Amherst News-Times, 2001-03-21

              1    Council passes helmet law to third — Page 5     JVS teens tops in tests — Pa<
Amherst News-Time
.\
_
\
4
>
«
p
0
t.
u
K
r
'I
li
q
V
B
fl
■8
a
c
vt
si
4
IS
if
& _
n  -f
Wednesday, March 21, 2001
Amherst, Ohio
Township to decide fate of 3 mill fire le
i
by KATHLEEN WILLBOND
News-Tima. editor
Residents of Amhent
Township will be asked in
May to approve a 3 mill fire
levy to provide funds for fire
protection, as well as the
purchase of a pumper truck.
The township trustees have
appointed a Fire Safety Task
Force which has been meeting
weekly since Jan. 17.
The group, which is disseminating information about
the upcoming levy, is going
to continue to meet in aider
to make recommendations to
the township trustees about
fire and ambulance services.
On Thursday, the task force
is hosting a public meeting,
at 7 p.m. at Shupe Middle
School, to talk to residents of
the township and explain all
the issues behind the levy.
Members of the task force
Increase sought to pay for pumper
include chair Howard Dulmage, secretary Neil Lynch,
Ron Brotherton, Frank
DeAngelis, Jim Yorks, Janice
DeAngelis and Ron
Yacobozzi
"We've put in a heck of a
lot of time trying to get this
information out," Dulmage
said.
Amherst Township is covered by two fire service contracts, one with the city of
Amherst and another with
South AmhersL
The Amhent city contract
coven the areas of the township north of the turnpike,
while South Amherst coven
that area of the township
south of the turnpike.
The majority of the township residents live north of
the turnpike and the city of
Amherst last year said it
could no longer subsidize the
cost of fire service to the
township.
Negotiations between Amhent and township officials
stalled at times, and the two
entities nearly ended the year
without a fire contract
Amherst Fire Department
chief Ralph Zilch said 30
percent of the department's
calls the year before had been
to the township, costing the
city $40,000.
Dulmage said in 1991, only
about IS percent of the department's calls were to the
township. But a population
and building explosion over
the last decade has increased
the number of calls for fire
and ambulance.
Amherst and township trus
tees Ron Leoni, Dennis Abraham and David Urig were
able to come to an agreement
on a three-year contract which
was approved by the end of
last year.
The contract has three stipulations, Dulmage explained.
The township must pay a
$40,000 fee to the city, as
well as a fee based on the
number of calls as well
purchase a fire pumper truck.
The pumper truck is needed
because the township has no
fire hydrants and will be used
to haul an adequate water
supply. The truck will belong
to the township but will be
parked at the Amherst Fire
Department, Dulmage
explained.
The township presently has
a 1 mill permanent fire levy
passed in 1991 that generates
about $65,000 peryear.
If the 3 mill levy is passed
on May 8, the 1 mill levy
would be repealed. Dulmage
said the 3 mill levy would
then raise about $270,000.
Collection would begin in January, 2002.
Dulmage said one thing the
task force is hoping to get
across to residents in their
publicity campaign is that the
township will not raise
enough money from the new
levy to build and staff, as
well as equip, its own fire
station.
"A lot of people felt the
township was going to go
and build their own fire department and that's not true.
They just can't do it on that
amount of money," Dulmage
explained.
Dulmage said the cost of a
pumper truck is estmated at
about $310,000 so the township would pay about
$100,000 a year for three
yean.
While some township residents may balk at the .bought
of buying a new pumper
truck for Amherst's firefighter., Dulmage said it is not
such an unusual venture at
all.
Recendy, the residents of
New Russia Township purchased a tanker truck for the
Oberlin Fire Department,
which provides that township
with fire protection. Also,
Oberlin College contributed a
large sum of money toward
the purchase of an aerial ladder truck to equip the
department
"This is not an unusual
thing as part of a contract
although it is unusual for us
in the township," Dulmage
said
i    1;
R
K
J<
N
Special room 'all their own'
built for kids at St. Joseph
■
»Jr ♦*_«-W*t*mw~" " *
wm&s* v
— •-
^^^V ^ •*•-*•**--...
-.—*> * , tt
Warm weather ways
Getting the golf clubs primed and the auto in    weather activities that we found Amherstonians
good running condition are just two warm    engaged in recently.
Now children at St Joseph
School who need some individual attention can work with
a tutor on lessons in the privacy of a new luxury suite,
high above the school's
library. \
The new classroom, which
was once a storage area, debuted last week as a new tutoring space, a place where
teacher aide Lois Mackert can
work with kids one on one.
According to St. Joseph
principal John Gregory, now
in his second year at the
helm of the school, the space,
accessed by a stairway in the
library, was being used for
storage.
But led by a committee of
parents headed by Paul Sliman, the space has been
transformed into a lofty room
with desks and some palatial
windows which overlook the
library.
Last week, Mackert had a
small group of youngstere in
the classroom who needed
some work with their math
In the past one-on-one tutoring often had to be done
in the hallway, which was
disruptive to both students
and teachers. But with the
school growing in enrollment
and space at a premium, there
might not have been a quiet
and private place, to go for
tutoring.
This year, the private
Catholic school boasts of 405
students in grades from pre-
kindergarten through eighth.
The room will also be used
for many other activities, Gregory explained. It is, he said,
a space kids "can call their
Teacher's aide Lots Mackert tutors student Ian Diet, on his
math lessons hi the new classroom at St. Joseph School.
own.
The construction, including
carpeting, the stylish windows,
and ventilation, was paid for
by dflnatkm* of parishioners
as well as the church, led by
Father Larry Martello.
The renovated space is just
one of many updates the
school is making through the
vision of a continuous improvement plan.
Other activities planned for
the future include renovation
CONTINUED on paga 8
Adult Career Center will be
center of JVS open house
W^rtZTZ
The Lorain County Joint Vocational School will host a carer
showcase for individuals interested
ia learning more about the job
training programs available through
the Adult Career Center.
The career showcase will lake
place on Monday, March 26 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Lorain
County JVS. The JVS is located oo
the corner of Rts. Had 20.
This eveat is designed to show
interested adults how ths Adah Career Center caa help thea leers
new skills, la.pw.we a_t__ttas. shtUs
aad increase their employment
potentiaL
The following programs will be
highlighted during the event
»Computer business tcchno-ogy.
• Cisco Network System
Technology.
• Health Care Profe__-onal.
• Auto Mechanics.
• Coc-plructioa trades.
• Industrial   machine
dcats and instructors demonstrate
the skills needed for today's
workplace.
Counselors will he available to
discuss career opportunities, training objectives, financial aid, the
GED exam aad employment
Atoerefthsi
will allow v__a__ss to see -** «e-
Refreshments aad door prises
will be a part of the career show-
ahoet the eveet, call the Career
r« 440-774-1091, est __M.
H  I
~» \****W*~0**,*lm'*.m'