Amherst News-Times, 1999-01-20

              Amherst News-Time
3
Wednesday. January 20.  1999
Snow plow drivers
face lonely miles
for hours on end
Amherst. Ohio
a
by QLEN MLLER
News-Times reporter
A few weeks ago, Jeff Barnes encountered an unusual protestor
while plowing snow on North Ridge
Road in his heavy duty street department dump truck.
Standing in the middle of the road
was a woman who obviously was
fed up with having snow plowed
across the entrance to her driveway.
"There she stood with her arms in
front of her holding her shovel,"
Barnes said. "She had been out
shoveling and was tired of it. I felt
bad, but we can't lift the plow in
front of every driveway or otherwise
we wouldn't be clearing the road
and people would complain."
Projects
to keep
city busy
in 1999
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Several possible annexations and
developments outside the city's corporate limits are among the issues
that mayor John Higgins predicts
will keep the city busier than normal
during the coming year.
The developments and annexations were briefly mentioned by the
mayor during his annual state of the
city address before city council Jan.
11.
The biggest annexation is 57
acres of land between Ackerman
Road and the Conrail tracks owned
by Amherst area excavator R.E.
Rice. Rice filed a petition for annexation to the city with the Lorain
County Commissioners last week.
No public hearing date has been set
Rice vowed to annex his property
into the city last year after the township trustees and city officials broke
off talks on the creation of a Joint
Economic Development District
(JEDD) for industrial development
on the propery. An agreement
worked out between the city and
township was changed by Amherst
Township trustees Ron Leoni and
David Urig without prior discussion
with the city council and Higgins,
who had spent nearly seven months
working on it.
The second annexation is nearly
six acres of land near Middle Ridge
and Quarry roads owned by three'
residents. It is being contested by
Leoni and Urig. A public hearing
convened in mid-December has
been continued until Jan. 21 by the
Lorain County Commissioners.
Higgins declined to reveal the
third annexation because the petition has not been filed with the Lorain County Commissioners, although sources at the county level
said it may involve a small strip
shopping center at Middle Ridge
and Leavitt roads. The shopping
center and the former Sparkle
Market were recently purchased by
Archie Abraham and a west side
Cleveland developer who plan to renovate them early this year.
■ Higgins said some of the development involves residential building in
exjunction with the Ohio Turnpike
inserchange on Rl 58.
There's been talk about, some
possible housing ia the towsvmp
when it (tte imerchante) iappm,
he said. There's been Meting definite, but I doubt if tte turnpike
comes in if that land is going to sit
fete."
• Annexation has been a matter of
contention between tte township
and city for several yean. Tte
atayor had hoped to avoid future annexation through the JEDD, which
*>oukltev»grWsaedta»doBanfar
The 18-year-street department
worker and veteran plow driver had
two options: radio Amherst police
and have her removed or lift his
plow and drive around her.
He chose to drive around her, and
came back later to plow the road in
front of her driveway — carefully.
"We haven't made too many
friends doing this. People want
clean streets but not the snow we
push in front of their driveways," he
said. "It seems like they no sooner
get done shoveling when we come
along, but then again, I have to
shovel myself out, too."
It's disheartening for people, especially the elderly, who spend money to have their driveways cleared.
CONTINUED on page 6
Keeping his eyes on the road is Jeff Barnes,
one of five city street department employees who
has worked 12-and 14 hours day to make the
city's street cleaner and safer for drivers.
Edna De Souza (right) is greeted by fellow educator and Steele
High School principal Fred Holland (left) during a visit to the
school. Accompanying De Souza are her nephew, Quilherme
Olivera, an exchange student, and their host, Shelly Wilson.
Winter greets Brazilian visitors
by QLEN MLLER
i
CONTINUIO on
News-Timas raporter
Imagine getting around in
three inches of snow and ice
while wearing sandals.
That's one of the memories
Edna De Souza will have of
her brief visit to Amherst to
see her nephew, Guilherme
Olivera, a 17-year-old Brazilian excliange student at Marion L. Steele High School.
De Souza arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International
Airport on a long flight from
San Paulo, Brazil, on New
Year's Eve wearing sandals.
A change of shoes and heavier clothes were packed
away in her luggage that
Continental Airlines lost during her connecting flight between New York and
Cleveland.
The woman, her nephew
and his Amherst host family.
Shelly and Jeff Wilson, had
to scramble for wanner
clothes. She had to buy warm
clothes until her lost luggage
could be recovered.
So there she was standing
in line at Super K, wearing
her nephew's soccer shoes to
keep her tootsies from
freezing.
"It's something she can
laugh about in years to come
but it certainly wasn't too
fanny at tte time given tte
weather," Shelly Wilson said.
Maybe not, but it would
have been hard for anyone id
take tte situation too seriously after what happened
next Stanly after arriving
swOsfooO    BsvQfle    IftsflsaX
Exchange student in Ohio
to see snow for first time
ShOMMM
defcVsedter
A company representative
might have reach the Wilsons' home sooner had he not
gotten stuck in a driveway
while turning around on their
street
A principal at'a school the
size of Marion L. Steele High
School, De Souza was aware
she would be flying from
Brazil's summer into Ohio's
winter and had come prepared
for snow and cold. She didn't
expect the eight or more inches of snow inches that had
fallen and the punishing frigid
weather and wind chills the
area has experienced.
