Trib: Official seeks support for rec spending

Amid debate over turf, grass, asphalt and ice, Mt. Lebanon Commissioner Kelly Fraasch is hoping to garner support from three other commissioners for a $7.28 million recreation spending program.

Fraasch wants the municipality to borrow $5 million for the program, which would include improvements for the swimming pool, golf course, tennis courts, ice rink and three existing athletic fields, while adding two more fields at Robb Hollow Park.

“Between our needs and our wants, that adds up to about $22 million worth of projects we could invest in, but obviously that’s out of the question,” Fraasch said. “This is a comprehensive approach, not looking at just one issue and dealing with it.”

Read the full article:

• www.triblive.com/news/2338929-74/fraasch-fields-million-golf-grass-improvements-pool-commissioner-commissioners-course (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

P-G: Mt. Lebanon marks 100 years

Will A. Siegfried Jr.'s grandfather didn't waste any time as one of Mt. Lebanon's founding leaders in 1912.

According to records from the Historical Society of Mt. Lebanon, Willis H. Siegfried, four other commissioners and a solicitor worked hard to upgrade the then-township. They hired a road supervisor, an engineer and laborers, created a board of health, approved construction of electric poles, commissioned a sewer study and levied their first tax at 3 mills -- all in the first month.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206041-55-0.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Reception kicks off Mt. Lebanon centennial

For residents in the north end of Mt. Lebanon, odds are that the land beneath their feet once was part of a farm owned by Fred Abbott's ancestors.

The farm took up 22 acres near the present-day intersection of Beverly and McFarland roads, settled by the Abbotts in the mid-1800s when the area was part of Scott. Once sold, it became the Colonial Heights subdivision in the late 1920s, when the opening of the Liberty Tunnel brought development to the South Hills suburbs.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_779433.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Pop City: Mt. Lebanon celebrates 100 years, new hotel, and redeveloped high school

On February 6th, the town of Mt. Lebanon will celebrate 100 years with champagne, cake, and a toast to the future from some of the municipality's founding families. And indeed, there is much to look forward to in the near future, as Mt. Lebanon High School has embarked on a massive redevelopment project, and construction is underway on the town’s first hotel.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held last Thursday at Mt. Lebanon High School, following a 6-year planning process which had been marked by controversy, including questions about its cost. The school board gave final approval to the project last winter.

Read the full article:

• www.popcitymedia.com/devnews/mtlebanon020112.aspx (Pop City)

Trib: Laurels and Lances

An observation: Legally unenforceable prohibitions against using any information from the taxpayer-funded websites of the Mt. Lebanon School District and the municipality of Mt. Lebanon (other than for "personal use") will lead to far wider non-personal use -- and decidedly non-flattering -- than either entity could ever have imagined.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_777471.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Trib: Claim against Mt. Lebanon cops, paramedics settled

Mt. Lebanon and the Medical Rescue Team South Authority paid $70,000 to settle a federal lawsuit by a Western Pennsylvania woman who claimed a police officer and paramedics used unnecessary force and filed false charges against her when they responded to a 911 call.

The municipality released the settlement agreement in response to a Tribune-Review Right to Know request.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_776932.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Municipality launches "myLebo" web site

On December 30, the municipality announced its new myLebo web site, billed grandly as “the virtual gateway to your community.” You can see a screen-shot of the site below:

According an announcement on mtlebanon.org, you can now sign up for an account on myLebo. With an account, you can pay parking tickets, apply for permits, report problems, and do a variety of other things that used to require paper forms and the now-quaint practice of moving your body to and from municipal offices.

Check out myLebo and let your fellow Blog-Lebo readers know what you think. If anybody has actually used the site, please tell us how things worked out.

P-G: Mt. Lebanon to upgrade website soon

Mt. Lebanon will debut two significant improvements to its website next year, changes that planners say will modernize and streamline its online offerings.

A services portal that will allow residents to submit requests and report concerns online will begin the first part of a two-phase launch late this month or in early January.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11356/1198458-55.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Mt. Lebanon will fight Robb Hollow order from state department

Mt. Lebanon officials plan to fight an order from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that they stop piling and shredding leaves from curbside pickups in Robb Hollow Park.

The DCNR sent a letter to the municipality last week noting that the land was purchased with state grant money, which stipulates that the land is to be used only for recreation. The letter said the activities must stop, and all equipment must be removed.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_755551.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Trib: Temporary storage becomes issue in Mt. Lebanon

Mt. Lebanon officials want to regulate how long residents can keep portable storage units — going by brand names such as "PODS" — on their property, under legislation introduced this week.

