Amherst News-Times, 1998-12-16

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mherst News-Times
ember 16,  1998
Amherst.  Ohio
50 cents
Ci   i * officials
sfc  | ng lightly
around the deal
to widen road
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
The city is the middle of sensitive
negotiations with Lorain officials
over the widening of a heavily
traveled section of Cooper Foster
I'.irk Road between Rl 58 and N.
Main Street
The mayor met with Lorain community development director Sandy
1'rikloff and his staff for two hours
bcc. 6 in an effort to work out
shared funding for the project.
The only conclusion reached was
both cities are strapped for money.
Even the Lorain County Engineer's
Office has claimed it doesn't have
money because it already has committed funds for county road projects, according to mayor John
Higgins.
About a month ago, Lorain officials announced plans to widen
Cooper Foster to five lanes at die
intersection with Rt. 58. The widening only will be done about 300
feet cast and west of the intersection, not along the often congested
half-mile-long section between Rt.
58 and N. Main Street
Higgins said he and other city officials would like to see it widened
to at least three lanes to help relieve
congestion.
Both he and Lorain officials concede traffic is likely to increase with
the development of a planned unit
development (PUD) of single homes
on the vacant Lorain land west of
Supcr-K.
Lorain plans to widen Cooper
Foster Park Road as far as a traffic
light located at the store's southern
entrance. Higgins has said this may
relieve traffic, but not the additional
traffic created by the housing
development.
The development will be located
opposite Terra Lane.
Lorain has allocated $972,500 for
the project, including $50,000 contributed by PUD developer Bill
Rowland. The negotiations involve
how much each city is willing to
contribute for the additional three
lanes.
Higgins said he has talked about
the project during a brief meeting
with Lorain mayor Joe Koziura, although money remains the chief
stumbling block.
"The cost figures are not working
out exactly as we would like them.
We would have to pay the larger
share,'' the mayor said. "We don't
have all the engineering data yet, so
we are trying to figure how far they
can go with the money they do
have."
Amherst would use street levy
funds, although that will disrupt its
repaving program. In addition to the
widening, money also has to be set
aside for the rehabilitation of the
Jackson Street bridge in 1999.
"So, we are going to have to be
prudent or we are not going to have
a street program next year," Higgins
added. "We can't neglect the rest of
the streets when the money comes
from a voted levy."
Congestion at the intersection
with N. Main Street has been a particular sore spot between the two cities. Several years ago, Lorain city
council withdrew an agreement with
Amherst to help pay for the construction of tum lanes and traffic
signals.
Earlier this fall, the city placed a
flashing warning light at the corner
because of a high accident rate at
the intersection.
A traffic study now being done
for the city may enable it to get a
federal grant for the purchase of
traffic lights.
Anyce Dawson and her husband, Bill, enjoy a moment together at home.
Despite her own illness,
Anyce Dawson inspires all
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Anyce Dawson is leading a
courageous batde against an
ominous foe, terminal cancer.
Her weapons are many —
weekly chemotherapy, herbs, a
vegetarian diet, a positive attitude, humor, love and a refusal to give up her life.
Other cancer patients see
her as a source of hope and
courage, a role model for
them in their battles against
..jhe life-threatening disease.
That's the reason the Lorain County branch of the
American Cancer Society recently honored her with its
Special Courage Award.
Most people see it as little
more than a plaque on the
living room wall of Dawson's
Colombia Drive home. But to
her, it represents the way the
51-year-old woman has lived
her life since being diagnosed
with ovarian cancer two years
ago. And, it's the way she
intends to defeat her foe,
whatever the odds.
"I've really been quite at
peace," she said. "At first I
thought there would come a
time when I would get devastated about it, but I haven't,"
Dawson said. "You have to
think about the positives, not
the negatives."
She did cry, but only once.
Her tears came after she experienced weakness following
the first of four rounds of
chemotherapy. Since then
Dawson has looked for the
"good things" in life, people
and the world around her.
She tells other cancer patients to do the same, no
matter what their prognosis is
and regardless of how they
feel.
"I just always tell people
to never give up hope because there is always hope,
no matter what the doctor
may say. None of us know
what God has planned," she
said.
She encourages patients to
watch funny or happy TV
shows or movies, read positive books, and, most important, read or learn everything
they can about their illness.
Her health has surprised
her doctors, given the advanced stage in which the
cancer was discovered.
They have never used the
word "terminal" even though
the cancer wasn't discovered
until it was in its fourth
stage, nearly the most severe
stage.
Her illness began in 1996
when she began experiencing
CONTINUED on page   3
Walking the dog's more than an exercise
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
If somebody would tell Bela and
Cindy Kalassay to take a walk,
they'd probably do it, only with a
dog or cat
The Kalassays are among the
hundreds of Americans who have
embarked on self-employment by
walking dogs and pet sitting, s small
but growing career.
You might say the Kalassays actually want their lives lo go to the
dogs — and cats, too — for profit
The Amherst Township couple
are the owners of Happy Tails, one
of perhaps two or three pet sitting
services in Lorain County and the
only one in the Amherst area.
