Round Three

Our brainless commissioners will be approving a third year of paying Tony DeNicola another $9,000 for doing nothing but watching The Deer Hunter from his recliner in Connecticut.

The program has included "volunteer" archers and a dozen private "donated" properties, as well as McNeilly Park located near Brookline, Twin Hills located in Scott Township, Robb Hollow and Public Works located located near Scott and Upper St. Clair, and the Golf Course located on the edge of Castle Shannon.

Mt. Lebanon commissioners will be voting on Monday to hire Tony DeNicola to oversee the archery program with his trail cameras that we bought him last year. The donors and volunteers will also benefit with the venison, also on our dime.

Archery successful? Not so much.

It looks like the archery hunt isn't going as well as expected. Even with the additional 25 acres in Twin Hills Park located in Scott Township, archers killed half as many deer as last year at this time. Oh wait. Did I say "killed?" I meant "harvested." That was the grim news from Tony DeNicola.

The numbers aren't adding up though. The number of reported collisions involving deer has increased more than 80%, from 49 to 89 this year. Yet, the number of reported accidents has decreased from eighteen to nine this year. Dead deer pick ups has decreased 31%, from 96 deer to 66 deer this year. Commissioners are confused as to why the numbers don't match.

DeNicola went on to say that he is "getting phone calls from homeowners who are just inundated with deer." One Morrison Drive resident claims to have 5-10 deer visit daily, even though Twin Hills Park is within a quarter mile.

Dave Brumfield wanted to know how to measure the success of the program, if not accident rates. “You may have to kill 300 or 400 deer in order to get a reduction in accidents this year," DeNicola said.

Of course Michalina, known for her killer cake (Read about her at lebomag.com), wants more killing for three more years. One year of data isn't enough, in her mind.

Tony DeNicola said the municipality may have to reconsider its strategy. Commissioners will be considering his proposal at the November 28 meeting.

Mt. Lebanon advised to rethink deer archery, sharpshooting cull

The charlatan got us again UPDATED

Through a Right To Know, the White Buffalo (Tony DeNicola) archery program details were made public.

Tony DeNicola will be charging $9000 for supervising THREE days of archery. Here is the breakdown:

Hunting Organization and Management Budget 2016-17

WHITE BUFFALO, INC.  EXPENSES 

PERSONNEL

Program management 3 person-days X $1,500/day       $4500

DIRECT COSTS

Supplies (Miscellaneous supplies)                                  $4500

TOTAL                                                                           $9000

What miscellaneous supplies could possibly cost $4500? It can't be bait. It is illegal to hunt over bait. Plastic bags?

Here are the records received:

Deer Management Authorization Letter for Archery Year 2

Deer Management Agreement Year 2 Archery Proposal in Appendix A is missing. Appendix B pertains to the donation issue, at my expense. The way I read it, Shady Lane can't receive those tender fawns given to him again this year. That would be compensation, Greg.

RFP for Archery Year 2

Last year, there were more specifics; expectations. No minimum or maximum amount of deer killed this time. Why? Because he won't kill many. Remember, he got "the dumbest of the dumb deer last year." Tony's costs are not broken down. Are we paying for the tags? How many tags are we buying? Are we paying meat processing fees? Do we know about Twin Hills? Are food and lodging included? Mileage? 

That is the worst contract I have seen in a long time. It might make for good conversation tomorrow morning. "Chat with Lebo manager Keith MicGill* over coffee tomorrow, 8-10 am, at Panera in the Galleria. Stop for a minute or stay the whole time."

*Way to go, Susan. You can't even spell your boss' name correctly in the LeboAlert.

Update August 20, 2016 7:43 AM We can't get any answers to the questions above. Keith McGill provided the following breakdown of costs.

Thank you for you continued interest in the program. Miscellaneous supplies would cover items such as the bags to place the entrails in when the deer are field dressed, production and printing of the various forms such as the authorization forms that are required to be signed, hunting arrows and I am sure there are other items in addition to the ones I have listed that are required to allow the volunteer archers to provide this service to the municipality.

