Latest News

A rendering of the proposed Noble Station development.

On Sept. 18, Cleveland Heights City Council voted 5-2 against Ordinance 143-2023, the proposed development agreement known as the Noble Station Apartments.

Council members Janine Boyd and Anthony Mattox Jr. voted to pass the legislation, while Craig Cobb, Tony Cuda, Melody Joy Hart, Gail Larson, and Davida Russell voted against it.

Plans for the Noble Station development called for a four-story, 52-unit, multi-family affordable housing facility, to be built on city-owned property—approximately 2.08 acres of parcels in the vicinity of Noble and Woodview roads.

Heights Libraries has received a $1,000 grant from local youth advocacy organization MyCom to support programming for National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. The objective is to promote diversity, cultural understanding, and inclusivity by hosting live performers that showcase Hispanic dance and music—the grant money covers the cost of the performers.

“We hope that these programs promote cultural enrichment, community engagement, empathy, and respect,” said Youth Services Associate Felicia Mohammed, who obtained the grant. “We also hope these programs help challenge stereotypes. We are committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, and want to provide the community with programs that do so.”

From kimono clips to candles, Olie's offers a colorful variety of gift items.

View Image Gallery

A fresh approach to gifting and shipping has arrived in the Cedar Lee Business District, near the corner of Lee and Silsby roads.

Olie’s Gift & Ship, which combines a gift store with shipping services, will celebrate its grand opening Thursday, Sept. 7, through Saturday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with fun, festivities, and giveaways planned. All store items will be discounted 15% during the three-day event.

Owners Jason Davis and his wife, Anco Davis, brought the concept of a gift/shipping shop to Cleveland Heights, moving their online-only business from Atlanta in search of a better life for themselves and their toddler, Olie.

As the sun sets over the iconic streets of Coventry Village, the once lively thoroughfare now reveals the shadows of vacant storefronts. The heart and soul of Cleveland Heights, Coventry Village is at a pivotal crossroads, with an alarming one in three of its commercial properties now empty.

We, the Coventry Village Special Improvement District (CVSID), alongside the passionate members of the Coventry Vacancies Working Group, are striving for revitalization.

I took on the role of executive director of CVSID with a deep appreciation for the district's unique charm and cultural significance. Today, I pen this call to action with a sense of urgency, appealing to the collective conscience of our community.

On Sept. 23, the 2023 Heights Music Hop will celebrate its 10th year. Sponsored by the nonprofit FutureHeights, a community development corporation for Cleveland Heights and University Heights, this community event supports local artists and businesses while promoting the Heights to Greater Cleveland.

The Hop, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, will be held at the Noble Gardener’s Market in the morning and in the Cedar Lee District Saturday that night. The event is free.

Kasia Bufford, manager of the Heights Music Hop, expressed excitement about the upcoming event, noting, “The Music Hop committee has created an event that will be diverse with lots of ways for people to participate.”

Boulevard Elementary School marchers at the 2022 Heights Homecoming parade.

View Image Gallery

The 2023 Heights Homecoming Parade, set for Friday, Sept. 22, is on track to be bigger than ever, with a parade route that has been extended thanks to the construction on Lee Road.

The parade will begin at 5 p.m. on Scarborough Road, near Fairfax Elementary School, and head north through the Lee Road business district. Instead of ending on Tullamore Road, as in the past, the parade will continue north, crossing Cedar Road—with police assistance, and only when the traffic light is green—then turning onto Washington Boulevard, behind the high school.

Carlos Jones

University Heights City Hall and John Carroll University (JCU) are separated by only a few blocks. Sometimes, though, the distance can feel like miles. UH City Hall staff and DJs at the campus radio station are looking to do something about that—with a little help from a group of Cleveland reggae legends.

Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band will perform at the inaugural University Heights Back to School Concert on Thursday, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m., on the JCU campus. Weather permitting, the show will be held outside at the Hamlin Quad. If it rains, the concert will take place indoors at Kulas Auditorium. All are welcome.

