The day after the 100 year Lebo storm

What a night! I didn't get home until midnight.  The original Discussion Session was to begin at 6:20 PM. The revised agenda listed a start time for 6:30 PM. As usual, the executive session ran late and I believe the Discussion Session didn't start until 7:00 PM. The only reason why White Buffalo was presenting, was because Kristen Linfante wanted them there. Guess who was out of town for last night's meeting? Kristen.

Dr. Anthony DeNicola was MIA. Instead, a technician, Mr. Maddock (didn't catch the first name) made the presentation. Mr. Maddock started off by clarifying that he was not a wildlife biologist as the agenda portrayed him to be.

I want to thank Kelly Fraasch for asking about the video that was originally posted here about suffocating deer. Maddock had heard about the video, but never watched it. I wonder why he never did. He said that the deer was dead and that the moving legs were just a reflex. They bag every deer's head, to avoid the scent of blood, causing other deer to leave the area.

We have the same situation as we did for the last two cullings. A company determines that a deer culling is necessary and the same company would be hired to do the culling. (Sounds amazing similar to the feasibility study done by PK, doesn't it?)

I had to leave the room at that point. It is recorded and will be uploaded on to lebocitizens.com as well as posted on the municipal website.

A very long discussion about Brafferton Field with bids coming in too high. Dave Brumfield and John Bendel thought that it would be better to turf an existing field. Of course. Dave wants Mellon and John wants Wildcat. Blah blah blah. You can hear it on the recordings.

Steve Feller will be recommending another bond issue for next year. I was so punchy that you need to watch the meeting for more details.

Academy Avenue parking issues and traffic options were discussed ad nauseum. Bottom line is that the commission will not making Academy Avenue one way.

PAYT was an interesting discussion. I sat next to Andrew Behrend, not sure of the spelling of his name, during the Discussion Session. He was never introduced when he spoke about PAYT, but I understand he is a member of Environmental Sustainability Board. Kelly and Andrew spoke about Cranberry's successful program. It seems that someone from Cranberry will be attending the next commission discussion session. Evidently, SHACOG has now placed a deadline in the middle November, if Lebo wants to switch to PAYT. I get the feeling that Steve Feller and Tom Kelley are not thrilled about PAYT. Dave said that the cost will double for residents. Steve said that if there is a problem with collection, then the municipality will need to pick up the garbage. Andrew told me during the meeting that containers are problematic, while Kristen and Kelly are leaning toward containers. Andrew wants to sell them on the idea of PAYT and then work out a hybrid program for Mt. Lebanon. I had mentioned to Andrew that everyone is NOT paying the same for trash collection since it is based on our assessments.  I am not thrilled about this idea.

By the time all this was over, we moved into the commission chambers and the first resident comment (mine) was at 10:10 PM! Many people left because they were tired of waiting. I didn't get home until midnight. What a night.

No Quorum at Turf Board Meeting UPDATED

The guy who works on word puzzles at the Turf Board meetings recorded last night's meeting for me. I have uploaded it on lebocitizens.com.  Since there were not enough voting members for a quorum,  there was only a discussion.

Since there was no roll call, it was hard to determine who was there. I heard David Donnellan, David Franklin, John Bendel and David Brumfield's voices. There was quite a discussion about signage. David Donnellan explained why there was only one sign sold.  David Brumfield noted that the Commission could amend the ordinance, and it shouldn't be a problem. Yet another amended ordinance.

Brafferton Field bids were discussed. Bids will be opened on September 17. Hopefully, no lawsuits will result.

John Bendel discussed turfing Middle and Wildcat Fields. He believes that the majority of the commission would be in favor of allocating $400,00 to $475,000 from the unassigned funds for turf. The Commission has asked the engineer to look at Mellon turfing. Dave Brumfield was hoping that the SAB could help raise funds for this project. Dave Brumfield is pushing for Mellon which would be a plus for the business district. School Board Director Ed Kubit was not present. This was after the discussion of how one sign was sold.

Turf in Mt. Lebanon

Not sure why Lebofields.blogspot.com is inactive or why the turf petition seems to have seen better days too, but I did receive this email that has been making its rounds through Lebo Bubble Ball circles.

I would have thought more people would have shown up to urge commissioners to spend "leftover money" on turf. It is unclear why Dave has not worked out the details for which field - Mellon or Wildcat. Maybe Mr. Franklin can explain here. Perhaps he can explain what the commissioners should do with that 25-car parking lot that is going to be added to Brafferton that has no plan.

Go at it, Dave!

