The Morgantowner: June 2018

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Greenbelt, "On The Town," "Treyf" and "Hamilton"

In the six years since I moved to Morgantown, Joe and I have become closer to my sister Robin, who lives 208 miles from us, in Greenbelt, Maryland. She bribes us to visit her, this time by offering tickets to "Hamilton" at Kennedy Center in Washington. Joe and I both love live theater, and we try to go often in Morgantown, but we are wrapped up in meetings, services, teaching and chores and don't always get out.

We had good weather to drive to and from Washington last Thursday and back this past Monday. I've been reading The Washington Post on Sundays, and I saw in the paper that "On The Town" a World War II-era musical with music by a 25-year old Leonard Bernstein was playing at Olney Theater in Maryland, sixteen miles from Robin's house. We arrived at her house in time for a nap, and she made us dinner. We got out to the 8:00 show in Olney. The music is glorious, and while the choreography wasn't the original Jerome Robbins move, it was great. In the show, three sailors arrive in New York at 6 A.M., with twenty-four hours leave. There's a line from two about how the third had saved their lives, and at the end they go back to an uncertain future on a warship in 1944. Meanwhile, they sing and dance, have fun and meet girls. I saw this show at UCLA years ago; Joe had never seen it. There is a movie, but most of Bernstein's complex score was cut, and many of the songs were replaced with generic pap. We both loved this fun, charming show with gorgeous music.

Joe and I walked around Greenbelt Lake Friday morning, then hit the local mall, shopping for discount clothes at Burlington Coat Factory and buying Joe's favorite coffee at Giant supermarket. Our Morgantown friends, Dan and Daya Solomon, who now live in Greenbelt, asked if we would be at Mishkan Torah, Greenbelt's synagogue, Friday night. We agreed to go. We were happy to see Dan and Daya and greet the rabbi hired last summer, Saul Oretsky, who was a member before he went off to rabbi school. He was my nephew's bar mitzvah tutor thirteen years ago.

It was cool and not raining Saturday, so I went walking around more in Greenbelt. Robin got us tickets to "Trayf," which means "not kosher," a play at Washington's Jewish Community Center. We had the adventure of driving into Washington, like driving and parking in San Francisco.. "Trayf" is a small play, with only four characters, about two black-hat Jewish men, each nineteen, and about to go their separate ways. It's a moving tale of faith (or lack thereof) and friendship. We dined at Silver Diner, our go-to place in Greenbelt. Growing up in Maryland, at a time where every place was segregated, I love being at a restaurant with a multi-ethnic staff, a great menu, and where everyone is welcome.

Sunday was our big day. We got to Kennedy Center at noon for a 2:30 show, and ate in the cafe on the top level. Our seats were marked "obstructed view" which meant they were sold late and for five hundred dollars less than seats down the row. I have the two CD cast album from the show, and Joe and I listened to it in the car on the way to Greenbelt. We couldn't see one corner of the stage well in our cheap seats, but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm. "Hamilton," if you haven't heard about it is a fast-moving depiction of the life of Alexander Hamilton, where the main characters, Hamilton, George Washington, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette and the sisters, Eliza and Angelica Schuyler, are portrayed by African-American, Caribbean or Mexican actors. The music, operatic in its scope, is modern rap and hip-hop, with a few ballads and novelty songs thrown in. Only King George III, played for broad comedy, is European-American.

It seems like it shouldn't work, but it does, and beautifully. That the actors don't look like their pictures on American currency, and the twenty-first century music makes everything seem more real, not less. If you've seen "1776" where the characters are stiff and the music trying to sound old, you can tell the difference. The dancers, men and women, are all dressed in the same outfits and perform the same steps. They are the townspeople in New York, where "Hamilton" is set.

This play opened before the last election, but it seems more relevant than ever-the intrigue, the political games, the infidelities are not different now. I even thought of the power struggles in Morgantown, of our young Council questioning the status quo, and the possibility of shifting alliances in our second year in office.

I haven't talked much about spending time with my sister, but I do enjoy being with her. She has been kind and generous to us both, and introduces us as "my brother and his husband" or "my brother and brother-in-law." Not everyone is that open about us with their friends. She and Joe are well-matched competitive Scrabble players.

We drove home after breakfast Monday, stopping for lunch in Cumberland, Maryland, at Queen City Creamery. Tomorrow (Friday) we're off to Buffalo to spend time with Joe's family and visit Canada.

