Filed Under: Cartoons, Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
An Allegheny County judge will select a candidate to fill a vacant seat on the McKeesport Area School Board.
At last week's meeting, district solicitor George Matta reported that the Court of Common Pleas held a hearing Nov. 22 to select a new school director to replace former board member and president Wayne Washowich.
The judge heard statements from four candidates --- Ivan Hampton, Trisha Gadson, Scott Smith and Ryan James --- and plans to select a new director before the board's Dec. 7 reorganization meeting, Matta said.
Under the state's Public School Code, court action is necessary because the board was unable to decide on someone to fill the remainder of Washowich's term. On Oct. 26, school directors deadlocked 4-4 on a vote between Hampton and Gadson.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
A simmering private dispute between the incoming mayor and the city administrator went public at the end of a council budget workshop Tuesday night.
City Administrator Dennis Pittman and Council President Mike Cherepko engaged in a shouting match over a $12,500 fee owed to an investment adviser, with Pittman charging that "somebody has been lying," and Cherepko accusing Pittman and retiring Mayor Regis McLaughlin of dragging their heels on something that's "not a big deal."
The public argument in city council chambers marred an otherwise routine session to fine-tune next year's $18 million budget, which includes no tax or fee increases. Cherepko will take office as mayor on Jan. 2.
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Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
View Cornell Intermediate School in a larger map
The vacant land where Cornell Intermediate School formerly stood is still quietly waiting for trucks, bulldozers and construction workers to clear the way for a new, modern school building.
The project --- the second part of McKeesport Area School District's three-school development --- has been delayed while the district continues to wait for permit approval from the Allegheny County Conservation District and the state Department of Environmental Protection.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City taxpayers have reason to be thankful: McKeesport's proposed 2012 budget includes no increases in taxes or fees.
But Mayor Regis McLaughlin is cautioning his successor that balancing future budgets will depend on carefully investing the proceeds of a recent windfall payment from McKeesport's sewerage authority.
City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday to consider the 2012 budget of more than $18 million.
A draft proposal given to council Nov. 15 included wage freezes for non-union employees, reductions in community development spending and elimination of two vacant positions. Already, city officials have hit one pothole --- an unexpected $65,000 drop in the so-called "liquid fuels" tax money that is to be returned to McKeesport by the state.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Reports
Pennsylvania's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program is now open for the 2011-12 heating season.
Also known as "LIHEAP," the program provides cash grants to help low-income households to help pay for home heating fuel; and crisis grants for heating emergencies.
Information about the program --- and help filing applications --- is available at the office of state Sen. Jim Brewster, as well as county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Reports
Award-winning watercolorist Nancy Deckant gives a discussion and demonstration at 7:30 p.m. Monday to McKeesport Art Group. The event is free and open to the public.
Deckant is also a musician whose first CD of original country and pop songs, Life Jacket
A juror at the Three Rivers Arts Festival for years, Deckant is also a member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society and the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, and her work hangs in many corporate headquarters and galleries in Pittsburgh. She was recently nominated as the "Emerging Artist of the Year," says Jan Catalogna, president of the Art Group.
The meeting is in the art room of McKeesport Area High School, 1960 Eden Park Blvd. For more information, email Catalogna at jacat99@aol.com.
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Category: News || By Submitted Report
Someone stole $10,000 worth of material from the Boston Bridge construction site, which will delay completion of the $17 million project.
The theft occurred late last week and included anchor bolts and nuts and anchor and backer plates that are designed to hold safety barriers in place, says Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. The theft happened on the Boston side of the bridge and Elizabeth Township police are investigating.
The material is custom-fit for the project and cannot be replaced with off-the-shelf components, Struzzi says. Because of the theft, installation of the permanent safety barriers has been delayed until new bolts and plates are manufactured, he says. The process will take approximately four weeks.
Until then, temporary barriers are in place, Struzzi says. Police are looking at local scrap yards where the thieves may have tried to sell the material.
Anyone with information should call Elizabeth Township police at (412) 751-7325 or (412) 751-3399, or use the department's tip email at wmkblack@comcast.net.
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Category: Announcements || By An Editor
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The trash hauling company whose billing led to months of controversy this summer has been awarded a new three-year contract.
At Wednesday's meeting, city council voted 4-3 to keep Nickolich Sanitation of Clairton as McKeesport's trash collection service. In addition, Nickolich also will begin collecting the city's recyclables.
