It's been fun, but I'm done

I am sitting at the commission meeting and just heard the commissioners remove $137,400 from the Brafferton project and transfer it to "field enhancements." They also stole $500,000 from unassigned funds for "field enhancements." The remaining $112,600 will be considered in a separate motion at a future Commission meeting.

I will accept comments while I take time off. It may be a day. It may be longer. It may be forever.

You win, Dave Brumfield. You win, John Bendel. You win, Kristen Linfante. You win, Dave Donnellan. You win, Dave Franklin.

Thank you, Kelly and Matt for voting against this.

Son of a bitch!

Sorry for my crudeness, but this is bullshit. November 25, 2013 Commission meeting agenda

John Bendel will be introducing this at Tuesday Monday night's meeting:

JB 9. Consideration to assign funds for athletic field improvements.

The Commission would like to establish a process for funding field enhancements at Middle/Wildcat field. The project scope and opinion of cost was prepared by the Municipal Engineer and involves the installation of artificial turf covering the entire field surface, including the infields and outfields.

The Commission prefers to install a turf product with organic infill.

The Municipality will establish a team led by the Recreation Director with representation from the School District, Gateway Engineering and representatives from the Sports Advisory Board. The team will:

● Create a strategy for field use and fee structure to cover the annual field use fee
● Develop a strategy for funding the initial non­municipal share
● Draft a maintenance agreement with the School District
● Develop a list of turf vendors, including those offering organic infill
● Create an RFP schedule with construction targeted to begin by August 1, 2014
● Present  recommendations  to  the  Sports  Advisory  Board  (SAB)  and  Commission  by February 11, 2014

In total, the Commission intends to allocate $750,000 in municipal funds for the turf project, including $637,400 by action at tonight’s meeting. The remaining $112,600 will be considered in a separate motion at a future Commission meeting.

Recommended Action: Move to: (a) Remove the assignment of $137,400 from the Brafferton project and transfer it for field enhancements, and (b) Assign $500,000 from the unassigned fund balance for field enhancements.

Goldschmidt wins popular vote for Treasurer

David R. Voye, Manager of Balloting and Returns, has finalized the election returns for Mt. Lebanon Treasurer and a copy of all the write-in votes that were cast. The final tally shows that 2,349 votes were cast for John Ferguson and 2,257 votes for a write-in candidate. Mr. Voye tallied the votes cast for Jack Goldschmidt and Joe Senko. His tally shows that Goldschmidt received 1,584 votes and Joe Senko, 561 votes. The remaining 112 write-in votes were for a smattering of people that included Bill Hoon, Dave Egler, Carol Ferguson, Temp Smith, Jack Doyle, of course, Elmer Fudd. There were 474 Republicans and 678 Democrats who cast straight party line ballots. These folks had no idea that John Ferguson had passed away.  Goldschmidt beat John Ferguson by over 300 votes. Since both Senko and Goldschmidt ran campaigns to replace John Ferguson, shouldn't Goldschmidt clearly be considered the winner (by a margin of 3 to 1)?

According to the school board meeting on November 18, 2013:

(3) Appointment of Real Estate Tax Collector: RESOLVED, That the Board appoints Joseph T. Senko as the interim Real Estate Tax Collector beginning December 1, 2013, until further action by the Board at an annualized rate of $10,000 per year ($833.33 per month).

(4) Appointment of Delinquent Real Estate Tax Collector: RESOLVED, That the Board appoints Joseph T. Senko as the interim Delinquent Real Estate Tax Collector beginning December 1, 2013, until further action by the Board at no remuneration.

Note: I tried to rotate the jpg, but it keeps showing up like this. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Maybe moving to Dormont is a good idea

Look at what little old Dormont is doing. Developer negotiating to build apartments, parking garage near Dormont light rail stop

We have been fooling around with the hotel, waiting decades for Zamagias to develop property across from St. Bernard's, and nothing but talk when it comes to the TRID (Transit Revitalization Investment Districts) now being called something else, which I can't recall at the moment. Air rights?

Communities are passing us by, Folks. Just keep on thinking that we are number one on everything. I have been criticized for looking at Upper St. Clair. Now, I hope we can keep up with Dormont.

