Cleveland Heights City News Update - June 5, 2020

Press release from the City of Cleveland Heights:

June 5, 2020

On Wednesday, more than 500 mostly young adults rallied at Cleveland Heights City Hall to peacefully protest the systemic racism that results in people of color being treated differently, and as we saw with George Floyd, this resulted in an unconscionable death. The Protest for Peace was organized by Avery Pope and Tyler Thompson, both college seniors and Lutheran East High-School alumni. We thank them for their leadership in organizing this peaceful gathering and for starting an important dialogue. We applaud these young people for their activism and interest in making this world better for all. City Manager Briley and Police Chief Mecklenburg committed to furthering the discussion on our policing policies. "I look forward to continuing this dialogue," Briley said. Details will be shared in the next two weeks.

Upcoming Meeting DatesPlanning and Development Committee of CouncilMonday, June 8 at 5:00 pm https://clvhts.webex.com/clvhts/onstage/g.php?MTID=e327aa6b3fc43c558c0490011d52637baAdministrative Services Committee of CouncilThursday, June 11 at 6:00 pm https://clvhts.webex.com/clvhts/onstage/g.php?MTID=ee8f47bcb78440741a5417a3e22965e85

Parks and Recreation News

Starting on June 10, all City playgrounds will reopen after the Governor lifted the restrictions. The City is also looking at the possibility of reopening outdoor non-contact activities in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for further updates.

COVID 19 UpdatesGovernor DeWine announced on Tuesday that Ohio intends to reopen schools in the Fall, but individual starting dates will be up to each local school board. He also announced that health care providers may resume all surgeries and procedures that had previously been delayed if they meet safety criteria. Additional information can be found on the new Ohio Department of Health Director’s Order that Amends the Requirements for Non-Essential Surgeries and Procedures. Ohio was recently approved for the federal Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Program in response to Ohio children K-12 who missed out on their free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school because of COVID-19. Now, children are starting to receive that benefit - representing the meals they missed - in the form of a credit to spend at local grocery stores and other retailers. This amounts to approximately $300 per child. For most of our families with children who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the P-EBT benefit was loaded onto their card recently. For those families with children who do not currently receive SNAP benefits, a P-EBT card will be sent in the mail. This benefit is automatic. Families are not required to sign up for this program. Families can call the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services at 866-244-0071 with questions. We’ve spent the last few weeks talking to members of the Cleveland Heights business community about creative ways we can accommodate customers in restaurants with diminished seating capacities in all of our commercial districts. Four initiatives were presented at our June 1 Council meeting: expand the current conditional use permits to allow for a temporary outdoor dining permit; provide designated curbside pickup in strategic locations; close certain streets to vehicular traffic during certain days/times to serve as outdoor dining and expanded retail business activities; and use specific City-owned property and/or designate areas within a district as outdoor dining or refreshment stations or entertainment districts. We will pursue the initiatives that are deemed feasible and supported by our businesses in an expedited manner.

Here is a link to another fun virtual tour with ideas to engage and entertain your children and yourselves: An educator from the Children’s Museum of Cleveland provides step-by-step instructions on how children can make their very own simple circuit at home using supplies you already have. Parents can help them experiment with different supplies to see what types of materials are conductors and which are insulators.

#ClevelandHeightsAllTogether

This press release was produced by the City of Cleveland Heights. The views expressed here are the author’s own.