The Goddard School is now open

The Goddard School on Painters Run is now open. Enrollment is open to all ages, from infants to school age. Weather permitting, children play outside every day, enjoy nature walks, and picnics. Just across the street, they can watch deer being killed. There is a yellow warning sign posted across the street from Crust. The distance from Public Works to The Goddard School is well below the 1,000' limitation.

Measuring the distance of Robb Hollow Park, I drew a line as close to 1,000' as I could from The Goddard School.

Mt. Lebanon removed Bird Park from the archery program because of its proximity to Markham School. Are they going to be consistent and remove Public Works and most of Robb Hollow Park as well? It might be a good question to ask at the commission meeting on Monday.

Robb Hollow Park

Take a drive along Kelso and Robb Hollow, and you will see a slew of "Not In My Yard" signs. The following email is from one of those concerned residents. This is Steve Silverman's ward. At commission meetings, he likes to tell us that his ward is overwhelmingly in favor of "doing something about the deer." He then follows with, "Kristen Linfante said the same thing about her ward." I walked the same 71 streets of Ward 3, when I was running for commissioner, and deer rarely came up in the conversation. They lie.

To: ssilverman <ssilverman@mtlebanon.org>; kfraasch <kfraasch@mtlebanon.org>; rsukal <rsukal@mtlebanon.org>; ddonnellan <ddonnellan@mtlebanon.org>; mlpdmgt <mlpdmgt@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Wed, Oct 7, 2015 12:48 pm
Subject: Robb Hollow Park

All:

Last Tuesday evening I called the police about activity in the park after dark.  There was a (as I observed later) 4 door Jeep with extremely bright off-road lights that appeared to be trapped behind the gate trying to get out.  At first I thought that it was a authorized deer assassin waiting for the rain to quit but it was well after the 30 minutes after dark and when three to four others showed up, I called the police.  Some of the gang disappeared then re-appeared about 45 minutes later.  It looked like they were cutting the lock and/or chain with bolt cutters.  The gate opened and everyone left prior to the police arriving.  The officer must have passed them on the way down Kelso, it was that close.

Oddly, the gate was relocked (I heard the officer banging the gate and I checked the next morning) and the officer didn't stop to talk to me.

Fast forward to last night.   At approximately 6:30 PM, I noticed that the gate was open.  Since it was daylight, I figured whatever.  Unfortunately, the gate was still open this morning.

All this leads to several questions.

1.  Is the gate going to be left open permanently?  Given the history of juveniles loitering after the park closes, that's probably not a good idea.

2. How am I supposed to identify friend or foe, authorized deer assassin or poacher, legal or illegal activity?

Even leaving my personal opinions out of the discussion, it seems there is no control over who is or what is going on in this park that is so close to me, I'm within arrow range of anyone around the gate.

Please enlighten me and my elderly parents what to do.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXX

************

Here is more evidence of the propaganda that spews from the Public Information Office. american girls What a humanitarian. She is the one who wanted a park in Ward 1 and ended up with Twin Hills, plus is the one who said that the deer must be killed because they are going to die anyway. Ugh.

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.

More photos of corrals

Robb Hollow - one entrance

Robb Hollow - one entrance

Connor Road: black plastic in place; two entrances. 

Connor Road: black plastic in place; two entrances. 

Connor Road: black plastic in place; two entrances. 

Deed for McNeilly Park, situated in the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon and Baldwin Township.

New baiting station located in the woods at end of Thornwood Drive, between Kossman property and the golf course.

GPS Coordinates

Here are GPS coordinates:

  
Thornycroft: 40.37116667°N, -080.02895°W
https://www.google.com/maps/search/40.37116667N,+80.02895W/@40.3711667,-80.02895,200m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1 
  
McNeilly:

990 ft. is not 1000 ft.

Connor: 40.35705°N, 080.04265°W

https://www.google.com/maps/place/40%C2%B021'25.4%22N+80%C2%B002'33.5%22W/@40.35705,-80.04265,798m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0
  
Photos of Connor Road deer at the corral

Deer on left. Corral on right.

Compare size of deer on left to corral on right. Corral is larger than expected.

Deer on right. Corral on left.

Deer on left. Corral on right.

Very tame young buck with corral behind him. Great picture for mtl Magazine.

Heading toward the corral

Deer eating in the corral

Deer eating in the corral

View of corral looking down from Connor Road

Inner view of feeder on Connor Road

Inner view of wall with branches holding down plastic

Two openings at Connor Road

Spotted at one of the corrals

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

Some signs of life on Lebo Fields

I happened to look on Lebo Fields today and saw there was finally some activity. On Dave Franklin's blog, "someone" asked Dave for an update on the bond issue. Here is his response: 

Lebo Fields October 31, 2012 8:52 AM The bond will not include any funds for fields. Unfortunately, Commissioner Fraasch would not support turf and the sports associations were unable to support an increasingly expensive Robb Hollow plan just to add one grass field in an ill-suited area. You can read about future plans at www.davebrumfield.com. Meanwhile, Bethel just installed 2 new turf fields and USC just approved their third.

