Amherst News-Times, 2000-05-24

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Holiday means early ad deadline — Page 2   Kallas is Nord award winner — Page 3
Amherst News-Tim^
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
Amherst, Ohio
Rt. 58 property
owners request
annexation
Into Amherst
by KEITH GRIBBINS
News-Times reporter
The City of Amherst was solicited by 58 property owners Thursday, May 18 to annex nearly 600
acres of township land into the city.
Businesses, landowners, and residents filed a petition last week to receive fire and police services as well
as electric, sewer, and water utilities
from the city on their Rt 58 properties that have been in question for
city help for over a year.
"I think this would definitely increase our tax base and help pay for
our upgrade of the waste water
treatment plant," mayor John Higgins said.
If developed, the land has the potential to generate millions in tax re
venues, according to Higgins.
Not only would Amherst build a
new tax foundation, but the city
would also be able to put into service the county's $3.7 million
"Sewer to Nowhere".
The sewer built in 19% along
parts of RL 58 and Middle Ridge
Road was constructed in hopes of
facilitating development expected
from an interchange off the turnpike. It was rendered useless because of Lorain's refusal to permit it
to be connected to its overloaded
sewer system.
The city has worked on servicing
the sewer line in the past with township trustees with the notion of a
joint economic district. The township would share income tax with
the city who would provide utilities
CONTINUED on page 3
Back talk
The EMH Center for Senior Health and Wellness presented a
health seminar to the senior community of Amherst Wednesday,
May 17. Pictured, Dr. Bharat Shah gives a group of seniors in the
Amherst Hospital cafeteria a presentation on back pain control.
Shah's presentation is one of many that the hospital is aiming towards to help renovate the facility's programing and market its resources. (News-Times photo by Keith Gribbins)
Memorial Day festivities
include Monday's parade
The Amherst American Legion Post #118 will be hosting
the Memorial Day ceremonies.
On Sunday, May 28, services will be held at Brownhelm
Cemetery, located at Sunnyside and North Ridge roads, at 2
p.m. Guest speaker will be retired Navy Commander Joe \
Godfrey.
Monday, May 29, services will start with a parade starting
at Washington Avenue and Cleveland Street at 10 a.m. The
guest speaker will be Daryl Bishop, immediate past commander of the American Legion of the state of Ohio.
Cop hurt as drunk slams cruiser
A Vermilion man who was trying
to elude Amherst police and state
highway patrol troopers Saturday
night on Rt 2, slammed his vehicle
into a police cruiser driven by Amherst patrolman Bob Lane.
Dennis E. Wolcott was arrested
following the incident on several
charges, including felonious assault
of a police officer, and booked on
$26,700 bond.
im-Wr. pnjirr recievariUa report at
about 9:30 p.m. that an intoxicated
driver was traveling west on RL 2 in
the area of Middle Ridge Road.
Drivers in two other vehicles reported seeing Wolcott driving a blue
Ford Ranger. He was reportedly
swerving from lane to lane and had
struck the guardrail twice.
Police said the other drivers said
they were traveling slowly behind
the Ford Ranger in an effort to keep
other motorists from trying to pass
the intoxicated driver.
Three Amherst policemen, including Lane, were sent to the area
of Rl 2. Once he entered the city
limits, a state trooper, who had been
dispatched on the same call, tried to
stop the vehicle.
Instead, Wolcott tried to flee and
drove his truck into the median strip
between the eastbound and westbound lanes of RL 2.
The trooper, who had exited his
vehicle, according jjo-polic-. motioned to the driver and ordered him
to stop. But the driver, after nearly
entering a heavy volume of east-
bound traffic, turned and drove back
through the median strip and continued west on Rl 2.
An Amherst sergeant pursued the
vehicle with lights and siren, but the
driver refused to stop.
As the pursuit crested at the overpass over Rt. 58, patrolman Lane
entered Rt. 2 and started to clear
traffic out of the way of the oncom
ing pursuit
The driver of the Ranger, after
swerving between several vehicles,
struck the rear of the cruiser driven
by Lane. The collision occurred on
RL 2, about 50 feet east of the Terra
Lane overpass, according to police.
The driver then drove his vehicle
off the right side of the road and
came to a stop.
