NOVEMBER 7, 2016
Councilman Phillip Ertel was absent.
OCTOBER 19, 2016
OCTOBER 5, 2016
SEPTEMBER 19, 2016
University Heights continues its free summer concert series on Thursday evenings on the Hamlin Quad at John Carroll University (between Dolan Science Center and the Grasselli Clock Tower).
The month of August features the final two performances of the 2016 series: Yiddishe Cup (Jewish folk and American swing), and an ice cream social, on Aug. 4, and the Chardon Polka Band (polka with an attitude) on Aug. 11.
The City of University Heights celebrated the grand opening of University Heights Community Park—the city’s newest and largest park—at a community celebration on Sunday, July 24.
The street festival began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the entrance to the park, at Fenwick and Northwood roads, with Mayor Susan Infeld, city council members, other city officials, and representatives from Braun & Steidl Architects (the park’s designer) cutting the ribbon.
Infeld thanked “the leadership of Fuchs Mizrachi School, specifically Mr. Morry Weiss, for sharing our vision to make a park and greenspace on the property.” The park is on the former site of the Fuchs Mizrachi School.
JUNE 20, 2016
Councilwoman Michele Weiss was absent.
University Heights continues its free summer concert series on Thursday evenings on the Hamlin Quad at John Carroll University (between Dolan Science Center and the Grasselli Clock Tower).
The month of July features the Stratophonics (rock, soul, big band, and today’s music) on July 7; WIXY 1260 Band (music of the 1960s and '70s) and an ice cream social on July 14; Sloppy Joe’s (classic rock, blues, R&B hits) on July 21; and the University Heights Symphonic Band and another ice cream social on July 28.
May 23, 2016
All council members were present.
MAY 16, 2016
All council members were present.
APRIL 18, 2016
All council members were present.
Public hearing on joint dispatch center
The council meeting opened with a public hearing to discuss the Regional Council of Governments (COG) agreement among the cities of University Heights, Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, and Shaker Heights for the purpose of forming and operating a joint dispatch center for police, fire and EMS (emergency medical services) response.
APRIL 4, 2016
Councilman Phillip Erterl was absent.
MARCH 21, 2016
Councilman Steven Sims was absent.
MARCH 7, 2016
All council members were present.
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
All council members were present.
FEBRUARY 1, 2016
Vice Mayor Susan D. Pardee was absent.
JANUARY 19, 2016
Councilman Phillip Ertel was absent.
DECEMBER 21, 2015
All council members were present.
On Jan. 4, UH City Council voted to appoint John Rach to the city’s open council seat, which was left unfilled when only three candidates stood for four open seats in the November 2015 general election.
Earlier in the meeting, three council members took oaths of office: re-elected council members Pamela Cameron and Steven Sims, and newly elected Michele Weiss. Council also re-elected Sue Pardee as the city’s vice mayor.
Rach, 31, is a registered architect who has lived in University Heights since 2011. He has served the city in various capacities since 2012, as a member of the board of zoning appeals, a committee member for the new master plan (ongoing), a steering committee member for the NOACA Pedestrian and Bike Friendly Lane Project, and a steering committee member for the new zoning code commission.
University Heights honored three members of the Geraci family, owners of Geraci’s restaurant on Warrensville Center Road, as the University Heights 2015 Citizens of the Year at the city council meeting on Dec. 21. “Their restaurant has contributed tremendously to the charm of University Heights,” said Mayor Susan K. Infeld. “They are a very warm and generous family.”
“The restaurant will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2016, and it’s really a staple of our community,” noted Infeld.
Michael Geraci and his wife, Frances, opened the restaurant on July 2, 1956. Both worked at the restaurant until they were well into their 80s. Michael died in 2013, at the age of 94, and Frances died on July 26, 2015, at the age of 93.
Their three daughters—Martha Geraci Spoth, Frannie Geraci and Toni Leonetti—who currently run the restaurant, received the award. “All three daughters are continuing in their parents’ footsteps,” Infeld said.
DECEMBER 7, 2015
Councilwoman Adele Zucker was absent.
NOVEMBER 16, 2015
All council members were present.
OCTOBER 19, 2015
All council members were present.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015
Councilman Phil Ertel was absent.
