Features

A public consensus seems to be emerging that local governments must figure out how to provide services at lower cost to taxpayers. However, opinion is all over the map on how to achieve this goal. Is the answer fiscal belt tightening, fewer services, better competitive strategies, consolidation of services, or something else?

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga Area, Heights Chapter; FutureHeights; and the CH-UH Public Library will present a public forum titled “Does sharing help? The inside story on cooperative government,” at the Lee Road Library, 2345 Lee Rd.

Panelists are South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo, University Heights Councilman Kevin Patrick Murphy and Cleveland Heights Councilman Mark Tumeo. They will discuss how each has experienced inter-city governmental cooperation, and answer questions from the public. Deanna Bremer Fisher, executive director of FutureHeights, will moderate the discussion.

Post your questions in advance at www.heightsobserver.org/deck/.

 

Home in the Heights, a recently created subsidiary of the Home Repair Resource Center, has sold its first renovated property: a formerly vacant, foreclosed home on Westover Drive in Cleveland Heights.

Publicity about the project brought inquiries from many interested buyers. The final purchasers, Mark Finkenbine and Nadelane Joseph of University Heights, say they loved the potential they saw in the home when they first visited, shortly after renovations began in March.

“We came in just as the house was being gutted and were able to pick and choose colors and tiles and floor coverings. It's a big, collaborative effort, and we’re really looking forward to getting it finished,” said Joseph.

From our businesses and backyards to the hallowed halls of the U.S Congress, this is the year of belt-tightening.

What effects do we see? What effects do we anticipate? What exemplary choices are being made now, on every level, that are stemming the tide and paving the way for stability and future growth?

The Heights-Hillcrest Regional Chamber of Commerce is delighted to host what should be a stimulating public conversation, with three people who can answer these questions, each with a unique perspective. Join the chamber of commerce on Wednesday, June 24, for a special luncheon and economic summit with South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Director Paul Alsenas, and Director of the Cleveland Regional Office of the Ohio Secretary of State Christopher B. Nance.

The Gesu Women’s Guild presented its 2009 Alice Paulus Award to longtime parish volunteer, Elaine K. Coburn, of University Heights. Coburn received the honor on May 7 at the guild’s "Celebrate Spring!" dinner at Shaker Heights Country Club.

Named in honor of long-standing parishioner and dedicated volunteer, Alice Paulus, the award recognizes a woman who exemplifies Paulus’s willingness to serve Gesu Parish and reflects her spirit of faith and volunteerism.

Coburn and her husband, Don, have been members of Gesu for more than 50 years. They raised five sons and two daughters in the church.

Our large and wonderful marmelade cat, Robaire, who has been missing since May 1.  He is tall, and totally orange, just like the color of orange marmalade the slices of orange in it-- even his eyes and the pads of his feet are orange. The only place he isnt orange is his tail, which has white stripes, parrticularly one VERY white stripe up near the tip, like a beacon.

I'm hopeful that Robaire, who is very friendly and knows no fear, has simply made friends with somebody. And I'm hoping that Cleveland Heightsers being the kind of folks they are, someone will have befriended Robaire. Please give us a call.

Simone Quartell, a senior at Cleveland Heights High School and a regular reporter for the Heights Observer, is the recipient of this year’s Philip W. Porter Scholarship from the Cleveland Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The chapter also selected Heights Observer advisory board member Dr. Richard Hendrickson for its Distinguished Service Award. Hendrickson is a long-time SPJ member and former chapter president who is an associate professor at John Carroll University.

An awards luncheon will be held May 7 at the City Club of Cleveland, 850 Euclid Ave. beginning at 11:45 a.m. For more information, contact Tom Moore at tmoore56@msn.com or 440-454-3282. Prices are $15 for students, $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers. 

The first annual Miracles Happen 5K Run/Walk is set for Sunday, May 31 through the scenic streets of Cleveland Heights.

The event will benefit the Diana Hyland Miracle Fund, whose mission is to advance research for recurrent breast cancer - focusing on new theories, trials and treatments aimed at managing the cancer and extending lives. The fund was created in memory of Diana Hyland of Shaker Heights, who after recovering from her first bout with breast cancer more than 10 years ago, sadly lost her battle with the devastating disease of metastatic breast cancer on October 27, 2008.

