The Amherst news-times. (Amherst, Ohio), 1999-08-11

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Amherst News-Time
Wednesday,  August  11.   1999
Amherst    Ohio
And the beat
goes on, on...
'Anti' campaign
includes council
by QLEN MILLER
Nawa-Timas raporter
Crystal Mortgage president
David Moore is broadening
his campaign against the city
because of its prosecution of
the company.
Beginning in about a
month. Moore will increase
his political pressure against
the city by launching a campaign against city council
members seeking re-election.
Three weeks ago, Moore
launched a campaign urging
people not to vote for law director Alan Anderson in the
upcoming November election
or treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz
next year. Large posters were
placed in the windows of the
mortgage firm during the Old
Time Jamboree. They remain
in place.
The new effort, the "campaign to re-elect nobody," is
not aimed at anyone in particular, but is being started because no one on council has
spoken out about the city's
prosecution of the company,
Moore explained.
The incumbents, council
members Terry Traster, Nancy
Brown, Ed Cowger, David
Kukucka, Steve P'Simer and
John Mishak are Democrats.
The opponents, Dennis Walters, Barbara Kilgore, Michael
Nolte and John Dunn are Republicans while Nick Brusky,
a Marion L. Steele High
School student, is running as
an independent
Moore, a Republican,
claimed his political affiliation
has nothing to do with his
decision.
"I just think they should
have the courage to speak out
about what's happening, one
way or the other. They haven't," he added. "So, we
need fresh blood here —
competition."
Crystal Mortgage is charged
with allegedly failing to pay
more than $7,000 in 1997
city income taxes.
Moore sold the company
last year but remains president and chief executive of-
CONTINUED on paga 3
Anderson says
'Stay out of it'
Law director Alan Anderson scolded the Amheret
Downtown Business Association (ADBA) last week for its
July letter expressing concern
over the city's prosecution of
the Crystal Mortgage Co.
Anderson's criticism and
suggestion to keep out of the
ligation came at the end of
an Aug. S ADBA meeting.
The prosecution of the Arm
Cor allegedly failing to pay all
of its 1996 income taxes does
not mean the city is anti-
business. The city government
. is trying to promote business
in severe! ways, Anderson
ADBA {-resident David Fox
said the letter did not accuse
the city of being hostile.
"We just said it might be
viewed that way by some
(people)." he said.
Some of Anderson's-criticism was aimed at Fox, who
wrote the letter after unanimous agreement at the meeting.
. Anderson, who is a member of the business group,
was not present for the vote.
"So obviously, it wasn't
unanimous because I wasn't
here. Nobody contacted me
for my opinion," he said.
Association members said
the letter was written with the
unanimous consent of those
present at the July meeting.
Regardless, Anderson said
the letter should not have indicated agreement was unanimous. Furthermore, the letter
should not have been written
at all because no one in the
ADBA is aware of all the
facts in the case.
He went on to claim Crystal Mortgage president David
Moore is misleading the
public and news media by
providing them with inaccurate information about the
case.
Moore's wife, Debbie, left
the meeting before Anderson
began his criticism.
The city is not prosecuting
Crystal Mortgage for failing
to pay income earned from
its 17 offices around the
country, only income earned
in its Amherst corporate office. Moore is claiming the
opposite, he said.
CONTINUED on page 3
City engineer Milt Pommeranz looks over
newly laid curb along Brennan Drive as pav
ing crews from the Oster Construction Company prepare to lay more curbing behind him.
Summer pavement projects
should be done by Oct. 31
Work on the 1999 pavement rehabilitation and resurfacing program began Aug. 1
and is expected to conclude
. Oct. 31.
Heading off the paving projects was the installation of
new curbs along Brennan
Drive, which also is being re-
paved from Gordon Avenue
to Middle Ridge Road.
Other streets to be worked
on include:
• N. Main Street from W.
Martin Avenue to 213 feet
north of Sipple Street
• Green Forest Drive from
S. Lake Street to 217 feet
west of Maple Creek Drive.
• Maple Creek Drive from
Green Forest Drive to 183
feet south.
• Terra Lane from Sunrise
Drive to 333 feet north of
Greenlawn Avenue.
• Tenney Avenue from S.
Main Street to Spring Street
• Brennan Drive from
Middle Ridge Road to Gordon Avenue.
• Autumn Drive from
Elyria Avenue to Gordon
Avenue.
The paving is being done
by the Osterland Company at
a cost of $385,687.20.
This homegrown volunteer
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calls tut
organized
efforts
by QLEN MILLER
News-Timas reporter
An analysis of downtown Amherst by a group of revitalization
specialists recommends it become a
specialty-niche for shoppers in a
historically redeveloped area.
The lengthy report by Downtown
Ohio, Inc. was received by the city
earlier this month and is available to
residents and businesspersons who
participated in an April 13-14 review of the city's revitalization
needs and potential.
The written report submitted by
the non-profit revitalization group
states the downtown "seems to have
the ingredients" for an "exciting"
specialty shopping area if the city
follows the Main Street Ohio redevelopment program.
It states, "Downtown Amheret
has the distinct potential to successfully move forward as a revitalized,
vital and unique community center."
It emphasizes revitalization
through a multi-phased program
based on critical support and cooperation from the public and private
sectors. Although it is backed by the
city and merchants, the Downtown
Ohio specialists found a lack of
commitment by the county
government
Among the needs noted by the report is more direction and focus about how the revitalization effort
should be structured and financed.
Mayor John Higgins said the city
is attempting to resolve this by seeking grants from the Stocker, Lorain
County Community and Nordson
Family foundations to start the program. The funds would be used to
hire a coordinator for the Main
Street program and the creation of a
redevelopment plan.
One reason why redevelopment
has fallen short in the past has been
the lack of a full-time person to lead
the program, he added.
"Maybe you would a little bit this
week and get back to it two weeks
later because of other things," the
mayor explained. "You need to be
doing several things at one time and
that's a full-time job that requires
your full-time attention."
It also will involve a cooperative
effort by the city, and property owners on Park, Tenney, Milan and
Cleveland avenues, and the Amheret
Downtown Business Association
(ADBA)
They have to be an integral pm
of tius,because you're going to have
to have them involved in this or we
are wasting our time," Higgins said.
Part of the report deals with a tour
of downtown Amherst by agency
representatives. The report made
several observations about the six-
block area:
• There is no local ptvservation
district snd no set of design guidelines for revitalization.
• Although most buildings are itr
good condition, few have facades
that have been rrtaintained in an historically correct inanner.
There is hope, however,
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