Alley owner seeks certified mechanic

Champion Lanes proprietor Don Leone was in the market for a pinsetter mechanic, so he ran a newspaper advertisement.
He should have his man (or woman) soon.
Leone also owns Greenville Bowling Center in Pennsylvania, but his need is for Champion, a 14-lane house he'll have owned three years in July. The alleys are on Rt. 45 near Rt. 305, across from the KSU-Trumbull branch.
Leone, a former South Sider who now lives in Cortland, said that he's close to finding the right person to repair and maintain his AMF Pinspotter machines.
The ideal candidate would be someone who is certified as having been through the manufacturer's school for the various levels of training.
"If someone had that experience, it would be a plus," Leone said of the applicant's qualifications. "Even though they must know the mechanism and its electrical system, it's not a real high-tech requirement. But if they went to those schools, then they know what to look for and what to expect."
Leone said the ages of the 13 who have applied vary, from retired mechanics looking for part-time work to younger individuals who are currently working in bowling centers.
Preferably, Leone wants someone full-time.
With fall-winter leagues waning, summer maintenance is a priority.
"I want someone to find worn parts -- broken parts that are sometimes hidden and may need replaced."
He said May is typically the time for greasing fittings, and making adjustments following heavy use over the past seven or eight months.
"Now's the time to take the machines apart, if necessary, and not be in any hurry to get them back up and running."
Fix-it guide
Leone's "fix-it" list guides him.
"I start with lane one and note any problems and address those first," he said. "Then, other lanes will get mostly preventive maintenance."
Cleaning the electrical contacts on the chassis is critical to the pinsetter's operation.
"The chassis is the brains of the machine; it tells the parts when to move and in what order," he said. "If the contacts or relays are worn or failing, then the table [deck] and sweep could get fouled up and be out of sync."
Each AMF machine has thousands of parts. Leone said that AMF used to lease its equipment to proprietors, who were then dependent upon the manufacturer's mechanics.
"They built them well because, if something went bad, they'd have to send their own mechanics to a house."
Proprietors paid AMF a monthly lease payment, but AMF took care of the equipment.
Then, Leone said, AMF decided they wanted to sell the equipment directly to the proprietor and have the proprietor buy parts from them.
"They got in the parts business," he said. "Quality suffered a little because they wanted proprietors to buy parts off of them."
Similarly, mechanics who worked for AMF wound up working for proprietors because of the shift.
Of all the applicants, one completed AMF school. "He did it 20-some years ago," Leone said.
Datchuk has 300
Ryan Datchuk had 300 in Wednesday Men at McKinley and Dennis Briggs had a 299 in Shooting Gallery at Holiday, where Joe Hanna's perfect game on lane 16 paced the Max Belchyk/Dr. Ferkula Classic on April 13.
Dickey T's was the Belchyk-Ferkula second-half champ with Tom Smith, Rich Thompson Jr., Don Bagdassarian Sr., Frank Bartholomew and Don Bagdassarian Jr., while Mercer's Pro Shop was champion and Trumbull Industries runner-up in D & amp; R Garage Door at Wedgewood.
Yolanda Marshall had 298 and Patrick Wiseman rolled 11-in-a-row 279 in Woodchoppers at Wedgewood on April 7.
Hamilton Valve won Outdoorsmen's fourth quarter at Camelot with members Sam Carissimi, Bill Hamilton, Jack Wielbruda, Rich Scherich, Ron Taffaria Sr. and Ron Taffaria Jr.
Mustangs of Jo Ross, Dee Moorhead, Jane Beilby and Hazel Price won Try Hards' second half at Wedgewood.
The Hyacinths won the Friday Senior Ladies' championship at Holiday, secretary Ann Lattro reports.
Triple A's fourth-quarter winner at A-Plus Family Bowl was Sky Bank of Lisa Pecorelli, Mark McCutcheon, Doug Ennett, Erin Fairchild, Teri Haefke and Dan Devereaux and, at Bell-Wick, Palumbo & amp; Associates won Doughton Businessmen's fourth quarter.
bassetti@vindy.com