Better late than never

With the end of the first nine weeks long gone, and months after approving the Superintendent's new contract OMG They want to keep him through June 30, 2019, the school board finally got around to releasing the Superintendent Goals 2013-2014.

Mt. Lebanon School District
Superintendent Goals 2013-2014

Goal 1: The Superintendent will operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner.

Goal 2: The Superintendent will maintain or improve student achievement across the District.

Goal 3: The Superintendent will lead the District’s effort to successfully manage the High School construction/renovation project.

Goal 4: The Superintendent will lead efforts to implement the Strategic Plan across the District.

Goal 5: The Superintendent will engage and collaborate with other employees of the District as well as members of the community.

Goal 6: The Superintendent will continue to advance student learning and teacher development through effective utilization of technology.

I do find it odd that the word "ALL" is missing. School board members pledge to :

• Advocate for ALL students at all times.
• Ensure effective and efficient operations to prepare ALL students to be successful in a global society.

Shouldn't the Superintendent advocate for high standards and expectations of excellence for ALL students?

In Newton, MA, the superintendent issued a 38 page memorandum showing how "superintendents are now evaluated on four standards, 41 indicators and 21 elements. In addition to evaluating the superintendent on the basis of the standards selected from the Evaluation Matrix for Superintendents, each superintendent must have at least two additional goals: a professional practice goal, a student achievement goal, and two to four district improvement goals."

The Newton superintendent attached Evaluation Standards, Superintendent Evaluation Rubrics, as well as an informational packet for the school board and teachers on Implementing Evaluation Framework. One footnote worth mentioning is

The Attorney General has recently issued guidance in the form of frequently asked questions concerning the procedure to conduct superintendent evaluations pursuant to the revised Open Meeting Law (c. 28, s. 18 2009).

Since we, the stakeholders, are not involved in the superintendent evaluation process, perhaps the "End-of-Cycle Summative Evaluation Report: Superintendent" process could be implemented here in Mt. Lebanon. How would our superintendent rate?

The new $3.3 million Swim Center for the low, low price of $4.1 million

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, November 15, 2013 at 3:30 PM for the controversial Mt. Lebanon Swim Center renovation. The swim center project was part of a $4.5 million rec bond, which was to improve the golf course, Public Works, and Robb Hollow. We've been duped UPDATED The swim center project was originally estimated to cost $3.3 million. (Litigation costs not included.)

Now, our commissioners are considering turfing Wildcat and Middle Fields for the low, low price of $1,000,000. Commissioner Bendel's Field Enhancement Proposal estimates that the municipality's share will be $750,000 ($137,400 transfer from the Brafferton project [2012 unassigned 

fund], $462,600 [2013 unassigned fund] and $150,000 [2013 unassigned funds, 2014 budget or 2014 unassigned funds, if available.]) The non-municipal share of $250,000 will be funded by sports associations, sponsorships and grants. If the commissioners were off by just under 25% with the swim center, my guess is that the turf project should come in around $1,250,000. If the non-municipal funds don't materialize, then the municipality's liability will be $1.5 million or double what is being pitched to us. Of course, these numbers are based on John Bendel's estimate of $1,000,000.

Pictured breaking ground from left are: Commissioner Matt Kluck, Commissioner David Brumfield, Commissioner Kelly Fraasch, Commissioner John Bendel, Recreation Facilities Manager Bob Hlebinsky, Engineer Dan Deiseroth, Architect Mark Edelmann, Municipal Manager Steve Feller and Recreation Director David Donnellan.

ML breaks ground for swim center

A new and improved swim center, in the planning stages for a decade, has finally come to fruition in Mt. Lebanon. Commissioners broke ground Nov. 15 for the project, which will replace a competition pool built in 1977. With an estimated cost of $4.1 million, the new swim center will feature a completely renovated bathhouse featuring family dressing rooms and direct access from the entrance to the pool, a heater, zero-depth entry, climbing wall and a new, taller slide tower with one closed and one open slide. Structural upgrades include better drainage and new plumbing, pumps and filters. Municipal Manager Steve Feller said, “The new facility will retain the advantages of a 50-meter competition pool while also adding amenities that recreational swimmers and families want.” Designed by EPM Architecture of Pittsburgh and Wade Associates, a Harrisburg-based firm that specializes in aquatic facility design, the swim center was funded as part of a $4.5 million recreation bond issue floated by Mt. Lebanon Commission. The new facility is slated to open June 15, 2014.

