Interested in knowing how many cars have been stolen in Lakewood since around the beginning of the year? Search term: grand theft.
Want to know what houses have reported copper pipe thefts? Search term: copper.
Visit: http://www.crimewood.com/search.html
It’s not a perfect search tool, but it gets the job done.
The June 16, 2008 Lakewood City Council meeting lasted about 70 minutes and was attended by approximately 45 people. The crowd dwindled to fewer than 15 people halfway through the meeting after council awarded its proclamations of recognition to St. James Catholic Church, the Cleveland Pride Committee, and military veterans. Representatives of these groups did not stick around for the entire meeting. They gave their speeches, posed for the photo opportunity and then split. Not a single person – aside from Clifton apartment dweller Edward McCartney – signed-up to speak during Public Comment.
Council recognized St. James Catholic Church for its 100th anniversary. Council President Michael Dever mentioned that he, as well as a couple of other council members, attended school at St. James. Fr. James Klein accepted the honor on behalf of the church. Fr. Klein, a West Side native and priest of 30 years, has led the church for the past two years. He attributed the church’s success and longevity to the quality of its members in the Lakewood community.
Ward 3 councilperson Michael Summers introduced a resolution to affirm the continued support of the United States Armed Forces, both past and present. Richard Healey, of 2150 Chesterland, a Vietnam vet who was wounded in action, spoke in support of the resolution. He was moved to act by protests that occurred recently at a military recruiting station in Berkley, California. “The old saying that ‘freedom isn’t free,’ is true,” he said. He hoped that local realtors would reach out to returning war veterans and make them know they are welcome in Lakewood. He was dismayed by the protesters who threw red paint on the doors of the local recruiting post. “We need a kindler, gentler population,” he said.
Frank Murtaugh, of 1065 Lakeland, was equally disturbed by the organized acts of vandalism at Lakewood’s military recruiting center. “It’s a shame they [veterans] have to go through these things,” Murtaugh said. His comments received applause.
Lakewood Mayor Edward FitzGerald said he thought this was a good resolution. He hopes to release plans to renovate the veterans memorial at Lakewood Park in the next 30 days or so.
Councilperson-at-Large Nickie J. Antonio introduced a resolution to proclaim the week of June 16th as Dignity of Human Rights Pride Week. She also congratulated the Cleveland Pride Committee on their 20-year anniversary. Several members of the organization were present to accept their proclamation. Todd J. Saporito, president of the committee, told council they “really appreciate the recognition.”
The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission presented their semi-annual report. They said a few words. One of their goals is to “focus on the positives” that Lakewood residents have to offer. They said they are modeling themselves after the Cleveland Heights Congress.
Mayor FitzGerald addressed council’s concern regarding recent citizen complaints about high grass and weeds. FitzGerald said he’s going to adjust the internal inspection procedure. Too many days were passing between the moment a citizen complaint was received and the point when the city could take action. He is also going to target repeat offenders. FitzGerald plans on revising the city Web site to enable citizens to more easily file their complaints via the Internet. He mentioned that the Plain Dealer is planning a story about how various cities are handling unkempt yards. He anticipated the PD may include a recent photo of a Lakewood yard that was overgrown. FitzGerald said that particular yard has since been tamed.
Finance Director Jennifer Pae introduced an updated appropriation ordinance and 2009 tax budget resolution. Council approved the first reading and referred it to the Finance Committee for further review.
Planning and Development Director Nathan Kelly introduced the first reading of an ordinance that would allow the mayor to purchase potential problem properties costing less than $60,000 without first getting consent from council. Kelly said this is necessary in order to move quickly to seize homes before they fall into the hands of absentee speculators. Kelly emphasized that this resolution is being introduced with an eye towards the future. Currently, the city doesn’t have any funding available to purchase properties, nor does it have any prospects in mind.
Council approved the Detroit Avenue Streetscape Plan. Ward 2 councilperson Thomas Bullock was eager to begin implantation and said he would be happy to talk to NOACA to get things moving. He said about $60,000 had been budgeted for the early phases, and wondered about possible state funding.