Djapo presents drumming exercises at the Cultural Arts Center at Disciples Christian Church. [photo: Ron Werman]

View Image Gallery

The congregation of Disciples Christian Church (located at the corner of Mayfield and Yellowstone roads) is joyfully partnering with the arts community to share its 30,000-square-foot building.

The church's Cultural Arts Center (CAC) welcomes local artists of all genres, and seeks to collaborate with community partners to create a safe, accessible place where young people can engage in artistic expression that reflects the community's diversity.

Over the last three years, congregation and community volunteers have transformed the entire building into flexible space to accommodate a diverse array of art experiences.

Deidre McPherson speaking at Crowdsourced Conversations "Traveling Around Town" in June. [photo: Sarah Wolf]

View Image Gallery

Crowdsourced Conversations is a forum series that prioritizes action-oriented, small-group discussions on topics significant to the Heights community. Each topic begins with a Heightswide survey that helps to inform the discussion.

This September, a communitywide survey on the topic of "Planning and Development in the Heights," the final topic in this year's series, will be live. All Heights stakeholders and residents are encouraged to participate. All responses are anonymous.

The survey can be accessed online on the FutureHeights website, www.futureheights.org. Details about the forum itself—now in the planning stages and slated for late October or early November—will be available soon.

This fall, Cleveland will celebrate Superman, the world’s first comic book superhero, with Superman’s Cleveland, Sept. 6 through Nov. 2. Scholars, comic book lovers, and fans can partake of almost two months of Superman-focused book discussions, comics-making workshops, live interviews with creators, and more. 

The city of University Heights shares in the legacy. Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, Superman's creators, moved from Glenville to University Heights in the 1940s, as they began to achieve some success.

Shuster and Siegel created Superman in 1933, as high school students in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood.

Lisa Rainsong recording birdsong.

The late summer and early fall season brings a chorus of singing insects. That thrumming hum is the music of nature, as described by Lisa Rainsong, a longtime music theory professor at Cleveland Institute of Music and a professional naturalist who specializes in the music of Earth’s first musicians: birds, insects and amphibians.

On Sept. 18, 6:30–8 p.m., QuietClean Heights will host a free public program presented by Rainsong, “Birds and Insects are Listening,” to kick off a public awareness campaign across Cleveland Heights and its surrounding communities. The program will take place at the Lee Road Library, 2345 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights.

To the Editor:

I looked forward to watching the Aug. 14 Cleveland Heights City Council hearing with city administrator nominee Danny Williams. Williams had already reached out to individual members of council, which I saw as positive a first step toward building working relationships with them.

The hearing, however, turned out to be barely even pro forma. Since private one-on-one meetings with Williams gave council members a chance to query him, only one asked him any questions in this public setting. Thus, what seemed like a good idea in effect deprived residents of a window on the vetting process.

To the Editor:

This summer, Cleveland Heights has seemed to let the scofflaws rule. Motorcycle noise, day and even late at night, has disturbed the peace usually enjoyed by taxpaying homeowners.

Major roadways, such as Lee, Taylor, Cedar, Mayfield and Monticello, have become favorite speedways as motorcycles fly by, over speed limits, often with music blaring in addition to their no-muffler vehicles.
 
Cleveland Heights DOES have a noise ordinance (509.03), but authorities seem deaf to it. At one time, Cleveland Heights residents lived in fear of being ticketed for an unruly muffler. Why is this noise being tolerated now?

To the Editor:

Fifty years ago, I was a pretty, young art student working on Coventry and causing romantic havoc wherever I went. All of my girlfriends were interesting and cute and also caused a lot of havoc. I hated the war and worked on ending it in between making jewelry and hanging out in the coffee houses and bars in Cleveland Heights and University Circle.