This is similar to other volunteer efforts that occur in the municipality such as Earth Day in which residents volunteer their time to clean up different areas of the community. For that particular event the municipality provides trash bags, gloves and safety vests to residents who will be working in areas that are proximate to traffic. Another example would be the numerous Eagle Scout projects that have been done throughout the community. The municipality provides the materials once the projects are approved and the scout(s) and other volunteers provide the labor to actually complete the project. 

Keith

and

Good afternoon, 

There is no breakdown for the miscellaneous supplies. None is required in the contract that was reviewed and approved. As I indicated in my prior email I am sure the are other items include in this item of which I am not aware. I believe the cost to be fair and reasonable. 

Keith

and finally

This is a professional services contract not a time and materials contract. The cost for the program will be $9000. 

Keith

How does this guy get off call himself a 501(c)(3)?

Get your scarves ready, Ladies

The commission will be approving another season of archery with patent holder of apples and corn, Tony DeNicola on Tuesday evening. August 9, 2016 Commission Meeting Agenda. This is when all the prokill ladies show up in their scarves, trying to distinguish themselves from us homeless-looking people who are against killing deer for various reasons.

Kelly Fraasch will not be attending, so it will definitely go through. It would have gone through anyway, since John Bendel is hell-bent on killing deer in Twin Hills Park, to appease his biggest supporter, Barbara Logan. Remember the email that John Bendel sent to Barbara Logan on the municipal domain concerning his nomination petition? I would love to know how Barbara can justify killing more deer to reduce car accidents, when the number tripled during the deer killing?

It is not real clear to me why Mt. Lebanon needs to spend $9000 for Tony to manage last year's archers.

Wasn't the whole idea to organize a solid network of vetted archers for years to come? Hey, I have an idea. Can we take that $9000 and put it toward dumping dirt and grass seed on the upper lot of Rockwood Park?

Wake up, Commissioners. Use your heads. Tony DeNicola is a charlatan and is making fools of you.

Triple J is history UPDATED

Jody Jodi Joe D. Maddock will not be heading the archery program this year. It appears that Mt. Lebanon is going to get the head honcho of White Buffalo, the patent holder of corn and apples - Dr. Tony DeNicola. Tony will be charging us $9,000 to vet the volunteer archers. I'm not sure what went wrong. The purpose of having Triple J last year was to lay the ground work for future archery programs by introducing the archers to the residents who wanted deer killed on their properties.

Car/deer collisions were at an all time high this year. Here are the numbers:

From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2016 47 car/deer collisions
From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2015 18 car/deer collisions
From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2014 17 car/deer collisions
From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2013 19 car/deer collisions

It couldn't be because deer were being hunted from September through March and tend to run frantically into streets during those times, could it? No, of course not. We must kill more deer is the Mt. Lebanon Municipal mantra.

I believe the commissioners will be voting on the $9,000 archery program on August 9.

Update July 13, 2016 11:10 AM A court ordered conciliatory meeting between Scott Township and Mt. Lebanon over killing rights in Twin Hills will take place on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 11:00 AM in the City-County Building on Grant Street. That should be interesting. MTL is NOT backing down. They are planning to kill deer in Twin Hills this fall.

Wait. What? UPDATED 2X

Email sent to Keith McGill and Commissioners at 5:29 AM this morning.

Keith and Commissioners, 

According to mtl Magazine, the archery program has concluded. Are you aware of that? This is the best news I have heard in a while. I hope it is true. 

Elaine Gillen

What I didn't question from the article:

There were residents who were injured or damaged. I, for one, couldn't look at a covered pickup truck without wondering how many dead deer were under the cover. I lost a huge amount of sleep. I had to go on antidepressants. I know I am not alone.

The woman cited for trespassing never tried to stop a hunter from removing dead deer carcasses. Can this be mentioned in the article, if the case is being appealed? I don't know since I am not a lawyer.

Are the commissioners really going to continue evaluating non-lethal means of controlling deer?

Lie, Lie, Lie. All lies.

Update January 8, 2016 9:46 AM OMG I guess it CAN get worse.

Keith,

Apologize for any confusion?I'm sorry, but you have to do better than that. What are you or the PIO going to do to eliminate the confusion and correct this extremely irresponsible oversight? 