Her nephew wasn't prepared for it either, but he
likes it. He was hoping to
see snow for the first time in
his life since arriving in Amherst in August His desire to
see snow is tte reason te
asked the exchange program
to place him in tte northern
part of tte United States.
But so far, he hasn't volunteered to help tte Wilsons'
shovel tte drive; fee's Just
been tossing k around in
snowball fights, according to
Shelly -Wilson.
Ha wants to try aiding or
snow boarding before te
wings his way back to Brazil's hut 90 degree plus
tins Sunday.
"k*a great It's fun. U"s too
I can't take some borne
with aw to show my friends,"
tesakt
His aunt Uked k. too. b
was tte lint tans ate feed
seen snow.
Privately, the Wilsons and
a lot of others probably wish
they could accompany him
and his aunt back to Brazil.
It was 98 degrees when she
left Brazil shortly before New
Year's and about 30 degrees
when she landed in
Cleveland.
When asked about her
snow expectations, De Souza,
who spoke little English, just
rolled her eyes and shook her
head negatively.
Olivera translated her
Portugese.
In order words, it was unbelievable, a lot more than
she had expected, but
beautiful.
An educator for 22 years
and principal for the last 10,
she previous visited the Big
Apple in hot humid July but
wanted to experience tte
soiall town America as seen
through the eyes of her nephew for tte last six months.
She wanted to see the difference between metropolitan
America and small towns.
"It is beaiititul and people
are friendly." ate said through
her neotew.
ajSJSfSS)      mmMama—m*mmTm—i a
Amhent has an ratimatfirl
104)00 residents while San
Paulo has a trust!ing pflpwlt-
don of about 21 million,
Steele principal And Holland didn't have bag to greet
her or lead a tour of tte Mgh
eeteeJ as ate fend feoped. He
ted to reek off to • PTO
Ottos*
armed with a video camera,
took over and led his aunt to
various classrooms and introduced her to teachers and students who have befriended
him.
She left the United States
on Jan. 12, just hours before
a new snow and ice storm
snarled traffic and delayed
flights.
Olivera said he has been at
ease with the local teenagers
and is already talking with
some good old American
slang.
People have come to know
him as "Gi."
It was easier for De Souza,
rather than Olivera's mother,
Jandira, to visit him. She is
single and his mother probably couldn't have afforded to
bring to his sister, Beatrix,
14, with her. Besides, his
mother probably would have
frozen.
"She gets cold when it
turns 70 (degrees), ao I don't
think ate would like this any-
. way," te added.
But then the Wilsons two
daughters. 1 scatter, 11 and
Josie. 4. helped fill any void
that may have occurred when
te missed his
—
To him, Amherst is "like a
big city in a small 01060."
Ml    la^suae.    __________    ____§    M^fOsWlfl
mmaa^pat   fniensnoV   eaasavM*   Uo^s^fenaW
here and learned very much,"
te said. "It will ba good to
return tecne bat sad too,1'
Olivera said.
And as for de Souza, she
Cai love wkh Ai
Isost aVaUy, too
£fja#io Nsw Ye*.
I jPf.
r 1^ ill mill 1   1 a 11 1 mmmmaafr^ataaa*
OULvi     %A*aa\)
will aid
city hall
relocation
The city hopes to move
some of its offices into the
San Spring Building by late
summer pending the receipt
of a $100,000 Community
Development Block Grant
The money will be used to
build a drive-through window
for utility payments as well
as a hydraulic lift for the
physically challenged.
About $28,000 of the grant
is unused money approved in
1996 for the renovation of
the former post office building on Park Avenue. The additional $72,000 is state
CDBG money administered by
Lorain County planning
authorities.
The grant involved doing a
historical study of the building. Mayor John Higgins said
he hopes the grant will be
awarded within the next few
weeks. In the meantime, the
city is moving ahead with
plans to install phone lines
and wiring for a new computer system and remodeling the
building's interior.
An architect is redesigning
the interior of the building.
The city auditor's and treasurer's offices will be moved
into the building along with
the building inspector's office
and the entire utilities department, which is now located
in an old two-story building
in a residential section of
Park Avenue. That property
will be sold for residential
development once the utilities
office is moved.
The utility drive through
will enable residents to pay
for electric, sewer and water
bills without going into the
building. It will be located on
the west side of the building
and the hydraulic lift will be
situated at a rear stairway.
The San Springs Building
was purchased by the city
last spring under a lease/
purchase agreement and will
become a city administrative
building in order to relieve
overcrowding in city hall.
A styling salon will remain
in the lower level of tte
building and other empty office space will be leased to
private businesses. Higgins
said several business have expressed interest in renting
space, including the Amhent
Public Library.
City hall will continue to
house the mayor's and safety
service director's offices,
council chambers and an office Cor tte council clerk. A
library containing city, county
and state ordinances and other
research material will be
available tor council members.
In addition, tte city has received a $30,000 CDBG grant
Cor installation of a new cement floor in tte basement of
city hall, once tte Amherst
Police Department Tte floor,
which now has time different
heights, win be leveled end a
new doorway will be installed
to accomodate tte physically
Plans call for the
to be converted to a file
age area, altbough part of k
may someday te used for a
te used by dvie
or for
- ■    ■■:   "':-: .
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