redacted. I never did find a check from Gateway. You are welcome to review the RTK. Email me privately. Let me back up a minute. Part of the RTK was for all correspondence to/from municipal engineer Dan Deiseroth (Gateway Engineers) related to or regarding artificial turf within the dates October 1, 2013 - June 19, 2014. I think email records were sterilized. Not a trace of his check. I did find emails from SAB regarding the donation, but nothing other than that. What I did find concerning fundraising, "7:21 PM," was this. Any time that Deiseroth worked on the fundraising, was on him and would not be billed. What a guy.
Here is the email which states that Gateway had agreed to donate $4000 into the Mt. Lebanon Community Endowment Fund. That is why we never saw Gateway's check in the RTK or in the turf donation checks in a previous post.
Another example of lowballing an estimate: Dan Deiseroth estimates the replacement cost based on 108,000 sq. ft. instead of 110,000 sq. ft.
Turf Project Task Force Presentation downplays the true annual contribution. Read about their spin here.
Dan Deiseroth sent an email to J.T. Sauer saying that nobody from the TPTF wants organic infill, but they need to keep it on the table.
Here is a whopper. I don't know who to believe considering Kristen's tendency to "misrepresent." This email shows that the ESB President asked Kristen to insist on artificial turf.
Municipal Planner Keith McGill reminded a member of the Planning Board that the turf project is an improvement on an existing facility and all discussions for the turf project were in the Comprehensive Plan that was recommended by the Planning Board. There was never a presentation made to the Planning Board about the project. The issue of turf was discussed on numerous occasions during the very public 14 month long Comprehensive Plan update process, long before the decision to turf Middle and Wildcat Fields.
This is what my dining room table looks like at the moment. The box on the right contains all the documents I have scanned so far and uploaded here. The box on the left is filled with background information about the School District, which I have yet to review.
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Unfortunately, the text size is extremely small on this email exchange. It sound like sibling rivalry between Susan Morgans and Keith McGill. Kelly Fraasch is asking for more details about the June 12 McNitt meeting, since the ESB wants to reschedule their meeting which is scheduled for the same time. Kelly emailed Steve Feller and cc'ed Susan Morgans, Keith McGill, David Donnellan, Dan Deiseroth and the commission about how the public was told that Dr. McNitt would only be there if a toxicologist would also be attending. Kelly pointed out that they were not doing what they said.
Morgans responds to Feller and Bendel only: "Not answering. I did not hear the discussion or receive any such instructions."
Keith McGill: "What she said. Is someone from the health department willing to provide a written statement indicating that they have no objections to the project and that this is not a public health issue?"
Morgans: "Can we talk about this on Monday? This was David Donnellans and my assignment. I will be back on Monday or are you in charge now? Whatever, I do not think Health Dept. Is prepared to provide a written statement nor do I think it would be appropriate to ask them to do so, but we do have emails and phone conversations that could be summarized and I do not think the health department would mind. They clearly think this is a ridiculous first world problem. Is it possible that we just say no. Both UPMC and the health department have declined to participate and we can find no one with greater credibility to speak?"
McGill: "Steve Feller asked me to prepare an agenda based on Commissioner Bendel's email, which is what I did. I have more than enough of my own work to do. I would suggest you discuss with Steve on Monday."
It was Dan Desieroth's suggestion to bring in Andrew McNitt. Dan said that McNitt is a neutral third party from Penn State.
Update August 6, 2014 8:49 AM As promised in my "Cedar Blvd. Closed Due To Flooding" comment, here is the email which Dave Franklin sent to four of the five commissioners, with the subject heading Turf & Environmental Issues. Sorry, Kelly, you don't count. In addition, Franklin takes a couple jabs at the ESB. I did not scan the 36 page report because the print is too small. Here is a link to the report, from the Field Turf website. Is it possible that this report is what Kristen Linfante alluded to when she said that they based their decision on information that we don't have?
ESB member Pam Scott asked David Donnellan to provide some facts for J.T.Sauer's "extrapolation" that we don't need to worry about health effects from recycled tires. David forward her email to Dan Deiseroth and asked him to prepare a response to Pam's inquiry. Here is the email exchange. The lead was found in and around fields in NJ which was a chemical plant and not from the turf.
But in June 2014, Deiseroth warns people not to say that anything is lead free. Andy McNitt weighs in on US Standards for lead levels.
I am not a fan of Dave Franklin, but he said something in the RTK that made me laugh. It was about the plaza and the donor sign that Dan Deiseroth designed for Middle and Wildcat Fields. He wanted to know whose idea was the plaza and donor wall. It was never discussed at a SAB meeting or a Turf Task Force meeting or a commission meeting. Here is the quote that is classic. "We're changing out grass for turf, not constructing a stadium."
Remember the not for the general public public meeting on April 24, 2014? Here is the map showing which properties were invited to the meeting on Vee Lynn and Cedar Blvd.
Kelly Fraasch continued to forward studies on the hazards of tire crumb infill to fellow commissioners, Steve Feller, Phil Weis, and Dan Deiseroth. Thank you Kelly, for standing up for us. Here is the link to Kelly's email of studies on the dangers of recycled tire crumb rubber.
I will be cross posting this next one under Cedar Blvd. Closed Due to Flooding. Read what Tim White says about addressing water run off - "Something to appease the ESB people and diffuse Kelly F." White is going after the ESB again.
This may be the reason why Dave Franklin was pushing Fieldturf so much. Fieldturf offers a $50K grant. The NFL offers grants, but we will never know who donated, will we?
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