Elaine

-----Original Message-----

From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>

To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>

Cc: Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; Susan Morgans <smorgans@mtlebanon.org>

Sent: Fri, Jan 8, 2016 8:12 am

Subject: Re: Wait. What?

Good morning Ms. Gillen,

The archery program is scheduled to conclude on January 23, 2016. The article you attached is from the January/February issue of the Magazine. In retrospect a better choice of wording would have been to simply reference the January 23rd date.

While I did not write the article, as the publisher of the magazine, I am ultimately responsible for review and approval of the content.

I apologize for any confusion.

Keith

On Fri, Jan 8, 2016 at 5:29 AM, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Keith and Commissioners,

According to mtl Magazine, the archery program has concluded. Are you aware of that? This is the best news I have heard in a while. I hope it is true.

Elaine Gillen

--

Keith McGill, AICP

Municipal Manager/Municipal Planner

412-343-3684

kmcgill@mtlebanon.org 

Update January 8, 2016 1:54 PM

Good afternoon Ms. Gillen,

I wanted to provide you with an update on this issue. As of this email Ms. Morgans indicates as follows:

1) I rewrote the article on Lebomag.com (and included a lot of new information we did not have at the time we went to press. I then placed a post on Facebook directing people to the new and correct information on Lebomag.com and also provided a link to the reports on Facebook.

2) I had IT place a Clarification under Deer Management on the home page, noting that the magazine article was not correct and the the hunt would continue through the 23rd. I also directed people to the updated Lebomag story and the reports on the municipal website.

Thank you,

Keith

Latest Right To Know - shaking my head UPDATED 2x

The latest Right To Know involves communications between White Buffalo and MTL. What I thought I would do this time is put up the whole thing and reference page numbers as to what I noticed. Please feel free to comb the file and post the gems you found.

Page 1 archery not going well. Keith actually asked on October 7!
Page 5 deer task force with Susan Morgans? WTF?
Page 14 deer population survey We can use an aerial survey, ground count over several days which is cheaper or just wing it using Tony's beginning estimate minus the deer killed. Wow - so scientific! And sooooo accurate!
Page 21 costs will go up if only killing at night
Page 29-36 Black - Request a refund!!
Page 37 Have a private meeting with residents. No public meeting for a taxpayer funded program. Morgans said that the regulars have been making noise. Love the "transparent enough" comment.
Page 45 Anne German is volunteering her property for sharpshooting. So why was my RTK denied and I have to shell out thousands of dollars going to court? I knew it wasn't about the "safety" of the property owners. They are hiding something!
Page 54 60 residents offered their properties for archery. Sent emails to them asking about sharpshooting.

Update December 22, 2015 5:51 PM Jason Margolis sent the following email to the commissioners, Phil Weis, and Keith McGill at 4:30 PM today. It is reprinted below with his permission.

Dear Commissioners and Municipal Staff,

Recently, some emails regarding the archery and potential sharpshooting hunting were released through a RTK request.

In an email dated November 12, 2015, MTL Public Information Officer says the following:

"I am thinking that unless you need a public meeting to recruit properties, it is probably better not to have one. Things are quiet now--very little overt opposition except for the few regulars. I think if we just post the Q&A , that is probably "transparent" enough ..."

This email confirms my suspicion that the deer management decision-making process in MTL is highly suspect, and that particular individuals, funded through taxpayer dollars, are directly involved in hiding facts and truths from those very same taxpayers.

In this case, the Public Information Officer has violated the very nature of her position:

PUBLIC - Susan Morgans, rather than facilitating the distribution of facts, says she wants to keep things private and "quiet." This is to not have the public even think about the issue, as it might create additional "opposition" beyond the few "regulars."

INFORMATION - Rather than informing the public, Susan Morgans recommends that "we just post the Q&A." In so doing, she seeks to strategically limit the flow of information in a highly-controlled format. Her apparent goal is to ensure the public access as little information as possible.

OFFICER - Susan Morgans is an officer, an employee, of the people. But she shows arrogant disdain for those people who pay her salary by stating that what she proposes is "transparent enough."

Who is Susan Morgans to say how transparent government should be? How can you allow her to blatantly blind the people she is paid to serve?

