Flower Baskets on Detroit

[Lynn Farris]

I was at the council meeting on Monday night and Council voted to give Mainstreet $13,000 for flower baskets to hang on Detroit in the downtown section only. This is a great idea that I have been wanting to see for many years. I see the pretty baskets in the summer in other cities and have often wondered if they can do it, why can't Lakewood.

So with that in mind, I hate to complain. But one of the goals of Mainstreet I thought was to promote local business. Half of the cost of the baskets is in maintenance - water and fertilizing the flowers. I contacted a few Lakewood landscaping businesses and not one was asked to bid for this Lakewood project and it was my impression that a company in Westlake was going to get the business. I don't mind helping Westlake, but I would have liked to see Lakewood Businesses get the chance to bid. (Maybe some did and I just called the ones that didn't)

In talking with people, Westlake has a senior citizen that does the gardening and maintenance of the flowers in their city (no hanging baskets). She uses a city truck with a water container in it. I thought that was a great idea. Or we could hire a Lakewood College Work Study student (we only pay a small portion of their salary to do this, usually 30%) or a Lakewood HS student. I bet someone could explain to them how to fertilize the flowers etc. I would even think that the buisnesses in the district would be willing to help out by letting them use their water.

I don't know if it is too late to consider Lakewood Seniors Citizens, Students or Businesses this year for the job - but I do hope that Lakewood gets a chance to participate in this exciting project next year.

[Joan Roberts]

Ok, I know there's a piece of the puzzle missing here.

A couple of weeks ago, when I mentioned that a small-business "ombudsman/concierge" should be part of Lakewood's battle plan, it was pointed out to me that the city was in horible financial straits and that a tri-fold brochure was the best we could do to help small business acclimate to the city.

Now, $13,000 for hanging baskets? To a Westlake contractor? Was this a grant of some sort? PLEASE tell me this is not a general fund expenditure. I know it can't be, I just know it. But I want to know the whole story before I start chewing the carpet.

Mr. O, I know you a linchpin in the mayor's PR squad. so surely you know how this one has to play. The full story, please.

[DougHuntingdon]

I have an idea. Maybe we can offset the $13,000 for hanging flowers by charging property owners $75/hour per Lakewood city ordinances for basic lawn mowing. Below is what I encountered today. The first property is located at W117th and Lake Avenue. The black Cadillac with no license plate and a flat tire that has sat there for weeks is a nice final touch. At least the Gateway to the Gold Coast on Edgewater has been cutting their grass, since I complained to the them, the city, and this board, as I now have for these properties today.

Yes, I know my dig camera is no good. You get what you pay for.

http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict00048wz.jpg
http://img197.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict00063oy.jpg
http://img197.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict00075ty.jpg
http://img116.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict00113ad.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict00162jw.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict00162jw.jpg


Doug

PS Sorry, I haven't figured out how to link pics yet, but if you copy/paste you get the idea.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Ok, I know there's a piece of the puzzle missing here.

A couple of weeks ago, when I mentioned that a small-business "ombudsman/concierge" should be part of Lakewood's battle plan, it was pointed out to me that the city was in horible financial straits and that a tri-fold brochure was the best we could do to help small business acclimate to the city.

Now, $13,000 for hanging baskets? To a Westlake contractor? Was this a grant of some sort? PLEASE tell me this is not a general fund expenditure. I know it can't be, I just know it. But I want to know the whole story before I start chewing the carpet.

Mr. O, I know you a linchpin in the mayor's PR squad. so surely you know how this one has to play. The full story, please.

Joan

I have no idea of the dirt on this one. I know that everyone left "Mainstreet" last week excited that they had made a step forward and decided on hanging baskets. I asked about budgets, and all I heard was $6,000 a year to maintain the baskets.

To be honest I am still trying to figure out where they are going?

In my simple little mind it would seem like Mainstreet is frosting the cake before it is cooked. But what do I know about flowers, baskets or impact of flower baskets.

I had heard a rumor that Mainstreet was looking for someone to pay for them. If the money could not be found it might be found somewhere at the city. All rumor.

I think that the movers behind Mainstreet are pushing to get something anything done, to keep the big MO going with committees and such.

I do agree with Lynn, though I swear I heard it before. That there were at least 5 Lakewood companies that could have been asked. Also the Senior center could be utilized to make baskets. The should be nice when they bloom in April, and the straggly greens will ad much to the dreay landscape of Bunts to Arthur in August.

If anyone can clarify please do.

PS - Joan I ate at a Franchise last night and it was edible. Famous Dave's BBQue $9.99 Georgia Pork Sandwich with three sides(2 tablesppons of coleslaw, 2 tablespoons of beans, a corn muffin) Hot sauce was OK.
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[dl meckes]

Doug-

I didn't want to edit your post, but I think I have connected the images that you posted...

[dl meckes]

If you drive down Wooster Road some summer day, there's a building north of Hilliard that always has very attractive flower baskets outside. It looks beautiful.

Every year, I wish that Lakewood merchants would follow their lead.

I'm a sucker for ammenities like this. I like lights in the windows, I love Xmas displays, I adore the Halloween program where kids paint store-front windows and I am positively giddy about flowers, plantings, Adopt-A-Spots, etc.

More than one person has told me that things like Adopt-a-Spots helped influence them to move to Lakewood.

We went to a wedding reception at CAC last night. If you haven't been down that portion of Euclid Avenue, I'll describe it as looking like a war zone. Across the street from CAC is a flower shop in a corner building. The buckets of flowers were lit and that corner of the urban chaos looked warm and inviting.

Are flower baskets frosting the cake before it's baked? Probably so, but I remember when Jacobs Field wasn't finished and Tom Chema turned the lights on. It told all of Cleveland that the new baseball field was coming and where it would be located. I stupidly felt excited about the new project.

