Waterfront Development Community Dialogue part 3

Cleveland Waterfront Community Meeting
Thursday, August 13, 2009
St. Ignatius High School, Father Sullivan Gym, 1911 West 30th Street, Cleveland, Oh 44113
5.30 - 8pm

There has been quite a bit of brouhaha regarding the plan to develop Cleveland's waterfront between West 9th and East 9th Street (you know, that huge chuck of land around the football stadium where the Cleveland Port Authority does stuff). These plans (and other variations) have been the main topic of "revitalizing Cleveland" for quite some time now but it appears that this plan, in some variant, may be pushing forward as the Port Authority swears that they are indeed going to be moving to East 55th Street.

To be completely honest, being able to get to the Lake through downtown doesn't really get me too excited since I can already do it via Voinovich Park. I wouldn't mind some more little neighborhoods to visit and some places to eat right on the lake would be a nice amenity to have.

My greatest concern is that any development will price itself right out of the hands of the sort of boutique shops, restaurants and residents that would make the neighborhood INTERESTING. There isn't much to do about that though, these interjected little communities go through their own cycles and unless there is a very strong willed community group watching out for their own good this little area could turn into another one of those ridiculously sterile tourist traps that probably make enough money to justify their existence but really don't do much for the betterment of the city. They may attract some people from out of town but probably not enough to get out of towners interested enough to franchise or move to Cleveland.

Of course the good news is that the Waterfront Plan is slated to move rather slowly so it may actually grow organically enough to develop as a neighborhood should, instead of all at once which typically leads to catastrophic failure as the novelty wears off.

Regardless, the proposal is interesting and looks quite a bit more cohesive than the 2004 plan which may have worked on a much smaller scale (think 2 city blocks) but was too broad stroke for such a large geographical area. This should be an intriguing series of events.

Find out more at the Port of Cleveland website.

Upcoming RTA Informational Meetings

I have a question I suppose I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to, and it may actually prove somewhat useful in continuing these discussions. How much would the RTA have to charge on a typical fares in order to be self sustainable. I don't think the public has any idea who much is subsidized by taxes and grants and that information may help reasonably frame these arguments especially as the cost of car ownership rises (insurance and fuel).

Upcoming RTA Informational Meeting...no particular order I guess:

RTA Informational Meetings

Circulator Neighborhood Location Date Time

Lee-Harvard 801 Harvard-Lee Library Aug. 24 10 to 6
16918 Harvard Ave.
Cleveland

Southeast 802 Southgate Transit Center Aug. 10 10 to 6
5400 Warrensville Center Rd.
Maple Heights

St. Clair-Hough 803 Cleveland Pub. Library-Addison Aug. 18 10 to 6
6901 Superior Ave.
Cleveland

Lakewood 804 Lakewood Public Library Aug. 17 10 to 6
15425 Detroit Ave.
Lakewood

W. 117th Rapid Station Aug. 14 10 to 6
11631 Madison Ave.
Lakewood

Slavic Village 805 Cleveland Pub. Library-Fleet Aug. 19 10-5:30
7224 Broadway Ave.
Cleveland

Euclid-Euclid Beach 806 Euclid Library Aug. 20 10 to 6
631 E. 222nd St.
Euclid

Tremont 807 W. 25th St. Rapid Station Aug. 11 10 to 6
2350 Lorain Rd.
Cleveland

West Shore 808 Westgate Transit Center Aug. 12 10 to 6
21159 Center Ridge Rd.
Fairview Park

Kamm’s Puritas 809 West Park Rapid Station Aug. 13 10 to 6
14510 Lorain Rd.
Cleveland

St. Clair /5 Points 820 Cleve. Pub. Library- Collinwood Aug. 21 10 to 5:30
Branch
856 E. 152nd Street
Cleveland

University Cir/ Hts 821 Cleveland Hts. City Hall Aug. 20 10 to 2
40 Severance Circle
Cleveland Heights

Southwest 822 Westgate Transit Ctr. Aug. 12 10 to 6
21159 Center Ridge Rd.
Fairview Park

For more details and updates or to leave comments
• Call (216) 781-4299,
• Go to rideRTA.com/community meetings
• public-comment@gcrta.org

via The Sound of Ideas

Creative Cash Monies - CPAC Creative Workforce Fellowship (CWF)

Creative Workforce Fellowship

Artists work hard to secure financial resources. CPAC's Creative Workforce Fellowship (CWF) program, made possible through the generous funding of Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, is designed to add a new source of financial investment for eligible Cuyahoga County artists. CWF's purpose is to:

• invest in developing and sustaining professional artists,
• establish a supportive environment for artists that nurtures creativity and innovation, and
• increase awareness of Cuyahoga County artists through their professional contributions within the creative workforce.