If the question is, "How transparent should MTL government be?" The answer should be, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND MORE SO EVERY DAY. However, your PUBLIC - INFORMATION - OFFICER - does not want to make things public, does not want to give the people necessary information so they can make their own determinations as to what is right, and has become an officer in obfuscation.

For her disregard for the public and true transparency, I ask that you hold Susan Morgans accountable for her dangerous comments. Minimally she should formally be written up and put on probation; more appropriately, she should be removed from office.

I will await to hear your response.

Dr. Jason Margolis

Update December 22, 2015 11:23 PM The response...
Note the additional people Keith McGill added to the email.

From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 7:47 PM
To: Dr. Jason Margolis
Cc: commission@mtlebanon.org; philip.weiss@bipc.org; Susan Morgans; Anthony DeNicola
Subject: Re: Susan Morgans

Good evening Dr Margolis,

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the email you referenced. Let me also assure you that I have the utmost confidence in Susan Morgans abilities and commitment to serving the residents of the municipality in her position as Public Information Officer, as well as her professionalism and commitment to transparency.

I am not aware of any "facts or truths" that are being "hidden" from the taxpayers. All program details related to the managed archery program that was approved by the Commission have been disclosed and information regarding the program is readily available on the municipal website.

Phase I of the sharpshooting contract was approved by the Commission and that contract is also posted on the municipal website as well as a copy of the special permit issued by the Game Commission and a set of Frequently Asked Questions developed by the Public Information Office working in conjunction with the contractor, White Buffalo, public safety, public works, myself and the Commission.

Phase II related to Implementation will be discussed and voted on by the Commission in January. Prior to the vote, information related to the archery program and additional information regarding the sharpshooting program will be provided to the municipality and posted to the municipal website. Dr. DeNicola will attend the January 12th discussion session to provide any requested additional information on the program and respond to questions.

I would ask that you review the information related to deer management that is posted on the municipal website and if you still have questions related to the program please email me.

Respectfully,

Keith

Efforts to obtain emails about Mt. Lebanon deer hunt raise legal questions

Efforts to obtain emails about Mt. Lebanon deer hunt raise legal questions

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.

A disturbing admission UPDATED

I have been trying to catch up on all my emails and found this very disturbing admission.

On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 6:49 PM, Mt. Lebanon Deer Program <mtlebodeer@whitebuffaloinc.org> wrote: 

[Name redacted]

Thanks for reaching out. I am happy to let you know that Chris Double is not one of our program hunters. We are starting with a very small group this year and there are more hunters who already hunt the township than we have in our program. We have no control over the hunting that is already legally taking place within the township.

Please let me know if I can help in any way.

Best,

Vickie DeNicola

 

Mt. Lebanon Deer Program   |    White Buffalo Inc. 

M:  (860) 385-4725   |  mtlebodeer@whitebuffaloinc.org 

Find Us:  whitebuffaloinc.org  |  Facebook  |  LinkedIn 

Update September 21, 2015 10:09 AM What could possibly go wrong? A Lebo Citizens reader discovered a camper on private property near the golf course, while on a search for tree stands last night. The young man was unaware of any archery activities that were going to begin this morning. The Lebo Citizen reader reported this discovery to the police last night. As of this morning, the camper was still there.

No numbers released. No calls returned. Nothing in school newsletter.

Nothing from the Municipality:

Mt. Lebanon deer culling begins; no numbers released
By David Conti and Mike Wereschagin

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, 6:12 p.m.

A public effort to reduce Mt. Lebanon's deer population got off to a quiet start Saturday, with the municipality and the private company overseeing the hunt offering few details.

Connecticut-based White Buffalo Inc., which is overseeing the hunt's archers and secured rights to hunt on private property, did not respond to phone calls. Mt. Lebanon spokeswoman Susan Morgans said she did not know whether the archers killed any deer.

The town tried culling deer last winter by luring them into corrals and shooting them, but protesters sprayed deer repellent around the corrals. Six deer were killed.

Mt. Lebanon and White Buffalo officials won't say on which private properties the archers hunted Saturday.

Jason Margolis, a resident opposed to the deer control project, said that's a safety concern.

“It's just a matter of time until a wounded deer will run out into traffic or in front of children,” he said.