Now, I'm an elderly, crippled woman with no car. I do have a mobility scooter, though. Had to renew my ID at the DMV to vote because—another birthday. Durn, every year! DMV is several miles away. A little worried about the range I had with the scooter, but I did it. Rode up on Sparky all the way.

To the Editor:

As a citizen of Cleveland Heights for 35 years, I would like to mention some cool things Sue (my wife) and I noticed as we walked, rolled, and biked around the Heights.

People are moving into the new apartments at the Top of the Hill. We see signs of life, like plants out on the balconies. Next door, Nighttown is looking good; the deep blue wall colors are quite attractive.

It's great to see Coventry Road getting resurfaced, and it will be so much smoother for bicycles when it's finished. The “bike the city” people rode past our house recently; it sounded like they were having fun.

Mayor Seren is making his second attempt to fill the position of Cleveland Heights city administrator. And he offered an excellent candidate—he nominated Danny Williams.

Mayor Seren allowed this position to remain vacant for much too long. Daily tasks of local government require supervision by a talented professional.

The mayor previously hired Joe Sinnott as city administrator. But because Mayor Seren used him poorly, his talents were wasted. Sinnott resigned in April. Since then, the new form of government has not operated as designed.

We will not really know whether we were able to increase the diversity and abundance of pollinators necessary for our plants to flourish this season by not mowing in May. This would make a good research thesis for some graduate student. But one of the main goals of the No Mow May movement is to get people thinking and talking about the maintenance of their yards from an environmental perspective. In that respect, Mayor Seren’s declaring Cleveland Heights a No Mow May community was a huge success.

Because of this movement, people around the country and here in the Heights have been made more aware of pollinator declines that will eventually lead to ecosystem collapse. Biodiversity loss is on the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2022 as one of the top three threats facing humans today.

The old Coventry School. Nice building—but it felt like prison to me.

School has already started here in Cleveland Heights and University Heights. I think I might write this every September, but, if so, here it comes again: I hated the opening of the school year. Every year. Right from the start. I didn’t want to go to kindergarten. Or any grade thereafter, in all my years at Coventry Elementary, Roosevelt Junior High and Heights High.

My granddaughter, who’s starting third grade in a CH-UH school, loved kindergarten, and first and second grade. Which is wonderful. Her brother did kindergarten last year. I think he thought it was okay. Tolerable, at least. Which is better than my situation. I just wanted out.

When considering candidates for Cleveland Heights City Council, we should look at what they have accomplished. Melody Joy Hart’s record over the past four years includes some impressive legislative successes for our city.

Among other things, Council President Hart collaborated with the Cleveland Heights court, prosecutor’s office, and Home Repair Resource Center to create a diversion program for homeowners with housing violations that keeps them out of court and helps them repair their homes.

She proposed legislation and collaborated with her fellow council members to approve permanent extension of pay-to-stay legislation for tenants so that their homes remain stable, amending foreclosure bonds, out-of-county registry and vacant building registry, giving [legislation] more teeth and adding a civil option for prosecution of fines; . . .

A tale of two cities will continue to be my tagline for and reference to Cleveland Heights until city council and the mayor take action on more equitable efforts, including development and resources for the north side of the city. After all, this was the mayor’s top priority—equitable investment in the neighborhoods. I’m still waiting.  

In the noise around the Noble Station project, supporters want to use the term "affordable housing" to distinguish it from "low-income housing"—as if "affordable" is better or different. It's pretty much the same thing, when some rents will be as low as $400.

At the Aug. 7 CH City Council meeting, residents of Noble neighborhood showed up to oppose the plan. Noble Road has more than its share of low-income, affordable apartments in a span of several blocks; one more is NOT needed.

Things on CH City Council are not going well. The past 20 months have been marked by a constant struggle to get information from the administration, council’s failure to compromise on a replacement for Josie Moore, and council leadership’s inability to establish any rules or priorities after three retreats. The result has been a largely unproductive, unfocused, slow-moving, and sometimes adversarial city council.