Leadership is something we sometimes lack in Northeast Ohio. Faced with problems this generation has never seen before, we are looking at a possible void of effective leaders who can take hold of the many issues and lead us far into a prosperous future. In the late 1990s, to try to counter this, a group of civic-minded young professionals had a vision to help foster communication and collaboration between aspiring leaders and established leaders in Northeast Ohio.

That vision became Cleveland Bridge Builders. CBB is now part of Cleveland Leadership Center, which formed in 2006 and includes four other programs: Leadership Cleveland, Cleveland Executive Fellowship, (i)Cleveland, and Look Up To Cleveland.

It’s a tradition as old as the hills. Every year during the first week of April, the participants appear as if from nowhere to partake in that fabulously fragrant phenomenon known as SkunkFest.

“It’s kind of like our own version of Mardi Gras,” says Anna Roma, marketing coordinator for the festival. “It takes your mind off those long months of holing up under the porch in a state of semi-hibernation, ya know? It’s good to get out and just shake your tail a bit.” It's estimated that, despite the down economy, as many as 700,000 skunks may visit the Heights area for SkunkFest ‘09, bringing an economic and olfactory impact that is hard to ignore.

FutureHeights published the first print issue of the Heights Observer on April 10, 2008. One year later the group has published 545 stories in 12 issues. More than 300 volunteer citizen-journalists have signed up to write stories, 20 volunteers assist in the editing process and 20 “newsies” deliver more than 9,000 copies of  the paper to 176 locations throughout the cities of Cleveland Heights and University Heights. A nine-member advisory board provides advice on journalism and business issues.

Seed funding for the project was provided by the Katherine and Lee Chilcote Foundation, the Cyrus Eaton Foundation, the Dominion Foundation and the members of FutureHeights. Ongoing support is provided by local advertisers and subscriptions.

While national coffee chains continue to close stores, Phoenix Coffee, a Heights area gourmet coffee venue continues to grow by keeping things local. It’s a trend that has some retail experts scratching their heads. Even with the down economy, the store is really busy for a Sunday afternoon. 

Jessie Mueller, a manager at the Lee Road store, is very enthusiastic about all things coffee, and tea for that matter. She notes that the company spends quite a bit of time and money training staff to insure that each customer has a great experience with Phoenix and its baristas.  She feels the store itself is a “unique environment for the community” with its decidedly uncorporate feel.

The street is typical of Cleveland Heights: tree-lined, picturesque, with beautiful houses built at the turn of the last century. This one happens to be in one of the city’s more upscale neighborhoods, but the story could play out anywhere in our city: A house is in foreclosure and neighbors worry that a purchaser could demolish it without notifying or consulting the community.

An investigation of city ordinances reveals that obtaining permission to demolish a building is as simple as obtaining permission to put up a fence. It requires only a $100 permit. There is no review by city planners. No notification to the neighbors. No opportunity for comment. No consideration of the impact on the neighborhood, either aesthetically or on property values.

Cleveland Heights Mayor Ed Kelley will give his annual State of the City address on Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd. (corner of Monticello and Mayfield roads).

Since 2006, FutureHeights, an organization dedicated to quality of life and civic engagement, has sponsored the address as part of its annual speaker series. "This is a unique opportunity to hear the mayor's plans for how we will move forward through these tumultuous times. It also gives the mayor a chance to hear what's on the minds of residents," said Gina Cheverine, president of the board of trustees for FutureHeights.

Eighteen hours, dozens of tents, and hundreds of participants coming together behind one objective: the fight against cancer. The second annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life hosted by Case Western Reserve University is gearing up for a kickoff on April 17.

Anyone who frequents the Cedar-Fairmount Starbucks knows who Allen Friedlander is, either by name or sight: he's the cheerful man in the power chair.

He's a longtime Heights resident. In high school at Cleveland Heights High, Allen was stocky, muscular, and interested in all sports. In his 20s, he started taking weightlifting seriously and could bench press 400 hundred pounds. After college at Ohio State and CSU, Allen became a self-taught artist specializing in laboriously created freehand pencil-on-paper drawings of professional athletes. Eventually his artwork, rendered from historic photographs of the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Jim Brown, Lou Groza and others, became nationally famous. Each was sold as a signed and numbered lithograph.

President Obama and his transition team have asked for innovative ideas that will stimulate the U.S. economy. So in December, Cleveland Heights resident Toby Rittner briefed the Obama transition team on matters related to the proposed stimulus package.

