Amherst News-Times, 1998-08-19

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imherst News-Times
august  19.  1998
Amhorst.  Ohio
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achers, kids prepare for another year
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
Next week, houses may become a little quieter as students head back to school.
St. Joseph's Catholic school
welcomes students back on
Aug. 25 and all Amherst
public schools begin on
Thursday, Aug. 27.
For those attending St
Joseph's, starting time is 8
a.m. and dismissal is at 2
p.m. Sister Mary Jo Ludwig,
principal, said students will be
dismissed at 1 p.m. the first
two days.
Four new teachers have
been added at St. Joe's —
Julie Gargasz, kindergarten;
Cher LoPresti, first grade; Ursula Wachholz, second grade;
and Birgit Fada, fourth grade.
A new fourth grade classroom has been added as well
as technology improvements,
such as TV's and VCR's to
every classroom.
"Our goal is to develop a
community spirit with parents,
kids and faculty and to make
sure academics are in accordance with Ohio law," Ludwig said.
For the public schools, the
retirement of Howard Dulmage as superintendent is the
biggest administrative change
to the district. Dulmage retired on July 31 after serving
At Shupe Middle School, Wendy Rogers prepares for the opening of school which is Thursday, Aug. 27.
more than 14 years as head
of the district. Robert Boynton resigned as Marion L.
Steele High School principal
to fill Dunnage's position.
"There are a lot of new
people in the district,'' Boynton said. "There will be adjustments with them. We will
also look at the issue of
growth and facilities, the condition of the science labs at
the high school and make
sure our curriculum is in
alignment with all of the proficiency tests."
New faculty and staff id
the district include: Fred Holland, MLS principal; Thomas
Lehman, MLS associate principal; Anne Marie Edwards-
Noss, school psychologist; Julie Bill, preschool teacher,
Christine Solus, special education and LD tutor, Anthony
Tnmzo, art teacher, David
Bragg, high school counselor,
Kimberly Byrne, medical technology teacher at MLS; Laura
Brogen, high school English
teacher, Michelle Jagodrinski,
eighth grade math teacher,
Patricia Cosik, media center
aide at Nord; Janice Trunin,
social studies teacher at
Shupe; Cindy Krause, special
education at Shupe; Dave
Zajkowski, fourth grade
teacher at Harris Elementary
School; and Mary Pecze,
teacher at Harris.
Three positions — a gifted
teacher and two Tide I tutors
— remain vacant in the district, but interviews are being
conducted this week.
With the district experiencing continued growth, more
modular classrooms have been
added for the upcoming
school year to help alleviate
the problem. Powers Elemen-
CONTINUED on page 8
Anderson
appeal on bond counsel
by GLEN MLLER
News-Times reporter
A state appellate court has upheld
a county court's ruling giving city
council, not law director Allen Anderson, the right to select a bond
counsel for the sale of municipal
bonds.
In its Aug. 12 ruling, the Ninth
District Court of Appeals said state
law does not give Anderson the
right to select and retain outside
legal counsel for the city.
Last year, city council contracted
with the Cleveland law firm of
Squire, Sanders and Dempsey to act
as bond counsel to sell $400,000 in
bonds for the replacement of city
hall's roof.
Anderson, who wanted to do business with another firm, Calfee, Halter & Griswoid, sued city officials
over their choice.
City officials named in the suit
hired the Elyria law firm of
McCray, Muzilla, Smith and Meyers to represent them.
Anderson appealed to the state
court after the Lorain County Common Pleas Court ruled in favor of
city officials. He claimed the county
court made an error in its decision.
In its ruling, the appellate court
stated the Ohio Revised Code "does
not empower the law director to
select and retain outside legal
counsel." Neither does it otherwise
provide "for the management and
control of municipal finances with
respect to the selection and retention
of outside legal counsel to provide
services relatine tn the. issuance of
notes and bonds."
Anderson, who could not be
reached for comment, has pledged
to appeal the ruling to the Ohio Supreme Court But a court clerk said
Anderson will have to apply to the
court before it will hear the case. It
only will hear an appeal if the justices feel it is within their discretion.
If they do not, the appellate court's
decision is regarded as final.
