It's not over yet

Big news from tonight's commission meeting. The turf contract has not been signed yet. For those of you who have thrown away your anti-turf signs thinking it was a done deal, we can get more signs to you.

Email me if you need a sign. Now it all makes sense as to why some signs were stolen over the weekend. It's not over yet, Folks!

If Kristen is going to write that check...

The new amount is $5600. That is after the new asking price reduction.

Looking at the homes on Roycroft, the commissioners appealed six (6) homes for this year. They appealed two last year.

2014 Mt. Lebo Appeals

1. 25 Roycroft based on 2007 sale
2. 51 Roycroft
3. 55 Roycroft
4. 65 Roycroft based on 2006 sale
5. 73 Roycroft
6. 80 Roycroft based on 2008 sale


2013 Mt. Lebo Appeals

1. 30 Roycroft increased to sale price of $560000
2. 56 Roycroft increased to sale price of $427000

Here's the kicker. Remember this anti-turf sign destroyed on Roycroft?

It was ripped out of the yard of one of the homes that the commissioners appealed. The Roycroft Block Party will be very interesting this year. Write the damn check, Kristen.

Update May 27, 2014 7:51 AM Not everyone can avoid writing the check, so Mike Suley, former manager of Allegheny County’s Office of Property Assessments, former member of the county’s Board of Property Assessment, Appeals and Review, and Lebo Citizens reader, offers this solution in his Post-Gazette Letter to the Editor, Overassessed homeowners should pay taxes under protest.

Brumfield, Bendel and Gateway pulling another fast one? UPDATED 3X

This comment was published under the post, Gateway is billing us $1,000 per meeting on May 16, 2014 at 11:57 PM. 

Why are Deiseroth, Bendel and Brumfield inviting McNitt, who has a PARTNERSHIP WITH FIELDTURF at Penn State, to the community forum on the safety of synthetic turf?

TALK ABOUT BIAS

Darren Gill, Director of Marketing for Fieldturf, stated that Fieldturf looked for a university partner who can augment what is currently being done internally. “Truth be told, when we sought out this partnership, we only had one partner in mind, and that was Penn State, largely because of Dr. McNitt.”

In July 2009, Fieldturf launched the Center for Sports Surface Research within the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State.

NOTHING BIASED ABOUT THIS $11,000 PUBLIC FORUM

By the way, if Gateway doesn't attend the forum will the price go down to $2500?

After an entire day of rain on Thursday, it's Play Ball at Middle Field last night at 6 PM. Why do we need turf?

Right here in Mt. Lebanon...

Update May 18, 2014 11:15 AM Mt. Lebanon will have experts talk turf with residents (Saved in Google Docs)

Update May 18, 2014 11:32 AM A number of anti-turf yard signs have been stolen out of people's yards. Charlotte Stephenson sent this letter to the Commission early this morning.

From:	Charlotte Stephenson
To:	Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>
Cc:	Dan Miller <DMiller@pahouse.net>; Coleman McDonough <cmcdonough@mtlebanon.org>
Subject:	Anti-turf Project Yard Signs
Date:	Sun, May 18, 2014 12:57 am

---

Dear Mt. Lebanon Commissioners,

A number of anti-artificial turf project yard signs have been stolen from residents' yards over the last 48 hours. These residents have paid for their signs and the signs are personal property. 

I initiated a police report with Officer O'Brien this evening regarding the theft of my sign and he has placed my complaint into the records. In the event that those who are stealing personal property in our municipality are caught, they will be held to the same standard as any other criminals who steal. My police report will lend credence to future complaints and our police department will be on the lookout for this kind of activity. 

Those of you who are closely aligned with the pro-turf enthusiasts (Commissioners Bendel, Brumfield, Linfante and Silverman) may want to consider passing this message along to them so they know that these acts have not gone unnoticed. Additionally, I received a message from an elderly resident telling me that she was very upset because her second sign was stolen from her yard yesterday. She stated that she has never known Mt. Lebanon to be a risky place in the past and she is disillusioned and feels somewhat threatened by this. Residents are asking if certain Commissioners are involved with these acts. 

Whoever is doing this is only placing those of you who are spearheading this turf project in a poor light with our residents. You will be held responsible in the public eye. I suggest you do what you can to protect the freedom of speech for those of us who do not agree with your policy. 

I am copying Representative Miller on this because he is a resident, and a champion of open honest debate rather than the stifling of opposing views, as is the case of this conduct. I have also blind copied a number of residents on this e-mail, particularly those who have anti-turf yard signs, so they know what is going on. 

Sincerely, 

Charlotte Stephenson

Update May 18, 2014 5:47 PM Sign found on Roycroft, near Kristen Linfante's house.

Please sign this petition if you want to halt public funds for use of artificial turf at Wildcat and Middle Fields.