Many a resident of the D.C. area hosted friends from all over the country to witness the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.   My friend Barb and I were two of the fortunate ones and prepared for the festivities. With no tickets, we could not enter the Mall area, so we bundled up and found a sunny spot on Independence Street near Third Street.  It was a great vantage point of the Capitol Building. We could not see individual officials on the platform of the Capitol, but could see people moving as they starting taking their seats on the Inauguration level, and listened to the festivities on radios playing nearby.

Doesn’t everyone like chocolate?  Everything from delicious chocolate bars, cakes, drinks and candies, to fresh fruit, sauces, and gorgeous Valentine’s roses displays, sensational sampling is the name of the game at Whole Foods Market’s one-night-only tasting event.

Yes We Did!
We surely did. This day has been a long time coming... so join your friends
and neighbors to celebrate its arrival at Coventry Village’s Big Bouncing
Inaugural Ball!

Cleveland Heights in 2007 was not among the county's top 10 recycling communities, according to the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's newly released 2007 annual report on residential recycling.

What exactly does it mean to be “green” anyway?

Being green is making conscious decisions that benefit your environment, your health, and your local economy.

An empty lot on Lee Road will become green space until a new development project becomes available.

Situated between Meadowbrook and Tullamore roads, the empty lot was planned to be the site of the Terraces on Lee, a mixed use condominium and retail development, by Al Neyer, Inc. The project fell through when not enough condominiums were presold. The current housing slump and economic downturn makes finding a new developer unlikely in the near future.

Helene Morse once found a box on her Ormond Road front porch. Taped to the top was the note, “I hear you mend broken hearts.” Inside was a porcelain figurine, in pieces.

Ruffing Montessori School will host its sixth annual Fine Rug Sale on November 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the school’s gym at 3380 Fairmount Boulevard.  The public is welcome to this event, designed to inform about the unique workmanship and design inherent in these rugs and to display an array at affordable prices.  RugTime!, located in Chagrin Falls, has conducted this sale at Ruffing every year.  The extensive selection of designs and colors includes all sizes: area, runner, and room size.

October saw the completion of the "Heights Center Building Mural East" by Cleveland Heights painter Jesse Rhinehart.

Commissioned by Heights Arts to complement the "Heights Center Building Mural West" installed in 2004 by the same artist on the west-facing facade of the same building, the mural was adapted from a photo in the Cleveland Public Library archives and painted in the artist's Cleveland studio.

Consultants presented three options for a potential redesign of the Cedar-Fairmount business district at a public meeting on Sept. 18 at the Cleveland Heights Community Center. Option A would leave the current footprint of Cedar Road and the sidewalks. Option B would expand the sidewalks on both the north and south sides, creating the feel of a grand avenue. Option C would place a median down the center of Cedar Road, providing a safe stopping place for pedestrians crossing the busy street. Residents broke into three groups to evaluate each option. When the entire group reconvened, Option B seemed to be the clear winner.

What’d you do this summer? Take in the Tribe? Hit the beach?

Or did you spend a week discussing current events with Washington D.C.’s top policy makers? If you’re Mac Hertz, an eleven year-old from St. Ann School, you did.

Mac was one of a select group of fifth and sixth graders from across the nation invited to take part in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) for a week this past June. The JrNYLC is a program that simulates real-world problems for tomorrow’s young leaders to creatively solve.

Spacesuit. Check. Flight path. Check. Airplane. Check. Pre-flight conference with historical aviators. Check. That’s what Cleveland Municipal School students experienced this May during their visit to the International Women’s Air & Space Museum thanks to the efforts of new exhibits designed by students from Beaumont School and John Carroll University. The International Women’s Air & Space Museum (www.iwasm.org) is located at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport. Beaumont alumna, Toni Previte Mullee, '79, is the executive director.

In the heat of the presidential campaign, Obama jewelry has emerged as the height of fashion. Bottle cap dangle Obama earrings and rhinestone-studded Obama brooches are the creation of two local artists -- Phyllis Brody and Bonnie Dolin. They are members of WomenConnect for Obama, a network of over 500 women in Northeast Ohio.

“You are glowing with pride,” said Leszek Gorgol. “It is nice to hear you tell us about Cleveland Heights.”

Mr. Gorgol spoke, through a U.S. State Department interpreter, as one of ten visitors from Poland who recently visited Cleveland Heights. The Poles are leaders in local and regional governments and nonprofit organizations.