It's a side job for both, something
that will let them put sway extra
money for retirement. Beta is s
boiler and turbine operator at the
Cleveland Electric Illuminating
(CEI) Company's Avon Lake generating plant Cindy is a homemaker
with two sons, Chris, 20, snd Andy,
14, to care for, although she lias
New entrepreneurs Bela and Cindy Kalassay shire terriers Anabelle and Maverick,
play with two of their own canine charges, York-
sit full-time, soncthing Beta would   who prefer to work for themselves
eventually like to do. He sees ad-   «*ther than a mega corporation,
vantages in joining the ranks of      "With all the changes going on in
small, but profitable entrepreneurs   the workplace — downsizing, re-
more free time now that the couple's third son, Mike, is married and
on his own.
There are many people who pet
structuring and what not, you never
know where you're going to be
working. So I wanted to get something going we both could work at
and enjoy," he explained. "Besides,
we've both had pets all our lives
since we've been children."
At first the Kalassays weren't
sure what kind of small business
they wanted to pursue. She is a
longtime craft-maker and he is good
with tools and his hands. But both
wanted to do something different,
something they both enjoy.
After paging through dozens of
business magazines and seeking advice from the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, they thought a
seven-day-a-weck pet care service
offered the best potential.
"It's largely untapped around
here," she added.
Amherst and Lorain County are
far from being hustling and bustling
metropolitan areas. Regardless, long
workdays and busy schedules leave
many pets alone for hours on end
with little exercise and
companionship.
CONTINUED on page 3
Group home angers township neighbors
A group of Hidden Valley residents are upset with the W.G. Nord
Mental Health Center's decision to
open s group home for the mentally
ill in their neighborhood.
"We not against the mentally ill
but we feel this is an imtppiopriaje
place because its right in the middle
of our ivsighbochood." Daniel Orr
said.
More man s half dozen rendenu
earlier this week to
snd plan their opposition to the
group home, which opened in early
July without their knowledge.
The group also was expected to
express their concerns to Nord Center officials snd the Amherst Township trustees last night.
Orr, an Amherat area resident far
less than s year, claimed Nord Center officials reportedly failed to
show up far a meeting wild neigh-
bors they had agreed to sttsnd sev
eral weeks ago.
The home at 850 Deer Run Drive
is a three or four bedroom home
housing three to four mentally ill
women under the supervision of a
group home specialist.
Beverly Watkins, who lives next
door, said one of the residents stole
an iron post from her home and tsm-
pered with the mail in her mailbox.
She said the post wss found in the
group home's
box has since been relocated.
She and Orr claimed one or more
of the group home occupants have
reportedly sworn st an adjacent
neighbor.
Watkins said she has been visited
by two Nord Center officials, one of
whom reportedly told her the pa-
tienu iitclads women suffering from
manic   depression   and
who rrfwrttdrf
the Nord
County riostcuWi
ins mid.
fear the mentally ill patients may
harass or harm neighborhood children, who tafutatiy board a school
bus in front of the group home.
are eojuaUy upset with
etas Dent* Ahrsnam,
fas hone to
id the Lorain
Office. Watk-
She and Oar said
^a^aW^ a mr^^mmaw    •**•»
Families
observe
modern
traditions
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Christmas is almost here
and with it comes a host of
family and cultural traditions
that help make it one of the
most joyous times of the
year.
Dolores and Marc Kingsley
moved to Amherst in August
from a westside Cleveland
neighborhood. She spent last
week roaming about Amherst
looking for a store where she
could buy several toys she
plans to donate to the Salvation Army.
She and her husband spend
every Christmas distributing
food to the needy and toys to
underprivileged children.
"We could go back into
Cleveland, but since this is
our new home, we're looking
what we can do here just to
bring a little cheer into the
lives of the unfortunate," she
explained. "It's what Christmas is all about and it gives
you a sense of giving."
Last year she spent the holiday in a Cleveland soup
kitchen preparing turkey, ham
and goodies the homeless seldom taste. The year before
that, the Kingsleys visited
their son and daughter-in-law
in England, where he is in
the Army. They spent Christmas Eve helping feed needy
people.
"We've been helping people
for 14 years now, so I guess
you'd call it a tradition," she
said.
Like the Kingsleys, Lyle
Hodges and his wife Lynda,
both 25, are also new to Amherst An aircraft mechanic,
they moved from rural
Wisconsin.
. Lynda, who is pregnant,
hopes to pass on to her child
an unusual tradition started
many years ago by her
grandparents.
She said her grandparents
always had a hard time getting her mother and uncle to
go to bed Christmas Eve so
they could put presents beneath the tree.
Her grandparents devised a
scheme that would have made
Santa proud. -
About 8 p.m., the children
were served hot chocolate and
told to keep their eyes at the
window looking for an elf
and eight tiny reindeers. No
TV was allowed on Christmas
Eve back in the fifties.
The hot chocolate and window watching enduced sleep
in the youngsters. By 10
p.m., they had slipped into
dream land and by 10:30
grandma and grandpa had
slipped the presents under the
tree.
Grandpa would then go
outside, make sleigh tracks in
the snow with a broom
handle and boot prints in the
snow with big boots.
For four years, Santa came
and went while the children
were asleep. Then, one year.
Hodge's uncle woke up to
see his father ****>■ ftffg about
the yard with a broom in Ms
band.
Even though the children
leaned the truth. Hodge said
her mother «d fatter did the
same thing far her back in
the seventies untS sb
"Lyle Mm ths idea, to
e'tt tie it ia tfaout two ar
i years.
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