Councilors Darryl Segina, A.J. Tedesco Jr. and Fawn Walker-Montgomery voted against the contract.
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Category: History || By Jason Togyer
A Veteran's Day special:
14-Year-Old Paratrooper Doesn't Want to Go to School
The Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 2, 1944
A full-fledged Army paratrooper will be returning to his classes in the sixth grade of McKeesport's West Side School within another few days, and the thought of getting his history and other lessons is quite disturbing to 14-year-old Pvt. Jimmy Clark.
Pvt. Clark, one of the Pittsburgh district's youngest under-age soldiers, is back home with his mother, Mrs. Margaret Clark, of 310 W. Fifth Ave., after being honorably discharged from the Army when his age was learned.
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Category: Cartoons, Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
"The Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees and Graham Spanier have decided that, effective immediately, Dr. Spanier is no longer president of the University. Additionally, the board determined that it is in the best interest of the University for Joe Paterno to no longer serve as head football coach, effective immediately." --- Penn State press release, Nov. 9, 2011
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City Council President Michael Cherepko is the next mayor of McKeesport.
According to complete but unofficial returns from the Allegheny County Division of Elections, Cherepko, a Democrat, won by better than a 2-to-1 margin over city Controller Raymond Malinchak, an independent. Election tallies show Cherepko with 2,144 votes, Malinchak with 831, and 20 write-ins.
Cherepko was the endorsed Democratic candidate and had the backing of former Mayor Jim Brewster, now a state senator. He will replace outgoing Mayor Regis McLaughlin, who was appointed in December 2010 to fill the year remaining on Brewster's term.
A teacher for 12 years, Cherepko told the Daily News that he would take a leave of absence from McKeesport Area School District if elected.
. . .
There will be two new faces on McKeesport City Council, where four Democratic candidates were running for four seats. No Republicans were running.
Newcomer Keith Soles was the top vote-getter, with 2,200 ballots. Richard J. Dellapenna, who was appointed to council earlier this year to fill the seat held by his late father, came second with 2,127 votes. Daniel Carr, another newcomer, was third, with 2,052 votes, and incumbent Dale McCall was fourth, with 2,011 votes. County results indicate 25 write-in votes were cast.
McCall was appointed to council in 2010 to fill a vacancy left when McLaughlin was appointed mayor.
. . .
In the race for McKeesport Area School Director, with five seats available, newcomer Mary Jane Keller, running on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, was the top vote-getter, with 3,548 ballots cast. Incumbent Joe Lopretto, also cross-filed, came second, with 3,349 votes; Democrat Terri Kisan was third with 3,326 votes.
Incumbent Chris Halaszynski, running as a Democrat, was fourth, with 3,142 votes, and incumbent and school board vice president Steven Kondrosky, a Democrat, came in fifth with 2,986.
Scott Smith and Ken Peoples, running as Republicans, received 2,805 and 1,951 votes, respectively, not enough to claim one of the five available seats.
County election results indicate that 48 people cast write-in votes. In addition to the city, the district includes Dravosburg, Versailles and White Oak boroughs and South Versailles Township.
. . .
In White Oak, challenger Joseph Nagy was apparently unsuccessful in his bid for a seat on borough council, though the county's unofficial returns show him only 13 votes behind the third-place finisher. Three seats were open. The top vote-getters were incumbents David Pasternak, a Democrat, with 1,177 votes; Ron Massung, Republican, with 1,154 votes; and Charles Davis, Republican, with 1,017 votes.
Nagy, a Republican, received 1,004 votes. There were 10 write-in votes cast.
. . .
In other races of local interest, five candidates were seeking five open seats on the South Allegheny School Board, which includes Glassport, Liberty, Port Vue and Lincoln boroughs. They are Luke F. Riley, James Jackson, Russell A. Geary, Timothy V. Wackowski and Arlene S. Schinosi. All candidates were filed as both Republicans and Democrats.
In Liberty Borough, Councilwoman M. Jane Weigand faced no opposition in her bid for re-election. Seven people cast write-in votes.
. . .
In Port Vue, incumbent Councilman Ken Hresko, running on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, was the top vote-getter for one of three open seats on borough council, with 468 ballots cast, according to unofficial but complete Allegheny County election returns.
Fellow incumbent Marshall Black, also cross-filed, was second, with 443 votes, and Russell Wooster Jr., a Democrat, was third, with 398 votes. Republican Brent Kovac was fourth with 239 votes, and independent Chris Moisey was fifth, with 167 votes. Four write-in votes were cast.