I point this out because Dave badgered me for weeks to promote his blog, Lebo Fields. His previous blog, Lebo Chat was a bust. I wouldn't promote that blog. Sorry, Dave. I feel responsible. I would hate for another one to bite the dust. It wouldn't look good on your resume.

 

What seems to be coming out is that it isn't about Field Failure, but the issue seems to be Field Envy.  It is always interesting to see how the Daves spin things. Do you think Mr. Franklin will be chosen as the representative from the Parks Advisory Board to serve on Dave Brumfield's newly created Mt. Lebanon Sports Facilities and Services Board?

 

 

This is how they will get turf UPDATED

According to the agenda for Monday's Commission Discussion Session ,

7:05 P.M.

3. Update Robb Hollow athletic field proposal:

a. Leaf collection options

b. McNeilly as site for leaf transfer

c. Robb Hollow preliminary engineering update

7:25 P.M.

4. Update on proposed bond issue. (Five minutes)

Twenty minutes are allotted for Robb Hollow, while five minutes have been set aside for the proposed bond issue.

On the agenda for the Commission Meeting scheduled for 8 PM,

JB 5. Introduction of an Ordinance (Bill No. 16-12) of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, authorizing General Obligation Bonds, Series of 2013 in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $_____ for the purpose of financing certain recreation improvements.

The proposed Ordinance authorizes the borrowing of funds necessary to complete improvements at recreation facilities including _______________________. The proceeds of the issue will also be used to cover the costs of issuance.

Recommended Action    JB 1. Introduce Ordinance (Bill No. 16-12).

                                      DB 2. Set the public hearing for Tuesday November 13, 2012.

I sure hope that ALL the improvements are listed for recreation facilities before the commissioners vote on the bond. If not, this is how the proturf folks will get their way without having to pay a dime towards it.

I see that Kelly Fraasch updated her blog to include A compromise.

Update October 20, 2012 5:23 PM  Response from Kelly Fraasch:

Re: question on blog

From	Kelly Fraasch kfraasch@mtlebanon.org
To	egillen476 egillen476@aol.com

Sat, Oct 20, 2012 4:38 pm

 

Elaine,

 

Hi, I hope you are well.

 

To answer your question, I talked with Dave B. in mid-late August about the eco-friendly turf.

With consideration of raising money from user and extra time to plan details we found that a Phase II was appropriate.

We talked about this briefly at the next meeting and voted.  The vote was 4-1 I believe. 

 

Prior to that meeting, I believe Commissioner Brumfield made contact with all of his connections within YSA and shared his support of Robb Hollow and the details of the planning.  Around that time, I made contacts with those that had helped me with the proposal and got everyone supporting the "Phase II".  Dave was having a harder time.  While Dave was working on YSA, I began reaching out to other groups that would benefit from the RH development to see their support (verbal and/or financial.)

 

I hope that clears up things for you!

 

Have a good weekend.

Kelly

 

 

On Sat, Oct 20, 2012 at 3:12 PM, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Kelly,

Someone wrote in on the blog asking if your compromise was ever presented to the YSA. I seem to remember it being discussed at a commission meeting.

Elaine

Another one bites the dust

I understand that Aqua Club has dropped out of YSA. Smart move. YSA only cares about fields, as far as I am concerned. What about Ice Hockey? Are they in YSA? Or is that another group ready to jump ship? So much for the YSA proposal for Middle and Wildcat Fields.

I see that Tuesday's Commission Discussion Session agenda has been published. Let me guess. Update on Robb Hollow athletic field proposal will probably turn into a discussion about artificial turf. Fifteen minutes has been allotted for the discussion.

A related topic on the agenda is the Joint Maintenance Agreement. Discussion of joint maintenance agreement. Fifteen minutes for this one too. Hey, maybe the school board directors allocated a couple of minutes of their ever popular community coffees to some commissioners so that they could discuss the JMA. With groups dropping out of YSA, I don't see how MTLSD is going to be able to collect from YSA. Maybe a lawsuit is in order. That always seems to be SOP when things don't sit well with the school board.

Letter to the Editor - Lebomag.com

The following letter to the editor appeared on lebomag.com and will also appear in the latest mtl Magazine.

Opinions                                August 17, 2012

Letter to the editor: recreation

It is with great disappointment that I read in this morning’s paper that the Mt. Lebanon Commission again failed to find a way to advance a workable plan to improve our community’s recreation infrastructure ( http://triblive.com/home/2416636-74/lebanon-recreation-commission-fraasch-improvements-municipal-parks-bond-commissioners-fields ). To be honest, I’m embarrassed of our facilities and the community’s inability to invest in our future. Since becoming a Mt. Lebanon resident over five years ago, I’ve staunchly defended it as a great place to live—particularly with a young family. I still firmly believe that to be the case, but as my children grow older and become more active in recreation programs, I’m starting to question. Particularly when I see the lack of commitment by the municipality to do what needs to be done to keep our community vibrant and attractive to families—which are vital to keeping a community healthy.