Planning and Development Director Kelly tempered Bullock’s enthusiasm. “It will be a long process to get funding,” he said. The initial stages will involve simple things like repainting crosswalks, Kelly explained. The hidden value of the plan is that it will serve as a guideline for the future as redevelopment occurs along Detroit Ave.
Mayor FitzGerald, who visited with state officials in Columbus this week said, “We did not do well in the capital budget.” He learned there weren’t any earmarks for Lakewood. FitzGerald indicated he would pursue other sources of state funding for the project.
Council gave formal approval to hand over operations of Winterhurst Ice Rink to a privately managed company. Council President Dever said, “I feel it is a great agreement.” Mayor FitzGerald explained that it was recognized many years ago that while the facility was a good asset, the city did not have the money to invest in it. It was “on borrowed time” and the city “had to do something about it,” he said. FitzGerald said the main goal was to preserve it as a community asset and not sell it outright.
Some highlights of the contract, according to FitzGerald:
FitzGerald said the transaction allows the city to focus on its core purposes and preserves Winterhurst for the future. He said council did a good job of working with him to make the deal quickly. The urgency driving the deal was the hope that the new operators could take advantage of the slow summer months to perform renovations.
Council also approved a request from Dorothy Buckon, Director of Human Services, to accept a $12,000 grant from the Criminal Justice Services Agency to pay for camp counselors for Camp H2O.
Clifton apartment dweller Edward McCartney withheld his Public Comment speech until the next council meeting at the request of Council President Dever due to time constraints associated with a previously scheduled Committee Meeting of the Whole.
The Lakewood PD and Lakewood community-at-large have had limited success in thwarting copper pipe theft from vacant and abandoned homes. It seems the vandals are pretty darn comfortable and can strike at will. I noticed that 2048 Elbur was hit again. Luckily, this time around it was more of a professional job. Last time, they darn near blew the house up.
I added some new dash cam footage from the April 16th, 2008 fleeing and eluding incident that started around Hilliard and Warren. There’s not a whole lot to see, really. I was surprised that a 1990 Honda Accord could dust a LPD patrol car. I figure it has something to do with department rules and safety issues during chases.
The June 2nd, 2008 Lakewood City Council meeting lasted a little less than 50 minutes and was attended by about 29 people. Council president Michael W. Dever (At-Large) and councilperson Brian E. Powers (At-Large) were no-shows. Councilperson Mary Louis Madigan (Ward 4) assumed Dever’s meeting moderation responsibilities.
At the start of the meeting, Madigan announced that all public comment on the pending Pit Bull legislation would be given at the conclusion of the council meeting. Public comment at the last council session took place during the middle of the meeting. She emphasized the topic “will be thoroughly vetted” at an upcoming as-of-yet unscheduled Public Safety Committee meeting.
Council affirmed temporary suspension of longevity payments for city workers for the remainder of 2008. There had been some back-and-forth discussion about whether to permanently ban it, or just temporarily suspend it. Interestingly, in the months that it had been discussed, not a single city employee showed-up at council to make a pubic comment about it one way or another. In the past, Lakewood Mayor Edward FitzGerald had indicated he prefers a system that rewards merit rather than longevity.
Council gave final approval to an ordinance granting Foran Montlack Development a nine-month extension on financing for the Cliffs Project. Councilperson Michael P. Summers (Ward 3) empathized with the developer by noting the current problems in the credit and real estate markets have made it very difficult to launch new developments. The physical appearance of the work site has been the subject of “numerous complaints,” according to Summers. Foran Montlack submitted plans to improve the visual aesthetics of the area. Summers indicated site beautification should begin within two weeks.
Councilperson Kevin Butler (Ward 1) said the Public Works Committee has recommended Lakewood work with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to upgrade traffic signals along Clifton Blvd. and West Clifton Blvd. There was a snag when it was realized Lakewood would be solely responsible for replacing a very expensive traffic light at Clifton Blvd. and Lake Rd. ODOT declined to pay for the replacement because they felt it was an unnecessary light. Butler said Public Works would “regroup” and figure out a way to replace the light. Council approved the third and final reading of the ordinance.
Council deferred the final reading of an ordinance to adjust the date of Lakewood’s primary elections. They did not provide an explanation for their actions.