There have, however, been moments where things have been calm and the business of the city moves forward as it should. The vast majority (98%-plus) of perfunctory legislation put forward by the administration moves ahead without incident.

The heart of a true public servant is hyper-focused on what is best for the people they serve. Melody Joy Hart is hyper-focused on the city of Cleveland Heights.

Hart has truly leaned into her position as city council president and has turned what is normally a part-time job into a full-time effort to successfully and gracefully lead our city through this time of change.

Being city council president is not an easy task! Under a lot of pressure, and sometime provocation, Hart leads her colleagues on council forward to the betterment of Cleveland Heights.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s "Jesus Christ Superstar," which debuted in the 1970s, portrays the final days of Jesus of Nazareth as told through the eyes of Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 apostles. Judas worries that Jesus’ followers are heading in the wrong direction, Jesus and his movement will be destroyed by the Romans, and his message will be forgotten. The work was known for its contemporary attitude, use of contemporary slang in its lyrics, and ironic allusions to modern life.

A new production of this long-running rock opera will debut in Cleveland Heights this fall.

In a production by Willow's Edge Creations, a new Cleveland-based theater company started by longtime friends and creative partners Mary Miller and Denise Astorino, the show speaks to our current age.

Dobama, Cleveland Heights' own off-Broadway theater, kicks off its 64th season this fall.

Between October and May, Dobama Theatre will produce five plays by American playwrights in its Lee Road venue.

The new season begins on Oct. 6, with Dobama's production of "Make Believe," written by Bess Wohl, and directed by Nathan Motta, Dobama's artistic director. "Make Believe" tells the story of siblings who use a popular childhood pastime, a game of make-believe, to recreate and reveal their family’s everyday lives, and the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface, as they grow up together. 

Stormy Night at Blue Lake (detail), by Helen Murrell. 

View Image Gallery

The Fall Show at The Nicholson B. White Gallery at St. Paul's Episcopal Church will open on Sept. 8, featuring the diverse work of three Cleveland Heights artists—Helen Murrell, Brian Sarama, and Martha Shiverick.

The community is invited to the opening reception on Friday, Sept. 8, 5–7 p.m., featuring live music by Forest City String Band.

The show, on view until Sunday, Nov. 26, will feature handmade quilts, oil and acrylic paintings, and sculptural ceramics. The artists' themes include neighborhood and family, nature and the environment, and food and consumption. 

St. Paul's Church, at 2747 Fairmount Blvd. in Cleveland Heights, welcomes the community to its events and services throughout the year.

Surreal Reverie (Composition 2), by Jordan McConnell, Alison Miltner Rich, and Jim Pojman.

As a nonprofit arts organization, Heights Arts has long helped facilitate programming across disciplines, from music to writing to visual arts. Now, visitors to the Heights Arts gallery can experience an exhibition that entwines the three into one, with Collaborage.

Open through Oct. 15, the show celebrates surrealism at its purest; it's a celebration of expression.

“It's a great time to explore surrealism,” said participating artist Lacy Talley. “Surrealism sought to overthrow the oppressive rules of modern society by demolishing its backbone of rational thought. I believe the art scene in Cleveland and across the world is in a renaissance. Living artists are receiving more appreciation for their works, and the avenues to explore artistry are endless, especially with the evolution of technology.”

Who owns Cleveland Heights? A glib answer would be: homeowners, commercial and residential landlords and, to some extent, the city itself. But to whom does municipally owned property really belong? We say it belongs to the people.

Much city government business involves controlling land use by modifying and enforcing zoning and building codes and courting economic development. Since the one-two punch of subprime mortgages and the foreclosure crisis starting around 2009, various Cleveland Heights administrations have grappled with the ongoing fallout.

Attempts to manage it have included contracting with two community-development corporations, FutureHeights and Start Right. Both have renovated and sold salvageable houses previously owned by the city. Start Right also is building new infill housing on city-owned lots in Caledonia. 