The commission’s efforts to invest in “hidden” infrastructure, such as our storm and sanitary sewer systems while also keeping up with the equally important road maintenance and delivering other municipal services are commendable. But this is not enough to keep our community healthy and growing. Families don’t move to communities because of good sewers, roads or trash collection; they move to top rated school districts in communities that offer safe, attractive places for the kids to swim, play ball and enjoy nature. The Mt. Lebanon School Board made the tough decision, based on well-founded analysis from their staff and experts, to invest in the future of our children. It was a tough decision, but they worked hard and the high school renovation project is under way. Unfortunately, it appears that the municipality, despite years of analysis and discussion, can’t do the same. This unwillingness to make a decision may result from fear of being criticized by the vocal minority, or it may be due to distraction with less important but chronic issues such as the deer population, which I must assume find our community particularly welcoming as compared to neighboring communities, based on the amount of media coverage and discussion at commission meetings (and special meetings) deer get in Mt. Lebanon.)

These remarks may seem particularly pointed, but I don’t have much choice. As a member of the silent majority—young, working, busy families who don’t have the time to attend every commission meeting and write dozens of emails—I have less opportunity to impress upon you the importance of this issue. It is the silent majority that is the heartbeat of the community. Although a population that is diverse in age is important, families are the common denominator behind every community that is thriving. And more than any other segment of the population, families are mobile. They can choose where they live—and there are lots of communities in this region that will welcome them with open arms (and safe, attractive parks).

Thanks to the commission for taking a leadership role in our community. Thanks also to the municipal staff; which does wonderful things with limited resources, behind the scenes, and under constant scrutiny. Parks are important to my family, other families in Mt. Lebanon, and families that are thinking about moving here. Please find a way to make us proud of our recreation system again. And let me know if there is anything I can do to help you get there.

John K. Trant

Sandrae Drive

Editor’s Note: Mr. Trant is the chief strategy officer for Cranberry Township in Butler County.

*******

I was glad to see this article on lebomag.com. Yes, the vocal minority wants artificial turf. It is unfortunate that the absence of artificial turf is what is stopping some of the commissioners from moving forward with Kelly's comprehensive plan to improve our parks and recreational facilities. 

Robb Hollow Park is a dump

The following letter headlined in the 11/16/11 edition of the Almanac.  I am reprinting it here since the Almanac does not archive its letters.

Robb Hollow Park is a dump

I feel compelled to respond to the Oct. 12, article, "ML mulls what to do with leaves in Robb Hollow Park."

Tom Kelly, director of public works, is stated as saying the annual composting taking place in a Mt. Lebanon, "park" is a "conservational activity." While there is validity to his remark, I know of no other community that operates a composting facility within public grounds, clearly identified as a park.

To even call Robb Hollow a 'park' is a travesty for Mt. Lebanon taxpayers. Once upon a time, someone spent taxpayer money to erect a picnic shelter and built a fire pit in a remote location of Mt. Lebanon that not many knew existed and even fewer bothered to visit. The shelter fell victim to neglect and was eventually demolished.

For the unfamiliar, Robb Hollow 'Park' consists of several dirt paths winding through a wooded area that lead to the composting dump, a torn down shelter and an oft-used fire pit. The location is secluded and the police appear reluctant to patrol the area on a consistent basis.

Unlike other public space in Mt. Lebanon, and primarily for that reason, it has become a clandestine spot for underage drinking and recreational drug use, occurring after the 'park' closes at 9 p.m.

The area is strewn with cases of empty beer cans and frequently, smoldering ash in the fire pit. Coupled with the obvious hazards of open flame surrounded by decaying leaves, the entire location is a complete disgrace.

For Mr. Kelly to trivialize this matter by saying, "one or two families moved into the area, realized there was a composting facility behind their homes and they wanted the activity to stop" is appalling.

There are a number of private residences on Robb Hollow Road that have been subjected and forced to endure the stench and noise generated by the composting and leaf dumping since its inception. Many of these individuals have lived there for decades, some their entire lives, and are 2nd and 3rd generation owners. They have watched a previously well maintained property and driveway turned into an access road (owned by Mt. Lebanon) fall into disrepair and become overgrown.

They have also witnessed incidences of illegal dumping on those same grounds. Their calls to officials are frequently met with indifference and dismissive attitudes. A fleet of dump trucks haul debris nonstop beginning at sunrise and continuing until late afternoon on a daily basis, including Saturdays, for most of the year. It can best be described as being trapped in a perpetual construction zone. The obtrusive sound of the vehicles is exceeded only by the acrid smell emitted from the rotting leaves, which permeate the entire neighborhood. During the composting period homeowners are unable to keep windows open or sit outside, the smell so caustic it burns your eyes and throat.

Hardly the idyllic vision one has about living in our fine community and certainly not what residents pay premium taxes for. The community has spoken against this misuse of public space and yet the leaf dumping continues.

Our tax dollars are paying Mr. Kelly to find an amenable solution. It is his job to work for the public and resolve this issue to our satisfaction. I am confident Mr. Kelly lives nowhere near the compost dump. If it were in his backyard, I'm most certain the operation would cease immediately.

Luanne M. Palazzo

Mt. Lebanon