Amherst News-Times, 1998-02-04

              Doctor targets women's health — Page 5     Extra cash aids cops — Page 9
Amherst News-Times
Wednesday, February 4, 1998
Amherst, Ohio
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Mc iiii / woes put chamber out of business
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Members asked to OK a dissolution
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A dissolution was approved during a special Jan. 22 meeting of the
chamber's board of trustees. It is exacted to become official within a
week pending the approval of at
least 20 percent of the chamber's are several people, including my- Dworkin said.
108   members   and  the   filing   of self, who have tried to get tilings go-      Dworkin   said   she   hoped   she
necessary documents with ihe Ohio ing and who have worked very hard could turn the financially troubled
Attorney General's office. to raise money  through fundrais- chamber around when she became
"It's sad in a way because there ing,"   board   president   Judith president in January 1997.
tie\!    :y auditor
co aw
Ian H ond after
news of financial
troubles leaked
by GLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
City auditor Diane Eswinc is trying to find out who politically
stabbed her in the back at city hall
because of her inability to file a
S50.000 surety bond.
The new auditor is sure someone
in cither her office or the treasurer's
office lei it be known that she was
unable lo post the bond because of a
poor credit rating.
"No one knew about this outside
of the mayor's office, my office and
maybe a few people in ihe treasurer's office," Eswine said following a Jan. 26 city council meeting.
"This is all very political because
this whole thing was in error and is
being taken care of."
Eswinc's failure lo meet the required bond set for the auditor's
post was brought up by city law director Alan Anderson during the administrative reports portion of last
Monday's council meeting.
Anderson said he learned of ihe
problem a week ago Monday but assured council that the bond will be
posted within 10 days. He said he
was unaware of the problem until
contacted by an area newspaper.
Eswinc accused the newspaper of
being notified by someone at city
hall who "obviously doesn't like me
and who has their own political
motives."
Eswine said she was unaware of
her bonding difficulties until after
she was swom into office earlier
this month.
Under Ohio law, council has the
authority to remove any elected official who fails to post the bond,
which is designed to protect cities
from financial claims against
officials.
Following the meeting, an angry
Eswine said she was recently informed that she was rejected by an
insurance bonder because of a poor
credit rating sustained when her
husband's (Thomas Eswine) printing business failed lo pay sales tax
to the slate in time about three years
ago.
As a result, she sustained a poor
credit rating because she was a cosigner for the business. In addition,
the Ohio Department of Taxation
failed to notify her that it had placed
a lien on the couple's home, further
complicating her credit rating.
The lien was satisfied prior to last
year, but the state failed to bring its
records up to date.
Eswine said the state auditor's office has since provided her with the
necessary legal documents to correct the error and allow her to receive ihe required surety bond.
The documents are expected to by
filed wilh the Lorain Counly Common Pleas Court ihis week to remove the liens, she said.
They total more thari"32#O0, a?-
cording to court records.
"This was all just an error in record keeping on someone's part, bul
it certainly has made things look
bad for me," she added.
If necessary, she would have refinanced her home as security for the
bond.
Fortunately, the bond difficulties
were resolved last week after Eswine filed the necessary documents
wilh the Common Pleas Court. She
then obtained the surety bond from
Arthur Gallagher and Co., a Cleveland insurance company.
Regardless, Eswine said she
wants to know who tipped off the
news media.
"After all, I have to know who I
can trust," she added.
Mayor John Higgins said he
never had any doubt about Eswine's
qualifications for the position. Her
bonding problems were brought about by a "bureaucratic glitch" in
Columbus that was "blown out of
context" by someone in her office,
he added.
All traced up
Scott Koba, 11, gets his face and head traced
by Jordan Koba, 11, as part of a special Shupe
Middle School social studies project. Teacher
Louise Timms initiated the program to show students how people created shadow portraits in
the 1600s.
All-day kindergarten class canceled
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
To keep pupil/teacher ratios
low and help ease overcrowding,
all-day kindergarten will not be
offered  next  year  at  Powers
Elementary School.
Kindergarten principal Bob
Wicrsum made the announcement at the Jan. 26 board of education meeting.
"I sat down with Mr. Wier-
sum and we looked at the
growth we are experiencing in
the schools and the size of the
classes," superintendent Howard
Dulmage said. "There are just
loo many students."
Eliminating all-day kindergarten is only a small step in helping to ease overcrowding at the
school, Dulmage said. The goal
is to have 20 or 21 students per
kindergarten classroom and in
some classes there are as many
as 25 and 26 students. The all-
day kindergarten class this year
has 28 students, Wiersum said.