Students at LEI's Fairytales in Bloom 2023 Summer Camp.

As kids head back to school this fall, Lake Erie Ink (LEI) is creating opportunities for youth to have happy and meaningful interactions with words. 

LEI’s programs encourage creative expression in an environment designed to bring out the fun. One student, who attended LEI’s Dungeons & Dragons program, said, “It was a really fun experience. It made Friday my favorite day of the week.”

This fall’s theme is Words Shine Bright, emphasizing the power of students’ words to have a positive impact on the world. LEI’s programs are centered on the voice and expression of youth. Students learn to write and perform poetry, craft comics, and tell stories that are meaningful to them.

I recently used this column to beseech readers not to sit out the Aug. 8 special election. Proponents of Issue 1, a constitutional amendment that would have made it more difficult to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot and then to pass it, hoped to sneak the noxious initiative through during a low-turnout summer election.

Cleveland Heights and University Heights voters, and others across the state, went to the polls in large numbers and defeated a bad idea. Nearly 19,000 Heights residents cast ballots.

I can’t resist data. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website reports turnout numbers and the percentage of yes and no votes for every precinct. My dive into the data gave me a wonderful lift. Voters in the Heights came through big time and showed what democracy-loving towns we are.

Home Repair Resource Center (HRRC), 2520 Noble Road in Cleveland Heights, will offer the following classes in September:

Sept. 12, 7–9 p.m., Locks and Doors. Learn to repair and replace doors and locks. 
The fee for this class is $25

Sept, 19, 7–9 p.m., Drywall Basics. In this class students will learn the basics of hanging and repairing drywall. The fee for this class is $25.

Sept. 25, 7–9 p.m., Insulating and Weatherizing Your Home. Experts from Berry Insulation will provide information on preparing your home for the cold winter months. This class is free.

The NLWS 2023 cohort. [photo: Sarah Wolf]

View Image Gallery

Applications for the 2024 cohort of FutureHeights' Neighborhood Leadership Workshop Series (NLWS) open Sept. 1. This multidisciplinary, strengths- and skills-based program provides opportunities for both emerging and established grassroots leaders to take a deep dive into community-building tactics and resources that can help strengthen their neighborhoods.

For the first time, the 2024 program will expand to include University Heights residents in addition to Cleveland Heights residents. The deadline to apply is Jan. 12.

An urban mini-forest will be planted on the northeast side of Coventry PEACE Building. The dark green spaces indicate where trees will be planted.

Beginning this fall, Heights Libraries will partner with Heights Tree People to build a mini-forest behind the Coventry PEACE Building. The Heights Libraries Urban Mini-Forest project is supported, in part, by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public tree planting and maintenance grant from Cuyahoga Healthy Urban Tree Canopy.

The mini-forest will comprise the planting of 62 large canopy trees and 150 understory trees and plants, prioritizing native species to help expand Cleveland Heights’ tree canopy.

“The urban mini-forest is a unique library project that allows us to expand our services beyond the walls of the library buildings,” said Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin. “We are excited to offer a space for environmental programming. This is an opportunity for us to model environmental stewardship at the PEACE Park.”

John Zagara, FutureHeights' Person of the Year.

View Image Gallery

Despite the threat of storms, and a power outage just hours before the event, guests enjoyed a beautiful evening under the stars celebrating and raising funds for the community-building work of FutureHeights at the nonprofit's annual benefit party, "A Summer Night’s Dream," on Saturday, July 29, at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. 

The evening included live orchestral music from Opus 216, musical stylings by DJ Neilism, costumed performers from Robin VanLear and company, and a delicious selection of food and drink from The Fairmount, Quintana’s, and CLE Urban Winery. 

During the program, guests heard remarks from Kristine Pagsuyoin, FutureHeights’ new executive director. John Zagara, FutureHeights’ "Person of the Year," was honored for his commitment to Zagara’s Marketplace, and he spoke of his love for the Heights community.

