The View from Ward 2: Issue #9

City Council Meeting

At the City Council Meeting held Monday, March 2, we unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a concession lease agreement with HELP Foundation Inc. HELP assists people with disabilities become more independent and active members of their community. Last summer, several Lakewood High School students worked 20 hours a week at Lakewood Park’s concession stand with the training and support of HELP. These students worked alongside a job coach and gained valuable work experience. This is a fantastic program and I look forward to visiting the concession stand this summer.

At Monday’s meeting I tried to create a little buzz around beekeeping. Beekeeping is prohibited in Lakewood, however, according the Ohio Department of Agriculture, we currently have 23 beehives located in our City. I spoke about the need for an ordinance that would allow beekeeping in Lakewood, and several people spoke in support of this idea during the public comment portion of the meeting. We learned that honeybees are quite docile and curious creatures. One beekeeper that spoke doesn’t use any protective gear as he handles thousands of bees in his hive. Another beekeeper, a Lakewood resident, is allergic to bees but is not worried about being stung, and shared that his child plays in the backyard and has never been stung. At the Housing, Planning, and Development Committee this Monday, March 9, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM, we will begin drafting Lakewood’s Beekeeping Ordinance. I invite you to attend the meeting and to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. You can also find an article about our efforts on Cleveland.com.

Mayor George, Director Gelsomino, and Director Sylvestor announced that the resident led Selection Panel has selected Moddy Nolan and Infinity Construction as the team to transform Cove Church into Lakewood’s new Intergenerational Community Center. This team was selected because of their ability to engage and effectively communicate with community members and city staff, their clear understanding of project scope and objective, and their professionalism and willingness to serve above and beyond their clients’ needs. They instilled in the selection panel confidence and trust that they will deliver on the project. You can find Moody Nolan and Infinity Construction’s presentation here.

Click here to watch the Council Meeting.

LakewoodAlive Meeting

On Tuesday, I met with Allison Urbanek of LakewoodAlive. LakewoodAlive is our City’s Community Development Corporation and its staff makes a strong effort to meet with members of Council to discuss ways to improve Lakewood for our residents. Allison is the Housing & Internal Operations Director and, as you might expect, we had a robust housing policy discussion. We also talked about the upcoming Knowing Your Home workshops. Knowing Your Home is a free educational series that covers all aspects of home ownership and maintenance. Michelle and I have attended quite a few of these workshops and we always walk away with a long to do list and a better understanding of how to care for our old Lakewood home.

The first workshop of the season, Creating a Sound Investment, is this Thursday, March 12, from 7 - 8:30 PM at one of my favorite Ward 2 establishments, Sauced Taproom & Kitchen. This workshop includes a panel of experts, moderated by LakewoodAlive’s Executive Director Ian Andrews. Reserve your spot here!

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's Public Official Breakfast

Friday morning, I joined public officials from throughout Northeast Ohio to learn about The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s Right to Counsel Program. This program was created after Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance providing a right to legal counsel for families facing eviction who are at or below 100% of the federal poverty guidelines. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of this program please watch the video below:

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