. . .
Three people were seeking five seats on the Duquesne School Board. They are Sonya Chambers, Calvina Harris and Cedric F. Robertson. The district, which has a long history of budget deficits and poor test scores, is expected to be dissolved by the state.
In East Allegheny School District, Region 8, Democrat Keith Dandar appears to have edged Republican Dolores Brown by the slimmest of margins --- four votes --- with 150 ballots to Brown's 146. No write-in votes were recorded.
In Glassport, where four seats were open on council, Thomas Bradley Jr., David Kowalski, Anna Maria Kudla and Nancy Heath Crncic were the top vote-getters. Bradley, Kowalski and Kudla were filed on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, while Crncic, the only incumbent, was running as a Democrat. Republican Norbert Piekut came in fifth, trailing Crncic by 132 votes.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Reports
Two candidates are seeking the office of mayor of McKeesport in Tuesday's election: Michael Cherepko, the Democratic candidate, and Raymond Malinchak, an independent. (For instructions on entering a write-in candidate on the iVotronic voting machine, click here.)
Candidates were limited to 400 words. No candidates are running on the Republican ticket, according to the Allegheny County Elections Division.
All candidates for local offices were invited publicly to submit their platforms for publication at Tube City Almanac. No school board or council candidates responded to the invitation.
. . .
MICHAEL CHEREPKO
My name is Michael Cherepko, and I would be honored to be your next mayor.
I was born and raised in McKeesport and am now raising my own family in Fawcett Plan. My wife, Nicole, and I have two children: Jake, 2, and Madeline, 4.
I have been a teacher at Cornell Intermediate School in the city's Seventh Ward for 12 years. I have served on council for eight years and am currently serving as council president. I want to be your mayor because I want my children and grandchildren to be proud to call McKeesport their home, just as I have been.
I have a comprehensive plan to provide new opportunities to give our youth a constructive outlet for their energy. I will call for a new spirit of volunteerism to provide the guidance that many of our youth lack in their lives. I will combine these efforts with a complete overhaul of our Property Maintenance Code and our enforcement efforts in this regard.
I will ensure the safety of our city by maintaining first-class police and fire departments. This, in conjunction with the continued demolition of blighted structures, will make our city a place to be proud of once again and enable us to recruit the new residents and businesses we need to expand our tax base.
I will also formulate a comprehensive marketing strategy to attract new businesses and residents. I will organize and meet with city business owners to ensure that we are fostering the best environment possible and enlist their help in recruiting new businesses.
Former Mayor James Brewster and I partnered over the last eight years to guide McKeesport through some of the hardest financial times the city has ever faced, without a single tax increase.
Many of my current opponents have stated they will follow the recommendations set forth in the Delta Report. While we have already implemented most of their suggestions, I can assure you I will not be raising taxes immediately as the report suggests. Tax increases raise little revenue and hit our senior citizens on fixed incomes the hardest.
No --- we will continue to think outside the box and work hard to find other solutions to our city's financial woes. We have made progress, but the job is not finished. I look forward to building a better McKeesport and know that together, we can overcome any challenge!
. . .
RAYMOND MALINCHAK
I am honored and privileged to announce my candidacy for the Mayor of the City of McKeesport. My goal is to become your mayor and to work with our community to restore pride, development, and integrity to our City. Together the citizens, council, and mayor can make McKeesport a safer community to pursue employment opportunities and economic prosperity.
If elected mayor, I will work for the citizens of McKeesport to improve fiscal stability, public safety, municipal services, code enforcement, and impartial employment opportunities. With the completion of the sale of a City owned waste water collection system to MACM, the City received about $24 million in CASH. All City jobs are now secure and a balanced budget is assured. Part of this surplus will be used to pay off long term debt.
I will forego the $80,325 authorized mayor's salary which I believe is ridiculously excessive. I will be a full time mayor and not double dip and only answer to the citizens. The City charter does not prohibit the mayor from working another full time position. I will not accept the use of any City owned vehicle.
I have served the citizens for eight years as City Controller and have always placed the citizen's interest and my personal integrity first. I served on the MASD school board, McKeesport Industrial Development Authority, and the Hearing and Zoning Board.
Professionally, I am a registered consulting engineer in the nuclear and power engineering industry. I earned a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1967 from the University of Pittsburgh and later completed a program in Financial Planning and Investments. Throughout my engineering career I managed many large projects in the U. S. and Eastern Europe. I served my country in the U.S. Army for two years in the Signal Corps as a cryptographic technician.