Sauce the City owner Victor Searcy Jr.

For the past month, Victor Searcy Jr. and his staff have been helping to feed employees, patients, and visitors at MetroHealth Cleveland Heights Medical Center at 10 Severance Circle.

Searcy's Sauce the City Express opened July 31 on the second floor of the medical office building, offering a different featured menu item, and a selection of gourmet coffees, each weekday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Searcy is a graduate of Benedictine High School and Kent State University, where he honed his entrepreneurial skills.

Sauce the City is known for its chicken and flavorful sauces. Since February 2022, Searcy has operated a takeout-only spot in the Cedar Green shopping center, at 14480 Cedar Road in University Heights.

Heights Tree People voluteers planting trees with students from Caledonia Elementary School on Arbor Day.

Last summer, Susan Miller, a longtime Cleveland Heights resident and environment advocate, gave the Cleveland Heights Green Team (CHGT) an infrared thermometer.

“She asked us to measure the mid-day temperature at some of the city’s heat islands, such as Severance, and neighborhoods north of Mayfield Road, and compare them to temperatures in parks and neighborhoods with significant tree coverage,” recalled Catalina Wagers, CHGT's co-founder. “She wanted us to see both the inequality and the need for better tree canopy distribution across the city."

A study published by the research institution Resources for the Future indicates that highly developed urban areas can experience mid-afternoon temperatures 15–20 degrees Fahrenheit higher than surrounding vegetated areas.

Roxboro Middle School scholars cheering on one another before a performance.

View Image Gallery

Open Doors Academy (ODA) has partnered with the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District for more than three decades, offering a wide range of activities and support services. Its programs aim to provide young scholars with the tools they need to thrive academically, socially, and behaviorally.

Registration is open now for ODA's upcoming programs, which begin Sept. 5. Programming takes place at Roxboro and Monticello middle schools, and Heights High.

Middle-school and high-school students enrolled in ODA's after-school enrichment program gain access to a supportive community that is committed to their growth and success.

The home at 901 Englewood Road will be completely renovated and then offered for sale.

FutureHomes has entered into a partnership with Yosemite Construction and Management to renovate the home at 901 Englewood Road.

FutureHeights established its FutureHomes program in 2009 to promote fair housing practices and increase owner-occupancy rates.

Since its inception, and with the generous support of the city of Cleveland Heights, the program has been able to renovate more than 20 vacant homes in the city and make them available to owner-occupants.

The big slide.

View Image Gallery

At a public meeting on Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Heights Libraries Coventry Village Branch, landscape architect Andrew Sargeant shared the latest designs for the new Coventry PEACE Park. The event marks the sixth time the library has solicited feedback on park designs. 

Heights Libraries contracted with Sargeant in June 2021 to begin working on a design for a new park and playground that would better accommodate community members of all abilities and ages. The latest designs are the result of public feedback gathered at public events held since the summer of 2021.

Doan Brook Watershed Partnership again will host "Take to the Lake” on Saturday, Aug. 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event resurrects the 20th-century tradition of boating on the Shaker Lakes. Participants can enjoy an afternoon of paddling, guided hikes, yoga, and live music along the banks of historic Lower Shaker Lake, part of both Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights.

Cleveland Metroparks will conduct 1¼-hour kayak lessons, offering participants an opportunity to learn the basics of paddling and enjoy some time on the water. Lessons are $15 for adults, and $5 for kids 8–15.

Canoe and kayak rentals will be offered for $20 per hour, for experienced paddlers who don't own a boat.

Renovare, a dynamic chamber ensemble, will present a free performance at the Millikin playground (1700 Crest Road) on Wednesday, Aug. 23 (rain date: Aug. 24), at 7 p.m.

