Amherst News-Times, 2002-08-21

              Mayor balks at gerrymandering — Page 2 | Foundation to break ground — Pc
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City's facing year-end budget defied
by JASON HAWK
News-Times reporter
Mounting expenses and failing
revenues have dug a large hole in
the city budget over the past several
years, leaving city administrators to
question future fiscal plans.
"Our tax base is eroding," said
treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz. "A lot
of businesses that were paying taxes
from their net profits just aren't
turning those profits over anymore.''
Only 22 pattern of funds raised
by the city come from residents who
both live and work in Amherst and
don't support the city's general
fund. Instead, they are funneled into
the street improvement fund, which
over the past few years has generated a $4 million surplus.
Business revenues, not residential
taxes, help to put resources in the
city's general fund.
And money from that fund is
slowiy draining away.
'Tor the past few years, we've
been on a downhill slalom," said
Litkovitz.
Part of the problem, she said, is
that many businesses are slowly
closing their doors. Bankruptcies
and the closing of Ames, the old
Drug Mart, Bob's Big Boy, and
other establishments have left valu
able property unoccupied and cash
flow to the city's general fund has
slowed significantly.
Additionally, last year the Nordson Corp. laid off nearly ISO workers, and another 22 this year.
"We need to bring in more business to our city," said Litkovitz,
who advocates proactively seeking
new capital. "New decisions will
have to be made. We're going to
have to And new sources of in
come,'' she said. "Instead of relying
on one big business like Nordson,
we need to be able to rely on 40 new
businesses downtown."
According to Litkovitz, there has
even been discussion on creating a
tax abatement to lure new businesses to the area, but the implementation of that action depends on the
mayor and his staff.
Another way to relieve the pressure on the treasury is to cut back on
government operating expenditures,
she said.
"The bottom line is how much
money comes in versus how you
spend it," she said. "I'm a democrat,
but a very conservative one. We see
the money coming in and then we're
very concerned about the way it's
spent
"We all need paper clips, copy
paper, and pens, but the difference
CONTINUED on page 5
CC opposes a renewal
of Toucan's liquor deal
by JASON HAWK
You go, girls
With the help of the Marion L. Steele High       some new moves at the annual cheerleading
School cheerleaders, girls in grades K-8 learn -   clinic sponsored by tJieolcjexgitte. *»
 • ■ -f?
News-Times reporter
Patrons of Toucan Charlie, 1929
Cooper Foster Park Road E, formerly known as Brickhouse Cafe,
may have to find a new party spot
— if they want to drink alcohol.
On Monday, Aug. 5, council-
members voted unanimously to recommend that the state liquor commission refuse to renew the establishment's permit to serve alcohol.
The resolution was brought to the
table after council received a letter
from police chief Lonnie Dillon.
After reviewing complaints about
city liquor holders. Toucan Charlie
was the only establishment dm warranted immediate action, he wrote.
"Only one establishment's clientele require members of the Amherst
Police Department, as well as surrounding law enforcement agencies,
to respond dit*Bropaxt innately in order to provide a safe atmosphere for
the area," he wrote.
"Members of this department and
other areas have had to respond to,
or remain in the area of Tou-
can's...to an overabundance of fight
and assault complaints. On several
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Visitors to Toucan Charlie on Cooper Foster Park Road might
have to go somewhere else soon to wet their whistles - if the establishment's liquor license isn't renewed.
occasions, officers have become
victims or had to use force in order
to make an arrest," Dillon stated in
his letter.
Attached to the letter was an
eight-page report detailing 83
counts of criminal activity at the location. Of the violations cited, there
were nine fights, end 10 charges of
The remaining charges included
such things as felonious assault,
criminal damaging/endangering,
theft and fraud, drag possession,
vandalism, disturbing the peace,
auto theft, underage consumption.
and criminal mischief.
The frequency of these disturbances and the amount of time and
staffpower needed to suppress them
prohibit police forces horn protecting the rest of the city, Dillon said.
Included in the recemmendation
was a formal list of objections outlining to the state council's five
primary reasons for its dcoision: 1)
Officers have been injured while arresting, booking, and transporting
suspects; 2) A high percentage of
alcohol-related offenses were committed in the establishment's park-
CONTINUED on page 10
4-H members give library
gardens a burst of ideas
by JASON HAWK
News-Times reporter
Warm weather and the county fair
season have spurred the Amherst
Critters A Such 4-H Club into action, setting loose local kids to
pursue new knowledge through their
individual and group projects.
One of the most noticeable 4-H
undertakings is the addition of the
children's learning garden to the
Amherst Public Library.
The large garden is divided into
three smaller ones, each with unique
themes. The Sensory Garden contains plants that teach children about
different tastes, smells, and touch
sensations. The Monet Garden features flowers that appear in the
paintings of French impressionist
artist Claude Monet's paintings. The
middle garden will feature a new
theme annually. This year, it is the
Century Garden, celebrating the
100th anniversary of 4-H.
Future gardens may include a
Pizza Garden, Salsa Garden, and
Vegetable Garden.
The three gardens contain geraniums, thyme, lilies, snapdragons,
roses, lamb's ears, petunias, and
begonias.
Work on to learning garden began in February, sad children
waked on tat
planting  and  growing  stages
aping sad i
wok-long shifts car-
Visitors to the Amherst Public Library on Park St. can see the
work ot the Amherst Critters & Such 4-H Club. In the children's
learning garden at the rear of the building, kids planted roses, petunias, begonias, and other plants.
rewarded tor their efforts by receiving Junior Master Gardener Golden-
ray status.
The nicest part about the whole
garden is the wonderful comments
we get about it," said club advisor
Cheri Heffeman. "People are always
saying how beautiful it is."
Heffeman's daughter Danielle is
also working hard on her own project The nine-year-old" is a Lorain
County Fair Miniature Horse Priit-
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Since January, Danielle has
leased a miniature bey named
PICK'S Little Morgan from Amherst
resident Pat Klin*-shira. Twice a
week, she cleans Little Morgan's
stall, grooms kin, works oa show-
PKK's Ubuv Morgan and Dt>
nielle will fo tlwough thek
the Lorain County Fair, .negotiating
she said.
Even though it's her first year,
Danielle still hopes to win an award.
"I want to get the sportsmanship
award," she said, 'Tor all of the
times he's knocked me over and
stepped on me. I just get back up,
even though I weigh 65 pounds, and
he weighs 4021"
To fulfill her 4-H requirements,
Danielle also performed some
public speaking before other members at the Ohio State University extension office. She gave a
seven-to-10 minute speech about the
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Other Una, like 14.yeer-eU Hannah Swam, Me having foe with
their pojects as weH At a local
showing, Hannah's project
••Food and Fitness Ctoacni for Yon"
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