The man was arrested at the scene
and identified as Wolcott; he was
then taken to Community Health
Partners Hosptial where he was
treated and released. Police charged
him with felony fleeing, felonious
assault on a police officer, reckless
operation, assured clear distance,
driving under the influence and a
prohibited blood alcohol level Wolcott posted bond and awaits an appearance in Oberlin Municipal
Court.
Lane was treated for his injuries
and released from the hospital, but
Bob Lane
the city's police cruiser sustained
heavy damage.
Cadette scouts
work two years
to earn Silver title
< In front are scouts Amberleigh Klement, Kathryn Klement, Kara
Gelenius and Shannon McVey. Seated behind them are residents
of Amherst Manor: AJbina Janhulovich, Grace Gigliotti, Frances Ko-
vach, Donna Joyce, Helen Stevens, (standing) Norma Carman,
Louis Nemeth, John Cacchione, Naomi Walton, Arthur Kaiser, Ann
Vechy, Steve Kudlo, Gladys Johnson, Mary Monaco and Mary
Gerba.
Girl Scout Troop #051 of the
Sandstone Unit of Erie Shores recently received its Silver Award.
This is the highest award that a
Cadette Girl Scout can earn. It recognizes their efforts in a range of
scouting and community experiences as well as their commitment
toward working to better their life
and the lives of others.
It has taken the girls two yean to
earn this award.
There were many requirements
for this award. The girls had to document all their activities in an
18-page planner and keep a detailed
scrapbook. The girls all completed
requirements for several patches, including special ones, those being the
Dreams to Reality patch, and the
Leadership patch.
All of the patches required com-i  auction with play money, construe
munity service attention. Some of
these services including filling 25 CONTINUED on page 3
comfort kits for the Red Cross,
which are given to children that lose
everything in a fire or flood*
Another example was collecting
hundreds of stuffed animals to sen}
to the children of Kosovo.
The main requirement for this
award was a project, which totaled
30 hours. For this project, the girls:
adopted the 18 assisted-living residents of the Amherst Manor Nursjr
ing Home.
Since September, the girls hav
been going twice a month. Thei
planned a variety of activities
eluding games,  such as Binge
Wheel of Fortune, crafts for the I
lidays and season, showing the i
dents how to oeprate a lap top i
puter, how karaoke works, a pet i
view, a puppet show.
Sewer hikes initiated to pay for EPA mandates
i
by KEITH GRIBBINS
News-Times reporter
Amherst residents will probably
be paying for a sewer rate hike tow-
aid the end of the year, the money is
necessary lo pay for renovations of
the city wastewater treatment plant
to meet standards set by the Ohio
$nvironmental Protection Agency.
Representatives from Fmkbeiner,
Pettis, and Strout and Courtney and
Associates discussed the renovation
of the Cooper Foster Park Road
plant and how the city might pay for
the upgrade during a finance committee meeting held Monday, May
15.
Consultants estimate the coat of
the renovation would reach $8 million in order to quell EPA violations
concerning ammonia content, and
capacity problems that flow front
the city's systems into Beaver
Creek.
"EPA standards have become
much tighter in recent years, and the
older group of facilities haven't
been able to keep up with the
changes," explained mayor John
Higgins. 1 expect a lot of cities to
are going to make upgrades."
Ob May 2 the OEPA sent a letter
to the city concerning ammonia limits for Amherst's permit renewal.
According to the report, the city has
been in violation since 1993. In a
consent ardor the EPA is requiring
the city to address their past ammo-
nia issues and the necessary upgrade
of the wastewater treatment planL
The city has been bit with ammonia violations in the pasL The city
was fined $250,000 when Amherst's
facilities did not comply with its
EPA permit in the 1980s. The fine
was eventually reduced in a local
court to $25,000 -_t Amherst was
allowed to invest in the upgrade of
the plant, according lo utilities
superintendent Don Woodings.
In 1991 -ad 1993. Aa_xwt was
hit with consent orders lo address aa
anunonia content problem that was
flowing into Beaver Creek. But every _o» the city upgraded their systems, they still could not handle the
aumiH* content, Higgu- said.
"We've been waned about the
in the past But
the things we did to ivgrade the t_-
cilUy just didn't work. They did not
solve the problem." he added.
According lo Dennis Kachmaraky
of Fmkbeiner and company, "tt ia
impossible to achieve your ammo-
nia limitations at the plant you have
now."
Consulting engineers, working on
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