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CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN

By: Michael D. Polensek

Since my last message to the community, a lot has transpired.  On November 13th I met with staff of the Cleveland MetroParks at their headquarters to discuss Phase Two improvements to Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood Parks. Phase One reconstruction of the historic Euclid Beach pier is done and what a great addition to park. Not only does it look good but it is handicapped accessible which is a blessing especially for the disabled and seniors who live adjacent to Euclid Beach.  In Phase Two we are talking about additional enhancements to the bluff, an additional picnic pavilion and a splash pad for small children. We also discussed the Wildwood Marina and enhancements that could take place there as well. At the end of the day, my goal, working with our partners, the Cleveland MetroParks, is to make our lakefront a true destination place not only for Ward 8 but also for the greater community.

As I have been reporting, we are working with the Cuyahoga County Landbank and the City’s Demolition Bureau to target and remove those structures which are beyond repair or rehabilitation.  My goal is to rid our neighborhood of the eyesores and to preserve the structures worth saving. As I mentioned before, if you are interested in a vacant property, start by calling Peggy Kearsey at the Greater Collinwood Development Corporation at (216) 383-9772.  You can also call the Cleveland Housing Network (CHN) at (216) 574-7100 or visit their website at www.CHNHousingPartners.org.

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Holiday cheer was in the air when Santa and his helpers came to Collinwood! Over 200 people attended this year’s Breakfast with Santa held on Saturday, December 15th at the Slovenian Home on Holmes Avenue. Breakfast was donated by Gus’s Diner 185 and everyone enjoyed free pictures with Santa and crafts. All the children that attended the event received and hat and scarf distributed by Project Warm and donated by the Collinwood Neighborhood Catholic Ministries Crochet Group. The free event was sponsored by Greater Collinwood Development Corporation (GCDC), Councilman Polensek, and Councilman Hairston. Stay tuned for more events from Greater Collinwood Development Corporation and its partners! A lot of exciting things are coming in 2019!

Help plan the Big Clean on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019 at 6pm at Euclid City Hall. 

The snow has fallen, trapping wrappers, bottles and other litter until the spring melt when the trash reappears along city streets. It is not a pretty visual, but YOU can help make a difference in the appearance of a cleaner, more beautiful Collinwood.

Collinwood Reads! Bookmark

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It was a grand old time, at the E 185th Neighborhood Association's (the "Block Watch") December 11th meeting. Good food, good neighbors - & books! Lots of books!

The Observer is an ongoing experiment in citizen journalism. We do not have reporters. You get to tell your story in your own words. It's easy to submit a story. And there are a lot of great stories. Submit a picture with a caption. Submit a story about a good neighbor. Submit your Church's schedule of worship. Go to www.CollinwoodObserver.com, become a member and click submit story. If you are having a problem, give me a call. John Copic, owner and publisher, 216.505.0185.

Greater Collinwood Development Corporation (formerly Collinwood and Nottingham Villages Development Corporation) is partnering with the Collinwood Reads Movement to host a Non-Violence Week in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.. Programming has been created to span over three days (Celebrate, Educate and Create).

Our kickoff event “Celebrate,” will take place on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, at St. Mary’s Church, located at 15510 Holmes Ave., Cleveland, Oh 44110. Doors will open at 5:30pm and the program will start at 6:00pm until 8:00pm. The evening will be filled with performances from local schools to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and a pledge of non-violence will be taken to close the night.

The second event “Educate,” is on Thursday, January 24th at Five Pointe Community Center, located at 813 E. 156th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44110. From 5:30pm to 7:00pm we will hold a community discussion on how to decrease violence in the neighborhood. This is a great opportunity for residents to voice their ideas and opinions!

Annual Shareholders Meeting for

The Slovenian Society Home

201713 Recher Ave.

Euclid, Ohio

Will be held on Sunday February 10, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. in the upper hall. There will be refreshments in the clubroom immediately after the meeting. The Board would like to see a good turnout at the meeting.

Collinwood Railroaders:

Every classroom in the new school is equipped with a 75-inch interactive touch screen. Furniture is comfortable and easily rearranged.

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After waiting through more than a year of construction, students who attend Oliver H. Perry PreK-8 School will move to a new building in late January.

The distance between the old and new buildings is short – the structures occupy parts of the same property on Schenely Avenue near East 185th St. But the students will shift from a school built in 1927 to one filled with 21st Century technology and other features.

The modern surroundings are well suited for a new instructional model adopted by Oliver H. Perry – inquiry-based learning. In this model, students take the lead in their own learning by posing, investigating and answering questions. They present their findings.

The building features three community, or “extended,” learning areas, open spaces where students will work together in teams.

Every classroom has a 75-inch interactive touch screen equipped with apps and software. A project lab will serve as a traditional science lab, but students also will use it for computer coding and robotics and have access to “maker space” materials.

Collinwood,OH- CAMHP Foundation and local university students from schools of economics, political science, psychology, and sociology will work with high school seniors, including Collinwood High School to collaborate on Tech Power To the People: A Citizens’ Initiative. The initiative’s purpose is to bring to the 2020 ballot the use of Blockchain as an app tool for Ohio residents to upload identifying information and other pertinent financial information to apply, attest, and reattest for social services and benefits.

Driving from South Collinwood over to the East 185th area I thought about the dichotomy of economics in Cleveland. The quick shift from burned down apartment buildings to quaint houses and welcoming bars and cafes on East 185th Street is jarring. Cleveland has been listed in several articles across the United States as a member of economically segregated cities. A new publication by Kate Wallis at Center for Community Solutions blamed the color of one’s skin as the primary factor for Cleveland’s segregation problems; however, there are many other contributing factors that cause the socioeconomic segregation.  Cleveland neighborhood residents can each provide a story about why they think Cleveland’s dichotomous economic state of affairs exist. There are deep, emotional stories that speak deeper than race and live among our communities to help understand a person’s individual socio-economic struggles. We lose the opportunity to understand human relationships when we hang our hat on race and call it a day.  

St. Jerome Class of 2003 hopes to see all their fellow alumni from 2000-2018 at the reunion January 27th at 10am.

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We invite all graduates of St. Jerome School from 2000-2018 to join us for a reunion on Sunday, January,  27th beginning with 10am Mass.  Light Refreshments and School and Convent tours will follow.  Catch up with old friends, see what has changed, and it's Catholic Schools Week so you will get a look at what our current students are doing.  

Postcard of original pier

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After having read about the completion of the rebuilding of Euclid Beach Park pier, in a free moment I finally made my way down to see it for myself. Though the official ribbon cutting of the 2.5 million dollar project is planned for the week of May 20th, after remaining landscaping is finished, it is currently open and accessible to visitors. The original pier, which was built to receive ferries shuttling passengers to the former amusement park, now has been rebuilt in a shortened version allowing for access onto the lake for sightseeing and fishing.

The average car has around 30,000 parts, and I only know what like 10 of them actually do. I have many skills but mechanics was never one of them, that’s why I take my car to Rich, my car doctor, saying “she’s not sounding too good, so let’s see Rich for a checkup”, and he never let’s me down. 

 Rich Ziegler has been the owner of Master Mechanical on East 200th St. for as long as I can remember, and has taken care of every car I’ve had from 16yrs old to my now 37yrs old, including getting my old car ready to drive across the country to Seattle.

CASA of Cuyahoga County, a program of Child and Family Advocates of Cuyahoga County, recruits, screens, trains, and supports volunteers who act as independent fact-finders for the court in cases involving child abuse and neglect.