I believe my performance as Controller demonstrates that I am committed to honest, scandal free, and transparent government. I will always confront questionable incidents that occur in our City. For example, the uncollected $8 million delinquent taxes, prohibited political activities by employees, the disrespect by the well-connected of the business privilege tax, earned income tax, and registration of businesses are all unacceptable. Numerous non-traceable cash transactions, lease rent payment fairness, and delinquent lease rent payments must be addressed.
I demonstrated my commitment to honesty by confronting a questionable trash issue by personally funding a $5,750 investigation. The results of this trash investigation and several other troublesome incidents will be forwarded to law enforcement agencies for their consideration. (Editor's note: Candidates were limited to 400 words. A portion of this announcement was truncated.)
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Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
I am utterly disgusted with Mon Valley defeatism.
Years ago, The Valley Mirror ran a list of "top 10 ways for Homestead to stop being a depressed mill town." One of them was "Prozac in the water supply."
I laughed at the time, but lately I don't know if Prozac would do the job in the McKeesport area. Maybe each and every one of us just needs a swift kick in the butt.
. . .
You run into Mon Valley defeatism in many different places. It's the attitude that "nothing will work, don't try anything new." Or, in the words of that great philosopher, Homer Simpson: "You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is: Never try."
I've heard a lot of it recently regarding the new flyover ramp into the industrial park. You'd think something as obviously beneficial as a ramp into an industrial park would be non-controversial, but you'd be wrong.
What are the gripes? "It's too steep." "It cost too much." "Who wants to put a business in McKeesport, anyway?" "What's the point? McKeesport's dead."
My favorite might be: "Why did they take away parking spaces from Eat 'n Park to build a ramp?" Well, you know, that Eat 'n Park is about to get an entirely new parking lot as part of a major renovation project which was spurred by the construction of the ramp.
But talk about not being able to see the forest for the trees! You have to be pretty short-sighted to argue that we shouldn't open up an industrial park for development because it might temporarily displace some parking at Eat 'n Park.
. . .
Some of the folks who do the complaining also love nostalgia about the good old days. They love to reminisce about Rainbow Gardens and the Famous and the Memorial Theater.
Nostalgia is fine, but anyone under the age of 50 has no memories of those places. Personally, while I love history, I care more about what's going to be here five years from now and 10 years from now. And I'm not terribly religious, but I remember that Jesus commanded his followers to "let the dead bury the dead."
. . .
How about focusing on the living once in a while? There are a lot of institutions in McKeesport that aren't faded memories ---- the Carnegie Library, the McKeesport Little Theater, the McKeesport Symphony Orchestra, the YMCA, the LaRosa Boys and Girls Club, the McKeesport Art Group, the McKeesport Little Tigers.
Never mind the relative pluses or minuses of any of these organizations --- sure, you may not like classical music or art or sports. Find something else to get involved with! There are plenty of groups that can use your support and participation before they disappear. (I'm told McKeesport doesn't have an active Boy Scout troop any more. That's a sad commentary on our civic life.)
There also are plenty of local businesses that could use your money. Remember, stores didn't disappear from Fifth Avenue because of some mysterious outside force. They disappeared because we weren't shopping in them. It takes some nerve to wax nostalgic about shopping in Downtown McKeesport when you didn't patronize the stores we had.
(Oh, I know the excuse --- it's because you have to pay to park. We'll pay $25 to park at a Steelers game, but can't afford 25 cents to support local merchants. We sure have our priorities straight.)
. . .
We need a little more interest from young people (or active retired people) with good ideas and a long-term view and a willingness to pitch in and change things.
And yes, we need a lot less knee-jerk complaining and defeatism. And if I need to start delivering swift kicks in the butt, the line forms on the right.
. . .
Tube City Community Media Inc. is committed to printing viewpoints from residents of the McKeesport area and surrounding municipalities. Opinions expressed in editorials and commentaries are those of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Tube City Community Media Inc., its directors or volunteers.
Commentaries are accepted at the discretion of the editor and may be edited for content or length. To submit a commentary for consideration, please write to P.O. Box 94, McKeesport 15134, or email tubecitytiger -at - gmail -dot- com. Include contact information and your real name. A pen name may be substituted with approval of the editor.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
McKeesport's allocation of community development block grant money has been received, averting a potential million-dollar shortfall in the city's budget.