Devil's Advocate response to last month's "You and I are not equal."

A Lebo Citizens reader submitted this comment under an earlier post, but in my opinion, is deserving of a whole new thread.

The paper was distributed today in school, complete with a response to the "opinion piece".
Here's a copy of the article:
http://i.imgur.com/8wam2wU.jpg

A few thoughts from my perspective.

I would like to thank the eighteen students from the editorial board of the Devil's Advocate, who took the time to write such a thoughtful response to this blog. I would like to clarify that the name of this blog is "Lebo Citizens," not "Concerned Citizens of Mt. Lebanon."

If the comments are anonymous, how do the students know that adults are writing them?  Could it be disgruntled or bullied freshmen?

Is it satire? Later in the response, the column in question was considered as "an opinion based on the writer's observations." The DA response indicated that it was "a humorous examination of life in the school." Satire, observation, or examination of life in the school? Which is it?

Dr. Steinhauer is your superintendent and deserves your respect. Timmy hasn't earned my respect. My tax dollars pay for his pizza lunches, his phone from where he sends his mindless Tweets of which I am blocked on his Twitter account, his excessive salary and benefits, and his idiotic blog on the District website, funded by yes, you guessed it, my tax dollars. Thankfully, IT has Timmy's Twitter feed available again on his blog. Timmy has lied under oath at a Municipal hearing, again funded by my tax dollars. Your superintendent shows no respect toward taxpayers who are cheerfully and willingly footing the bill to your education, not to mention the $100 million+ high school renovation. I am calling him Timmy, no doubt a name he has been called at other points in his life.

Finally, promise me this, Students. Keep this article and read it in five or ten years. You may be reading it from our perspective, and understand why your "opinion piece" garnered such spirited debates here on Lebo Citizens.

I hope to get a better copy of the article and post it here some time this weekend.

New street signs in Mt. Lebanon UPDATED 2X

Just got in from the commission meeting about twenty five minutes ago. I don't know how to say this. See sign above.

The discussion session was so long that it reconvened after the regular commission meeting. The regular meeting included:

• Kristen Linfante making sure everyone knew her position on deer during Citizens' Comments. 
• Kristen Linfante making sure everyone knew her position on deer during the public hearing on the 2014 Recommended Budget.
• See sign above.

The reconvened discussion session included THE latest and greatest Turf Proposal for Middle and Wildcat Fields. I will be uploading the presentation as soon as I get it. I believe the vote is on November 25. See sign above.

More discussion about solid waste and Pay As You Throw. Paraphrasing Tom Kelley, we shouldn't be making this decision at 11:30 at night.  I believe the vote is on November 25. See sign above.

November 13, 2013 3:22 PM David Donnellan just sent me the pdf of John Bendel's presentation. Mt. Lebanon Field Enhancement Proposal Thanks, David.

November 14, 2013 12:11 PM Remember how the intersection of Greenhurst and Cedar floods every year? Flooding of artificial turf 

Who pays for this cleanup?

Multiple fire hoses are required to clean up the area. Does the fire department help residents with flooding issues or will they be directed to protect the fields?

The Devil's Advocate, a month later

High School Parents, has the next issue of The Devil's Advocate been printed? I would like to know if there was any mention of last month's "opinion piece."

The school board meeting podcast was uploaded last night. Presently, there is a black screen on Channel 33, with no audio or video. Why must it be such an ordeal to view the school board meetings now? It is my understanding that nothing was mentioned at the November 11, 2013 school board meeting about The Devil's Advocate.

Source: WPXI.com

The 2014 Manager’s Recommended Budget UPDATED 2X

The 2014 Manager’s Recommended Budget has been posted on the Municipal website. http://ebooks.mtlebanon.org/budget/budget2014/  or  
http://mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/9737 (PDF)

A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. The second budget review will begin at 5:30 PM on Thursday, November 14, 2013. The third budget review will begin at 5:30 PM on Monday, November 18, 2013. A second public hearing and Budget Adoption will be during the regular Commission meeting on December 10, 2013.

The first budget review video is available online here.

