Excuse me, but when did MTLSD take over the Municipality? UPDATED

From the Mt. Lebanon School District website: 

"Student parking is available in the Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church Parking Lot and Dixon Field Parking Lot on a first-come, first served basis until paid permits are required on September 10."

Excuse me, but I'll park at Dixon whenever I please and suggest the students do the same and do not pay for a permit. The district has no authority to enforce and collect fees from students or anyone else that choose to park in a municipal lot. Who will be issuing tickets and how will they know if I'm in the Rec Center, the park, or the tennis courts and not a student parking my car? If the commissioners have somehow transferred control of the Dixon lot to the school district, when did this occur?

While I am on the subject of student parking and traffic patterns at the high school, the Campus Traffic Map indicates that we must make an illegal left turn into the North lot.

August 27, 2012 2:00 PM: Through a RTK, here is the Amended Church Parking Agreement signed by Timothy Steinhauer and Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church, where Timothy Steinhauer is a member.

Heads up! New traffic patterns again at the high school

New traffic patterns at the High School will be effective Monday, April 30.  Morgan Drive will re-open to vehicle traffic while a section of Horsman Drive will close and remain closed to vehicle traffic through the remainder of the construction project. There will be new Drop-Off/Pick-Up Traffic Patterns. 

Map of vehicle traffic patterns

For details visit http://www.mtlsd.org/highschoolrenovation/hstrafficupdates.asp

Thank you, Chief McDonough

Remember this blog posting? High School Traffic Alert It was an eblast from the PTSA, the same folks urging people to vote a certain way in the last election. The traffic alert didn't sit well with me, but it seems it didn't sit well with the Mt. Lebanon Police Department either. The following email was sent out this week by Chief McDonough. Thank you, Chief McDonough for addressing this irresponsible notice sent out by the PTSA.

From: Coleman McDonough
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 2:40 PM
To: Cheryl Hunsberger 
Cc: Ruby Kang; TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net; Mike Gallagher; Brian McFeeley
Subject: Mt. Lebanon High School PTSA

Folks:  Someone was kind enough to bring the below message (posted by the PSTA) to my attention this afternoon. I’d like to correct some of the misinformation that was found in the message, and I’d also like to express my disappointment with the message.

What’s true is that Mt. Lebanon Police officers ARE citing drivers who have been stopping at locations on Lebanon Ave. where such stopping is prohibited. We are NOT being “forced” into citing violators because of a single resident’s complaint; we are instead responding to the safety concerns of the entire community. We began citing drivers this morning because drivers, in spite of past warnings by uniformed officers, continue to disregard the officers’ warnings and disobey the lawfully posted signs, thus creating additional traffic congestion during rush hour when the municipality’s roadways (especially Cochran Rd.) are already  above their capacities. The resulting congestion creates hazards well beyond the immediate area near the high school. This congestion could be mitigated if parents use the designated drop off points and traffic patterns that have been repeatedly published by the school district.    

I appreciate your efforts to educate parents on the new traffic patterns and to counsel “patience and cooperation.” I do not appreciate the PSTA publicly singling out one resident as the cause of Mt. Lebanon Police enforcement action. Hopefully you will never be in the position where you bring a neighborhood problem to the attention of the police, and some well meaning organization publicly “blames” you for any related enforcement action.    

I’d like to believe that the Mt. Lebanon Police Department, the Mt. Lebanon School District and the Mt. Lebanon PSTA will continue to partner together to enhance the general safety of the community. I do not believe the tone of the below posted message reflects such a partnership. I hope you appreciate my concerns and we can continue to work together to alleviate what will continue to be an admittedly difficult traffic situation. Rest assured, the Mt. Lebanon Police will continue to act toward that end.

Chief Coleman McDonough

Mt. Lebanon Police Department

Parents beware:  The Mt. Lebanon Police are now ticketing cars that stop on Lebanon Avenue in the morning during student drop-off.  2 officers ticketing 4 cars this morning has been witnessed. Brian McFeeley has stated that the high school is not driving this - the Police Department has gotten complaints from a resident that lives on Lebanon, forcing them into a position of enforcing the posted "No Stopping" signs. Please go to http://www.mtlsd.org/highschoolrenovation/hstrafficupdates.asp for the most up to date information. Thank you for your patience and cooperation!

High school traffic changes begin today

High School Traffic Updates

Vehicle Traffic Patterns Due to Horsman Closure

Traffic around the high school

As a Lebo Citizens reader mentioned, tomorrow will be a more accurate measuring stick in regard to the traffic around the high school.  In fact, according to the Commission Discussion Session Agenda, it will be the seventh item to be discussed at tomorrow evening's Commission Discussion Session.  I am curious to see what kind of a traffic jam will occur with students trying to make a left hand turn into the Lutheran Church parking lot tomorrow morning.  Crossing rush hour traffic can't be pretty. Is that portion of Washington Road considered a school crossing zone now?  Any additional signs added on Washington Road, or flashing lights alerting motorists that it is a school crossing zone and the speed reduced to 15 mph? I am still confused as to why there has never been a formal shared parking agreement about parking at the Dixon Field lot.  Speaking of shared, why does the District say that the parking is only available to students with valid student parking permits? Is that sharing?

Tomorrow's Commission Meeting might be the perfect time for students, parents, or any other residents to bring up their concerns over the traffic situation at the high school. Citizen Comments is always the first item on the agenda.  The meeting starts at 8:00 PM.  The sign up sheet for citizen comments will be on the table on the right hand side as you enter the room.  Tomorrow's Discussion Session will begin at 6:15, if you want to hear the Commissioners discuss the traffic situation around the high school.  There are no citizen comments at Discussion Sessions.

Mt. Lebanon High School January 12, 2012 Traffic Update

Jan. 12, 2012 Update: Student parking will no longer be available on the high school campus during the school day beginning January 18. Student parking will only be available off-site, during the school day, at the Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church on Washington Road and in the Dixon Field Parking Lot on Cedar Boulevard. Parking in either off-site lot is available only to students with valid student parking permits and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Read more below.

This is the only construction related change scheduled at this time. All traffic patterns around the high school campus will operate as normal.

Mt. Lebanon High School Traffic Updates