There's no reason not to discuss the fine print on who pays whom for what, but I'm naively happy that somebody is kick-starting something. Sometimes you have to get an idea of what something will look like before you really see how it should be done.

And ps, my opinion is completely my own and I have never discussed this issue with anyone besides my DH when we drive down Wooster in the summer months.

[DougHuntingdon]

Thanks for putting in the pics, dl meckes. The grass is literally taller than my waist in some places, and I am of average height! Jim gave me some tips on photo blog, but I haven't figured it out yet.

Doug

[Jim O'Bryan]

There's no reason not to discuss the fine print on who pays whom for what, but I'm naively happy that somebody is kick-starting something. Sometimes you have to get an idea of what something will look like before you really see how it should be done.

DL

When the projected surplus is $60,000, and hanging baskets take up 25% of that. Maybe it should not be fine print in backrooms.

I was approached by a group to help pay for a park. They were all giddy, about this new green space. I was ready to write the check, then Ken told me the entire area was to be ripped up in 2-3 years. Again frosting before the cake is baked.

This represents a flaw in thinking and an act of desperation that the city, and many businesses cannot afford right now. Bad idea, no. But I would be happy with cleaning the buildings behind the flowers first.

I find it fascinating that you know many people that moved to Lakewood because of the "Adopt-a-Spot." While it is nice I thought this was in many other cities as well. It might be one of the things we loose because of the tight budget. Which is worth more, the "Adopt-a-Spots" that attract people to our city or hanging baskets imported from Westlake, or backyard trash pickup, which keeps our streets clean and safe?

Just curious?


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[dl meckes]

Jim-

Jim OB wrote:

I find it fascinating that you know many people that moved to Lakewood because of the "Adopt-a-Spot."

I wrote:

More than one person has told me that things like Adopt-a-Spots helped influence them to move to Lakewood.

I see a basic difference in those two sentences. But I'm happy you're fascinated.

I would prefer that the Chamber of Commerce backs a program like this, but they haven't.

What projected monies were available when the budget was agreed upon isn't a static number. Sometimes the available funds increase or decrease depending on the amount of taxes collected or grants received.

This is one reason why council members wanted to revisit the budget more than once a year.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I wrote:

More than one person has told me that things like Adopt-a-Spots helped influence them to move to Lakewood.

I think this would be a good story fro the paper.

I would prefer that the Chamber of Commerce backs a program like this, but they haven't.

I would also, or Mainstreet as we were told would happen. But I am pretty sure the Chamber has less of a budget than city hall. so I would be surprised if it came from there.

What projected monies were available when the budget was agreed upon isn't a static number. Sometimes the available funds increase or decrease depending on the amount of taxes collected or grants received.

This is one reason why council members wanted to revisit the budget more than once a year.

This is good news. With people spending 25% of the remaining budget on flower baskets from Westlake that are only nice 25%-40% of the year, makes me very happy knowing there is some oversight. Like building a stadium without a roof on the Great Lakes. Actually it is like building a hot dog stand in an open stadium, before the stadium is even built.

Now if we did not have to pay for themI would hold the ladder as those flowers go up.

Don't get me wrong, I like flowers...



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[Lynn Farris]

I was wrong, the total cost of the baskets were $13,000. but the city only spent $10,000. Lakewood Community Progress Incorporated (LCPI) donated $3,000

http://www.ci.lakewood.oh.us/pdf/2006Docket0515.pdf - See page 87. (For DL, I made a .gif of the page - but couldn't figure out how to put an image in)

But if you look at page 88 you will also see that we had the first reading on giving $70,000 to LCPI (2 separate installments using our Federal Block Grants).

Just wanted to clarify.

[dl meckes]

With people spending 25% of the remaining budget on flower baskets from Westlake that are only nice 25%-40% of the year, makes me very happy knowing there is some oversight.

You are assuming that this expenditure is coming from one "place" and that there is a set, finite amount of money in that "place."

I am not convinced that we have the full story.

[Lynn Farris]

But DL and Jim,

My point wasn't whether we should do the baskets or not. I think the baskets look great. I just thought Lakewood Businesses should be able to bid for them. At least the landscaping companies I contacted were not sent bid requests. I think they were still going to try to contact Main Street and try to bid.

[Jim O'Bryan]

But DL and Jim,

My point wasn't whether we should do the baskets or not. I think the baskets look great. I just thought Lakewood Businesses should be able to bid for them. At least the landscaping companies I contacted were not sent bid requests. I think they were still going to try to contact Main Street and try to bid.

Lynn

I agree but also hope that more and more these projects are taken on but businesses(even through the Chamber who gets there money from businesses), or through grants and not the city. It was my understanding that the city had "guaranteed" the $10,000 +. While I love the idea of flower baskets, I wonder what else is on the list, what would have taken us closer to kicking off something in the proper order.

Is self esteem so low that we once again jump at flower baskets between Bunts and Arthur on on Detroit as a grand thing?

I have a friend whose mother goes shopping everyday. A couple days later she takes it all back. The act of shopping makes her feel better but it only addresses the cravings, does not address the problem.

I do not mean to be a downer but unless this was a grant only for flower pots I will always wonder what could be done with the money.

From what the library was looking at the city could go WiFi for $10,000. Two $5,000 units. What would that bring in business or shopping wise? A 1/q page ad every other month in Cleveland Magazine highlighting life and shopping in Lakewood? How about WiFi and two ads letting the area know?

Again, I like flowers.

I also agree with Lynn.


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[Lynn Farris]

What is the status? It is July 6th. Are we getting the baskets this year or not. If they don't move on it soon, it is going to be a little too late for this year.

Anyone know?