Every summer, Cleveland Magazine publishes its Rating the Suburbs issue and injects another dose of steroids into outer-suburban development. No surprise: the ratings are meant to affirm what matters to the people who advertise in Cleveland Magazine.

But these numbers are of little use to people who want to live in a close-in place like Cleveland Heights, University Heights, or Lakewood. We need a rating that measures the things that matter to people who value culture, walkable neighborhoods, aesthetic quality, true community diversity, easy access to urban amenities, a strong presence of local independent businesses, and, of course, good schools, good property values, and reasonable taxes. Call it the WMI: the What Matters Index.

Ike spent some time pruning Cleveland Heights, "City of Trees", Sunday night.

On Sunday, September 28, FutureHeights will recognize the winners of the 4th Annual Best of Cleveland Heights Awards at a public ceremony and reception to be held at Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Road. The event begins at 3:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The University Heights city council meeting on Sept. 15 will determine whether the city proceeds with a charter review that could eventually lead to a city manager form of government.

At issue is an ordinance establishing a commission to look into updating the city’s charter.  Council members voted 5-2 in favor of the ordinance at the council meeting on Sept. 2. Mayor Beryl Rothschild vetoed it the next day. It was, she said, only the second time she’d taken that action in her three decades as mayor.

Council members will decide whether to override or sustain that veto when they meet Sept. 15.  If the ordinance goes forward, a commission could consider shifting power and control from the mayor’s office to a city manager.

There’s a certain sense of adventure in exploring places that, while familiar, still retain a sense of mystery. These are the places that we've always wondered about, be they a building, a home, a forest or a field.

The 32nd annual Heights Heritage Home and Garden Tour will reveal the stories behind some of the city's most interesting residences. The self-guided tour will be held on Sept. 21, from noon until 6 p.m. It is sponsored by the Heights Community Congress, a nonprofit organization dedicated to social justice, fair housing and building community.

Supporters lined Coventry Road Friday, August 22 cheering on participants in the nationally sponsored Breast Cancer 3-Day walk to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Michael and Molly Radke, their baby daughter Fiona, and their friend Patricia Preisel were there to support Patricia’s daughter Connie, a speech pathologist who had once worked at Oxford Elementary School and Roxboro Middle School. Connie was walking for her cousin.

The Heights Observer has expanded its community outreach efforts through collaboration with John Carroll University's WJCU-88.7 FM Radio Station.

Click on "Heights Now Launches" article for MP3 podcast link at: http://www.wjcu.org/media/heights-now

 

Annalyse Kitzberger loves zebras. She loves them so much that the eight-year-old dreams of someday having one of her own.

Her parents, Jeff and Sherri Kitzberger of Cleveland Heights, have their own dream: that a cure for bone marrow disease will soon be found so that Annalyse and others afflicted with the rare illness can be healthy.

To help make their dream come true, the Kitzbergers have devised a special musical and entertainment benefit. "Jungle Jam" is to be held Friday, Oct. 17 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the House of Blues in downtown Cleveland. It will raise funds to help find a cure for bone marrow disease.

There are a lot more flowers in bloom on East Derbyshire Road. Owner-occupants were able to get free landscaping from the city of Cleveland Heights last fall, as part of the kick-off for the East Derbyshire Condo Project, a special city program using Community Development Block Grant funds.

On Sunday, September 28 FutureHeights will announce the winners of the 4th Annual Best of Cleveland Heights Awards, a public opinion survey designed to highlight the most popular businesses in the Heights. Citizens who return a completed ballot to the FutureHeights office by September 2 will be eligible to win a $100 FutureHeights gift certificate.

FutureHeights has formed a new partnership with the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) to encourage consumers and business owners to support locally owned businesses and keep dollars within our community. FutureHeights has promoted local business through its Heights Shops program since 2003. COSE’s new I Buy Northeast Ohio (NEO) program will complement FutureHeights’ existing gift certificate and advocacy efforts.

The Heights Observer is expanding its community outreach efforts through collaboration with John Carroll University’s WJCU-FM Radio Station (88.7). Starting on August 18, WJCU-FM will launch the first in a series of 90-second weekly podcasts featuring stories from the current issue of the Heights Observer.

With about 800 vacant houses in Cleveland Heights, foreclosures are a primary community concern. Three panelists addressed this issue at a program sponsored by the League of Women Voters on June 12 at Cleveland Heights City Hall.

