Amherst News-Times, 2002-07-03

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Amherst News-Times1
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Wl DNI-SDAY, July   V
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City to pay tab
on sewer repair
under roadway
by AMY PERSINGER
News-Tim«s reporter
The city will now pay for sewer
line repairs if the break occurs under
the roadway or within 12 inches of
the road.
City council has drafted an ordinance that specifies the city's responsibility when a sewer lateral
from a residence breaks underneath
the city's roadways.
The ordinance, which is in its second reading, would place the responsibility for repairs on the city if
damage is proven to be under the
roadway.
City council has been considering
legislation regarding sewer lateral
repair since January when George
Walts went before council to ask
them to consider a request to reimburse him for costs he incurred
when he had his sewer lateral
repaired.
At Walts's Autumn Drive rental
unit, the sewer main runs along the
opposite side of the street, so the lateral passes under the street The lateral was collapsed under the road
and the city told the Waltses that
they were responsible for getting it
fixed.
The city had done road work near
the break but utilities superintendent, Ron Merthe, said that was not
the cause of the break.
Walts said he was surprised that
he was responsible to pay for repairs
under the roadway in the first place.
He said he feels that the city caused
the break and should be responsible
in any case because the road had to
be excavated and repaired.
Council voted to pay Walts's bills
for the repair in June out of the
city's moral claims fund.
Mary Barfield, another Amherst
resident, is also asking council to
pass an ordinance that would reimburse her for sewer repairs that may
have been a result of construction
near her home.
The ordinance requires the resident to have the lateral inspected by
a professional plumber to determine
the cause of the homeowner's problem. If it is suspected that there is a
collapse under the roadway, the resident would be required to have the
plumber use an in-line video system
to document the damage to the
lateral.
The resident would then provide
the video to the utilities superintendent for review.
CONTINUED on page 11
A matter of time
City workers hang a banner announcing the upcoming Annual
Old-Time Jamboree, which will be held July 12-14 in downtown
Amherst. Food, drink, crafts, children's games and contests, a vintage classic car show, a parade, live musical entertainment and
other events will be featured. Festival hours are Friday, July 12
from 5:45 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday, July 13 from
11:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 14, from 10 a.m. until 4
rade with Neil Zurcher as grand marshal starts at
Sunday.
10 a.m. to
p.m. A pa-
1 p.m. on
Swimmers returtji after 'tingle' scare
by AMY PfSRSMOER
N«ws-Times reporter
After having to try to stay cool
without the benefits of the city pool,
local kids headed to the pool in
droves after city officials were given
the go-ahead to reopen the Maude
Nciding Park pool last week.
Amherst's only city pool, located
at the park, was reopened last Wednesday afternoon after being closed
during the hottest days yet this year,
after swimmers complained of a
"tingling'' feeling.
Several swimmers had noticed
the feeling when they touched the
lifeguard chair or the stainless steel
gutter that surrounds the pool, according to councilman Ed Cowger.
Cowger told council he received a
phone call from a resident complaining of a minor stock, or tingling feeling her son received Monday when he touched the lifeguard's
chair while climbing out of the pooL
After he checked into it, Cowger
said he found that the utilities superintendent and building inspector had
already known about the small current being detected in the pooL
On the previous Thursday, city
building inspector Ron Konowal
and utilities superintendent Ron
Merthe detected about \5 volts of
stray current inside the filter building of the pool.
Cowger said he was told that
there had been 2.5 to three volts detected in the pool area on Monday
by Callihan Electric, Inc.
the voltage was detected
corrected.
Safety/service director Sherritl
McLoda immediately agreed lo
have it closed, even though she was
assured by the electrician and utilities superintendent that it was safe
to let kids swim there.
Callihan Electric returned to the
pool last Tuesday morning and was
able to reduce the stray voltage to
zero.
The city's electric dqiartiaeiat
also checked on a utility pole that
had been struck by
year and found that it
grounded property either. The city
repaired that problem at wdL
Merthe said that CaJJihan's told
him they had already eliminated the
stray current before die utility pole
was repaired.
Merthe said wartime* there jam
isastwycurrentHesaidcurreutof
such a low voltage can be tiaaamit-
ted in the ground.
The pool was laopaaad ea WeaV
Despite a slight "tingling" feeling which revealed a slight electrical current at the city pool, swimmers returned with confidence last
"That's about what runs the pager
I wear on my hip," Merthe said of
the three volts.
Cowger told council that the utili
ties department had contacted CaJJihan's and they were (tying to pinpoint the current leak. The electrician worked through the plumbing,
week that all had been repaired.
updating the grounding around the
pool and was able to lower the voltage to 1.5 on Monday.
Councilwoman  Nancy  Brown
low oa Wednesday, poaribly
cause the pool was not expect*
be open undl Thursday. But dm Una
came out in full force on '~~
The pool was loaded with
lies, with groups of kids still I
ing up the sidewaJks in the early af>
asked that the pool be closed, in
spite of the record high temperatures, for the safety of the families
who use it, until the actual cause of
"Everything's  fixed.
Bum, an employee
She said
pool was back to
day and Friday.
at the
Growing church caters to children
by AMY PER8HMER
Newt-Times reporter
Some peopie say there are
a lot of churches in Amherst,
but one new church is showing that there is room for
more of them.
Conacrsfone Community
Church moved to HI S.
Lake St in August, 2001,
with about 40 regular ..tenders. Now 130 people, mostly
from Amherst, call Cornerstone thfir home church.
Steve Buckner, 30, the pat-
tor of Cornerstone Community
Church, and his wife Debbie,
31, came to Lorain County to
start a church.
Buckner is a member of
the Assemblies of God. The
organization docided it ngffdfd
to start, or "plant," as many
churches call it, a church in
the area. He was associate
paatwing a church in West
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came to Ohio.
Buckner and hit wife, who
it a vtarriaaritn, grew up la
Brie, Pa. He went to South
Eastern Bible College in
Iskeland, Ffe., and she went
to Allegheny College in
Meadvitte, Pa., and Purdue
University.
Buckner first started Cor-
at the Family Y in
m tower Blvd. The
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year. The Buckaers knew ao
whoa they came to the
ae feey saat oat direct
of
fa kids. The
hat
knew the church needed its
own place.
Amherst was one of the focus areas when the pastor
was sent here, ao a location
in Amherst was ideal.
The Amherst Historical
Society owns the building on
South Lake Street that once
housed another church. The
society's offices are upstairs
in the buikling.
The Historical Society made
the building available and
Bfjcfcaer jtarptd at the
Members of the church renovated the downstairs of the
building. They painted, laid
carpet and renovated the offices. They made fee old
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"We had to chase fee bats
out!" Buckner said, only half-
Just like when they
at Tower, fee
nude themselves known to
the coatnaoaky. They held
faft' fmtftwf and tried ie
you are.
at we .moves, fee
jsst began to gpow,
knew they
hare. The
ah am a big am
of ©an.* Btxstsr said.
CONTttUID en page 1)
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