On Nov. 5, University Heights City Council will begin accepting letters of interest and resumes to fill a vacancy on council that will occur on Jan. 1, 2016. University Heights has four city council seats open for the Nov. 3 election, for which only three candidates submitted petitions. Vice Mayor Susan D. Pardee has announced that residents of University Heights who wish to be considered for appointment to the open position are invited to send letters of interest and resumes to City Hall, c/o Clerk of Council Kelly M. Thomas, 2300 Warrensville Center Road, University Heights, Ohio, 44118, or by e-mail to kthomas@universityheights.com. Letters of interest and resumes will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19.
The city charter gives council 30 days to fill the vacancy after Jan. 1, 2016; otherwise, the Mayor is responsible for the appointment. Because the vacancy is established following the results of the Nov. 3 election, city council will accept letters of interest and resumes between Nov. 5 and Nov. 19. City council will acknowledge each application and provide opportunity for interviews with selected candidates.
OCTOBER 7, 2015
Councilman Phil Ertel was absent.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
All council members were present.
AUGUST 17, 2015
Vice Mayor Susan D. Pardee and Adele Zucker were absent.
More than 120 curious neighbors, community members, retired teachers and Heights family members attended the Aug. 20 open house at the newly renovated, temporary Heights High on the Wiley campus in University Heights. University Heights City Council and UH Mayor Susan Infeld hosted the event, to give community members a chance to tour the renovated building and learn more about the school’s programming.
Mayor Infeld, Talisa Dixon, superintendent of Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools, and Zoraba Ross, Heights High’s administrative principal, spoke briefly to the attendees.
The race for four open seats on University Heights City Council is a bit of a yawn this year. Four of the seven council seats are up for election this year, including those of council members Pamela T. Cameron, Steven Sims, Nancy English and Adele Zucker, but only three candidates will be listed on November’s ballot: Cameron and Sims, who are both running for reelection, and newcomer Michele Weiss.
University Heights’s Beautiful Home Awards committee is currently seeking nominations for the city’s home award program, which recognizes the city’s homes and gardens. Nominations are due by the end of August for the 2016 awards.
"In my opinion, the beautiful home awards are a charming tradition highlighting the outstanding efforts of residents to maintain their properties," said University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld.
The annual awards comprise various categories, including: best front door, best backyard garden, best curb appeal and best "sit a spell"—i.e., seated gathering area in the front of the house.
JULY 13, 2015
All council members were present. Councilwoman Pamela Cameron arrived after roll call so was officially listed as excused.
JUNE 15, 2015
Councilman Phil Ertel was absent.
MAY 18, 2015
Councilwoman Nancy English and Councilman Steven Sims were absent.
APRIL 20, 2015
Susan D. Pardee, vice mayor, was absent.
Many University Heights residents have contacted city hall with questions about their polling location for Election Day voting on Tuesday, May 5. University Heights has three polling locations that will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m:
If you are unsure where to vote, visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website at www.boe.cuyahogacounty.us and click on the Where Do I Vote link.
Edmund Rothschild, the husband of former UH Mayor Beryl Rothschild, passed away after eight days of hospice care. His funeral is 11 a.m. tomorrow, May 1, at the Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel, 1985 S. Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights.
Mayor Rothschild and family will be receiving friends tomorrow from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Fairmount Temple, located at the corner of Fairmount Boulevard and Buckhurst Drive in Beachwood.
MARCH 16, 2015
NOTE: No LWV observer was available to cover the March 16 city council meeting.
APRIL 6, 2015
All council members were present.
FEBRUARY 17, 2015
All council members were present.
The Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Greater Cleveland has a shortage of observers to cover the University Heights City Council. Unfortunately, this shortage will prevent full coverage of all University Heights City Council meetings. If you appreciate these reports, perhaps you would like to help LWV continue this service to the community by volunteering for its Observer Corps. Observers of University Heights City Council do not have to be University Heights residents, but they must be impartial and unaffiliated with any of the council members’ or mayor’s campaigns. Observers do not participate in public comments unless authorized to do so by the League board.
JANUARY 20, 2015
All council members were present.
JANUARY 5, 2015
Vice Mayor Susan D. Pardee was absent.
DECEMBER 15, 2014
Councilman Phil Ertel was absent.
On Dec. 11, the City of University Heights posted the job of city law director as an open position on its website. Anthony Coyne, current law director, has held the position since Nov. 1, 2012.