Community Development Director Bethany Bauer said the money was released by the federal government on Monday, after she and Mayor Regis McLaughlin made a direct personal appeal to Shaun Donovan, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Jane Vincent, regional HUD administrator.
In return, the city has promised to better publicize its housing programs, and provide more frequent reports to the agency. "We are expediting the changes," Bauer said.
. . .
Among other improvements, the city has designated Annette James, McLaughlin's assistant, as McKeesport's fair housing officer. James will issue regular reports to HUD officials about housing complaints and their resolutions, and about the city's efforts to make sure that tenants and homeowners are treated fairly and without discrimination, Bauer said.
In addition, the city will use the Internet, In McKeesport magazine, the Daily News and other media to publicize programs for renters, landlords and homeowners offered through McKeesport Housing Authority, McKeesport Housing Corp., McKeesport Neighborhood Initiative and other agencies.
"Our target for everything to become effective is the first quarter of next year," Bauer said.
. . .
Because many residents are living at or below the poverty line, McKeesport is eligible for so-called community development block grants, or CDBG, from the federal government. In the past, the city has used the money to fund police patrols, pave streets, provide educational programs and purchase police, fire and public-works equipment.
This year's promised allocation was about $1.2 million --- later cut to $1.1 million. But HUD officials in Pittsburgh would not release the money, arguing that McKeesport has done too little to address so-called "fair housing" problems. Those include investigating complaints, advising residents of their legal rights, and improving housing conditions in poor neighborhoods.
HUD said the city's existing programs were not specifically targeted at places where the poorest residents live, and that McKeesport should be spending up to 3 percent of its community development grant money on fair housing programs.
. . .
City officials countered that new houses built in the Third and Seventh Wards, and partnerships through agencies such as McKeesport Neighborhood Initiative were addressing fair housing concerns, but in an email, a HUD official criticized the efforts as "half-hearted" and ineffective.
HUD also complained that getting information from McKeesport was "like pulling teeth."
The agency insisted that McKeesport sign a "voluntary compliance agreement" that would allow the agency to dictate the terms under which the city could continue to receive community development grants.
But last week, during a hearing in Harrisburg to discuss community policing, McLaughlin and Bauer asked to speak privately to Donovan and other HUD officials.
. . .
"I said, 'It seems that the punishment isn't fitting the crime here," Bauer said. "I told them I could understand their concerns if we weren't doing anything to further fair housing, but we have all of these existing programs."
After reviewing documentation provided by the city, HUD officials agreed. McLaughlin signed a revised agreement on Monday, Bauer said.
Still, McKeesport and other communities that rely on CDBG money aren't out of the woods.
Republicans in Congress who want to reduce the federal government's debt and deficit spending are demanding massive cuts at HUD, including to the community development program. Federal spending on community development has already been cut by $1 billion, according to a June report from a watchdog group, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and "deeper cuts" are planned in 2012 and beyond.
For now, however, a crisis has been averted. The city's general fund has been paying for community development needs, and Bauer estimates "more than $500,000" needs to be reimbursed.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
* -- This story was edited after publication. See the footnote.
. . .
A new map of state senate districts could eliminate the seat currently held by McKeesport's Jim Brewster.
Under a plan being backed by state Republican leaders, Brewster's 45th Senatorial District seat would be moved to Monroe County, in the eastern part of Pennsylvania.
Most Mon Valley residents currently represented by Brewster would instead be represented by state Sen. Tim Solobay, a Democrat from Canonsburg, Washington County. Residents of Dravosburg and Duquesne would be moved into the 43rd Senatorial District, currently represented by Jay Costa, a Democrat from Forest Hills.*
The northern part of the 45th district would be moved into the district represented by state Sen. Jim Ferlo, a Democrat from Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood.
The map was approved yesterday along party lines by the state Legislative Reapportionment Commission, a five-member panel comprised of three Republicans and two Democrats. Since last year's election, Republicans control both houses of the state General Assembly as well as the governor's mansion.
. . .
New legislative maps must be drawn every 10 years, following a U.S. Census. The Pittsburgh area was expected to suffer in this redistricting because of population losses in the western half of the state.
Brewster could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. But Costa called the redistricting a "textbook" example of gerrymandered districts --- like "something you would find right out of a Civics 101 textbook."
"The redistricting proposal which I voted against today was drafted entirely for Republican advantage," said Costa, a member of the commission and the Democratic leader in the state Senate. Along with state Rep. Frank Dermody, an Oakmont Democrat, Costa cast one of the two "no" votes against the proposal.