This year there are 10, half-
day  classes  and  one  all-day
class. That is down from the previous year, when two all-day
classes were offered. With the
elimination of the all-day class,
there will be 12, half-day classes
next year.
CONTINUED on page 2
Amherst man to direct foundation
by GLEN MILLER
Brian Frederick
News-Times reporter
Experience in research, problem
solving and social work accumulated over the last 20 has helped prepare Brian Frederick for a challenging but people-oriented dream job.
Beginning Feb. 9, the Amherst
man will have the task of helping to
decide how people and organizations can best be helped through
special funds administered and distributed by the Community Foundation of Greater Lorain County.
Frederick, 45, is the foundation's
new executive director, a job in
which he will help create special
interest-generating funds benefiting
agencies and communities throughout the county.
He replaces acting foundation director Dolly Minter.
'The whole idea is lo encourage
the community to take pan in investing in itself by .creating philanthropic funds that can help it, specific agencies and others who need
services from an agency," he
explained.
Unlike  the  Nord   Family   or
Stocker foundations, Frederick said
the community foundation does not
provide grants to groups or agencies. Instead, it helps create and
coordinate interest-bearing funds for
a specific purpose from which money can be used.
Some are general purpose funds
while others are earmarked for a
specific purpose. Some, like endowment funds, might be for a specific
school district uses while others
may be created by social agencies to
fund the needs of people ihey serve.
In both cases, the funds are administered by the community founda
tion. Decisions arc made by its
board of directors wilh the input of
the donors who have contributed to
a specific fund.
Benjamin G. Norton, chairman of
the foundation's board of directors,
said Frederick was chosen for the
post because of his extensive background in management, social services, and work with nonprofit
organizations.
For the last six years, he has operated his own business, BAK Data
Solutions, Inc. The small firm spe-
CONTINUED on page 5
Those hopes were dashed after
city officials and chamber members
learned Ohio law prohibits statutory
cities like Amherst from loaning or
giving money to chambers of
commerce.
The announcement by law director Alan Anderson ended d.e city's
CONTINUED on page 3
CC eyes
street
tax OK
again
Lower amount
for more repairs
An extensive engineering study
will be done to determine the long-
term cost of maintaining the city's
streets, curbs and bridges before an
income tax renewal for their upkeep
is placed on the ballot.
According to mayor John Higgins, the study will provide a
"close" estimate of the cost of maintaining streets, curbs and several
key bridges based on their linear
square footage. In turn, the estimates will help determine if the renewal of a half percent levy will
provide sufficient funding.
Renewal of the existing 10-year
.05 percent levy was hashed over
Jan. 20 by city council's finance
committee. Most members disagreed with Higgms's suggestion
that the levy be reduced to .25
percent.
City council wants to begin reviewing costs and needs this year
even though the existing levy
doesn't expire until Dec. 31, 2000.
The issue may have to go on the
ballot in 1999.
The city currendy spends more
than $1 million a year on street
repairs.
Several council members, including David Kukucka, said the .25
percent cut would prevent sidewalk
repair or construction from being
added during future street repair
programs. Several residential
streets, including Terra Lane and
Washington Street, were buill without them years ago by developers,
he explained.
He and other council members
noted lhat construction of sidewalks
on al least one side of some streets
would increase public safety. Too
many children and adults who are
forced to walk in the streets are in
danger of being struck by speeders
or careless drivers, they added.
A developer must provide sidewalks in all new residential subdivisions. The city does not assess residents for their construction where
none exist, the mayor explained.
While not disagreeing with council, Higgins said an inspector may
have lo be hired to determine which
existing sidewalks need repair. His
main concern is the upgrading of
bridges, including those on Cooper
Foster Park and N. Quarry roads,
Jackson Street and Park Avenue.
Their upkeep is necessary for
continued economic and residential
development. N. Quarry Road is one
of the few areas within the city open
to residential development. The
Jackson Street bridge serves both
the Nordson Corp. and the surrounding neighborhood, he said.
Maintenance of the lauer could
cost more than $1 million, Higgins
said.
"We have to maintain what we
have to provide services, so we will
have to rebuild these bridges," he
added.
Repair of the Cooper Foster Park
and N. Quarry road bridges is slated
for next year.
Council members said the study
does not have to be done immediately. It will be needed later this
year or early next help to formulate
plans for the passage of the levy.
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