The Observation Deck

Mark Kindt wrote:With respect to my letter to City Hall of June 24th, I have had email responses from Shachner, Neff, and O'Malley. I will continue to advocate a moratorium on expanded outdoor dining on public property or repeal of the legislation. That's it for the moment.

Additionally, I have spoken at length with Tristan Rader. He reminded me that the relevant committee is having their on-line meeting tonight related to this legislation and that the public was free to participate.

I have also had a substantive email from Mayor George that highlights her awareness and focus on these issues. I thank her for this and her earlier response to my previous letter.

Here is the link for call-in info for the 6:00pm Committee Meeting today:

http://www.onelakewood.com/event/housin ... meeting-4/

A Few Additional Thoughts

During a national pandemic not experienced since 1918/1919, we know a few things more about our situation here in Lakewood.

Not only did Lakewood liquidate and demolish its award-winning public-community hospital in 2018; at an earlier date, it devolved services previously performed by its Department of Health, including Disease Outbreak Management, to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (and paid $284,114 for these services in April 2020).

I thank the City for its prompt reply to my document request.

No Hospital.

No Health Department.

Mark Kindt wrote:A Few Additional Thoughts

During a national pandemic not experienced since 1918/1919, we know a few things more about our situation here in Lakewood.

I thank the City for its prompt reply to my document request.

No Hospital.

No Health Department.

a fair assessment is that this pandemic is so far less severe than the 1957-1958 pandemic.

I am not sure if most people actually alive at the time even remember the 1957-1958 pandemic.

the cleveland public library is closed, so I cannot view the microfilm copies of newspapers from that time, to study how they were reacting to the 1957-1958 pandemic.

Mr. Costa, I will not be drawn into a debate about influenza and Covid-19 or public policy responses to prior influenza outbreaks.

In 2020, I take your health, the health of your family, the health of your friends, and the victims of Covid-19 seriously. Let's leave it at that.

If you have an affirmative public policy agenda related to Covid-19, please start your own thread or draft your own letter to public authorities.

My primary issue was with this statement:

"During a national pandemic not experienced since 1918/1919, ."

This is intellectually invalid.

There is no way to un-demolish the lakewood hospital. I advocate Continuing to be Mad at Summers.
but there appear to be hospitals and health clinics all around the place, in case people get sick or something.


one thing we have learned...is that when a large portion of these Americans are quarantined from their regular patterns of life for months...some of them are more prone to....massive acts of rioting...than they would normally be. this is kind of not healthy.

Again, I wish you the very best of health and safety in our community during times that are difficult for many.

Mark Kindt wrote:Here is the link for call-in info for the 6:00pm Committee Meeting today:

http://www.onelakewood.com/event/housin ... meeting-4/

Here is a link to the video/audio recording of this meeting. Please watch.

http://onelakewood.granicus.com/player/ ... ?view_id=2.

Pandemic Is Probably Outrunning City Council

I carefully watched the video/audio of the June 29th committee meeting.

I appreciate all of the work done by the committee. I appreciate the dialogue on equity. Everything was all very thoughtful and thorough and professional.

It seems highly unlikely to me that any of these concepts can be safely or successfully implemented during a growing pandemic, despite their potential future merit.

Why should private parties be permitted to use public property in ways that might incidentally facilitate contagion of Covid-19 to any person?

Even without a pandemic, the basic traffic safety issues and legal liability surrounding "parklets" might take months to work through, if at all.

This is simply a fundamental issue of personal safety for residents, visitors, and employees.

I have not watched these virtual meetings. So, for someone like me who recognizes the good faith efforts on the part of all parties but for whom facts and data help form evaluations- could a Lakewood centric dashboard be created? This would be a constant source of real time facts that would help us evaluate the results of civic actions but also help us as consumers the risks factors involved as a possible restaurant/food site patron.

The thought just occurred that the creation of such a data base could serve as an embryo for the reestablishment of a Health Department.

Mark Kindt wrote:Pandemic Is Probably Outrunning City Council

I carefully watched the video/audio of the June 29th committee meeting.

I appreciate all of the work done by the committee. I appreciate the dialogue on equity. Everything was all very thoughtful and thorough and professional.

It seems highly unlikely to me that any of these concepts can be safely or successfully implemented during a growing pandemic, despite their potential future merit.

Why should private parties be permitted to use public property in ways that might incidentally facilitate contagion of Covid-19 to any person?

Even without a pandemic, the basic traffic safety issues and legal liability surrounding "parklets" might take months to work through, if at all.

This is simply a fundamental issue of personal safety for residents, visitors, and employees.

After I wrote this, I read this headline in The Washington Post:

"Fauci worries U.S. Covid-19 cases could climb to 100,000 daily."

Quoting from this article:

Fauci said that recent images of Americans gathering in bars or other crowds foreshadow a greater spike in infections that “is going to be very disturbing … We’re going to continue to be in a lot of trouble, and there’s going to be a lot of hurt if that does not go away.”

Fauci gave his bleak assessment in response to questions during his latest appearance on Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on the state of the pandemic as new infections are rampant across much of the South and West, with hospitalizations escalating in a dozen states.

A Fundamental Issue Of Personal Safety For Residents, Visitors, And Employees

Why should private parties be permitted to use public property in ways that might incidentally facilitate contagion of Covid-19 to any person?

Even without a pandemic, the basic traffic safety issues and legal liability surrounding sidewalks, patios, and "parklets" for outdoor dining might take months to work through, if at all.

All media reports across many venues, describe a pandemic that is largely unmitigated and still growing daily.

I encourage all of our elected officials to postpone the effort to expand outdoor dining to public property and, instead, focus on the basic health and safety needs of its citizens.