"The map is a sad display of insider politics and self-interest, plain and simple," he said. "A process designed to improve representation has turned into a purely partisan exercise."
. . .
Costa complained that Democratic committee members were shown the map on which they would be voting "just minutes before the meeting."
"There is no transparency," Costa said. "There is no attempt to govern openly. It is precisely why people are fed up with the political process ... it is partisan politics at its worst."
There will be a 30-day comment period before the map is formally adopted by the state General Assembly.
A similar redistricting process is redrawing the state's House districts, which threatens another local legislator --- state Rep. Chelsa Wagner, Democrat of Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood. Under the redistricting plan, her district --- like Brewster's --- would move to the eastern part of the state.
. . .
McKeesport would move into Solobay's district under the plan. Solobay, a former state representative, was elected to the state Senate in 2010, succeeding J. Barry Stout of Bentleyville. His seat doesn't come up for re-election until 2014.
Brewster, former mayor of McKeesport, was elected last year to fill the remaining two years of former state Sen. Sean Logan's term.
Brewster would not be the first McKeesport legislator whose seat was eliminated by redistricting. In 1991 --- after similar population losses in the Mon Valley --- state Rep. Emil Mrkonic's seat was eliminated. The eight-term state representative was supposedly targeted because he had voted against a state tax increase. Also eliminated that year was a seat held by former state Sen. Frank Pecora of Penn Hills.
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Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
Residents continue to fill meetings of the McKeesport Area School Board for news about --- and some to protest --- the three-school construction project that has dominated the agenda.
People are not only concerned about the financial impact on the district but also about the personal impact on Robert DeTorre, who owns the 37-acre former Buck estate, part of which the district is pursuing by eminent domain as grounds for a new McKeesport elementary/intermediate school.
At last Wednesday's meeting, DeTorre announced that he filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, claiming that the district violated the PlanCon Part C application process by not disclosing available district-owned sites for the new school --- namely the 68 acres of property adjacent to and including Francis McClure Intermediate School.
His complaint argues that this admission would cause the district to lose the state's financial support for its purchase of 26 acres of his property.
. . .
White Oak Mayor Ina Jean Marton asked board members to put themselves in DeTorre's shoes and consider his feelings about having his property taken away from him.
"I don't believe that we, the United States of America, the land of the free, have the right to come in and take anybody's property," Marton said.
"I know each and every one of you has a good heart, but think about what you are doing to him," she said.
Marton also suggested that the board consider razing White Oak School and rebuilding on that site instead.
. . .
At Wednesday's meeting, the board officially acknowledged the state had received the district's PlanCon Part C paperwork. PlanCon --- short for Planning and Construction Workbook --- is a group of filings that Pennsylvania school districts use to request state reimbursement of major construction projects, with Part C dealing specifically with land acquisition.
The school board has proceeded with the eminent domain process on the DeTorre property. DeTorre said he received his condemnation letter on Oct. 25 and must now appear in court within a month.
DeTorre also told the board that he filed a right-to-know request for the official accounting of the written comments the board has received following the Act 34 hearing on Sept. 21 during which the third proposed school was discussed, as suggested by board counsel at last week's open agenda meeting."This information is important for me in my defense ... You're holding it back from the public and me," said DeTorre, claiming that he personally knows of 226 letters.
. . .
School director Thomas Maglicco repeated his concerns about the school district's ability to afford the bond financing for the three projects and his opposition to building the third school. He was the sole vote against the board's motion to authorize the administration to work with the district's investment banker, Janney Montgomery Scott, and bond counsel, Dinsmore and Shohl, LLP, to issue the general obligation bonds.Alisha Phillips, representative for Janney Montgomery Scott, presented the board with a summary of the proposed financing of the estimated $84 million, three-building project that reflects the annual payments the district would have to make.
Phillips explained that the total financing for the three projects blends the district's existing debt service (a $10 million note taken out in 2010) with the new borrowing and phases it through a three-year period in construction.
. . .
Maglicco questioned the breakdown in Phillips' summary, remarking that "these numbers look a little higher than the last time we looked." At last week's open agenda meeting he estimated a $3.1 million annual payment beginning in the 2014-2015 school year.
Phillips said that the financing still puts the total project financing cost between three and four mills.
However, with the potential net reimbursements --- from the state through the PlanCon processs --- the cost to do this financing would be roughly $1.067 million which equates to 1.46 mills, according to Phillips.
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