Allegheny County 911 dispatchers said they had no reports of injuries connected to the hunt. Hunting will continue daily, except for Sundays, until Jan. 31, but Morgans said the municipality will not issue daily reports.

“They just want to make it go away. They want to keep it quiet, keep it hidden,” Margolis said.

Archers are scheduled to begin targeting deer in municipal parks Monday.

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

Nothing mentioned about killing deer in the Mellon PTA newsletter:

From: Mellon Middle School PTA Newsletter [mailto:ljschrott5@mtlsd.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of Mellon Middle School PTA Newsletter
Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2015 4:01 PM
To: Mellon PTA Parent
Subject: Mellon Memo 9/20/15 [MTLPTA]

Unfortunately, I cannot reprint the newsletter.

Latest Lebo ALERT

From: LeboALERT
To: EGillen476
Subject: LeboALERT: Deer management arch...
Date: Fri, Sep 18, 2015 4:49 pm

This is an important notice from LeboALERT. Deer management archery program begins tomorrow (Sat.) on designated private properties. Read FAQs at www.mtlebanon.org.

It should have said "We're sorry, but it is no longer safe for you to leave your house."

PA Code, Chapter 447, Hazardous Walking Routes UPDATED - Timmy has spoken

I know that parents are outraged over the archery that will take place starting this Saturday and will end late January 2016. Steve Feller's letter to Tim Steinhauer states:

No hunting will take place on school safe-walking routes. Only police officers certified for the program will hunt on public property.

And then goes on to say:

Several groups of private properties will be used for hunting. Theses properties were thoroughly vetted, and hunters will follow the rules of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Are the private properties on school safe-walking routes? Parents ask, "How is this permitted?" Well, it's not.  Please Google PA Code, Chapter 447, Hazardous Walking Routes. 

I maintain that every street in Mt. Lebanon has been charted on safe walking routes. (You have to be able to get from here to there.) 

From the School District website:

Safe Walking

The Mt. Lebanon School District is a walking school district. Student safe walking awareness is reviewed annually with the assistance of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department (MLPD). In addition to reinforcing safe walking rules with students at the beginning of the school year, the MLPD has established Safe Walking Routes for each elementary school. Please review these routes with your child throughout the school year.   Safe Walking Routes The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, along with the Mt. Lebanon Police Department and Juvenile Protection has formulated the following walking routes.  These routes are recommended safe walking routes according to pedestrian and vehicle laws of the Commonwealth of PA.  The walking routes are all encompassing not simply for routes to each elementary school.  They were designed to be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  These routes will show the safest area to walk on the street as well as the safest place to cross every street and crossing guard locations.  The routes will take you to a signalized intersection with a stop sign or traffic signal making it easier to cross.  For students in elementary school, locate your school map and find your address.  You may then follow the blue arrows to the school.  The reverse would be done for walking home.  For students in middle and high school, locate the elementary school map where you live and follow that towards your school and onto the next elementary school map where the middle or high school is located. Because the maps are all encompassing for safety, all walking routes will follow a street or sidewalk.  Pathways and cut through stairs have been eliminated as safe walking routes. Foster Elementary School Walking Route Hoover Elementary School Walking Route Howe Elementary School Walking Route Jefferson Elementary School Walking Route Lincoln Elementary School Walking Route Markham Elementary School Walking Route Washington Elementary School Walking Route From an attorney:

Let’s first only review it for the purposes of the district’s safe walking routes in the context of the archery kill. (After a cursory review, I suspect that some of the MTSLD safe walking routes are in question, even without the deer kill.) Chapter 447 creates guidelines for determining if a school student walking route along a public highway (I think that means all thru streets) is hazardous. Now, the section specifically defines hazardous as an unsafe condition caused by “POTENTIAL incompatibility between vehicles and school students.” My contention is that a kid may want to walk to school on the other side of the street (against crosswalk regs) or may be expected to walk or run into the street once s/he discovers that the walking route is adjacent to a public or private killing site, or may run into the street if s/he sees an arrow fly or encounters a dead or dying deer on the safe walking route. All of those scenarios subject students to traffic perils. 

A review/study of the safe walking routes WILL be conducted ONLY IF requested by the school district. Chapter 447 of the PA Code states that “if changes occur in the condition of a walking route that was previously inspected, a re-evaluation of the route may be requested (again, only by the school district).

