Sewickley Herald

              
A Tradition Since 1903
Sewickley Herald Star
Serving Aleppo, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Glenfield, Haysville, Leet, Leetsdale, Osborne, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights, Sewickley Hills

CITIZEN OF YEAR
Marge Bennett just does what comes naturally, and she gets applause. Meet the Sewickley Herald's Citizen of the Year on Page 13.
NEWS
Read moreobout the nursing crisis as it challenges the work of hospitals everywhere. For Part 2 of the series
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AROUND TOWN
Hazel Mecrik and Susan Holton have speed plans for you if you love the garden as much as they do. Turn to
Page 15.
News.				
	
School				
Obituaries........	
Sports.....			
Around Town.....	.....36	
Oil THE TOWN
"MONET'S CHURCH" and many other landscapes were part of the offerings at Sewickley Gallery that captured patrons’ attention.	Phatos by Vm Earnonson
Gallery walk grows despite showers
The evening rain couldn’t keep art lovers away from Village streets as Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted its Spring Gallery Walk on Friday.
On Beaver and Broad, hundreds of in-town and out-of-town guests responded to the invitation to visit our many galleries, to dine or to shop as the spirit led them.
With umbrellas at the ready, they strolled from artist reception to artist reception. And when it rained, they scrambled inside the nearest doorway to explore yet another world of creative self-expression.
Participating in the event were Bird in the Hand, Mosser Gallery & Studio, Sewickley Frame Shop & Gallery, International Images and Sweetwater Center for the Arts.
Students from Sewickley Center for the Performing Arts took part, as did members of the Village Garden Club who presented a flower show in Sweetwater’s Community Room.
Exhibits will continue at the galleries throughout the month for those who missed the orchestrated tour of “artful” Sewickley.
HERB EDWARDS brought samples of his 31 years of artistry to the upstairs gallery at Sweetwater. “Chitlin Circuit,” one of his favorites, is part of his exhibit, “Ufa from my View.”
QUAKER VALLEY
Board gets money news from state
By Dona S. Dreeland_________
Editor______________________
Quaker Valley Schools and the other 500 districts in the state got some good news last week.
According to House Bill 27, the percentage due on retirement funds for all public employees was changed. '
The state will now contribute more to the pension fund, making QV’s contribution much less than the additional $300,000 that the board thought it would need for the 2002-2003 budget.
The percentage of state contribution had fallen steadily in the last 10 years, according to Greg Smith, board president — torn an early 18-19 percent then to a low of 1 percent last year.
This being an election year, he hinted, caused legislatures to rethink the funding.
Not having to find that additional money has eased the board’s work somewhat as it continues its pursuit of the final budget for the next school year.
Assessment woes continue, however.
“We don’t have solid data from the revenue point of view,” said Smith. “We don’t know what the tax base is, so we can’t come up with a tax rate”
What keeps the numbers in flux and a lowered millage rate unknown are the assessment appeals and their settlements.
For 2001, 1286 appeals were made That’s more than 20 percent of district properties. As of April 4, 843 appeals have been finalized with reductions granted totalling $447,474.
For 2002, the district appealed 104 properties. By April 17, 76 had been settled with $177,023 due the district,
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