From: Dave Franklin [mailto:davefranklin4@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 11:38 AM
To: davefranklin4@gmail.com
Subject: Turf in Mt. Lebanon

If you have ever sat in the bleachers at a turfed field in another community and wondered why Mt. Lebanon does not have similar facilities, this email is for you.

At 8:00pm on Monday, July 22, the Mt. Lebanon Commission will host a public meeting at which time they will invite citizens comments and discuss the various options for how to best use this year's unassigned fund balance.

By way of background, the unassigned fund balance is essentially leftover money - money that was not specifically allocated to an item in the annual budget, and which is remaining at the end of the fiscal year.  This year's unassigned fund balance totals approximately $840,000. There are several items which the commissioners have already identified as suitable options for some of this money, thus reducing the overall total to something just below $800,000.

Importantly, however, four of the commissioners are in favor of spending a portion of the unassigned funds for a turf field project, and three of those four are interested in spending a significant portion of the unassigned funds for a turf field project. The newly formed Sports Advisory Board fully supports this proposal.

Exact details as to the where (Wildcat or Mellon) and when still have to be worked out, but this is a significant step in coming closer to securing another turf field for Mount Lebanon. The purpose of this email is to encourage each of you to attend the public hearing on Monday and to show your support for this option.  While a majority of the commissioners are in favor of this expenditure, I think it would go a long way in establishing a strong consensus  if we have a good crowd there to speak in favor of this proposal. If you are unable to attend, please send an email tocommission@MtLebanon.org expressing your support for allocating a significant portion of the unassigned funds to a turf field project in our community.

Thanks

Dave

Kids could run into each other!!!!!

I am sorry I didn't hear this said at the last commission meeting.

Players scrimmaging on separate halves of the same field could run into one another or could hurt themselves when frequent use of a field leaves the grass full of mud or ruts, they said.

I wonder if the Trib reporter was able to keep a straight face when he included that in his article, Mt. Lebanon pushed to put turf on field. We need more field space because players could run into each other. 

I have never heard this threat mentioned at any school board meetings. This is an extremely dangerous situation. This is worse than people having flooded basements and garages.  Kids running into each other on a field definitely trumps kids walking to and from school on busy streets that have no sidewalks.

Those opposed to putting turf on more fields noted other upgrades they thought would make better use of the money, such as flood control or sidewalks in residential neighborhoods.
“I want to specifically request that you put sidewalks on this list (of potential projects),” said Doug Descalzi, one of several residents on and around North Meadowcroft Avenue who said their neighborhood would favor the municipality adding sidewalks to their streets.
“I don't see how you can have this list and not have something like this on it.”

The Descalzi Family made this video and posted it on YouTube.



Dave Franklin was quoted in Matt Santoni's article.

“I'm not going to suggest that artificial turf is more important than sidewalks or storm sewers, but I look at fields the same way as any other infrastructure,” said David Franklin, a member of Mt. Lebanon's Parks Advisory Board and Sports Advisory Board. “I don't think the decision to improve fields is a frivolous decision.”

Clearly, Commissioners, turfing a school district field is not a frivolous decision. We don't want kids running into each other on the playing fields. This is a top priority over sidewalks or assisting residents with flooding issues. Perhaps the Turf Board can suggest turfing basements next. They could then be used immediately by not having to wait for them to dry out. 

We're surrounded by greed

Remember when the school district increased our taxes by 10.5% in May 2010? Sure you do! Mt. Lebanon Passes Budget To Pay For School Renovations Want to know how excessive that tax increase was? I filed a Right To Know for Jan Klein's July 1, 2013 report presented to the school board directors. My July 16 request was finally granted today.

The ONE PAGE report is located here. Notice the excess funds available from the May 2010 tax increase $2,375,000!!!!! How about that General Capital Fund, Dave and Dave? $6,350,000!!!

The commission majority wants to turf Mellon Field and the School District is sitting on $8,585,000, yet they want to wrap bonds to pay for the entire balance of high school renovation.

Dave Brumfield, Kristen Linfante, John Bendel, Dave Franklin, and all the rest of the sports people that were at the commission meeting last night: Why aren't you going after the school district to fix their own damn fields? For that, our sidewalks are missing on safe walking routes, people are plagued with flooding issues, our municipal building can't be locked securely, the golf course can't have a tractor, staff has to cut back, we can't close the pension funding gap, haven't paid for McNeilly, and we haven't started to fund the TOD project.  But hey, you have $829,561 just burning a hole in your pockets. So what do you want to do? Turf a school district field because it is a "safety hazard." Equally hazardous as people losing cars and damage to their homes due to flood waters or making kids walk to school on busy streets that have no sidewalks. What are you thinking, boys and girls??????

