Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 5-19-2014
MAY 19, 2014
- Chuck Miller and the Landmarks Commission
- Public comments
- Expenses without bidding
- Shredding day
- Bicycling events
- Motorcars Honda expansion
- Missing Persons Day
- City code replacement pages
- Automated time and attendance system
- Upcoming events
All council members were present.
Chuck Miller and the Landmarks Commission
Mayor Dennis Wilcox recognized Chuck Miller for 18 years (1996–2014) of service on the city’s Landmarks Commission. Wilcox praised Miller’s dedication to historic preservation and the unique heritage of [the] community.
Public comments
Memorial Day poem: To honor Memorial Day, Kathleen Cerveny, Cleveland Heights poet laureate, read her poem inspired by Liberty Row—nine miles of oak trees planted in 1919 extending from Shaker Heights along North Park Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (which for years was known as Liberty Boulevard). Each tree was planted with a round, engraved bronze plaque embedded in a cement base and honoring a soldier killed in World War I.
Expenses without bidding
Tanisha Briley, city manager, reported on the cost of 10 projects or purchases that cost less than $50,000 each, which she is authorized to pursue without a competitive bidding process.
Shredding Day
The city’s Shredding Day on May 18 was so successful the event will be repeated in the fall.
Bicycling events
On May 21, the annual Ride of Silence, honoring those injured or killed while riding their bicycles, starts at 6 p.m. at the Carroll Expansion Parking Lot at John Carroll University, heads west on Fairmount Boulevard, and ends at the oval in front of University Hospitals on Adelbert Road for a brief memorial around 7 p.m.
On May 31, Bike Tune-up Day runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Coventry Courtyard on the northwest corner of Coventry Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard. More information is available at www.bikesintheheights.org.
Motorcars Honda expansion
Council authorized an agreement with GMG Cleveland LLC, for the sale of city-owned property to accommodate an expansion of Motorcars Honda, and also authorized a loan to GMG to assist with the acquisition of that property. The purchase price for the property, including $2,500 in closing costs, is $58,500. The city’s loan to GMG is for $38,500, with a 3 percent interest rate, after a $20,000 down payment. The principal and interest will be due in a lump sum of $42,750 on or before Dec. 31, 2018. That amount will be reduced by the increased income tax proceeds the city will collect each year from GMG’s new employees, which will result from the increased workforce made possible by the expansion of the Motorcars Honda service department.
Missing Persons Day
The first annual Cuyahoga County Missing Persons Day takes place on Sunday, May 25 at the Old Courthouse, 1 West Lakeside Ave., in Cleveland. A memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. The free event is meant to raise awareness about missing persons and is sponsored by County Executive Ed FitzGerald and Sheriff Frank Bova. Visit http://missingpersonscuyahoga.org for more information.
City code replacement pages
Council approved replacement pages to the Cleveland Heights Codified Ordinances to reflect ordinances passed by council between September 2013 and April 2014.
Automated time and attendance system
Council authorized an agreement with Kronos Incorporated to purchase equipment, software, professional and education services, and support for an automated time and attendance system. The purchase price for the system and services shall not exceed $95,000 and should be covered by the issuance of tax-exempt notes or bonds.
Upcoming events
Council Member Jeff Coryell, chair of the community relations and recreation committee, announced some upcoming events:
- Art by local seniors is currently on display at City Hall.
- Safety Town registration will take place at City Hall on May 22, 6–8 p.m. The program has a fee of $25, and is open to children who will be attending kindergarten in the fall and who live in Cleveland Heights or within the boundaries of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District.
- Exceptional students from Cleveland Heights-University Heights public schools will showcase their creativity and artistic ability at the Exceptional Arts Exhibition May 22 and 23 at the Lee Road Library’s art gallery. An opening reception will be held May 22, 4–7:30 p.m.
- Earth, Wind, and Fire has been added to this year’s Cain Park lineup. Tickets go on sale to residents beginning May 24.
- An Older Americans Month forum, Emergency! Are You Prepared? will take place May 29 at 1 p.m. at the Senior Activity Center, located in the Cleveland Heights Community Center.
- We Are Cleveland Heights is hosting Sunday in the Park at Cain Park on June 1, 2–4 p.m.
LWV Observer: Katherine Solender.
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.