By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — Ashtabula Area City Schools Superintendent Joseph Donatone received the news from a colleague early Tuesday morning.
He didn’t read the morning newspaper or make any phone calls because he was confident City Council had approved the Board of Education’s request to annex Wade Avenue, on Monday night.
He was wrong.
“I’m surprised they didn’t approve it,” Donatone said. “I thought the memorandum of understanding, approved by both City Council and the Board of Education (last week), addressed all the concerns. I thought it was the last hurdle.”
City Council voted 4-2 against the annexation of Wade Avenue in Saybrook Township, where the school board is building five elementary schools in a campus-style setting.
“I’m disappointed for the sake of the city,” said Janine Trebuchon-Wertz, Ashtabula Area City School Board president. “I don’t understand why the majority of council repeatedly does damaging things to the city.”
City Council members cited the need for a more-specific agreement with Saybrook Township over the maintenance of Wade Avenue.
Trebuchon-Wertz said Tuesday that that doesn’t make sense because the Saybrook Township trustees have said repeatedly they would take care of Wade Avenue. Through the township’s attorney, Saybrook also has provided a letter to city officials outlining the township’s commitment to the project.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” she said.
Saybrook Trustee Norm Jepson said township officials promised to take care of general maintenance of Wade Avenue and sought Issue 2 funds to do the job.
“We said we would support the city,” he said. “We said we would snow-plow the whole street. I don’t know what (City Council) was talking about (Monday night).”
City Council’s Monday vote occurred before the regular meeting, during an extension of an Oct. 27 special meeting. It was at the special meeting that City Council passed a memorandum of understanding regarding annexation.
Council President Rodger Altier called the Oct. 27 meeting, attended by three other members who, along with Altier, voted unanimously to approve the memorandum of understanding. Council members Ericka Severino, Joseph Rose and Betty Kist did not attend the Oct. 27 meeting.
Monday night, Altier was out of town on business, and City Manager Anthony Cantagallo was ill and absent from the meeting. When reached by telephone Monday night, Altier was upset by the vote against annexation.
“They’re digging footers out there,” Altier said. “I wanted the income tax for the city.”
Only council members Lattimer and Trisket voted for annexation Monday.
“Annexation cannot come before council again, unless the school board begins the process of requesting annexation all over again,” Lattimer said Tuesday. “I’m very disappointed.”
Lattimer attempted to change the four dissenters’ minds about annexation Monday night before the official vote, but to no avail.
Assistant city solicitor James Schoren could not be reached for comment.
Trebuchon-Wertz said the school board’s attorney, David Pontius of Ashtabula, is looking into the matter.