Such portable storage units are usually dropped off by truck, loaded or unloaded by residents and picked up again to be moved to a new location or put into long-term storage. Under the proposed ordinance, none will be permitted in the street or blocking a public sidewalk.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_710854.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Letter: Scott Park

The following letter to the editor was submitted by John David Kendrick:

As many of us are aware, our municipality purchased land from Scott Township that was intended to become a new Mt Lebanon park. Unfortunately, for various reasons, our land appears to be unusable for the intended purpose; and potentially worthless.

Therefore, I would like to propose that the municipality consider either one or both of these options for site development:

Option 1. The municipality enter into a long term land lease with a cellular service provider who would install, maintain, and operate a cellular radio tower and base station. In exchange, Mt Lebanon would receive an initial lump sum payment and annual lease revenue.

Most Mt Lebanon residents would not be impacted by this tower, the facility could be operated without personnel on-site, and the community would gain a valuable revenue stream. This idea worked well for Upper St Clair.

Option 2. If Mt Lebanon owns the mineral rights and there is natural gas in the shale, we should lease part of the land for drilling.

The revenue would be spent in the following order:

1. Maintenance and repair of municipal streets and sidewalks as prioritized by DPW.
2. The reduction of long-term municipal debt.
3. Investment into activities and programs that would provide improved operational efficiencies in our municipal government to ensure sustainable high quality services with a minimal impact on our taxpayers.

I would like to hear any constructive criticism or suggestions relating to this idea.

Thank you,
John Kendrick

Mt. Lebanon Residents Speak Up As Part Of Fiscal Plan Survey

Sitting around a table in the municipal building last week, Mt. Lebanon residents answered questions about their community.

They described what they liked: The ability to walk to shops and restaurants, the public safety departments, the diversity of housing and the community feel.

They discussed what they would change: Improving the infrastructure, updating facilities such as the pool and recreation center and maintaining sidewalks.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10203/1074425-55.stm

The Cost Of Digging Out Of The Snow

Ross has applied for $201,152 in reimbursement for the extra costs of cleaning up after February's snowstorms. But manager Wayne Rogers has only a general idea of how much the cleanup actually cost the township. "It took a week to clean up," Mr. Rogers said. "Information is still coming in. We had subcontractors out there doing stuff; some of them haven't even submitted the bills yet."

Penn Hills manager Mohammed Rayan is in a similar situation. His municipality applied for $156,747 in reimbursement but spent an undetermined amount more. "We're still looking at data," Mr. Rayan said. "The cleanup continued the entire week, and then some."

The problem those two officials - and others throughout the region - face in seeking disaster relief is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency requires towns to submit snow storm costs only from one 48-hour period. So despite having two storms dump nearly three feet of snow over a six-day period, managers could submit costs only from a single 48-hour time frame.

"We had two contractors in to help haul snow away, but they didn't come in until after the 48-hour period," Mt. Lebanon's Steve Feller said. "We also had one that helped remove trees."

Mr. Feller could have chosen a 48-hour period that included those contractors' costs, but he said that since the first storm happened on a weekend - Feb. 5-6 - the overtime costs for municipal crews made that the most costly two-day stretch. The municipality submitted $117,729 in costs for potential reimbursement.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10084/1045313-55.stm

New Street Signs?

Like a lot of people, I took a walk around town yesterday to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. Part of my walk took me down Washington Road and when I got to the intersection with Beadling Road, I saw the following sign:



It's the same color as all of the other signs, but the font is different and much bigger. Is this the first of many brand new signs, or just a one off to replace the old one there?

School District Was Denied Zoning Variances For High School Renovation

Updated 2010-03-12 22:51 and 2010-03-13 10:51 with additional details.

Last night, at the conclusion of a public hearing that ran from 7:30 to nearly 11 p.m., the Zoning Hearing Board denied the School District’s appeal for the zoning variances needed to support the current plan to renovate the high school. The appeal requested variances for parking and lot-coverage. Both were denied in 3-0 votes. Additionally, in two more 3-0 votes, the Zoning Hearing Board sustained earlier findings of the municipal zoning officer, in effect affirming that the variances were necessary.

A court reporter was present to make a transcript of hearing, and all speakers were sworn in before testifying.

First to proceed was the School District. The District’s testimony was directed by its attorney, Irving S. Firman, of Tucker Arensberg Attorneys. Mr. Firman led Dr. Timothy Steinhauer, School District Superintendent, through an hour-long presentation about the high-school project. This was followed by testimony from Thomas C. Celli, of Celli-Flynn Brennan Architects, the District’s architect for the project. Also representing the School District were a landscape architect, who testified about lot coverage, and a parking consultant, who testified about a parking analysis of the project.

Following the District’s testimony, the three-member Zoning Hearing Board questioned the School District’s representatives. At first, they asked questions to clarify the District’s testimony. Then, they asked more-specific questions, designed to understand the District’s request for variances.

After that exchange, an attorney for the municipality spoke. The municipal solicitor stated that the municipality had reviewed the zoning officer’s previous findings – that, in effect, the School District did not have an existing “matter of right” that would permit the plan to proceed without the requested variances.