Dr. Steinhauer needs to be convinced that he should immediately request that the appropriate PA engineering district conduct a safe walking route analysis or reanalysis of the potential for kid/vehicle dangers caused by private and public archery hunting grounds in Mt. Lebanon, for a deer kill that will occur during the daylight, at least five days a week, for a period of over four months. Dr. Steinhauer will be required to send a copy of his request for the study to the municipality.

September 17, 2015 6:31 PM From John Bendel at 6:05 PM: "Our public works department will be putting signs up tomorrow. First, in the public areas where hunting is permitted and then in the other parks where hunting is not."

From the Mt. Lebanon website: Deer Management Update (September 17, 2015)
At a public meeting on September 8, 2015, the Mt. Lebanon Commission authorized a Deer Management Program archery management program. For additional information please read our Frequently Asked Questions related to deer management. Also available for review is the notification sent to the School District regarding Deer Management.

September 18, 2015 5:18 PM Timmy has spoken.

From: Dr. Timothy Steinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 4:11 PM
To:
Cc: 'Stephen Feller'

Dear 

The School District and Municipality share the same priority for student safety. I have discussed safe student travel to and from school with the Municipal Manager and Chief of Police. I was assured that hunters would adhere to the rules established by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the hunters were aware of the safe-walking routes. In Mr. Feller’s letter he stated that no hunting would take place on school safe-walking routes. For your information, safe-walking routes are provided by the MLPD and are posted at http://www.mtlsd.org/parents/safewalkingroutes.asp  The precautions hunters will be taking while hunting on public property were noted in his letter.

All of the parents, principals, faculty, and staff were alerted to this upcoming event. In addition to the school’s role, parents always play an important part in directing his/her child to practice safe behavior when walking to and from school.

For questions about the specifics of the deer management program, you may contact the municipality’s Keith McGill at 412-343-3684, kmcgill@mtlebanon.org. For immediate safety concerns you should call 911.

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Mt. Lebanon School District

412-344-2076

Update September 18, 2015 5:37 PM Further correspondence from an angry parent in response to Timmy's letter.

From:
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 4:19 PM
To: 'Dr. Timothy Steinhauer' <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Cc: 'sfeller@mtlebanon.org' <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>
Subject: RE: Deer Killing During School Hours

Tim---

It appears from your email that you and the muni do share the same view of student safety. That’s too bad for our school kids.

You may want to take a look at the Pa Code, Chapter 447. Hazardous Walking Routes. It is part of PA school law. I already know of certain streets where the archery hunt will directly conflict with the safe-walking routes. Steve Feller knows those streets, as well.

Angry parent

From: Angry parent
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 5:25 PM
To: 'Dr. Timothy Steinhauer' <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Cc: 'sfeller@mtlebanon.org' <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>
Subject: RE: Deer Killing During School Hours

One more thing, Tim. I realize the role that parents play in the kids’ safety. Obviously. I wouldn’t be making a big stink here if I didn’t.  Your statement below about the parents’ role in safety tells me that you do not have a grasp of a crucial issue. The municipality, with whom you share a safety bond, is unlawfully withholding the locations of the private properties on which our tax dollars are paying for the muni to kill deer with crossbows.

Perhaps you can tell me how I can direct my child to practice safe behavior when I do not know the locations at which he will be in heightened peril. I’m at a loss.

Thank you.

Angry parent

Shame on Timmy UPDATED

This email just came out from our overpaid superintendent, Dr. Timothy Steinhauer. He is so wrong. First, it isn't a cull, it is a hunt. Because it is a legal archery hunt, the Municipality did not have to get permission from the PA Game Commission. I'm told that parents are just sickened by this. They are worried about their children's safety. Timmy mentions nothing about safe walking routes.

