The Amherst news-times. (Amherst, Ohio), 1999-04-28

              Mayor gets grilled in interview — Page 2    Prayer observance next week — Page 3
Amherst News-Tim
Wednesday.  April 28.  1999
Four face
challenge
for chance
at ballot
The rape for city council
teats in the May 4 primary
election will be among Republicans rather than Democrats.
The outcome of the
election will determine which
of four Republican candidates
will run against Democratic
incumbents for three council
I at-Iarge seats in November.
Among the Republicans is
former councilman at-Iarge
Robert Sisler, who did not
choose to run in 1997 after
being appointed to the legislative body.
Sisler, of 261 Crosse Rd.,
is seeking to be a candidate
along with Mark Costilow, of
206 Lincoln SL, Barbara Kilgore, of 20 Stonehedge Way,
and Dennis Walters, of ISO
Orchard Hill Dr.
Both Kilgore and Walters
have attended some council or
council committee meetings
since the beginning of the
year. Kilgore was an outspoken opponent of council's decision to repeal sections of an
ordinance dealing with minimum and maximum amounts
allowed in the city's electric
revenue fund.
The three top vote getters
will challenge incumbent
Democrats Nancy Brown, of
776 Elyria Ave., David Kukucka, of SOI Charles Court,
and new candidate David
Williams, of 901 Shadylawn
Bfa>* tfr NUWBIIlTJGrt
Williams is seeking to fill
the seat to be vacated by
John Dietrich, who will become council president. Dietrich will succeed Wayne
Whyte, who has announced
he will retire from local politics at the end of the year.
Other Republicans who
have filed for council seats
are former city auditor John
Dunn, of 163 N. Lake Sl,
and Michael Nolte, of 162
Woodhill Dr.
Dunn will run against
Democrat Terry Traster, of
1013 Milan Ave., in November for the first ward council
seaL Nolte will compete with
Steven P'Simer, of 611 Bren-
nan Dr., for the third ward
Dunn was appointed auditor
following the resignation of
Jim Gammons in early 1997
and was defeated by former
councilmember Diane Eswine
for the post later that year.
Democratic incumbents Edwin Cowger and John Mishak
are running unopposed for reelection to their respective
second and fourth ward council seats.
Mayor John Higgins, a
Democrat, is running unopposed for his second four-year
mayoral term.
Independent candidates have
until 4 pjn. May 3 to file
for the the primary, according
to the Lorain County Board
of Elections.
Amherst. Ohio
) emits
Going Legoing
Shupe Middle School inventors Jude Odafe (lett) and Joe Gi-   Olympiad at Lorain County Community College. Schools from
gliotti work on their Lego-made Battle Bug and its garage. The   throughout Lorain County participated in the event.
Lego-made insect was one of dozens of creations built at the Lego
Farm market thrives over time
Hills to celebrate more than 80 years of growing older
eaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa*'*''*' ' ''   ' aaaaV-— ■    .a)
by GLEN MLLER
News-Times reporter
What started as a small roadside
vegetable stand on North Ridge
Road nearly SO years ago has become a thriving family business
that's preparing itself to meet the
challenges of a new generation of
consumers.
Actually, the history of Penton's
Farm Market goes back a lot further.
The Penton farm was started in the
early 1900s when its founder, the
late Harold Penton and his wife,
Nina, took freshly picked produce to
markets in the Cleveland area. The
first small roadside stand wasn't
built until 1950 and since has been
replaced by a much larger concrete
building.
The arrival of spring marks the
83rd year the Penton family has
been growing and selling produce to
people.
"It's a big job with lots of challenges and competition that wasn't
around years ago," said Andy Hill.
"I've learned a lot in the last six
years to know that it involves a lot
more than just fanning these days."
A former big city boy from the
Detroit area. Hill co-owns the massive spread along with his wife, Kir-
sfen Penton-Hill, the granddaughter
of Penton and daughter of William
Penton, another former owner.
Formerly a psychologist, Hill
never thought he'd be driving a tractor or reading books and manuals
about agriculture, let alone running
a farm market.
"When people ask about the career change, I often quip that I still
work with fruits and nuts," he joked.
"Until a couple of years ago, living
Andy and Kirsten Hid work on a vegetable   several tasks they, perform daily for customer
stand display at Penton's Farm Market, one of   convenience.
E)
>P
to
aid
wi
sh
on a farm never creased my mind,
especially being from east Detroit"
For his wife, the decision to
purchase the farm and market In
several years ago came easier. She
grew up on it but moved to west
side Cleveland to pursue a career as
a CPA with • major bank. Rather
than balancing ia books, she now
does the farm market's.