Shabbat dinner at Robin's

Before temple Friday with our friends Dan ans Daya Solomon

At Silver Diner in Greenbelt

Robin and Joe playing Scrabble

At Greenbelt Lake, the great natural space preserved in Greenbelt

At Greenbelt Lake

Robin and Joe at Kennedy Center before the show

Intermission at Kennedy Center

On the Potomac at Kennedy Center

On the set of "Trayf" Saturday

Monday, June 25, 2018

The Haymaker Forest

Our City Council, where I represent our Seventh Ward, agreed, 6-1 on first reading, to buy a piece of forest in and adjacent to the city for park land that was about to be developed. A second reading was to be held on June 19, allowing us time to reconsider and get input from the public. Our local Fox News radio outlet asked all of the Councilors to come on the radio, and I agreed to come on the Friday before our meeting, June 15. The hosts, Dave and Sarah, were easier on me than they had been with the last two Councilors they interviewed, but they couldn't get me to say I would vote against this purchase. The big problem was the cost, at 5.2 million dollars. People were out all week on Facebook demonizing the Council generally, and me and Mark Brazaitis particularly about this purchase. I told Dave and Sarah I didn't think opponents would show up for a meeting, because they typically don't. They begged people to come out and oppose us on Tuesday and took my statement as a challenge.

After Friday's radio program, more ugly personal stuff was posted against me and Brazaitis, who has been the real force behind our plans for Haymaker, including someone who posted several times how much Brazaitis' family paid for their house. Our addresses are already public information. I kept track of the people who called us names or impugned our character in the days leading up to the meeting, twenty-nine in all. People who sent thoughtful e-mails and messages to me in particular, got thoughtful and polite answers back. If they wrote to all of the Councilors, I answered if they were from my ward.

I counted forty-eight speakers on the topic of Haymaker Forest on Tuesday, thirty-seven opposed, and eleven in favor. I had my list of the name-callers and character assassins, but only four showed up and one of them apologized for his online rudeness. The others were more rational than they had been online. Ultimately, we voted to postpone action. This means we could try to negotiate a lower price, or we could lose this land to development, which would be a shame.

Meanwhile, there is a court suit against the six of us Councilors who voted in favor of this purchase on first reading, and the online people are worried that I have a Nixon-like enemies list.

I handled all of this as well as I could. I beefed up my privacy settings on my personal Facebook page, although the page I manage, Barry Wendell, Morgantown Councilor, Ward 7, is open.

The issues, the real ones that people brought up, are the price we agreed to pay without a current assessment and that this was all brought up in a hurry at the end of May to be voted on June 5 and 19, and the deal closed by June 29. People complained that there was no plan for the park, and that it would not benefit most people in the city, only those in the area immediately adjacent to it (including Councilor Brazaitis.)

The argument for doing this was that there was already a bulldozer, and even if we felt it was a rip, the developers held all the cards. In our long-range plan for the city and county, Haymaker was supposed to be open space. Much of the property is outside city limits, where the deck is stacked in favor of developers, there is no zoning, and no need to put in curbs and gutters, sidewalks or even reasonably navigable streets.

We had a "process error." People in the City and County felt we were not transparent about this purchase. Many, including Mark Caravazos, the city Fire Chief, felt that if we had that much money to spend, we could spend on existing parks, buy a fire truck and replace two fire stations that are obsolete.

The money wasn't going to be from the regular budget and we were going to have to raise it somehow, maybe with a levy on the ballot in April. Since the meeting, the radio broadcasts and the newspaper articles ( the newspaper and talk radio are owned by the same company), I've started getting letters praising Council for looking into the deep future and preserving a beautiful forest for trails. For me, I wanted future generations to marvel at the beauty of the forest and thank our present Council for being far-sighted. Maybe that's just a pipe dream, and we will be forgotten.

We did have a financial plan to buy the forest without going into the city budget; maybe it was too complex for people to get it. And we didn't make it clear enough that we were going to have a commission to decide how to use the park, where to put in trails, provide parking, and other amenities. The commission would also look for other parcels of land that could be repurposed as parks. There were already people from The West Virginia Land Trust and other organizations who offered to volunteer their services.

The budget problems in Morgantown go back decades. Part of the problem is that West Virginia University buys up business property in Morgantown and takes it off the tax rolls. The Monongalia County Commission has a huge tax increment financing district off I-79 just south of the Pennsylvania line that draws businesses. So far, there is only student housing and no schools or public parks, so expenses are kept low. There are many built-up areas just outside city limits that should be annexed, but developers don' t want to be subject to zoning and stricter building code enforcement. Some homeowners don't want to pay for the better police and fire protection, snow removal, and curbside recycling that Morgantown provides.