Update 11:01 PM The deer culling debate starts at the 2:58:30 mark of the video. I did not attend the first budget review for that very reason. Spoiler alert: Dave Brumfield will vote against marksmen in the community. Kristen was very disappointed to hear that. Knowing Kristen, she will have her supporters at Tuesday's public hearing to speak in favor of culling. Please watch Kristen, Matt, and Dave discuss this issue for fifteen minutes or so. Matt, Kelly, and Dave would like to have a second aerial survey repeated at the same time as last year, to compare apple to apples. Are the deer moving on? Are the numbers increasing substantially? We won't know until we have a second survey. Kristen was not in favor of that for some reason. John Bendel was not at the budget review. Remember, Kelly has been suggesting a nonlethal sterilization program from the beginning.

Thank you, Dave for taking that position. Matt, thanks for pressing for a second survey. Kelly, thanks for all your research to find a safe alternative to culling.

Update November 11, 2013 8:04 AM Page 69 and 70 of the PDF, or page 64 and 65 of the Budget show $1,050,000 for turfing and lighting Wildcat and Middle Fields. It is line item 23 and below the line on The Manager's Recommended Budget. The line is drawn under item number 19. At Tuesday's meeting, we will also have the sports people asking to move line item 23 above the line. Just months before, they were willing to pay part of the project through their funds and signage revenue. Now, we get to pay it all with our tax dollars.

Another way, proposed by the Manager is on page 3 and 4 of the Budget.

"The Commission may also want to consider expanding the size of the issue to reduce the size of the backlog of capital projects for major projects such as the development of athletic facilities, park master plan improvements, and other priority projects."

In other words, increase the bond issue to include artificial turf.

November Change Orders and Other MTLSD Business

The November 11, 2013 school board agenda has been published here.

Amy Lewis and Dave Duessel from Maher Duessel, CPAs will be at the November 18, 2013 school board meeting to review the results of their fiscal audit of the 2012-13 school year finances.

A new tax collector and delinquent tax collector will be appointed on November 18, 2013 due to the unfortunate passing of John Ferguson.

"WealthEngine, whom the District has contracted to provide wealth screening services for the capital campaign, will provide a National Change of Address service and initial wealth screening for about 18,000 alumni records which will be used to populate the campaign database. The total cost with an early signing discount is $6,840." I hope the school district will share alumni records with reunion committees. The Class of 1972 was able to located approximately 700 alumni. I am wondering if this purchase is truly necessary.

Proposed new rental rates covering current and anticipated costs will be presented to the Board for consideration.

Change Orders for High School Renovation Project – The following change orders are presented for Board consideration. All the change orders listed below (totaling $244,386) have been reviewed by the architect, PJ Dick and the District administration.

 

a. GC-85-182 to Nello for $22,394 for fine arts building design coordination, 

b. GC-86-183 to Nello for $24,717 for athletic wing window pockets and new 

beam, 

c. GC-87-184 to Nello for $19,516 for B building code revisions , 

d. GC-88-185 to Nello for $17,445 for time & materials on doors jamb corrections, 

e. FP-04-186 to SimplexGrinnell for $10,081for phasing and changes in rated walls, 

f. ME-16-187 to McKamish for $25,430 for added duct in Little Theatre, 

g. PL-24-188 to Vrabel for $22,955 for courtyard storm work, 

h. PL- 25-189 to Vrabel for $21,162 for phasing relocation of utilities, 

i. EL-50-190 to Farfield for $6,348 for changes to walls and added electrical 

controls, 

j. EL-51-191 to Farfield for $29,973 for sound system in Little Theatre, 

k. EL-52-192 to Farfield for $27,924 for lights changes, chiller and duct work, and 

l. GC-89-193 to Nello for $16,441 to phasing change on structure demolition. 

Disclaimers may be meaningless UPDATED

I am saying from the beginning that this particular post is a work in progress. I uploaded the podcast from last night's Right To Know Information Session given by State Representative Dan Miller. You can listen to it here. Agenda is here.

I will be sharing the handouts from last night's meeting and adding them to this blog entry.

Attendance was light. Representatives from two school districts were there, including the Mt. Lebanon School District Open Records Officer. I am guessing that less than a dozen private citizens also attended.

