Thankful
I wish to thank everyone who came out in record numbers to support the local clambakes which were held by many of our churches, schools and non-profit organizations in the ward. There were record crowds. Once again, it only reinforces the fact that when we care about the institutions and organizations in the community we can and will make a difference.
Talk about record crowds, what a great turn out and great weather for the “Remembering the Sights and Sounds of Euclid Beach” event held on Sunday, September 30. This year we had the largest antique and classic car show we ever had. Thanks to all who attended. Then there was the Men’s Health Fair held at the Recreation Center on October 7th sponsored by Cleveland Clinic, NEON, my office and Zeta Omega Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. We hope to be able to sponsor this event annually and I look forward to working with the sponsors on future health-related events and programs.
I also wish to thank all the volunteers involved, especially Commander Sammy Morris and officers of the 5th District, for their efforts in making the “Haunted Jail” Halloween Party at the 5th District a big success as well as the Staff and Volunteers at the Collinwood Recreation Center for making the Big City Boo at the Center another smashing success. As one of the financial supporters of these two events, it goes without saying how important it is that our children have a fun and safe Halloween. Thank you to all who donated their time, talents and funds.
As I continue to update the community, I will be meeting with our partners, the Cleveland MetroParks, on November 13th to discuss the pier project and future enhancements and improvements to Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood Parks. I am determined to put these parks clearly on the map and to enhance the “Emerald Necklace,” which we have all come to embrace and support. There are only a handful of wards in the city, and only a few suburbs in the County, who have a MetroParks presence. We have three lakefront parks and my goal is to have these parks continue to enrich our lives and offer recreational opportunities for decades to come.
Furthermore, I am waiting on a date as to when the work will actually begin on the complete rebuilding of the Mark Tromba Pool and Playground in the Collinwood Village neighborhood. Tromba has been on our radar screen for a long and I am finally glad to see that improvements will begin there soon. Stay tuned for progress and future construction updates.
As I am sure you have heard, the Collinwood Nottingham Villages Development Corporation has officially changed their name to the Greater Collinwood Development Corporation. The new Board decided that, as a result of the organization growing its geographical footprint and focus, that they would be more inclusive and encompassing to broaden the name since they now will represent the entire Northeast portion of the City of Cleveland. I commend the Board, Officers and staff for incorporating a more global approach in our neighborhood. They will be reaching out to the rest of the community for input and support through membership. As I have mentioned before, anyone living or operating a business in our community who would like to become a real stakeholder in the re-development of the greater Collinwood area should call the CDC at (216) 383-9772 for more information.
Speaking of re-development, I would like to commend and thank Gent Machine at 12315 Kirby, for re-locating to our Ward 8 community from the S. Euclid community. It is located in the former Coyne Textile building which was had been vacant for some time. With assistance from the City of Cleveland, they completed redid the plant and have relocated and hired approximately fifty employees. I toured the plant several weeks ago and was absolutely amazed by the amount of money, time and work that went into renovating the plant. Gent Machine is another example of a business believing in our community. Thank you, on behalf of our residents, to Mr. Rich Gent and his family for making this major investment in the East Glenville neighborhood.
As I have been mentioning at all of the neighborhood meetings I have been attending this past month, it is only a matter of time when that “white stuff – called SNOW” appears in our community. If there is a vehicle parked on your street that has not moved, or in front of your home, or in a vacant lot please write down all the information of the vehicle and the location and call the 5th District at (216) 623-5505, so that CPD can deal with the issue. There should be no abandoned vehicles on our streets during the winter months or in vacant lots.
As I have learned over the years, salt and extreme cold will affect streetlights. If there is a streetlight out please call CPP at (216) 621-5483 and report the location. If you see or experience water running in the street or along the curb please call the Division of Water at (216) 664-3060. It goes without saying that with the cold and snow, the potholes appear again. If there is a pothole or other road related issue please call (216) 664-2150. Let’s get any roadway issues taken care of now before the snow flies. As always you can call the Mayor’s Action Line at (216) 664-2900 for any service related issue, as well.
As I reported before, through our neighborhood partnership inspectors, our community development corporation and our city inspectors we continue to monitor abandoned and foreclosed structures. Any vacant building or house open and unsecure should be immediately called into the Housing Hotline at (216) 664-2007. We are collectively determined to rid our community of these vacant eyesores or to see them put back into productive use by responsible new owners. If you are interested in a vacant property, please contact the Greater Collinwood Development Corporation to see if they might be able to assist you in any way possible. Many properties take time to go through the foreclosure process due to a myriad of legal issues, but if we persevere we can prevail in securing the ones which are worthwhile to redevelop. Our goal is homeownership, businesses and responsible caring neighbors.
As we head into the Holiday season, I want to take this opportunity to, once again, THANK all of the neighborhood residents who have been engaged in our community, whether it be at our local houses of worship, the Recreation Center, the Salvation Army Temple Corps, our neighborhood clubs and associations, and/or patronizing our local businesses. Caring people really do make a difference.
On behalf of our Ward 8 community, and all of our volunteers, I wish you and yours a warm and happy Thanksgiving. Even though we have challenges, may we always be thankful for what we do have. As always, I may be reached at my office at (216) 664-4236 via email at mpolensek@clevelandcitycouncil.org.
Michael D. Polensek
Councilman, Ward 8