The Observation Deck

Lori Allen _ wrote:Mike,
Why do you have to come on the Deck and make everything political? It appears that we have lost a couple of more posters. Believe it or not, there are republicans that have worked really hard to save the hospital, especially me and my son. This is just one of the issues that are making people angry.

I'm not sure how mentioning Trump is political....he is an excellent example of what Meg is talking about.
However, this entire process is inherently political.

Lori Allen _ wrote:Mike,
Why do you have to come on the Deck and make everything political? It appears that we have lost a couple of more posters. Believe it or not, there are republicans that have worked really hard to save the hospital, especially me and my son. This is just one of the issues that are making people angry.

I don't think invoking Trump is necessarily political as he is only a Republican out of expediency. I, for one, respect the work Republicans have done on behalf of the hospital.
Over on the other discussion board, they really have disappeared as one partisan troll in particular has come to dominate.

Bridget Conant wrote:According to this morning's report on WCPN, the latest agreement will leave the hospital standing while the CC builds across the street. After all the urgent pleas from Jennifer Pae and the Builders to not let the city get stuck with maintaining the "bricks and mortar," or the decrepit, costly, outdated hospital building, it appears that that is now exactly what the LHA and the city have agreed to. The Clinic will not tear down the building after emptying it of anything of value. So we WILL be stuck with the building and the cost of maintaining, remodeling, or tearing it down sans another offer.

How is this inconsistency explained? This is what the city so vehemently feared and now it's part of the "great deal?"

Listen here at about the 43:30 mark, for the hospital comments:

http://wcpn.ideastream.org/programs/sou ... -roundup-5

Its too bad that yet another media outlet got it wrong. The final "deal" I far worse than the original. This isn't even a close call.

Brian

I laughed listening to the exchange. They were completely clueless as to the issues or the deal. There was absolutely no understanding, just blabbering. Coming from public radio, I expected more, but I guess with Chris Quinn of NEOMG, it was deliberate obfuscation.

Dan Alaimo wrote:Over on the other discussion board, they really have disappeared as one partisan troll in particular has come to dominate.

The other board is just an outlet for Rick Uldricks' various sock puppet accounts.

However, to be fair, traffic on all these boards has slowed for obvious reasons.
The election is over, and we are now in the holiday season.

This forum will keep modest traffic for the next few weeks (largely hospital updates and photography).
When 2016 rolls in, there will be much more to discuss.

This is from the Hospital financial statements:

"At the end of the lease term the real and personal property and all monies, accounts and inventory then held by the Hospital will be RETURNED TO THE CITY." (my emphasis)

The LHA's agreement with the City requires the LHA to return the $55 million in cash, the bed licenses, the rehab business the buildings the plant, the equipment, the inventories and the receivables to the City. Total Hospital net assets at the end of 2014 were $136 million. Total unrestricted assets were $96 million.

Under the terms of this agreement the City gets nothing. That's right, nothing.

Can someone tell me why the Council would agree to such a deal?

The new Master Agreement requires the City to build and maintain 325 parking spaces for the Cleveland Clinic. The City will spend $1 million to demolish the current 600 space parking garage and spend another million to build and maintain 325 parking spaces. The Mayor tells us that the new medical office building will have 250 employees. Where will they park?

The new Master Agreement is just a very bad business deal.

Bill Call wrote:The new Master Agreement requires the City to build and maintain 325 parking spaces for the Cleveland Clinic. The City will spend $1 million to demolish the current 600 space parking garage and spend another million to build and maintain 325 parking spaces. The Mayor tells us that the new medical office building will have 250 employees. Where will they park?

The new Master Agreement is just a very bad business deal.

Bill,

The New FHC ER will have only about 150 employees no matter what Summers or CCF say.

Summers admitted a 500-600 job loss at the press conference--that's low---the hospital will be virtually empty before it is torn down.

If they try to save the old structure for Juris' brothel it will be an even bigger disaster.

Why would anyone believe these guys?

Brian Essi wrote: The New FHC ER will have only about 150 employees no matter what Summers or CCF say.

Summers admitted a 500-600 job loss at the press conference--that's low---the hospital will be virtually empty before it is torn down.

If they try to save the old structure for Juris' brothel it will be an even bigger disaster.

Why would anyone believe these guys?

From this http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... _will.html PD article:

"In addition, the city would lose income taxes paid by the 1,100 employees of Lakewood Hospital. A new Cleveland Clinic family health center and emergency department, which would be built in place of the hospital, would employ an estimated 250 workers. The change would mean a loss of about $735,000 in city income taxes, Pae estimated."

I honestly do not understand how any member of Council can vote for what is just a very bad business deal. The $60 million in cash and investments and receivables belong to the City. If the Hospital is destined to close then why not just take the $60 million, take back the land and tell the Cleveland Clinic to have a nice day?

