Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights [10-17-11]]

OCTOBER 17, 2011

• Housing needs for senior citizens
• CDBG application for 2012
• North Park Blvd and Derbyshire Rd repairs
• Recycling
• Leaf pick-up
• Voting advice
• Bicycle Network Study
• Cedar Lee streetscape improvement
• Anti-poaching economic development
• Nuisance property
• Sustainability Week
• Update on Yorkshire Road incidents
• Passing of WWII survivor

All council members were present.

Housing needs for senior citizens

Carol Runge, member of the city’s Commission on Aging, spoke of the need for affordable, accessible housing for senior citizens who want to stay in the community. She urged council to look at the example being set in Shaker Heights with the opening of Library Court, which will provide affordable senior living with services.

CDBG application for 2012

Council authorized the submission of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement application for the year beginning January 1, 2012. This will be the 38th year of the program, which has two goals: 1) Ensure the availability and sustainability of decent housing and a suitable living environment for all Cleveland Heights residents, and 2) Expand opportunities for persons of low and moderate income. The city anticipates an allocation of $1,200,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and will supplement that amount with $25,000 from its current year contingency fund to support CDBG programs and projects.

North Park Boulevard and Derbyshire Road repairs

Council approved an agreement with Ronyak Paving Inc. for completion of road repairs on portions of North Park Boulevard and Derbyshire Road. The repairs on North Park extend from 2811 North Park Boulevard to North Woodland Road, including the intersection of Coventry Road and North Park Boulevard, and from Roxboro Road to Bellfield Avenue. The Derbyshire Road repairs extend from Kenilworth Road to Overlook Road. Compensation for these repairs will be $179,238.42.

Recycling

The city’s recycling program has garnered more than $112,000 so far this year; the aim is $150,000 by the end of December.

Leaf pick-up

Leaf pick-up begins the week of Oct. 31 and continues until Dec. 1. Leaves will usually be picked up the day following trash pick-up.

Voting advice

Council Member Bonnie Caplan reminded citizens to vote and pointed out that voters will not automatically receive absentee ballot applications in the mail this year. To vote early by absentee ballot, voters must obtain, fill out, and send in an application to the Board of Elections.  Also, voters must pay postage for both the application and the ballot. The ballot itself requires 64 cents postage. She urged voters to study the ballot carefully as the yes/no boxes for each of the ballot issues follow the Spanish version of the text.

Bicycle Network Study

Council approved an agreement with Michael Baker Jr. Inc. for a Bicycle Network Study that will focus on improving bicycle travel between Cleveland Heights and University Circle.  A $40,000 grant received from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency along with $5,000 each from the city and from University Circle Inc., will cover the costs of the study.

Cedar Lee streetscape improvement

Council approved an agreement with Wilbur Smith Associates Inc. and the Cedar Lee Special Improvement District (SID) for engineering plans for a streetscape improvement project for the Cedar Lee business district, extending from the library to Cain Park. Of the project fee of $149,700, Cedar-Lee SID will pay $50,000 and the city the balance.

Anti-poaching economic development

Council approved an agreement between the city and the county for the purpose of establishing a Business Attraction and Anti-Poaching Protocol as drafted by the First Suburbs Consortium. The goal is to express the commitment of the participating communities not to solicit the relocation of businesses that have not previously considered moving from their current location to another participating community. In instances where a business is exploring a possible move, the protocol will establish procedures to balance the interests of the business’s home community and other participating communities. This represents an important step toward cooperation among Cuyahoga County’s 59 municipalities. The protocol will be reviewed by council and by the county in one year.

Nuisance property

Council declared the property at 1029 Pembrook Road to be a nuisance and authorized abatement of the nuisance. The property has a long history of neglect.

Sustainability Week

Council proclaimed Oct. 16-23 as Sustainability Week in the City of Cleveland Heights and encouraged all residents to attend the planned programs and events as well as to participate in the No Impact Week! carbon cleanse sponsored by the Sustainable Heights Network.

Update on Yorkshire Road incidents

Referring to incidents in the vicinity of Yorkshire Road and Cottage Grove Avenue that were discussed at length at council’s Oct. 3 meeting, Mayor Edward Kelley noted that the problem tenants have now left the neighborhood. Police are continuing to monitor the area.

Passing of WWII survivor

Mayor Kelley noted the passing of longtime Cleveland Heights resident Richard Francies, a former prisoner of war and survivor of the Bataan Death March.

LWV observer: Katherine Solender.

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Morse and Maryann Barnes. To receive e-mail postings of full reports, send an e-mail to mbarnes9515@gmail.com or join through Google groups using “lwv-chuh observer reports” as a search phrase.

These reports contain member observation and selected highlights of public meetings and are not official statements of the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga Area. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.