Gloria Ferris

Thursday, April 13th the historic Broadway Mills/Strong Cobb/Gillota building and its supporters go before the Cleveland Landmark Commission to plead its case for Historical Landmark status.  This building at the end of the Central Viaduct in the vicinity of the Western Reserve Historical Society Fire Museum stands in the way of the construction of the northern span of the “signature” innerbelt bridge.

I understand that Baker & Associates has provided the paperwork showing that the building should not be eligible for Landmark status.  This firm is the one hired by ODOT to design the innerbelt bridge.  To me, this appears to be a conflict of interest.  Would you agree?

This is not the first time that this firm has been in this position.  Baker & Associates was the firm who prepared the paperwork showing that The Fulton Road Bridge did not deserve Landmark status.  The city and the Landmarks Commission used the paper the firm produced as one of the reasons for denying Landmark status.  Baker and Associates was the firm hired by the County to design the new “signature” bridge over the zoo valley.  I have heard that ODOT was the voice behind the scenes saying that the Fulton Road Bridge needed to be destroyed and a new one constructed.

Strangely enough, ODOT Director Gordon Proctor used the “possibilty of landmark status” for the Walker Weeks building and the Juvenile Justice Center as reasons for closing the Carnegie exit in the plans for the ODOT “renovations”.  

Oddly enough, the players in this new Landmark Status case appear to be the same, ODOT, the county engineer, the City of Cleveland, and Baker and Associates.  I hear the sound of wrecking balls and heavy machinery unless we as a community stand behind the people wanting to save this landmark. 

Please attend this important Landmark Commission meeting.  They are open to the public.  If you cannot attend send your letters of support to Bob Keiser at rkeiser@city.cleveland.oh.us.  I would suggest sending a copy of your email to Ed Hauser at ed@reallinks.us or Norm Roulet at norm@reallinks.us

The state’s eminent domain task force has filed its preliminary report on the rules and regulations for eminent domain in Ohio.  For some reason, the task force could not come to an agreement on what constitutes “blight”.  Strangely enough, this definition is necessary when deciding if a public entity ( a city) can take control of property and hand it over for private development.

The first of three  PUBLIC hearings will be held today in Lakewood where the recent West End Development project was narrowly defeated by the voters in that community.

WHERE:  Women’s Pavilion at Lakewood Park

               14532 Lake Avenue

WHEN:     3:00 p.m.

               Monday, April Tenth      

WHAT:    Public Hearing

              Topic of Discussion:  Eminent Domain

WANTED:  Anyone who can attend should attend and be heard on this very sensitive subject that will have lasting impact not only on us but also on future generations.

Protest on the steps of CityHall!!

Monday April 10, 2006

6:00 p.m.

601 Lakeside

Tell Mayor Jackson and City Council to keep Hook and Ladder #42

Gathering on the steps of City Hall will begin at 6:00 p.m. prior to the City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Petitions to save Hook and Ladder #42 will be presented

to Mayor Jackson and City Council

Transportation is available:

Buses will leave at 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

from the parking lot at

William Cullen Bryant Elementary, 3121 Oak Park

and

Dension Elementary, 3799 West 33rd Street

Call the Ward 15 office at 459-8400, and leave a message to reserve your seat

(Buses will return at 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.)

YOU MUST HAVE A PHOTO ID TO ENTER CITY HALL

I just read Chas Rich’s take on the preliminary eminent domain task force report and it is scary folks.  Chas runs down a list of the people on this task force and again as is so often the case with scoping committees, task forces, and summits there is a decided lack of just “plain” folks.  Where is the name of just one person who’s property has been designated as “blighted” by government officials?  Where is the name of a person who has lost property to eminent domain?  Where is the advocate of the people listed?  We have created a monster people, and we have to slay it before it slays us.

The first step to slaying that monster will take place Monday in Lakewood at 3 p.m.  The first of three statewide public hearings on the “Eminent Domain Task Force” report will be held at the Women’s Pavilion.  Amazingly, the Plain Dealer expects everyone to know where this Pavilion is located.  I am assuming that it is the Pavilion located at Lakewood Park, but I am not sure. Lakewood Park is located at 14532 Lake Avenue. When I have a good address for this hearing I will update this post.

Until then, please pass this information on to anyone and everyone. We need to slay this monster before it changes the devours of Ohio forever.   

Last Thursday, I attended a meeting of the Public Safety Committee.  We had a good showing of people attending from the area given the time of the committee meeting. I am going to give a short list of attendees and if I have forgotten someone it is not intentional, but I want everyone to know that there is broad support for saving Ladder 42.  Here goes,  the principal from Wm. Cullen Bryant was there, Mr. Dwyer (?) who owns a business in Old Brooklyn, Jay Gardner, Judith Pindell, and Lori Peterson from OBCDC, Matt Russ, Roger Bundy, and several firefighters that live in the neighborhood.