Brumfield has no plan

The commission meeting went as predicted. The sports people were there in full force. One by one, we heard their sad stories of kindergartners not being able to play lacrosse, soccer games canceled week after week because of wet fields. Never mind that the last major rainstorm dropped 4 inches of rain and that homes all over Mt. Lebanon were flooded, ground is saturated to the point that trees are being uprooted and streets are uplifted.

I asked that all the unassigned funds go to public safety issues such as the police radio, installing sidewalks leading to schools, and installing back water valves in the homes that are constantly flooded.  When my back water valve was inspected today, the plumber told me that there are 55 such valves in Mt. Lebanon. I said it was a no brainer to spend money on sidewalks and help people with flooding issues, not spend $700,000 on artificial turf.

A heated discussion followed among the commissioners. Clearly, it was decided in advance that Brumfield, Bendel, and Linfante were voting for artificial turf. Hints were made that municipal money was going to turf Mellon. The unassigned funds are to be spent on MUNICIPAL capital projects, not school district fields. Our staff has to cut back, but it is OK to blow $700,000 on school district fields.

The shining moment in tonight's meeting was when Kelly asked if Dave had a plan. He admitted freely that he did not have a plan. But they were quick to point out that this wasn't going to be spent immediately and that $700,000 was not enough to turf anything. It would have to come from the school district and -are you sitting down?- donations from the sports groups. No plan.

So after this goes down, and it will, the next want WILL be McNeilly. You mark my words.

Oh, before I forget, they will not be buying a golf course tractor or go for Building Security replacement. Think about what replacing Building Security means, Folks.

I have uploaded the podcasts to tonight's meetings. So if you are as hyper as I am at this point, listen to the commission meeting. It is available here.

$700,000 for turf?

Latest LeboALERT:

Mon 8 pm Commission mtg includes public hearing on capital investment. To see possible items: http://www.mtlebanon.org/documentcenter/view/9596

The Mt. Lebanon Commission will conduct a capital investment hearing on Monday, July 22, 2013 beginning at 8 p.m. in commission chambers, 710 Washington Road. The purpose of the hearing is to solicit input on the use of unassigned fund balance over the 10% threshold, which as of December 31, 2012, totaled $829,561. 

The big ticket item is Athletic field improvements/turf $700,000...for Mellon Middle School. That's right. The commission majority wants to spend municipal tax dollars on a School District field. Of course. Where is Brumfield's or Linfante's or Bendel's proposal? Does it matter that Brumfield and Bendel are coaches?

Other athletic improvements include another $200,000 Additional swim center improvements. Can anyone say...Climbing Wall? We just took out a Rec Bond for the pool!

Still more athletic improvements - Brafferton parking lot and basketball court $133,000

Is it going to be another meeting of sports parents with puppy dog eyes saying that Lebo is not spending enough on athletics?  This is making me sick.

We want our money back

Did you know that the municipality is over taxing us? Want proof? Here is the agenda for Tuesday's commission discussion session.


Open Discussion Session (Room C)
6:20 P.M.
1. Unassigned fund balance:
     a. Tentative list of designations
     b. Date for capital investment discussion hearing – July 22, 2013

Last year, we had spent $1.3 million in unassigned funds.  This year, we have available for more indiscriminate spending by the commissioners, approximately $840,000. That represents 2.39% of extra money in its cash reserves, after the normal 10% held in reserves.The vultures are circling. 

What do the commissioners want to do with that money? See my post, Mt. Lebanon weighs surplus spending

In the Trib article, nothing was mentioned about what our president, Matt Kluck wants. He has been advocating all along to give the money back to the people.

Funny, I don't see anything for Outreach, or any other drug programs.

In fact, at the February budget retreat, Kelly Fraasch was the only commissioner concerned about a drug task force.  Remember how I was the only one covering that retreat? That was when the PIO was writing about Noah's Ark on Facebook. Here are the commissioners' priorities from that February budget retreat. 

Hey, Commissioners? How about a reduction in our taxes? Do you have that much money that you need the school district's help to spend our money? We all know that the Sports Advisory Board (SAB) will want turf SOMEWHERE in Mt. Lebanon.  As The Trib reported in my July 1 post:

School board President Elaine Cappucci said the district has no plans to put turf on any fields. “So that would be a new expense. Nobody from the commission has approached us about the proposal. … I can't tell you what the board would feel about it.”

My guess is that the SAB, a.k.a., Turf Board will come back to turfing Middle and Wildcat Fields again.  The date for the hearing is July 22, 2013.