Next, a handful of residents offered their testimony to the Zoning Hearing Board. Some residents spoke more than once, returning to present additional testimony as needed throughout the evening. Between speakers, the Zoning Hearing Board asked follow-up questions, allowing for meaningful back-and-forth discussion.

After all parties had made their concerns and positions known, the members of the Zoning Hearing Board held a brief, off-the-record discussion. Then, back on the record, they summarized the School District’s requests, listed the four items up for consideration, and voted:

First, on the request for a lot-coverage variance, the vote was 3-0 to deny the variance.

Second, on the request for a parking variance, the vote was 3-0 to deny the variance.

Third, on the zoning officer’s determination on the necessity of a lot-coverage variance, the vote was 3-0 to sustain the zoning officer’s determination that a variance was required.

Fourth, on the zoning officer’s determination on the necessity of a parking variance, the vote was 3-0 to sustain the zoning officer’s determination that a variance was required.

The decisions rendered, the hearing concluded.

Mt. Lebanon Budget Proposal Has No Tax Increase

Mt. Lebanon Municipal Manager Stephen Feller presented his recommended 2010 budget this week, calling it a "bare bones, conservative proposal that reflects the difficult times we are in."

The total budget for all funds is $43.7 million, and the recommended general fund budget is $30.4 million, which is a 1.4 percent increase from the 2009 operating budget. The budgets for all funds are balanced using a combination of ongoing revenues and available reserves.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09309/1010907-55.stm

Outreach Over Coffee Gets A Modest Start In Mt. Lebanon

Mt. Lebanon Manager Stephen Feller had coffee one morning last month with a handful of that town's residents, part of an outreach program by the local government to hear concerns and get input.

"It was a relatively small group, just a handful of people, but it was people who probably otherwise wouldn't have called with their problems or concerns," he said.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09281/1003702-55.stm

Tax Picture Gloomy In Tough Economy

"The stew is going bad, because of all sorts of ingredients that aren't working together," said Mt. Lebanon resident and taxpayer William Lewis.

The state shortfalls and projected increases in taxes across the board may end up driving Lewis, a 30-year resident of Mt. Lebanon, out of Allegheny County.

"We are facing a 40-50 percent increase in school taxes to pay for the $115+million high school, quadrupling of PSERS (state retirement fund) fees for schools ($5 million minimum), and underfunded municipal pension funds. There's underfunded retiree medical coverage for schools, more fees to pay for EPA sewer repairs, and the municipality is so strapped they have to borrow money to pay for street repair," Lewis said.

Mt. Lebanon parking authority can't keep up with debt payments, Allegheny County may have to reassess all properties. Now we are told the state withholding tax is going up. The average citizen cannot see any increase in services, yet all these costs keep going up and up. We were told casino revenue would lead to 'substantial reduction' in school taxes. I got a $191 reduction on a $6,000 school tax bill. That casino money was a bust," Lewis said.

Two state officials, however, say they support reductions in state spending before increasing taxes--Rep. Matt Smith (D-Mt. Lebanon) and Sen. John Pippy (R-Moon).

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/06-24-PA-budget-B

LeboALERT Launches This Week

The community has launched LeboALERT, a free service that automatically will notify residents of emergencies within minutes. The system also can provide information about municipal programs, services and events to those who choose to receive non-emergency alerts.

During an emergency situation, residents will receive short pre-recorded messages on their main telephones describing the nature of the event, telling them what precautions to take and letting them know where to go for more information. Emergency alerts will be sent about anything that has the potential to be dangerous -- gas leaks, serious weather conditions, hazardous materials spills or urgent crime issues.

Residents and nonresidents may sign up to receive short non-emergency messages about special events, cancellations, public documents, job openings, planned utility work, volunteer opportunities and other matters. They may choose to be notified by e-mail, text message, pager or, in some cases, phone, and may change their options as often as they wish.

Link: leboalert.mtlebanon.org

Christmas Tree Recycling

Just a reminder about the municipality's Christmas tree recycling program for those of you that are taking them down this weekend or next week:

Christmas trees will be picked up at curbside for recycling by Waste Management on Saturday, January 10 and Saturday, January 17, 2009. All areas of Mt. Lebanon will be picked up on those dates. Please have your tree at the curb the night before either collection date. The contractor has been instructed to leave any trees that are in plastic bags, so please make sure that your tree is not in a bag and does NOT have any decorations or lights on it, including tinsel. These trees will be recycled into wood chips and any foreign material on the tree could potentially damage the equipment.

Trees may also be placed at curbside for regular trash pick up. If you wish, you may drop your tree off at the Public Works facility yourself for recycling during this period. An area near the newspaper recycling bin will be designated with a sign for this purpose.