Kauffman Park Questions

[pat ballasch]

I'm hearing people in city planning want to sell or give Kauffman Park (Detroit Rd. & the North end of Arthur) to a developer to create a new shopping area & knock down the existing strip center. They say the park is underused & are trying to come up with alternate areas to send the ball players. The word is also going out that it's too tough to patrol that park & keep it safe. (Do we have a crime problem there or is this part of the laundry list of things to sell residents on giving the park away) I'll be expecting another round of claims of job creation. That's a favorite. My questions: How did the city acquire Kauffman Park? I think it's important to honor the people who saw fit to provide residents with (In my opinion ) a great park. I personally think people who would consider giving land or any other gift to a city would have second thoughts if poor stewardship of that gift was a possibility. An article in the Plain Dealer last week quoted 2 city planners stating" It's a poor idea & shortsighted for a city to give up land". Especially in a densely populated area. The cost of acquiring land in the future is vary high & finding land is itself difficult.
Question 2: I know Lakewood is in poor financial condition. Knowing administrators do short sited things out of desperation, shouldn't we have someone keeping a close eye on those entrusted to be managing for us?
I'm not seeing short or long term fiscal responsibility. Shouldn't we set that standard ? I find myself saying " Some of these people just aren't that good. That's my opinion.

[Jeff Endress]

I know Lakewood is in poor financial condition. Knowing administrators do short [sic] sited things out of desperation, shouldn't we have someone keeping a close eye on those entrusted to be managing for us?

That's why "the administration" can't do anything without the approval of council, and that approval is subject to review by the electorate.

(Do we have a crime problem there

According to some candidates, that would be true.

How did the city acquire Kaufman Park?

The recorder's office of Cuyahoga County would have these records. Might take a day or two at County Administration to trace, but it's all there. Let us know what you find.