Get in line, SAB. You will be up against the deer cullers, the Outreach people, and the people like me who just want the commissioners to stop overtaxing us, and give us our money back.

Mt. Lebanon weighs surplus spending

Not a big fan of the Trib after they said that Dan Remely is legendary, but Matt Santoni covered this pretty well. Without reinventing the wheel, here it is.

Mt. Lebanon commissioners are considering how to spend an $829,000 surplus from last year's budget, just as representatives of sports groups have asked for upgrades to playing fields.
Sports Advisory Board members on Monday outlined for commissioners improvements that the collection of 13 youth and adult sports and recreation groups requested.
They include structural repairs to platform tennis courts in the community's main park, an electric Zamboni for the ice rink, a pavilion for events at the golf course and artificial turf and lighting on the playing field at Mellon Middle School.
The Youth Sports Association previously sought artificial turf at Wildcat and Middle fields, a pair of adjacent softball and baseball fields in Mt. Lebanon Park off Cedar Boulevard, said non-voting advisory board member David Franklin.
Advocates hoped turf would make the fields available for more sports and would absorb more wear and tear than natural grass, but they never got support from a majority of commissioners. The sports groups next turned to Mellon, off Washington Road and Castle Shannon Boulevard, Franklin said.
“Given the sense among the board about which asset needs it the most, we believe that Mellon really is in line to be improved with artificial surface and lighting,” he said.
Commissioners John Bendel, Dave Brumfield and Kristen Linfante — a majority of the five-member panel — later voiced support for putting some of the money toward the advisory board's recommendations, though Kelly Fraasch and Matt Kluck had reservations about doing so without a clear plan for the improvements.
Bendel, liaison to the sports advisory board, said he supported spending $30,000 of the surplus on improving the police department's radio communications. Police Chief Coleman McDonough said there has been bad reception in parts of the public safety building after the Federal Communications Commission required emergency personnel to use different bandwidths for their radios.
Bendel said he wanted another $87,400 for a mid-block crosswalk along Washington Road, $75,000 to study development above the Mt. Lebanon light-rail station and tracks and the remainder of the surplus on field enhancements, including turf at Mellon or Middle/Wildcat.
He later said adding turf and lighting to a field would require financial contributions from the school district and sports groups.
“The amount we're talking about is not enough to complete the project, and that needs to be filled by somebody,” Bendel said.
“I'm with John on putting the rest toward fields,” Brumfield said. “The intent is to hold these other funds to see if a plan comes up to improve the field situation.”
But Fraasch and Kluck, the commission president, disagreed.
The municipality is making up to $200,000 in improvements to turn a baseball/softball field off Brafferton Drive into a field for lacrosse, soccer and football, Fraasch said, and the municipality doesn't know whether the school district would support turf at Mellon.
School board President Elaine Cappucci said the district has no plans to put turf on any fields. “So that would be a new expense. Nobody from the commission has approached us about the proposal. … I can't tell you what the board would feel about it.”
Municipal manager Steve Feller will draw up a new list of projects that could be funded with the surplus, reflecting the ones that had the majority of the commissioners' support.
When the municipality ended 2012 in better financial shape than it expected, the extra money put its cash reserves at 12.3 percent of its expenditures. Normally, 10 percent is kept in reserve.
A public hearing on potential uses for the surplus must be held before commissioners can vote on how to spend it, Feller said.

Matthew Santoni is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5625 or msantoni@tribweb.com.

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Copyright © 2013 — Trib Total Media
Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoodsmore/4255881-74/sports-board-fields?printerfriendly=true#ixzz2XnzKtyfw 

I can't wait until the budget meetings start and each municipal department is told that they have to cut back because the commissioners are going to spend the surplus on the school district.

Joint Maintenance Agreement for 2013

Last night was a bad night for me at the Commission meeting. During the Discussion Session, John Bendel wants to look at using the Rec Bond for turfing fields, including looking at turfing Mellon - again. He wants to study this some more. Why he won't take as much time over deer culling is beyond me. 

The usual sports people were there to speak about turf.  I had to save my minutes for deer culling, so I never even addressed turfing a school district field, let alone any Mt. Lebanon field. The sports people supported the YSA proposal and dissed the Robb Hollow plan.  Only problem with supporting the YSA plan is that their days may be numbered.

Dave Brumfield made three recommendations for the next Joint Maintenance Agreement.

• Negotiate a longer term
• Have individual groups who want field preferences sign the JMA separately
• Draw up guidelines for using fields.  Include field use rules.

If anyone has any other suggestions, I am sure the Commission would welcome them.