Taxes are not high here, but many elderly people live comfortably in homes they bought for $30,000 forty years ago that are now worth $300,000 and are taxed accordingly. People over sixty-five (me included) do get a tax break, but for many, that's not enough for them to be able to stay in their homes. I understand living on a fixed income. I was criticized for saying I would raise taxes when so many low-wage people depend on food pantries to get enough to eat. I suggested that strikes be organized against minimum wage employers like Target, Wal Mart and Kroger, and then I was blamed for "shaming poor people."

Those who live outside Morgantown but work inside the city limits pay a "user fee" that has been used to hire more police and to pave the city's streets. They believe that gives them a right to decide what the city does. It does not. Only those living in the city limits have a say. I suggested that people in the County areas concerned about what the City of Morgantown does ask to be annexed into the city.

We have our work cut out for us. We have to make it clear to the residents of Morgantown and Monongalia County exactly what we are up to and how we can pay for it. At the same time, we need to fully fund all the city's services that are perpetually starved, even if it means raising taxes, pushing to annex businesses outside city limits, and confronting West Virginia University, The Monongalia County Commission, and media outlets in town who feel free to demonize us as individuals.

My hope is that we can work out a deal, at the much lower assessed value of the property, to create a beautiful public open space for Morgantown. Meanwhile, plans are afoot to confront our inadequate budget, and figure a way to make Morgantown, more than it is already, the best place to live in West Virginia.

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Clarion County, Pennsylvania

I was sick last week. Feeling strong, I overdid the gym Friday last week (June 8), then rode my bike Saturday in too-warm weather for two hours, instead of my usual hour and twenty minutes. That afternoon, Joe and I went to a picnic sponsored by Mountaineers For Progress at White Park in Morgantown. I talked to a lot of people and ate all kinds of food. I was speaking with someone when I started to feel dizzy. We sat down as the conversation ended, then suddenly I was so dizzy I didn't think I could stand, and I thought I would wet and dump in my pants and throw up all at once. I made it to the nearby restroom, didn't throw up, and started to feel better. I missed having my picture taken with the group.

I stayed home Sunday and rested up, but planned to leave on this trip to Clarion County, about a hundred miles northeast of Pittsburgh, by Wednesday. At the gym Monday, I told my trainer what had happened, and I mentioned that I don't take my every-other-day diuretic when traveling, because it's hard to find a place to pee on short notice. She said " Oh, that might not be a good idea."

Wednesday was a water pill day, so I took one in the morning and hoped for the best, driving up back roads to Clarion. Fifteen minutes out, I was desperate and stopped in the little grocery store in Point Marion, the first town in Pennsylvania north of us on US 119. A nice young man, tall and heavy set working there led me to the employees restroom. I was grateful, and bought a Cliff's Bar and a pack of gum. I noticed the kid was wearing a t-shirt that said "Calabasas, CA 91302." I asked if he had been there, and he said "No, but Kanye West lives there." So this was about fandom from a dorky teen, probably about the music and not the politics. We talked a bit about California, his dreams of living in a big house in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb, and our mutual history of living in Florida. You never know.

It was about 135 miles from our house in Morgantown to the motel just south of Clarion. It took about four and a half hours, stopping a total of six times to pee. Remind me not to do that again. I was still feeling weak, but I was still wearing a recommended sunscreen to keep my basal cell skin cancer from recurring.

I thought I would try the food court in Clarion Mall before checking in to the motel, but there was no food court, only a "steakhouse" restaurant. Most of the storefronts in the mall were empty; there is a J.C. Penney store and a discount clothing store, which I checked out. I was immediately greeted by a worker there, who helped me find a lightweight jacket like the one I looked for last month in Chesterfield. We found one, an unknown brand, made in China, and a little heavier than I would have wanted. It was $19.99, and there is no tax on clothes in Pennsylvania, so took it. The stock guy said "It looks like you all day." It was after two and I hadn't eaten much, so I headed to the fast food place in the parking lot, got a grilled chicken sandwich and an iced tea, unsweet, to tide me over.

There are only five places on the National Register in Clarion County, and no synagogue. The historic courthouse is in the center of town, facing a park with monuments to the soldiers in the American Wars since the Civil War, with a historic house, open for tours, across the park. It was refreshing to see a monument to Union soldiers. I visited for only a few minutes before realizing I was exhausted and had to pee. I was also feeling a little unsteady. I checked into the motel and slept for an hour, catching up on my online presence for a bit, including e-mails and phone calls about the Haymaker Forest, a plot of land City Council might buy, and the most controversial thing we've done in our year in office. I didn't answer anyone.