There are two cycles of CWF, each awarding a maximum of 20 fellowships. The first cycle is open to eligible Cuyahoga County visual, media, craft, design, and mixed-media artists. The second cycle of CWF includes music, theatre, dance, literary, and interdisciplinary artists who live and work in Cuyahoga County. For its one-year duration, every fellowship offers:

• a $20,000 financial award,
• a membership with the COSE Arts Network,
• a full tuition waiver for CPAC's Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute, and
• inclusion in the publication of Fellows' work.

Learn more about the CWF and eligibility requirements by clicking Creative Workforce Fellowship overview. If you'd like to receive email updates on the CWF process as they become available, please join our online community.

From the Comunity Partnership for Artrs and Culture website

Upcoming Workshops:

Workshop 3: Saturday, August 8, 2009

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Pilgrim Congregational Church (Tremont)

2592 West 14th Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

map

Workshop 4: Monday, August 10, 2009

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Cleveland Heights Public Library

2345 Lee Road

Cleveland, OH 44118

map

Workshop 5: Saturday, August 15, 2009

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Baldwin-Wallace College

Strosacker Hall College Union, Sandstone III

120 East Grand Street
Berea, OH 44017-2088

map

Book Review: Fresh Food From Small Spaces

A couple of days ago I recieved my copy of Fresh Food From Small Spaces by R.J. Ruppenthal. For a couple of years I had been growing small things like herbs and chili peppers in small containers with some amount of minor success. I had even built hanging "window" boxes to start sprouts of lettuces and tomatoes to little avail. They sprouted but either were killed by my ineptitude or by my laziness. I didn't really understand what I was doing but the idea of growing some of my own food was extremely intriguing to me.

This year as I may actually get a tomato and tomatillo yield and my struggling chilies are producing like mad, I am eager to expand. Granted I finally have some decent porch space and solar exposure to exploit but as I have recently become aware that wasn't my entire problem.

It was my technique.

Fresh Food From Small Spaces provides step by step instructions for not only starting your small gardens (broken up by sun type, vertical/horizontal and seasonal) but keeping your plants alive and productive. There are techniques for building your own containers and tips for prolonging your growing season, even through winter with the use of some small solar boxes and careful plant selections. You can find information on yogurts (and other fermented foods), some tips on beekeeping or raising urban chickens (worst band name ever), growing mushrooms and composting to build your own fertilizer.

It was a quick read and since it is laid out like a reference book with resource links and notes, it will function more as a guide than just a good evening read.

Despite some of the chapter headings there really isn't much doomsday talk but there is some information regarding the true cost of food. The issues of creating a sustainable food system are raised although not to an level that would be found annoying, instead it serves as a gentle reminder that some foods may be economically cheap but the hidden costs are important.

I enjoyed the book immensely and have already started planning for my post tomato planting and harvest (I'm thinking peas) and am considering how best to execute a winter garden on my porch (maybe make a pitched glass tent and insulate the heck out of my earthbox - it was a gift from a long time ago).

tomatoes trying oh so hard and chilies coming in like mad!

So....8 weeks later and the HOJO still stands? Amazing.

The city of Cleveland had begun the demolition process in June. The current owners complained they weren't given proper notice and a judge offered a 3 week injunction. However the owners (Lakeview 2006 LLC) recently were given until August 20 to provide some sort of proof that they had been in the process of rehabilitating the site as per the sweet rendering sign that has been posted.

Sure the building is pretty dilapidated and probably didn't even function well as a hotel. Condos though seem to be the quick fix all band-aid to any problem (pre 2008), but with the new housing market I think people are catching on. However the current state of the structure is highly questionable and may not even be fixable which may leave the city in a questionable position if the property owners are proven in the right.

Also, City Council members are Not Pleased.