The Public Safety Committee Chairperson Kevin Conwell, Ward 9 Councilman couldn’t have been more supportive or gracious in his handling of the discussion.  Councilman Kelly served as acting Chair.  Councilman Cummins stressed many points that have come up in neighborhood meetings as well as the Community meeting we had–the fact that the overall safety of the community is being compromised because of the domino effect; the fact that the firefighters in our city have worked without a contract for five years…

All of the committee members are very aware of the concerns that we have concerning the demise of Ladder 42.

Councilwoman Brady cited the explosion in her Ward last year where fire and emergency crews responded within three minutes– not the four minute response time seen as adequate.  She questioned that if that had been the case during the crisis in her neighborhood she was not sure the outcome would be the same.  

Councilman Polensek questioned how long the residents of Lee-Harvard, Collinwood, Old Brooklyn, and West Park can continue to absorb these cuts in staffing while more and more $$ pour into downtown, University Circle and other places.  He asked when will enough be enough.  When will these city residents walk away from the city that they have supported for so long.

Councilman Conwell paid Old Brooklyn a huge compliment saying that our area is a hardworking, taxpaying community that the city cannot afford to lose.

The principal of Wm. Cullen Bryant said that she had a hard time explaining to her students who are having emergency preparedness drills this month when they ask her what will happen if there is an emergency and our Ladder Truck is gone. She asked the committee members and administration officials if they had any suggestions on how she should explain to her students.

Mr. Dwyer said that had he known that the Ladder Truck would be taken away from Old Brooklyn he would have thought twice before buying property and moving his business into Old Brooklyn. 

Matt Russ gave a very moving speech about the safety and welfare of his friends, neighbors, and community. Roger Bundy spoke to the Phoenix Study and how it fell woefully short.  He cited specific examples and fielded several questions from the committee members.

One very interesting fact that came out of this meeting for me was that the fire stations do not have fax machines, do not have computers, and that they still use carbon paper to write out their reports.  Where in the world do they get carbon paper?  And how much does that cost?  Also many of the heating and air conditioning units are in disrepair. 

The bottom line, folks, is money. Everyone at the meeting empathizes with the situation surrounding Ladder 42. The administration officials, councilpeople, the fire administration–all realize that losing Ladder 42 is not a good outcome for the Old Brooklyn Neighborhood, but no one knows where the money will come from to keep the Ladder at Station #42.

It is imperative that we all attend the community meeting Thursday, April 6th at 6:30 p.m. at Corpus Christi Church Hall.  We must support our councilpeople who are tirelessly working to keep Ladder 42.  We must demand that the city administration make safety a number one priority and if other programs must receive less money then so be it.  Our safety can no longer be compromised.

All of the councilpeople around that table talked about how they would be having this conversation again concerning where to cut into the safety net that we have in this city because the budget constraints are not going to go away.  In fact, for the first time in the history of the city, the city will be receiving $800,000 less in real estate taxes this year and the city income tax revenue is flat.

Support our Community attend this vital meeting concerning our quality of life in the City of Cleveland.          

Each week on brewed fresh daily, George posts a link to the latest entries from Postsecret.  You can reach the link through BFD.   A few weeks ago, when I scrolled down past the postcard entries,  the abpve message caught my attention.  My first thought was Can this be true? My second thought was I should verify this statement before I post. I finally did today, it is. These are 2003 figures but I doubt that they are much different today– maybe plus or minus a percent or two.  For the suicide rate, I went here. And for the murder rate, I used this FBI site.  Please find other statistics that are different than these–2003 31,484 suicides and 16,303 murders. 

Here we have been told that we are a violent society but we are a self-destructive society.  Why is that?   Is it because we think that the best years of our lives are behind us?  Is it because we do not have hope for the future? Hopelessness leads to despair and despair leads to death.

Maybe we need to focus on the now.  All we really have is this moment in time.  The past is over, we cannot change it and none of us knows what the future holds.  What we can control is the moment.  We can choose to squander it, enhance it, or let it be. But we always should understand what we have decided to do with that moment in time.

“Be grateful for each new day-a new day that you have never lived before.

“Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use, usefully and joyfully. You can squander, neglect, or use them.  Life will be richer or poorer by the way you use today.” 

I don’t remember where I found it or who should receive attribution, but I sure know that if we strived to live it each and every day we can change the world and we can give hope to future generations.

When I started this post, I felt despair and now I end it with hope. That’s life.         

There are a few things happening on this front and I thought it was time to bring everyone up-to-date on what I know.

!.  Councilman Cummins had a meeting with the County Engineer’s office and has a drawing of the final plans for the bridge.  I am sure that it is on display in his Ward 15 Office.  He is also continuing to ask for answers from the city to the questions we have.