Muzilla said he hopes Anderson
will not anneal to the state's high
court
"There really os no need to because the appeals court has backed
up the common pleas court's decision," he said. "Based on what the
courts have said, I don't think he
has anything to gain. It can end here
if he wants it to."
Until recently, the city was unable to bond the project until the appellate process was complete and a
court had made a final decision.
That changed about a month ago
when council hired a bond underwriting firm to assist in the sale of
bonds for nearly $4 million in capital improvements projects. The replacement of dry hall's roof is
among the projects.
Higgins said council did not violate any court prohibition because
the underwriting company, not
council will hire the bond
as part of
Dog's gone from music shop
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Amherst guitar teacher Ron
Zehel and his daughter Linze
are wondering where, oh
where, their little dog Princess
has gone.
Her ears aren't long and
her nose isn't always cold,
but she's well known by dozens of customers of Zend's
Guitar Center on Cooper Poster Park Road.
The eight-year-old Lhasa
Apso was last seen in the
store about 12:30 p.m. July
23 before she mysteriously
disappeared. Since then, the
Zehels have lacked up posters
throughout the Amherst area
offering a $200 reward for
the tiny dog's safe return.
The largest is an eight-foot-
long red and white banner
lied to the front of Zend's
store.
"You can't miss it We
don't want people to miss it,"
he said. "She's been in the
family a long time and has
become a part of the business. Everybody who has
come in here knows her."
the Zehels have concluded
she was either dognapped or
picked up by a well-meaning
stranger who thought she was
a stray.
Princess often walked into
one of the studios for a nap
or curled up in a corner. So,
it wasn't uncommon for Zehel
not to see her in the store
three weeks ago.
That changed after about
four hours. '
"It was a pretty busy day,
but after a while I noticed I
hadn't seen her and she
hadn't touched her food,"
Zehel explained. "Teat's when
I started looking around and
noticed she was gone."
There are about 300 students who come end go from
the business each week.
Others are nmeicians who
Ptitsceaa
ago, but has become a mascot      self out to relieve herself
in the guitar center over the when customers walked
years.
ioso the business fjo
chat and hang out with other
They Ukad her and she h>fd
Princess was a
gift lo Linze, IS, eight
The hide dog regularly
rode to the work with Zehel
sad spent bar days in the
business. She only left the
buueeas even if the door was
propped open, bet did let liar-
through the door. When she
did, she never strayed away
from a small grass area near
the front entrance and waited
by the door to be let back hi.
Neither has Princess over
bean loft et stayed away, so
"She was very trkudry. She
would vat* ep to people and
let aseas pet her," Una  «
Zehel sett. "This is why
she's so well taiown."
.   Mot loaf after ire deft
mean*
. *'
A
Sidewalk sales effort
to boost downtown
A local worker is hoping to give
downtown businesses an economic
boostbyreldi>dlmgtJwtraditioriofa
sidewalk sale.
Twenty-four downtown business
will be participating in event which
is the brainchild of Cindy Gnagy, aa
employee of the Park Avenue Boutique, during the Aug. 20-22 event
The idea occurred to her about
two weeks ago after she and other
business people noticed a drop off
in business.
'Things are dead here. We are all
suffering. There is just mdung going on." she said. "It's really been
tough the but couple of months, sol
knew we had to do something."
The decline in tmiinosi among
the merchants has been MawttfJ on
several factors, particularly the heat
of the last few weeks and the closing of Ford's Motor's ThuadaroM
assembly plant
"We really don't know why, but
we wantpeojpte to know we have a
offer,  she
loons, local entertainer Chuck
Sheets, free popcorn end
throughout the downtown
Several inerchanej have
buted to the sidewalk sate. They are
Gnagy Trucking. Stonehenge, Ceder
Pub, Higgins Pharmacy, Dian-A-
Mite Compiling. Ridgehill Collect-
ables, Park Avenue
the Church Street Bar A
Popcorn is being provided by city
applauded the idea.
"Too many
new people in town,
jmfisifff district is
Road," Brown
realize there is a
people m especially
tou't
orknow
The Lorain County
will have e
downtown area Aug. 20!
p.m. and a book safe has
duled by the
Library.
hi ere
2 to 5
lot to
GaausskiaUy was loidher idea
would be the city's first ekfewalfc
have been held in the pest Never-
theses*, shey haw not been]
m
event is the first Ifo's.
on e sidewefk sals