Councilman's Corner
It continues to be a great summer and as we enter Fall we look forward to the kick-off of even more developments in the community.There have been some very positive developments since my last column. First, MetroParks held its first public meeting in the community on September 22 at the Collinwood Recreation Center regarding the reconstruction of the historic Euclid Beach pier at the park. This capital project has been something I have lobbied for many years and now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (and it’s not a train) or the practically speaking the horizon. It is my personal opinion that once the pier is constructed, which will be handicapped accessible, that Euclid Beach Park will become a destination place for the greater Collinwood community and beyond. Those of us who grew up remembering the original pier – remember it as a place for fishing, site seeing and watching the sun sunset with loved ones. I cannot wait to take that walk once again for I am committed to seeing this project come to fruition.
On that note, I hope everyone has taken the time to ride past the new Salvation Army Temple Corps house of worship and community center at 17625 Grovewood Avenue. What a magnificent complex. My sincere appreciation and thanks to the Salvation Army for having confidence and faith in our community to make this multi-million dollar commitment. Please support the Salvation Army; for, they truly care about our community and our residents. Opening will be sometime early November.
My sincere appreciation goes to Northeast Shores Development Corporation for their recent acquisition of several prominent buildings in the East 185th Street commercial corridor. This effort is critical to the redevelopment of this important commercial and residential district. This movement is something I have advocated for a long time and I am glad to see it finally materialize. The construction of the new preK-8 Oliver Hazard Perry School and the restoration of the historic LaSalle Theatre, will help to redefine this important street that links the City of Cleveland with the City of Euclid.
As you are all aware Mayor Jackson has proposed a .5% income tax increase which will be on the November 8, 2016 ballot. We are all hoping to hear from him and his Administration as to what we can expect to see in the area of enhanced neighborhood services. We are all keenly aware of the revenue that the State of Ohio has taken from the City and the need to offset that financial hit. However, Ward 8 is a working class neighborhood. Those employed in our community work hard for their paychecks while at the same time are not seeing their income increase in any substantial way. Residents, whether employed or retired, want to see meaningful improvement in basic services and “quality of life” issues. We look forward to hearing from the Mayor and his Team as to what those service improvements will be.
In addition, there will be a Renewal Levy on the ballot for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). It will not increase your property tax since it is a renewal. However, again what is the gameplan especially for our high schools, specifically Glenville and Collinwood since each is now under 400 students. We have asked for an early college program at either school in addition to a real and meaningful technical & vocational curriculum to meet the demands of today’s job opportunities. Unless there are significant changes in the way these schools educate nothing will improve and our students in the greater community will continue to lack basic skills and job opportunities.
I look forward to seeing all of you at Fall events in the ward and at the numerous community meetings that are scheduled throughout the month.
As always I may be reached at my office at (216) 664-4236 or by email at mpolensek@clevelandcitycouncil.org.