It was her father, William Penton,
who took over the farm from his
mother Nina Penton in 1950 and
maintained it until he died in 1991
of an apparent heart attack while
jogging.
And he also taught her how to
drive a tractor when she was only
10. She often pulled loads of com
and other produce from the fields to
the market.
Her mother, Gunver, kept up the
Penton farm and market until she remarried several yean ago. It was after helping her for a year that the
Hills decided to make sure it staved
in the family.
But it hasn't been easy due to
competition from large grocery
chains that realize the importance of
selling fresh produce. Both they and
CONTINUED on page 14
frc ds
The city will use a $75,000 federal grant to hire an additional police patrolman to keep up with the
continued growth in the city's population, now estimated at about
14.000.
The new patrolman, Brian Bran-
catelli, currendy is undergoing sev-.
era! weeks of training until July, at
which time he will work with a
training officer before beginning
patrol duties in October, according
to police chief William Hall.
His salary will be funded by a
three-year COPS granL part of the
federal government's effort to provide money for additional police officers throughout the country.
Council's finance committee
agreed April 19 to provide enough
money for training out of the city's
general fund until the COP grant becomes available in the fall. Some of
the grant money will then be transferred back into the general fund.
Hall said the additional patrol
personnel is needed to help patrol
new streets that have been added to
the city in the last several years and
will bring the total numbers of patrol persons to 19.
"More streets equate to more people and more people equate to more
problems and the need for more officers," Hall said.
Brancatelli comes to the police
department after serving with the
U.S. Coast Guard and its drug interdiction efforts in the Gulf of
Mexico.
Had Brancatelli served in the military, the chief said the department
may have been eligible for an additional federal grant provided police
departments who hire former military personnel.
The Coast Guard is not regarded
as an armed service because it Calls
under the control of the Treasury
Department.
The limited length of the grant
concerned councilmember Nancy
Brown, who questioned bow the
city could continue to pay the officer after it expires in 2002.
When the grant expires, Hall said
council will have to decide to increase departmental funding or
make do with fewer patrolmen. In
the meantime, he said the new officer is needed regardless of future
funding. He also said he expects to
lose three existing officers in the
next three years either due to retirement or a move to a larger police
department.
Excluding himself, lieutenant
Lormie Dillon and captain Barbara
Cowger will be eligible for retirement in the coming years. In addition, an existing patrolman may
move to a larger police force.
In an unrelated matter, Hall asked
council to approved the purchase of
a 1996 Ford Explorer to replace a
police cruiser wrecked in an accident earlier this year. The vehicle
mainly will be used during bad
winter weather for patrol duties.
The finance committee agreed to
spend $7,700 for the four-wheel
drive vehicle. The remainder of the.
coat will come from $10300 in to-,
surance coverage paid for lha
cruiser.
CC eyes small tax break for working seniors
Chy council is mulling the poesi-
bUty of giving senior citizens a
break on their dty income taxes If
they rejoin the workforce after
retiriagi
Based on a proposal developed by
treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz, seniors
62 or older would be able to make
up to $5,000 without having to pay
toffj met.
TbeideawMputonluUatihe
April 19 coundl fartenc* comniioee
at the. suggeetioa of law director
Alan Anderson, who aaM he
to make sure giving seniors a break
on local taxes is legal.
"Quite frankly, I'm not sure
Tireting a spwial «rhn* *y taiattnt is
legal," he explained. "It just seems
to me that we've pot loo many buzz
words here that give me concern as
to whether we are tunning into legality problems."
Council generally
idea but agreed to wait until Anderson can make sure OMo law allows
mualripsMuei to give tax beaks lo
senior citizens.
Following the meeting. Litkovitz She noted the fakrai L
said several seniors have asked her already provides tax breaks for the
about the prjesMHty giving them a elderly by giving breaks baaed oa
taxtoeak/^^ theasnotnMofSoeWSe^
just return to work for receive. The amount is uakapwn but
to do or to st^erneat will be looked into by Andemm,
their income or Social Security." she added.
she exiaUned. "They immly aat Mayor John Higgles asJdhe
cam anyway. WeVs doasa't hsesee tax breaks ajman-
c^aAtvoaf the city's income lex
SSOJOOO."
The $5,000 limit cooW ba to- ll's a wash anyway given the
lniiiiiiiiiisil.ii rrnrtl stii amnvwafitmnwehtweiei
the amourn we'd
t is a huge pain to
neck for our (retired) seeior ciaii
he added. "U
paid a
would be mora
pie 65 or older,
****' ^***\m**}'    ^*mfA*****a%    «aaaaajaF    SaeaSSjmeem*