The job posting states that applicants must be duly admitted to the practice of law in Ohio. It requires that applicants have experience in municipal law, with a preference for those also experienced in zoning and planning. The annual salary for the part-time position is $40,000–$50,000. A full position description can be found on the city’s website, www.universityheights.com.
Applications are due Monday, Jan. 12, at 4 p.m. Applicants should submit a resume to Kelly Thomas, Clerk of Council, City of University Heights, 2300 Warrensville Center Road, University Heights, 44118.
DECEMBER 1, 2014
Councilman Steven Sims was absent.
NOVEMBER 17, 2014
All council members were present.
NOVEMBER 3, 2014
All council members were present.
OCTOBER 20, 2014
Vice Mayor Susan D. Pardee was absent.
Francine Goldberg, former University Heights city councilwoman and vice mayor, holds a slim lead over incumbent judge Janet Rath Colaluca in the race for Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court Judge.
As of Nov. 5, unofficial election results provided by the County BOE showed that Goldberg, a Democrat, had received 116,409 votes (50.26 percent), compared with 115,212 votes (49.74 percent) for Republican candidate Colaluca.
Absentee ballots can be received up to 10 days after Election Day (if postmarked no later than the day before the election), and so have yet to be counted, and official election results, including provisional ballots, have not yet been certified by the BOE.
Voters in University Heights approved a $1.8 million bond issue to fund a new city park on the former site of the Fuchs Mizrachi School. By a vote of 1,688 (52.4 percent) to 1,531 (47.6 percent), residents narrowly passed the bond issue to fund the “constructing and equipping of a public park area and related improvements.”
The park bond issue is for a period of 15 years, and Mayor Infeld said it will cost homeowners $25 per $100,000 valuation—the same amount that UH residents have been paying to fund the construction of the Purvis Park pool 20 years ago. That bond issue will be paid off in December 2014.
Commenting on the bond issue’s passage, Infeld said, “I am very pleased that the community supported the establishment of a park at the former school site on Fenwick Road. A park will introduce a new community asset in University Heights and I look forward to seeing many happy people using the park in the future.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014
[Town Hall Meeting]
All council members were present.
OCTOBER 6, 2014
All council members were present.
SEPTEMBER 2, 2014
Councilman Phil Ertel was absent.
JULY 28, 2014
Councilwoman Adele Zucker was absent.
SPECIAL MEETING - JULY 14, 2014
All council members were present.
SPECIAL MEETING – JUNE 30, 2014
All council members were present.
JUNE 17, 2014
All council members were present.
Park at Fuchs Mizrachi
Mayor Susan Infeld opened the meeting with a discussion of the resolution to develop a park at the site of the former Fuchs Mizrachi school. The proposed bond issue to fund the park would cost $1.8 million. Throughout the last two-and-a-half years, the city has held meetings to discuss the acquisition of the land and demolition of the building. Through three meetings with residents and the architect Braun & Steidl, the architect developed a plan as step one of the development phase. Step two would be placing a bond issue on the ballot for residents to vote on. If a bond issue were approved, requests for proposals would be solicited from architects. The bond issue would dovetail with the December expiration of the 20-year pool bond issue, for which residents pay $25 per $100,000 housing value. Consequently, passage of the new bond would not cause an increase in taxes. Furthermore, the new bond issue would expire in 15 years, instead of 20.
June 16, 2014
All council members were present.
The City of University Heights plans to improve walking and bicycling along its most traveled roads with planning expertise from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). The Warrensville Center and Cedar Roads Sidewalk Improvement Project will focus on creating safe, attractive and easy-to-navigate pedestrian and bicycle transportation corridors between Fairmount Circle and Cedar Center on Warrensville Center Road, and between Taylor Road and Fenway Drive on Cedar Road. It is one of the first projects to receive technical assistance from NOACA for this purpose.
Currently, the high traffic volume and speed on Cedar and Warrensville Center roads keep many pedestrians from using the sidewalks along the roadway. No barrier separates the sidewalk from the street, placing pedestrians uncomfortably close to high-speed traffic.
University Heights City Council will hold a special meeting on Monday, July 28, 7 p.m., in council chambers.
The meeting agenda includes a resolution "determining to proceed with the submission to the electors of the question of issuing $1.8 million of bonds for the purpose of improving the city's park and recreational facilities by constructing and equipping a public park area and related improvements, and declaring an emergency."
The deadline for council to send the bond issue to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, for it to be placed on the ballot this November, is Wednesday, Aug. 6.