Council approved the second reading of the ordinance banning Pit Bulls. It was referred to the Public Safety Committee where it will be further examined. Final approval is still a long way off if recent public resistance is any indication.
Council approved the second reading of an ordinance that enables a language change in the codified ordinance better allowing the Cuyahoga County Department of Health to assume duties that had been performed by Lakewood.
Liquor permits transfers for Webb Food Mart and Old Stand were also approved.
Jennifer Pae, Director of Finance, asked council to approve the first reading of an ordinance to bring Lakewood’s depository agreement timeframes into sync with industry best practices. Council approved.
Law Director Nora L. Hurley asked council to suspend the rules and immediately approve an ordinance to end a civil lawsuit brought against the city by Terrace Construction. They filed a complaint against the city requesting at least $78,000 over a dispute regarding costs associated with relocation of a Cleveland water main as part of the Edgewater Interceptor Project in 2007. Council unanimously approved a $34,000 payment to Terrace Construction to withdraw the lawsuit. The payment will not impact the 2008 budget because the money had been previously allocated to the project.
Councilperson Butler explained council needed to suspend the regular rules and approve this item without the benefit of additional review because the opportunity to settle might not be available when council next meets. Councilperson Nickie J. Antonio (At-Large) applauded the Law Department for keeping the litigation in-house and presumably saving the city the expense of employing an outside lawyer.
Planning and Development Director Nathan Kelly introduced a resolution to apply for a grant from county-funded First Suburbs Development Council to pay for foreclosure prevention and remediation efforts in Birdtown. The grant would be used to evaluate the ownership and condition of all residential houses in the district and purchase approximately three homes for demolition, rehabilitation, or resale. The amount of the potential grant was not disclosed. Council unanimously approved the grant application.
Councilperson Madigan expressed her thankfulness that Birdtown would be targeted. Councilperson Antonio most liked the foreclosure prevention component of the possible grant.
Five people signed-up to speak during Public Comment. Ester Kantor, a renter at 2160 Chesterland, said she attended the last council meeting on short notice and didn’t have time to prepare a comment at that time. She strongly opposes the ban on Pit Bulls. The six-year Lakewood resident likened her dog to being her daughter. Kantor said she follows the current Pit Bull regulations and has her dog muzzled and leashed. She noted that her car was recently stolen, and it wasn’t stolen by a Pit Bull. She echoed the sentiments shared by dog lovers at the last council meeting, saying the problem isn’t the Pit Bulls. The problem is the low quality of the owners. Kantor indicated she would move out of Lakewood before she would surrender her dog. She suggested Lakewood screen and license Pit Bulls instead of banning them. She received applause from the audience after speaking.
Councilperson Bullock said Kantor made it sound like the proposal was further along in the process than it actually is. He said the proposal would still get a public hearing at a future date. Councilperson Butler suggested everyone who had a comment regarding the Pit Bull issue hold it until the committee meeting, especially because councilperson Powers, who introduced the ordinance, wasn’t in attendance tonight.
Tom Elias, who approached the microphone next to speak on the Pit Bull issue, said he would hold his comments until the committee meeting. Two other people who were prepared to speak also agreed to hold their comments until a later date.
Clifton apartment dweller Edward McCartney, who described himself as “basically a disinterested party” on the Pit Bull issue until recently, said an encounter he had with the owner of a muzzled Pit Bull around West 117th St. changed his mind. He felt that dogs currently in compliance with the Pit Bull law should be grandfathered in. For perhaps the first time in council history, his comments received a smattering of applause from the audience.
Mayor FitzGerald had a couple of announcements before council adjourned. Negotiations regarding privatizing management at Winterhurst are winding down. Depending upon the outcome, he might call an emergency council meeting within the next 48 hours to discuss the situation.
He also announced a community organizing initiative set to begin during the third week in June called Listening to Lakewood. He divided Lakewood into 33 regions which he will canvas on foot along with police and housing department representatives. He hopes that by knocking on doors and speaking with residents, he will get in touch with what is going on in the neighborhoods. He hopes to visit at least half of the regions before the end of the year. The initiative will start in Ward One. Door knocking will take place in the late afternoon and evening.