2.  There is a new blogspot up and running called Save Our Land.  Stop by and leave a comment or sign up to become a ocntributor.

3.  A new website www.SaveOurLAnd.net is under construction and should be up and running in a few days.  The scope of the website will be more comprehensive than the Save Our Land blogspot.

4.  Faxed letters were sent to our area Congresspeople and Senators. One contact was made by phone when asking for the fax number–Steve LaTourette’s office said please send the fax and they would look into it.  Senator DeWine’s office contacted the Save Our Land group and expressed an interest in also looking into the project.  As many of you already know, Congressman Kucinich’s staff were in our neighborhood with a survey collecting their own data concerning the project.

And those points bring me to the GREEN RIBBON BRIGADE.  You may have noticed green ribbons tied to the trees along the Fulton Road Bridge or on tree lawns or in neighbors’ front lawns.  One of our neighbors suggested that we tie green ribbons to our trees to show support of our neighbors who are in jeopardy of losing land to the project but also to let everyone know that unanswered questions remain.

Those unanswered questions include but are not limited to:

Why will public access by limited to foot and bicycle traffic? No vehicular traffic from this side of the bridge.  This also affects our neighbors on the south side of the bridge.

 Was the historic significance of the bridge and the Historic ballfield and neighborhood properly considered?  This bridge is the last of its kind in the United States.  When it is gone, it is gone forever.

Were traffic patterns adequately explored?  During the time the bridge is closed, the ODOT Innerbelt bridge project will be underway, the Quigley Road Connector, the Jennings Road Project, the paving of Denison Avenue, the opening of Steelyard Commons will all take place during the three years the bridge is closed.

How will the bridge closing affect the impending loss of Ladder 42?  What will the emergency response times be for people living south of the Bridge who need the services of the 2nd District Police or EMS vehicles to reach the MetroHelath campus?

What are the economic impacts to the businesses south of the bridge that have already endured the Memphis Road Project?

So the questions that remain unanswered are many and are of a farreaching nature.  Granted, we all agree that we need to have that bridge repaired or replaced but remember folks we will be living with the outcome of this project not the ODOT officials that are driving this process.  And again was this a proper public process?

If you would like green ribbons for your trees, please let us know and we will see that you will get them or better yet, if you have access to getting your own ribbons, please do.     

Monday, April 3rd, 2006 is the last day to register to vote for the May 2nd Primary.  Visit Brewed Fresh Daily to get the details.

For those of you already registered to vote, now is the time to begin your voter education on the issues and candidates.  This year you have a new tool at your disposal to help you–Meet the Bloggers.net.  As many of you know, I have been working with a group of Northeast Ohio Bloggers to bring the candidates to you through podcasts.  We feel that television and newspaper articles do not offer an in-depth look at candidates or the issues that face us today. What began in Northeast Ohio has grown statewide.  We now collaborate with many statewide bloggers to bring you these podcasts and give you more information through blogposts.  Visit the Meet the Bloggers website and see if it has value for you.  We have transcripts of some of the interviews if you would rather read than listen.  Some people listen and read.  We do not have transcripts for all interviews, but we work tirelessly at trying to get them done.

I am also adding a page that will list political blogs so that you can click through and see if they add value to your quest.  My list will, of course, not list all available political blogs–just those that I have found useful.  If you have favorites of your own, please let me know.  I will add them to the list.  The beauty of blogs remains that they give you the ability to decide to read or not to read to get all sides of the issues or the candidates–unlike depending solely on newspaper reading in a one-newspaper town.    

When you click through to Meet the Bloggers.net, you may notice a lack of incumbents and Republicans.  We are working on that, and I would like your help. Let me know if you have contact with an incumbent or a Republican that you would like to see us interview.  Better yet, contact that person’s office, and ask why he or she has not yet Met the Bloggers. Refer them to the Meet the Bloggers website: http://www.MeetTheBloggers.net.

The rule of thumb in political campaigns and the news media is that the average voter does not become interested in political campaigns until TEN DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION.  Let’s prove them wrong.  The issues and the future facing us today are too important.  The decisions we make every time we vote affect not only us but our children and grandchildren–in other words, future generations.  We need to again become the government of “We the people…”

Vote on May 2nd, and ask your friends and neighbors to vote– and if you have teenagers who can vote, make sure they are registered to vote, and the little ones–take them with you so they know the responsiblity and the importance of voting.

It is time to take back our government from the pollsters, the mainstream media (“MSM”!), and the career politicians.  The more we vote, the less they can use statistical analysis to predict.  Make it so our govrnment again becomes “of the people, by the people and for the people”.

Wow, this got pretty radical.  Anyone for a tea party?