From City Hall - August LKWD Block Club update

[marklingm]

From City Hall:

From: McEwen, Colin [mailto:Colin.McEwen@lakewoodoh.net]
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2015 2:03 PM
To: [redacted]
Subject: August LKWD Block Club update


Hello, Block Club captains.

As you all know, Block Clubs in Lakewood create a greater sense of community among neighbors, first through the common goal of improving the neighborhood and second by bringing them together during Block Club meeting and events.

I wanted to follow up with you about some of the happenings in Lakewood. You might want to pass them along to fellow block club members.

• Rash of motor vehicle thefts: The Lakewood Police Department would like residents to be aware of recent thefts of motor vehicles. During the past week, Lakewood has had five Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth Mini Vans stolen from streets. Most of the thefts were on the East End and occurred in the early morning hours. The vehicles are generally over 10 years old; these vans are still easy for thieves to steal because of an ignition system that can easily be compromised. On Sunday, August 16, we recovered two of the stolen vans and made three arrests — two juveniles and one adult, all from Cleveland. Please be vigilant about securing your vehicles and reporting suspicious activity. A Lakewood resident reporting some suspicious activity was directly responsible for the Lakewood Police Department being able to respond to a crime in progress and making the arrests. Please use 911 if you see any suspicious activity.

• Community visioning workshops regarding Lakewood Hospital: While no decisions have been made regarding the future of Lakewood Hospital, residents are invited to attend a series of workshops intended to offer feedback on design concepts for the land currently occupied by the hospital. For more, click here [url](http://www.onelakewood.com/mayor-city-c ... velopment/[/url]). Open to the public, the City of Lakewood and Lakewood City Council will co-host the community visioning workshops, which will take place in the community room at University of Akron Lakewood branch (parking is free after 6:30 p.m. in the lot next door to UAL, or there is parking behind First Federal Lakewood and Geiger’s). The first session is slated to take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 19; additional meetings will be announced soon.

• City of Lakewood consultant Huron releases final analysis of proposed plan for Lakewood Hospital: Lakewood city officials received the final report last week from Huron Consulting Group, an independent national consulting firm hired by the city of Lakewood to assist the city in its due diligence following a January 2015 proposal by the Cleveland Clinic and Lakewood Hospital Association over the future of Lakewood Hospital. For more on the report, click here (http://www.onelakewood.com/city-of-lakewood-consultant-huron-releases-final-analysis-of-proposed-plan-for-lakewood-hospital/). Huron’s final report to the City of Lakewood is available online (http://www.onelakewood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Huron-Consulting-Final-report.pdf), and its lead consultant, John Bodine, will discuss Huron’s findings at a public City Council committee meeting 6 p.m. tonight (Monday, Aug. 17) at Lakewood City Hall.

• Work begins on third phase of Madison Avenue resurfacing project: The first two phases of the multi-million-dollar project to resurface Madison Avenue are completed. Work on the third and final phase — from Bunts Road to W. 117th Street — is now underway. The contractor, Shelly Construction, segmented the 2.6-mile resurfacing project into three phases, finishing each phase before moving on to the next one. The south side of the third phase could be completed as soon as Aug. 21. The entire project will be finished by mid-October. For an interactive map of all of the construction projects around Lakewood, click here. “I think everyone in Lakewood agrees that this project is long overdue, so we’re looking forward to completing this work,” said Mayor Michael Summers. “We are grateful for our residents’ and business owners’ support and patience during this process.”

• Take a look at the city’s newly revamped website: The city of Lakewood recently launched its redesigned website, onelakewood.com. The goal of the redesign effort was to make the site easier to use, more searchable, and structured for the residents — all by using data-driven analysis about why people visit the website. The site has the capacity to allow residents to fill out forms directly on the site (including Report a Problem (http://www.onelakewood.com/report-a-problem-concern/)) or to pay your bills. There are still a few bugs to work out so if you notice anything out-of-the-ordinary (or can’t find what you’re looking for), please send us an email (colin.mcewen@lakewoodoh.net). Another good thing about the site: It’s much easier to make improvements.

We appreciate your continued leadership and valuable work in our community, and hope that we continue to keep these important lines of communication strong. As always, we value your feedback and input.

I am available in the mayor’s office for any questions you may have; please feel free to email (colin.mcewen@lakewoodoh.net) or call me at anytime at 216-529-6602.

Thanks again for your continued support.

Colin McEwen
Public Information Officer, City of Lakewood