The Millikin Neighborhood Group is delighted to host Renovare for a third year, as part of the group's community-building efforts. The event is funded through a 2023 FutureHeights Neighborhood Mini-Grant. While the event is free, the organizers encourage donations to the artists.

Renovare, a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Cleveland, bridges divided communities and creates restorative experiences through music, stories, and conversation.

Damon Frabotta in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 4.

View Image Gallery

Cleveland Heights resident Damon Frabotta earned the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2023 Pan American U20 Championships, held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Aug. 4–6.

Frabotta is a rising sophomore at Boston College, and a former standout hurdler for Saint Ignatius High School, from which he graduated in 2022.

Frabotta clinched one of two coveted spots on Team USA’s Junior National Team at the USA Track & Field U20 Junior Nationals, held at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., July 8 and 9. There, Frabotta took the silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles, and set both a personal record and a Boston College record in the event, with a time of 51.89.   

The Pan American U20 Athletics Championships are a biennial sports event for track and field organized by the Association of Pan-American Athletics (APA) open to junior (Under 20) athletes from member and associate member associations.

10K Movement members at the Lords of the Land Festival at Severance Music Center in July. [photo: 10K Movement]

View Image Gallery

For the third consecutive year, the Millikin Neighborhood Group is bringing the award-winning dance group 10K Movement to the community.

The group's members will conduct a free Hip Hop Dance Class at the old Millikin school playground (1700 Crest Road) on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at 5 p.m. (The rain date is Thursday, Aug. 17.) Samuel McIntosh, founder and executive director of 10K Movement, will lead the class. He'll provide some history of the genre, and teach some basic moves for novices.

Millikin Neighborhood Group is funding the event through a 2023 Future Heights Mini Grant. While the 10K Movement event is free, donations to the performers are encouraged.

The mission of the nonprofit 10K Movement is to preserve, present and cultivate authentic hip hop and street dance culture in Greater Cleveland and beyond.

AUGUST 7, 2023 - regular meeting

• Public comment
• Mayor’s report
• Clerk of council’s report
• Council actions
• Council member comments
• Committee of the whole
  
  

Present were Mayor Kahlil Seren, Council President Melody Joy Hart, Council Vice President Craig Cobb, and Council Members Janine Boyd, Tony Cuda, Gail Larson, and Anthony Mattox Jr. Davida Russell was not present. Also present were Addie Balester, clerk of council, and William Hanna, law director. The meeting ran one hour and 15 minutes.

AUGUST 1, 2023 - regular meeting

• Recognitions and awards
• Holocaust education
• Heights School Foundation update
• Superintendent announcements
• Treasurer’s report
• Board comments
  
  

Present were President Beverly Wright, Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting lasted about one hour and thirty minutes.

AUGUST 7, 2034

• Noble library building 
• Board actions
  
  

Board members present were Patti Carlyle, Dana Fluellen, Secretary Annette Iwamoto, Tyler McTigue, and Vice President Vikas Turakhia. Max Gerbec, and Melissa Soto-Schwartz were not present. The meeting lasted 60 minutes.

JULY 17, 2023

• Technology presentation
• Noble library building 
• Board actions
• Director’s report
• DEI plan 
• 2022 strategic plan annual report
• Public service report
  
  

Board members present were Patti Carlyle, Dana Fluellen, Secretary Annette Iwamoto, Melissa Soto-Schwartz, Tyler McTigue, and Vice President Vikas Turakhia. Max Gerbec was not present. The meeting lasted 90 minutes.

JULY 10, 2023 - special meeting

• Committee assignment
• Council actions
  
  

Present were Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan, and Council Members Brian J. King, Threse Marshall, John P. Rach, Sheri Sax, and Win Weizer. Vice Mayor Michele Weiss and Christopher Cooney were not present. Also present were Kelly Thomas, clerk of council; Luke McConville, law director; Dennis Kennedy, finance director; and Joseph Ciuni, city engineer. The meeting ran 34 minutes.