Is Lakewood Being Kept Beautiful?

[Lori Allen _]

Driving up and down Detroit today, I saw a large amount of graffiti on various buildings. It seems to have hit on Detroit between Belle and Nicholson. As I don't want to give the gangs and/or taggers exposure, I will refrain from posting the photos I have of the graffiti. However, if you want to see it for yourself, here are the addresses:

14404 Detroit (the east wall of Chinor, next to Cotton)
14206 Detroit (the clothing donation box on the former filling station lot)
13535 Detroit (rear wall of the seemingly vacant medical building at Detroit/Elbur)
13439 Detroit (front window of what used to be a Burmeese Market)
13415 Detroit (fence next to Katie's Laundry)

Now, the real question is: will the city get out there tomorrow and make sure the graffiti is removed before next weekend's Summer Meltdown? Five days should be plenty of time to serve the property owners with correction notices. I would think we would want those who visit Lakewood for the Summer Meltdown to see what a clean city we have.

On another note, I don't think the city is very proactive in keeping early and late garbage set-outs in check. It seems that one can't drive for five minutes on a Monday and see mattresses, sofas, etc. out on tree lawns when garbage day isn't until Friday. I understand that there are certain extenuating circumstances that sometimes can't be helped (elderly people, death in the family). I know that if you have certain medical conditions or are elderly, the refuse department will come and collect your garbage on an off day. In my opinion, the city needs to make it more known that this service is available to certain eligible individuals. However, I feel that this problem is growing way out of hand and needs to be nipped in the bud.

Finally, I wanted to mention the disgusting state of the parking lot of the old GetGo filling station at Detroit and Manor Park as well as the state of the clothing donation boxes at the Giant Eagle grocery store lot. I could go on and on as to what is wrong with them, but I feel that these pictures could be worth a thousand words. I will do a follow-up on the graffiti and the parking lots on Friday and report back here on any progress.

According to Timothy Laskey's article in the LO Continuing A Relentless Focus On Growth, Safety And Service, Summers Seeks Re-Election As Mayor, he says "Lakewood has invested thoughtfully to add to its attractiveness, protect our health and provide economic stability long into the future."

For some reason, I am really not seeing this, especially in our neighborhoods.

I will be posting a part two, which will be more pictures in a few minutes.

Climbing off the soap box now...

[Lori Allen _]

Part two: early and late garbage set-outs:

[Lori Allen _]

This weekend was the arts festival. I have heard that people come to Lakewood from all around the state and even the country for this event. First, I will say that I believe Lakewood puts on a fabulous art festival every year. However, I am a bit concerned since I have traveled many of the streets and I have found many of them to have garbage all over their tree lawns. Please bear in mind that this garbage is not out a day early, we are talking three or more days early. Many of the streets I saw the garbage on were streets that art festival attendees were likely to park on (Lakeland,Gladys, St. Charles).

Throughout the city this weekend, I have counted twenty early garbage set-outs. I don't mean to portray Lakewood in a poor light, but I feel that pictures of this garbage needs to be posted (see the attachments below).

In my opinion, the city should make it a priority to ensure that tree lawns are garbage-free, especially when there is a special event planned. I know that some of the refuse employees work from 8:00 to noon on Saturdays. Perhaps a solution would be to pay a willing refuse worker to go out on Saturday between these hours and collect these early and late set-outs. As far as fining the residents, I feel it should be handled on a case-by-case basis. If the resident has special circumstances, then the person should not be fined and special arrangements should be made. However, if the person if a repeat offender and does not have any special circumstances, then I believe that that person should be fined.

If the city could manage to scape up the funds, another possible solution would be to hire an extra, part-time refuse employee to go out in a garbage truck and collect the early and late set-outs. Perhaps they could be employed for only a few hours a day three to five days per week. While they could not cover the whole city, I believe they could certainly make a dent.

These are just my ideas to solve a problem that appears to be getting worse.

[Lori Allen _]

The chronic problem of early and late-garbage sets outs is still not being addressed by City Hall. Is having sofas, mattresses, toilets, and sinks laying out on tree lawns all weekend really "ensuring quality neighborhoods" and "Beautifying Lakewood"? This is a 365-day, year-round problem. I do not blame our city workers for this one. There are only so many of them and at least one to three of their trucks break down each day. Their radios in the trucks are so bad that they have to contact one person to contact another to contact another. It does not appear that there is anything in the budget to give these workers what they need to serve us best. It appears that the inflated salaries for the administrators at City Hall are more important than anything else. The seventh-highest taxed city in Cuyahoga County and for this we get 365-day trash set-outs, under-reported crime, bad roads on the southern end of town, clogged sewers, flooding basements, 24/7 traffic jams on Detroit and Madison, two-minute waits at traffic lights to get out of side streets, and gang-related incidents on our streets.