The session was extremely informative. The first half of the session included an introduction of the Right To Know Law by Nathanael Byerly, Deputy Director Office of Open Records, recent case law changes to the RTK Law, updates from State Rep. Dan Miller, and a review of SB444 from Senator Matt Smith.

The second half of the information session included questions to the panel, which were submitted on index cards, or asked directly from the podium.

I learned that text messages ARE subject to the RTK law, contrary to what was established during a MTLSD Policy Committee meeting. I always request ALL communication, but have never received one text message submission.

A question was submitted to the panel asking, "Would a disclaimer written on a local agency's email invalidate it from a RTK?" The answer was, unless it was one of the exceptions or that it wasn't of a personal nature such as "What's for dinner?" or any copyrighted information or secret formulas, for example, disclaimers are meaningless. It would be subject to the Right To Know Law. The question was asked at the 1:19:00 portion of the podcast. I followed that discussion and asked several additional questions about disclaimers, as well as sharing the disclaimer in question with the panel which on my iPad. The disclaimer was:

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 questioned something that came up here by a now disgruntled reader of this blog. I asked about large documents that are available in digital form, but are printed out by the local agency [MTLSD] and charge the requestor 25 cents a page for the hard copy. The answer was that if it was in digital form and requested in digital form, then the agency is not permitted to do that.

Another resident contrasted the willingness of our municipal government to share information and the lack of cooperation by our school district.

Handouts from the Right To Know Information Session include:

Citizen's Guide

PA Office of Open Records 2013 Annual Training Powerpoint

Right To Know Appeals flow chart

Right To Know Information Session is tomorrow

State Representative Dan Miller's Right To Know Information Session will be held tomorrow at 6 PM in the Commission Chambers, Municipal Building across from Sesame Inn.

For details about tomorrow's event, see my earlier post, Right To Know Information Session. I asked Dan if the meeting will be video recorded since it will be held in the Commission Chambers. Susan Morgans, Mt. Lebanon Public Information Officer, said that since it isn't a municipal event, the video equipment is not available. In true Dan Miller style, Dan contacted Municipal Manager Steve Feller and offered to pay for the use of the equipment, adding that this event is relevant to the municipality. Dan assured me that if the equipment is not available for this Information Session, that I am permitted to record it.

Please come to this timely event. Learn about updates to the law and best practices for both requestors and officers.

Observation - 2013 General Election

Letter To The Editor

-submitted by Bill Matthews


Re: Observation - 2013 General Election

Turnout for this election was again low, 22.5%. However, this is not the observation I find most interesting. 

About one third of the voters making time to vote, did not vote for any school board candidate. Further, more than one than one third of the total votes available to residents and taxpayers actually voting, were not cast for any school board candidate; remarkable to me.

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Frustrated with the School District? You're not alone. It seems that the PA Department of Education has no control over elected officials. HOWEVER, they do have control over any educator with Pennsylvania Certification. This includes superintendents, vocational directors, principals, teachers, and educational specialists such as school counselors and school nurses.

If parents are not getting satisfaction by going to the school board or to the administration and feel that the PA Department of Education should get involved, here is the process. To file an Educator Misconduct Complaint, visit Educator Misconduct Complaint Procedures and Complaint Form

To read about Professional Standards and Practices, visit Professional Standards and Practices Commission Home Page

Upset about unfair recess practices and can't get the situation resolved by the School District? File a complaint.

Do you feel that the principal and/or superintendent did not conduct an impartial review concerning the Devil's Advocate article? File a complaint.

Tired of the superintendent's aggressive communication style and disrespect toward parents? File a complaint.

The Educator Misconduct Complaint Form (PDE-348) requires Microsoft Word. If a complaint form is filed, it must be notarized and sent along with any documentation (such as the Devil's Advocate article, emails, etc.) to the PDE. If you have a complaint against two people, for example, two separate forms must be submitted.

At the bottom of the Educator Misconduct Complaint Form, please note the Confidentiality Notice. The educator misconduct complaint process is confidential and any unauthorized release of confidential information is a misdemeanor of the third degree. In other words, DON'T TELL ME YOU FILED A COMPLAINT. Don't write in anonymously that you filed a complaint. I don't want to know!!! Everything is strictly confidential!