Across from the mall and just south of the motel I saw "Sakura Buffet" and as is my custom, I tried it out for dinner. This was better than most of the Asian buffets I've visited, and since my weight has been down (not more than five pounds from my peak) I tried to take it easy. I still had a plateful of desserts, though, including two small scoops of ice cream. I'm not a saint. It was pouring down rain when I left the buffet, and there was a 7:30 showing of "Solo" at the mall across the way for $4.95. With digital projection, there are no more bad movie theaters. Still, there was nearly two hours until sunset, and the sky didn't look especially dark. I decided to check out the town, thinking the weather might clear up.

The rain did clear up and I saw a rainbow over Main St. I stopped at Clarion University, a few blocks east of the courthouse, and toured the campus. In town, I found an early twentieth century public library, a bookstore (closed) with lots of lefty posters and stickers in the window. This in a county that voted 72% for Trump. The Chamber of Commerce is located in an old mansion. It was 8:30 before I got back to the room. I watched some of MSNBC, but was bored, so I re-updated my online presence and went to bed.

I had three more places on the National Register to find Wednesday before heading back to Morgantown. A small county less than two hundred miles away only gets an overnight. Two of the places were at the far western end of the county: Buchanan Furnace, an early iron furnace, supposedly built by James Buchanan before he became President, and Foxburg Golf Course, the oldest golf course in continuous use in the United States, since 1887.

I headed out after a motel breakfast, minus the sunscreen, which has an odor to it, and, as it occurred to me during the night, might be making me ill. The "Country Roads" in Pennsylvania seem to be in better shape than those in West Virginia, and I found a historic marker for the Buchanan Furnace, but not the place itself. After the rain, it was cool, sunny and pretty out. I found the golf course, and met the manager, a guy in his sixties in a polo shirt and shorts, who told me the story of his life. They have a golf museum in the house you will see in the pictures, but the Professional Association won't recognize it. Despite the beautiful weather, I didn't see many people out. The manager said people come from Clarion, and also from Butler County, just north of Pittsburgh.

My next stop was Cook Forest State Park, at the opposite end of Clarion County, about twenty miles away. The forest was proposed as a park in 1910, but enabling legislation wasn't passed until 1927. The white pine and hemlock forest, considered the finest in the East is called "The Cathedral" and there are trails all through it. It is a National Natural Landmark and, according to National Geographic, one of America's top 50 state parks. The Indian Cabins, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is listed as a historic,. I missed getting a pic. I spoke to a young woman at the visitor's center, and we decided I could do a short walk on one of the less-difficult trails. Lots of people were out hiking in the forest, the more out of shape on the flattest trail by a stream and other people climbing the hills. I did some of each. It was cool and breezy, with white spores of pollen, blowing like snow through the air. I said a prayer of gratitude for the steroid medications I have for my nose and mouth that prevent sneezing and wheezing, and allow me to enjoy nature. I couldn't help thinking about Haymaker Forest, on the south end of Morgantown, not as dramatic as Cook, but still a wondrously beautiful place. Our Council would be loved forever if it could be developed with hiking trails for the public.

I got back into town just after noon. I went back to the bookstore, now open. In the entrance was a record player spinning a Lou Reed album. I felt "at home." The store sells used books, new and old comics and some records. I spoke with the owner J.V. Miller, a transplant from Binghamton, New York. His wife teaches writing at Clarion, and he has a book of short stories, which I bought, along with a new DC Comic, "Man of Steel #1" some kind of Superman remake. Miller says there is a lefty element in Clarion, and a rabbi out in the country who writes poetry. Who knew?

I said goodbye and went for lunch at "Michelle's Place," a little restaurant with soup and wrap specials. I only had a bagel (not a real bagel) with cream cheese and an unsweet peach ginger iced tea, the daily special. The place is cozy, with tables and chairs and sofas; a good spot to hang out.

I drove home after 1:20, the quickest way, thirty miles longer, and taking an hour less time. Without the pill, I didn't need to stop so much, although I may have a tire problem (or perhaps just a tire gauge problem). I stopped twice to check the air pressure in the tires. I was home in time for Joe and I to attend a potluck and meeting of Mountaineers for Progress. Joe had cooked macaroni and cheese with broccoli from a Weight Watchers recipe. Everyone asked if I was okay, and I was able to say honestly "I feel fine, thanks."