Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 3-5-12
MARCH 5, 2012
- Liquor license appeal
- Severance woods
- Personnel compensation
- Cain Park anniversary
- Public meeting with Fitzgerald
- Car purchase for municipal court
- Taylor Road
- City-owned residential properties
- Sycamore nuisance properties
All council members were present
Liquor license appeal
Several people came to the meeting to support Shannon and Toni Slocum, owners of Bayou Bar and Grill, a new business at 2573 Noble Road, in their rebuttal to objections to their liquor license application from the chief of police. According to the Ohio Department of Liquor Control, his objection was due to proximity to another bar. The owners stated they will have an age limit, a dress code, and security personnel, and noted that there are many bars in the Cedar Lee neighborhood where they reside. The Slocums own another Cleveland Heights business, All-Care Transportation. Their supporters included a representative from the rental agency for the retail strip on Noble, who noted difficulty in renting the space, the business’s success in fixing up the space and passing all city inspections, and the availability of storefront renovation grants. Mayor Kelley recommended that the Slocums meet with the city manager, the assistant finance director, and Police Chief Robertson in the near future.
Severance woods
Michael Morris of Crest Road spoke about adaptive reuse, school closings, and the Severance woods. He noted that the woods around Millikin are one of the last wooded parcels in the city and urged that they become a nature reserve. Mayor Kelley urged him to go to a meeting of the school board, which owns the property, and speak as he had done at council.
Personnel compensation
An ordinance establishing salary schedules, position classifications, and other compensations for officers of the city was presented on first reading and will be voted on at the March 19 council meeting.
Cain Park anniversary
This year is the 75th anniversary of Cain Park, and the city is applying to the National Register of Historic Places to add the park.
Public meeting with Fitzgerald
The town hall meeting with County Executive Ed Fitzgerald can be viewed on the community access channel on Time Warner Cable.
Car purchase for municipal court
Council authorized an agreement with Coughlin Auto, LLC, for the purchase of an automobile for the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court to replace a twelve-year-old car the bailiffs use, at a cost not to exceed $16,800.
Taylor Road
Council Member Bonnie Caplan announced that the Taylor Road project should begin very soon, maybe early because of the good weather.
City-owned residential properties
Council authorized title transfer for the property at 887 Clarence Road to the current occupants in accordance with the settlement agreement authorized by the law director. This single-family house was donated to the city by Aurora Loan Services, LLC. Through internal error, however, it was also sold to Pacific States Capital Corporation, which in turn sold the property on land contract to its current occupants. Because the occupants bought and rehabilitated the house in good faith and Pacific States paid the land contract deposit funds to the city, the city will transfer the property to the occupants by quitclaim deed.
Council authorized the sale of two other city-owned properties, which were rehabilitated with Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds, and also awarded down payment assistance of $5,000 to each buyer:
- 950 Dresden Road, sold for $65,000
- 1035 Helmsdale Road, sold for $96,000
Sycamore nuisance properties
Council declared two properties to be nuisances and authorized abatement:
- 3212 Sycamore Road, which has had multiple quitclaim transfers since it was sold in June 2007, has numerous violations inside and out and the taxes have not been paid since 2008. Rehabilitation would far exceed the assessed value of the property and it is to be razed at a cost of $13,000.
- 3221–3223 Sycamore Road, with similar circumstances as the above property, will cost $13,500 to raze and clean up.
LWV observer: Blanche Valancy.
These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Morse, and Maryann Barnes. To receive e-mail postings of full reports, send an e-mail to mbarnes9515@gmail.com or join through Google groups using “lwv-chuh observer reports” as a search phrase.
These reports contain member observation and selected highlights of public meetings and are not official statements of the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga Area. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.
League of Women Voters
Chapter co-chair for the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters, Cuyahoga Area