From: "Dr. Timothy Steinhauer" < noreply@mtlsd.net>
Date: September 16, 2015 at 3:31:14 PM EDT
To: Mt. Lebanon Parents
Subject: Municipal Letter Concerning Deer Culling
Reply-To: "Dr. Timothy Steinhauer" < noreply@mtlsd.net>

Dear Mt. Lebanon Parents,

The Mt. Lebanon Municipality received permission from the Pennsylvania Game Commission to proceed with the deer cull. They have asked us to share the attached letter with you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Timothy Steinhauer
Superintendent of Schools

Letter from Municipality 

---

MTLSD DISCLAIMER: THIS TRANSMISSION IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE USE OF THE ADDRESSEE AND MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT IS PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL, AND EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW. IF YOU ARE NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, OR THE EMPLOYEE OR AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR DELIVERING THE MESSAGE TO THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, RETENTION, DISTRIBUTION, OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS COMMUNICATION IN ERROR, PLEASE NOTIFY THE SENDER IMMEDIATELY.

I placed a third order, and already half of the order is reserved.  I am down to 15 yard signs. They are going quickly. Please remember to email the commissioners at commission@mtlebanon.org and copy the school district at schoolboard@mtlsd.net. Let them know that you have a "Not In My Yard" sign and are opposed to the archery plan. It starts this Saturday.

Update September 16, 2015 6:20 PM Also planned for this Saturday is Mt. Lebanon Public Safety Day which will be held in Bethel Park, at Bethel Park High School. What is wrong with this picture? [Hint: See above]

Public Safety Fun Day set for Sept. 19 

Gearing up for the killing UPDATED

John Hayes certainly is. I can almost see the drool dripping down my laptop display as I read his latest article, For early season archery, use pre-rut tactics.

With the killing set to start in five days, I am prepared to post safety-related incidents that occur as a result of the archers and/or sharpshooters. If anyone has pictures or videos and specifics, email me at EGillen476@aol.com and I will upload them to this blog. If there are any descriptions, they can be submitted as a comment. People have volunteered to photograph tree stands. Thank you! All I have to do is give them the location. Those will also be added here. I will start my own archery incident report and pray that I have nothing to post.

Yard signs requests have not diminished. Considering that this will continue until the end of January, I see myself reordering yard signs again and again. The commissioners are the problem. They can also be the solution.

Update September 15, 2015 9:58 AM The archers are permitted to hunt 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Want a sunrise/sunset time timetable by date? Click here. Sunset on Halloween is 6:18 PM. That means that archers will be hunting on private property up until 6:48 PM on Halloween. Trick or Treat starts at 6 PM.

Q and A about the Archery Program UPDATED 2X

A resident emailed the commissioners the following email. Commissioner Bendel asked Manager Steve Feller to respond to the questions. His answers are shown below in blue italics next to the question. 

Commissioners,

I am very concerned about the safety of our community's kids during this archery program.  Can you tell me when/how the Commission is planning to disseminate details and safety information on the program to residents?   Public hunting areas will be posted. Municipal officials will send LeboALERTs as needed. We will also include information in the October Mt. Lebanon Magazine and the website www.lebomag.com and give updates on www.mtlebanon.org in the newsflash section on the front page and on the deer management page.  We will also notify school officials. 

In the meantime, could you please address the following questions/clarifications or direct me to information already published that answers them?

1. What hours of the day will archers will be active?   Hunting can take place from 30 minutes prior to sunrise to 30 minutes following sunset. 

2.  If the designated parks are M-F only, is that also the case for private properties?   Hunting on private properties may also occur on Saturdays

3. If the parks have to post hunting notice signs to inform the public of the presence of hunters, are private residences also required to post a notice alerting pedestrians who are passing by/near the propert(ies) that are being hunted on?   No 

4. Please confirm that the safewalk walking routes posted/published by the police department for each school will be free of any archery activity during daylight hours, and will have at least the minimum buffer zone to parks or private properties that are allowing hunting.   Hunters will abide by all laws pertaining to buffer zones.  There will be no hunting on safe walking routes. 

5. Please also confirm that the archers are aware of these walking routes. Yes. Hunters were given these maps as part of the orientation 

6. Will there by any school-district driven e-blasts or anything like that sent out to all the parents of all the students regarding the archery program?  I am concerned about the students who walk through the parks and/or get dropped off on streets that are near their schools but not necessarily part of the safewalk routes.   The School District will be notified that archery hunting will be occurring.  State law permits archery hunters to hunt during the archery season beginning September 19 through the last weekend in January, with a break for two weeks in December.  The program involves legal archery hunting following all state game commission rules and requires no additional permits.  Many other areas in the State are using legal archery programs including Allegheny County, Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park, Peters Township, South Park, and Fox Chapel.  