Summer vacation is well underway, but for many kids in Iowa, life is hardly idyllic. Severe flooding has led to evacuations and road closures. As flood waters recede and families are able to return to their homes, their focus will be on essential survival needs: shelter, food and safe water. Meanwhile, children's toys have been ruined.

Enhancing livability in the Cedar-Fairmount business district was the topic of discussion at the Cleveland Heights Community Center on June 5.

In the first of three planned public meetings, residents, business owners, consultants, and public officials focused on transportation. Representatives from City Architecture and Michael Baker Jr., Inc. presented their analysis of existing conditions in the district and attendees shared their reactions and ideas.

As I look forward to studying for a master’s degree in comparative journalism at the University of Swansea, Wales, I feel that I can finally assess how the Heights area has affected me.

As a Shaker Heights resident throughout high school and later an undergraduate linguistics student at Cleveland State University, I have grown to know Cleveland Heights thoroughly, thanks in large part to a good friend whom I'll call "Monica," a native of Cleveland Heights.

The city of Cleveland Heights has formed a steering committee of residents, business owners and other stakeholders in the Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood to guide a planning process for transportation in the Cedar-Fairmount commercial district. The city has retained City Architecture, an architectural firm known for its streetscape plans in urban environments, and Michael Baker, Jr. Inc., an engineering and consulting firm, to assess existing conditions and evaluate opportunities to enhance the district.

Look around and you’ll see them sprouting up on area tree lawns. Unlike the odd mushroom though, these are pretty obvious. They are about the size of a refrigerator and actually sound like one, purring quietly. But don’t expect the city to pick them up on garbage day.

The committee charged to make recommendations for future use of the empty Coventry School ended its deliberations on May 20 with the group recommending the CHUH Board of Education retain the property and either lease it or tear it down.

The global problem-solving skills of a Cleveland Heights native were featured on a nationally syndicated television show April 23.

On April 30th, teams of volunteers from four area Catholic churches simultaneously presented the first draft of a plan to merge their congregations. Parishioners from Saint Ann and Saint Louis of Cleveland Heights and Christ the King and Saint Philomena of East Cleveland gathered at their respective churches to hear the report. Those at Saint Ann were generally receptive to the recommendation that all four churches combine to form one parish. The parish would have two campuses, one at Saint Ann and the other at Saint Philomena. Saint Louis and Christ the King would close and the number of priests currently serving the four parishes would be reduced from four to two.

As Heights citizens join thousands of people across the country to celebrate National Preservation Month this May they join a growing movement of individuals who are working to protect the unique character of their neighborhoods.

On the bayou, they call this a Fais Do-Do. Cleveland Independents is calling it N’awlins Night. Whatever you call it, it’s going to be one heck of an evening.

Grey skies and a few rain drops didn't keep a record number of attendees from the 12th Annual Cleveland Heights High School Alumni Foundation's Pancake Breakfast. Over 500 guests dined on all you can eat pancakes and then took tours of Heights High, taking in the latest in renovations. Proceeds from the breakfast help to support scholarships the Foundation awards to graduating seniors, with nearly $20,000 to be awarded this spring.

Throughout May 2008, the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org) and its thousands of partners across the country will demonstrate the importance of our nation’s heritage as they highlight the preservation movement. The theme of this year’s month-long celebration is “This Place Matters” and the City of Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission, FutureHeights and the Cleveland Heights Historical Society will present a lecture and two tours to celebrate our community and encourage historic preservation of its architectural beauty.

Cleveland Heights is no different than many other struggling cities. With both federal and state budgets strained, Cleveland Heights is feeling the pinch. Budget cuts are on the horizon. After soundly defeating Issue 29, a proposed income tax increase, City Council has aggressively begun to address fiscal challenges facing the city.

The future of the former Coventry Elementary School property is being studied by a nineteen member volunteer committee which has been meeting since March 3rd.

With three meetings of a six meeting schedule completed, the Coventry School Study Committee hopes to present one, or several, recommendations for the property’s use to the Board of Education on May 20th.

The Heights Arts Collaborative, a Cleveland Heights arts organization, has a vision for re-using the Coventry school building that calls for the creation of a model community arts center incorporating strong partnerships, diverse programming, and the formation of an umbrella organization to oversee it all.

As the new executive director of FutureHeights, I am very excited to be leading this organization as we embark upon the exciting project of creating a hyperlocal news resource for our community.