When I got my flyer from Mr. Summers yesterday, I was surpsised that it actually came from the Ohio Democratic Party. Doesn't the information I'm giving you here contradict this flyer? He says "I will always do what is right for Lakewood and I will always tell you the truth". Is this the best the mayor can do? I think I better log out, this man makes me sick.

[Lori Allen _]

Last week while walking through ward 4 (Lakewood's forgotten ward except for Gold Coast Lane), I came across a vacant house with weeds in the driveway and backyard that were over three feet tall. The property is owned by another absentee landlord who lives several states away and has not paid his taxes in several years. His current tax balance is $14,323.70. Why has this property been allowed to deteriorate? I find it hard to believe that no city officials or employees ever happened to see this. See the picture below of the driveway and backyard.

There is also a house on Robin that has been boarded-up since at least 2013. This is another one of Lakewood's fine absentee landlord properties. This property is also several years behind on its taxes. How would you like to live next door to this when you keep your property up to code? What if you were trying to sell? Is this the best we can do? See picture below.

Finally, early garbage set outs are still not being addressed by city hall. One of the pictures below is of a tree lawn on Thoreau taken last weekend. The cans were permitted to be left out on the tree lawn, overflowing, for six days. This is a route for children walking to and from Garfield Middle School. I believe that since our garbage trucks are still breaking down once or twice per day, that they probably cannot keep up with their regular routes, let alone deal with people that can't or are too lazy to figure out when garbage day is. Regardless, it is still no excuse for city officials ignoring the issue. People in Ward 4 are people too.

FWIW.

[Lori Allen _]

This house is on one of Lakewood's main streets. The garbage cans have been sitting in the front yard for almost two weeks. This is not the fault of the garbage people. I don't think they are authorized to take the cans clear around the house when they are left out on the tree lawn. I think it should be a city ordinance that cans have to be stored away from view of the street.

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When you drive around, all you see is garbage cans, garbage cans, and more garbage cans sitting out on the tree lawn well after garbage day, not to mention boarded-up houses, overgrown grass, old furniture and mattresses with bed bugs on the tree lawn, tree branches blocking sidewalks, and clogged sewers.

Yes, the hospital is an important issue. However, we have a city that is falling apart around us and a crime rate that, despite what the mayor will tell you, is rising. I feel that it would do us all some good to step away from the hospital issue for a few days and look around the city. I believe that you will see that while the hospital is important, there are many other factors that should affect your decision at the polls.

[Corey Rossen]

This may also be a good time to get in front of the sidewalk shoveling issue that plagues neighborhoods.

People, please shovel your sidewalk and feel free to help out your neighbors when necessary (or just because you want to).

I appreciate when the City marks broken sidewalks and holds the residents to the City's payment policy to repair/replace it. I look forward to having the same discipline citing those who do not shovel.

Corey

[Amy Martin]

I agree with Corey on this one. In my neighborhood, we all pitch in and help, especially taking care of our elderly neighbors' walkways. But the worst violators that I see are the business owners, mostly along the main corridors, who do nothing. Must say that Rozi's always does a fine job with their walkways.

[kate e parker]

Must say that Rozi's always does a fine job with their walkways.

makes your job of boycotting easier.

couldn't resist.

[Amy Martin]

Kate - I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. Been a Steeler fan for over 50 years. Was best friends with the daughter of Assistant Coach George Perles back in the 70's and 80's. But with the signing of Mike Vick this year, I am boycotting the team. Threw away my flag, refuse to wear any Steeler clothing, won't watch them on TV or read anything in print about them. Why - because I believe that them signing Mike Vick was a mistake given his past. I have 2 dogs that I love dearly. More than I love the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was an easy decision for me. I believe in the power of the boycott. I understand that you are a Steeler fan. No one was more rabid of a fan than myself. Even had urine thrown on me during a Steeler game at Browns Stadium as I sat with my 65 year old sister and refused to leave the game. I know my boycott won't shut down Rozi's or the Pittsburgh Steelers. But, it just feels like the right thing to do in my heart. I shouldn't have to defend myself.