Keep Lakewood Beautiful Presents Beautiful Homes To Council

Council President, and Ward II Councilman Sam O’Leary called the April 18, 2016 Council meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. The first order of business was to excuse the absence of Councilman Ryan Nowlin (At-Large) who was still absent do to family illness. Council did so.

Next, Council listened to the Keep Lakewood Beautiful Committee (KLB) present the 2015 Beautiful Home Awards. KLB is a small board which facilitates five programs throughout the year to help foster and support residents in the goal of helping to keep Lakewood a beautiful city. The programs include the Adopt-a-Spot Program; the Annual Earth Day Clean Up event, taking place April 30th this year; the spring humus sale; the tree committee, which helps steward and appropriate trees throughout the city; and finally the Annual Beautiful Home Awards.

Every year KLB accepts nominations for homes all over the city. In 2015 they received 70 nominations. An award is given to one house in each of the seven elementary school attendance areas. They begin by narrowing down their choices to two for each district, then submitting those to a vote from the KLB board, LakewoodAlive, and a professional landscaper. The 2015 winners were Anne and Don Steiner of 1212 Granger Avenue; Andrew and Stefania Bodjanac and Anne Rusnak of 1124/26 Summit Avenue; Adrienne and Greg Good of 1488 Parkway; Tim Kaye and Robert Gallagher of 1488 Belle Avenue; Carol Wilson of 2231/33 Northland Avenue; Bill and Laura Cannon of 2090 Baxterly Avenue; and Cindy and Jake Marx of 1587 Grace Avenue.

Councilman O’Leary thanked all the award recipients for all the work they do to help keep Lakewood an attractive place. He also thanked the KLB board for their work recognizing these people, and all the hard work they do throughout the year supporting the community.

Next, Councilman Tom Bullock (At-Large) briefed Council with a report from the Public Works Committee regarding the traffic signal replacement program, which is slated to continue with Franklin Boulevard and Hilliard Road. Spanning several years, this is the continuance of a program that has replaced the traffic signals on Clifton Boulevard, Detroit Road, and Madison Avenue. The Public Works Committee was reviewing a resolution that would allow the City to enter into a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation, who has been the City’s partner in this program. The original resolution asked Council to allow the expenditure of just under $510,000; however, during discussion that amount was reduced by about $70,000 to $441,118. That total put the City’s responsibility at just about 20% of the projected $2.1 million project.

The City will retain all but one traffic light in the project area. The light at the intersection of Hilliard Road and North Marginal was determined to be unwarranted for the current volume of traffic, as defined by the State.

Council passed the resolution.

The final item on the agenda was a report from Finance Director Jennifer Pae regarding the Wednesday, April 6, 2016 meeting of the Board of Revision of Assessments. The Board was meeting to discuss the proposed assessments to the owners of Meridian Condominiums for the cost of a shoreline project the Condominiums sought. Several members of the public were in attendance to give their opinion on the matter. There were both members in favor and against the shoreline erosion protection project. The Board reviewed the initial assessment report and found no reason to adjust the amounts given in it. After deliberations the Board found that the project was a necessary public improvement and passed it unanimously.

Director Pae informed Council that a final assessment ordinance should be on the docket for the following meeting.

Coming to the public comment portion of the meeting, lots of people were in attendance to speak. For the third meeting a sizable group from the Lake Shore Towers was there to complain about the misshandling of a bed bug situation in their building. Also present were the many regulars from the Save Lakewood Hospital contingent. New to this meeting however, was a gentleman by the name of Tom Yanks. Mr. Yanks was there to comment on statements he has seen in the news about the Council considering relaxing or changing the nature of its vicious dog ordinance and pit bull ban. In light of a recent mauling of a six year old boy on his street, Mr. Yanks asked that the City reconsider its position on the canine legislation, and strengthen it rather than relaxing it.

With no further business before the Council, Council President O’Leary adjourned the meeting at 9:14 p.m.