The Observation Deck

Not saying I'm ready to close the book on a fight to keep the Lakewood Hospital going. Personally, I would prefer to have it stay. However, as I'm not the one who will get to make that call, just thought I would open up a thread to try to get some ideas out there with what to do next in the event that it is shut down.

My thoughts are as follows...

1. if at all possible, our elected politicians should try to convince another health care organization to take over the facility, whether it be as a full service hospital or at the very least an urgent or targeted care facility.

2. If it cannot be saved for it's current purpose, I would like to see the building utilized for something significant. Given it's prominent location, size and architecture, perhaps it could be renovated to be turned into a state of the art city hall (as I've always thought the one we have now is ugly, antiquated, and ill suited to stand for the grace and history of such a cool city) - this would mean that we could eventually tear down the old city hall and sell off all that land (maybe St. Ed's would like a new place to put a football stadium)

3. If we can't finagle the budget to keep it for ourselves, perhaps the building could be leased out to the University of Akron to be a better location for their Lakewood campus. The hospital can be turned into a collection of classrooms, lecture halls, and even dorm facilities.

just thought I would throw these ideas out there so that even if the hospital cannot be saved we don't get left flat footed with an empty carcass of a beautiful building that would then be left vacant in the center of a still proud city.

that said, I very much hope that our elected officials will step up to the plate and earn the trust we've bestowed upon them. It's well past time we started to see people get pissed off in defense of a city they tell us they love.

I agree with your first option....obviously we all would like it to remain a hospital.

However, your other options don't seem feasible to me. We don't need a new city hall....and St. Edward has no money for acquiring land, and certainly not for a stadium. Lakewood Stadium is a top-notch facility. The Akron idea could be raised, but I think the facility is too large for their purpose.

I still say that my nursing home idea makes the most sense.
St. Augustine Health Campus in Cleveland is the model.
When St. John Hospital on Detroit closed in 1990, it was converted into St. Augustine Manor in 1991.
http://staugministries.org/

The Lakewood Hospital site could offer long term care, short term therapy, and assisted living options.

Conversion to a nursing home offers the following benefits:

*It would retain the building's basic historical and architectural heritage, plus remain true to the building's intended purpose of providing health care. This mirrors the re-purposing of St. Augustine Academy into LCA. Market factors made a private girls high school unsustainable in Lakewood, but that historically significant building by the lake still provides education.

*The Hospital property would continue to generate significant income tax revenue due to the large number of employees for a nursing home. St. Augustine, for example, has hundreds of employees.

*Unless I'm mistaken, long term residents would count toward Lakewood's population total. I bet the Lakewood Hospital facility could accommodate a couple hundred residents, which would help Lakewood reach the magical 50,000 number in the 2020 census.

*America continues to age, so there will be sustained demand for the facility going forward. Americans are living longer, and many need a lot of care in their final years.

*If the nursing home is operated privately, the city might eventually generate property tax revenue (unlike the building's current tax exempt non-profit status). However, I suspect a tax abatement of some sort would need to be arranged for the first 10 or 15 years to attract a partner.

Brett

List posted was Lakewood Hospital Foundation Trustees, has been removed.

GENIUS - 2. If it cannot be saved for it's current purpose, I would like to see the building utilized for something significant. Given it's prominent location, size and architecture, perhaps it could be renovated to be turned into a state of the art city hall (as I've always thought the one we have now is ugly, antiquated, and ill suited to stand for the grace and history of such a cool city)

If we find out that the deal cannot be saved this is light years better than what they were
hoping for. Rec Centers are great but wealthy cities can not afford them, one that just lost
its largest employer I am thinking not. A "Wellness Center" owned by the Clinic means we
would have to give up the trust, and the property.

While America ages, Lakewood has continuously shed it "senior city" label appealing more
and more to younger families. I think that is Lakewood's future, young families.

.

How does one become a Trustee or on the Board? I would be interested in sitting on such a Board, not just because of the current situation but because this Board greatly interests me.

Corey

This conversation is a waste of time.

The Mayor quietly revealed the end game on Friday in a mid holiday weekend news dump.

http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... cart_river

He didn't even have the decency to tell the people of Lakewood.

Just when I start thinking I'm being too cynical I discover that I am not being cynical enough.

It seems the killing of the hospital was an inside job.

I guess I'll have more to say later.