Good points Bill---that February story shows how the "facts" of this matter keep shifting like the sands on Clifton Beach in a January North East Storm.

Even Bullock subsequently conceded that it will be closer to 150 employees.

So its all gotten worse, just like the Master Agreement at least $6 M worse than the bogus LOI.

But they all claims its better than the LOI.

Just wait. CCF is not done having its way with our elected leaders.

The sands are still shifting and all in CCF's favor.

Remember just after the 2010 promises, CCF said OOPS, the wind changed and the sands shifted--no more Centers of Excellence, then no more hospital.

The Slick Willy guys are not done.

Just wait.

All: Just returning now. I can’t possibly address each of your concerns, despite my desire to do as much for my neighbors. I will, however, respond to as much as my lunch hour allows.

Please recognize our community has spoken and our elected officials are acting accordingly, as they were sworn to do. They have invested the time in this issue that we’ve asked. They have listened. They have asked the right questions. And then asked more. They have sacrificed more time, sweat and tears than anyone of us ever imagined necessary. After all they’ve done, they deserve our respect and support. In other words, we must honor the process. If we can’t get behind the commitment, then we should move out of the way.

That said, Brian, your research has been impressive. I will suggest that when you focus on single line items that you risk losing sight of the whole. Given the size of this agreement and its innumerable pages that describe the deal for both parties, I would anticipate that it involves a lot of horse trading that results in some line items not reflecting what we might think is rational. For instance, the CCF will pay $8.2mm for LHA’s Westlake property when it was appraised by a third party at $6.7mm. This price alone isn’t fair to CCF, yet the overall agreement and deal is fair and legal when both parties sign it. Knowing this simple rationale doesn’t make me an insider. It just means I’m listening.

Meg, I appreciate your thinking and concern for our neighbors. A concern I’m confident that you know I share, even if we don’t share the same ends. Please understand my loyalties are first to Lakewood and then the region. I also recognize when our community faces an inevitable headwind or market trend, we are best when we align our resources to face it. When we don’t, that wind, force or trend will rip through us. I liked how the LOI recognized this headwind and I’m delighted that the resulting deal is even better than first proposed. And with regard to available land for another ER or hospital, our fair city has plenty to offer: Spitzer car lot, Taft elementary, and Hinkley Lighting or the repurposing of any of our C-grade properties.

"Whoever shows up and votes, the majority votes win." Can anyone attribute this quote? If you guessed Donna Kolis, you would be correct. She was quoted saying as much to the PD reporter who covered the Issue 64 panel discussion at Lakewood Women’s Pavilion. Ms. Kolis’ remark was a thoughtful reminder to all of us. We operate better as a community when we recognize and hold true to the value of a representative democracy.

I pray that community healing can begin in 2016 and I ask any and all to please commit to that effort, even it means putting the interests of whole ahead of our self interests.

i pray that community healing can begin in 2016 and I ask any and all to please commit to that effort, even it means putting the interests of whole ahead of our self interests.

You might best consider that advice to yourself.

There is not ONE person who opposes this deal that is thinking of only themself or their own interest. In fact, it it quite the opposite. Many of us are fortunate enough to not have to use Lakewood Hospital services and could easily just ignore this issue as it has no immediate personal impact. But when you look at how it would affect our seniors, the poor, the employees, and the city tax base, you bet I'm interested.

Jim Kenny wrote: the CCF will pay $8.2mm for LHA’s Westlake property when it was appraised by a third party at $6.7mm. This price alone isn’t fair to CCF, yet the overall agreement and deal is fair and legal when both parties sign it. Knowing this simple rationale doesn’t make me an insider. It just means I’m listening.

The City of Lakewood owns that property not the LHA.

The City did not market the property.
The City did not hirer a broker for the property.
The refused to respond to an offer of over $9 million for the property.

That's not the only thing wrong with this very bad business deal.

Jim Kenny wrote:I pray that community healing can begin in 2016 and I ask any and all to please commit to that effort, even it means putting the interests of whole ahead of our self interests.

In other words, Team Summers wants you to sit down and shut up.
Sorry Jim....where there is no justice, there is no peace.

Jim Kenny said

[quote

Please recognize our community has spoken and our elected officials are acting accordingly, as they were sworn to do. They have invested the time in this issue that we’ve asked. They have listened. They have asked the right questions. And then asked more. They have sacrificed more time, sweat and tears than anyone of us ever imagined necessary. After all they’ve done, they deserve our respect and support. In other words, we must honor the process. If we can’t get behind the commitment, then we should move out of the way.][/quote]

This statement is preposterous BULLSHIT

Stan Austin