*******

Shall we remind Steve Feller and the commissioners about the population density in those areas?

Update September 10, 2015 9:14 PM Here is an FYI for Mr. Feller. EVERY street is mapped out on safe walking routes. From the School District website:

The Mt. Lebanon School District is a walking school district. Student safe walking awareness is reviewed annually with the assistance of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department (MLPD). In addition to reinforcing safe walking rules with students at the beginning of the school year, the MLPD has established Safe Walking Routes for each elementary school. Please review these routes with your child throughout the school year.   Safe Walking Routes The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, along with the Mt. Lebanon Police Department and Juvenile Protection has formulated the following walking routes.  These routes are recommended safe walking routes according to pedestrian and vehicle laws of the Commonwealth of PA.  The walking routes are all encompassing not simply for routes to each elementary school.  They were designed to be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  These routes will show the safest area to walk on the street as well as the safest place to cross every street and crossing guard locations.  The routes will take you to a signalized intersection with a stop sign or traffic signal making it easier to cross.  For students in elementary school, locate your school map and find your address.  You may then follow the blue arrows to the school.  The reverse would be done for walking home.  For students in middle and high school, locate the elementary school map where you live and follow that towards your school and onto the next elementary school map where the middle or high school is located. Because the maps are all encompassing for safety, all walking routes will follow a street or sidewalk.  Pathways and cut through stairs have been eliminated as safe walking routes. Foster Elementary School Walking Route Hoover Elementary School Walking Route Howe Elementary School Walking Route Jefferson Elementary School Walking Route Lincoln Elementary School Walking Route Markham Elementary School Walking Route Washington Elementary School Walking Route Update September 10, 2015 10:05 PM What a bunch of crap. Read the latest Right To Know responses from Manager Steve Feller. Right To Know Meduho 091015

Yard Sign Update

It looks as though I will have to place another yard sign order. I am not complaining! I know that we are in this till the end of January, so between the word getting out and the increase of vandalism reports, I better do it soon. Your donation includes free replacements of stolen signs. :)

I do have a favor to ask of the sign supporters. I encourage you to send an email to the Commission that states you have either just posted a sign or have a sign on your property and that the Commission doesn't know your opinion, so a survey should be done of the community. The Commission needs an assessment and it is so easy to do.

Immediate Action Is Needed

Lebo Citzens reader, Kimberly Schevtchuk submitted the following document which includes the specifics on the archery program, safety concerns, a section which briefly summarizes alternatives, (sterilization and speed enforcement), and the Commission's failure of due diligence to protect public safety. The last two pages include action information and Commission contact information.

Please attend tonight's extremely critical Commission meeting at 8:00 PM and share your thoughts (in five minutes or less) during Citizen Comments. Yard signs are still available. I will bring a few signs to the meeting tonight.

For our lawyers

From my July 30, 2015 Right To Know:

Anthony DeNicola's White Buffalo Proposal 

Jody Maddock's role

Clarification Both screened and unscreened archers

Use of bait

Planning presentation to recruit landowners

Hunters Sharing the Harvest

Deer population Estimates: Money Not Well Spent

Conflict of Interest Use science based information.

Email from Lebo Deer - limiting sponsored Lebo Deer speakers to five residents and identifying a core member

I did scan and post other items from the Right To Know in my previous post,  4 Public Properties Identified

I'm definitely living in the wrong place.

It is no secret that I love to sew. In fact, I teach sewing on Castle Shannon Blvd. Today, Gloria Horn was so excited to see me because she was ordering the quilt panels featured in the latest Jenny Doan video. [Jenny Doan is a famous quilter and has many videos on YouTube.]


Only in Mt. Lebanon, deer are considered evil. Dangerous. One man wrote in to the PG, calling them rodents with hooves. Three weeks tomorrow, the killing starts for five months. These quilt panels may be all the deer that are left. September 8, Coleen Vuono wants to spend close to $90,000 to hire Bubba with a gun to wipe out the remaining deer in January.