The Observation Deck

Many of prime movers behind the closing and sale for $1.00 of Lakewood Hospital were the same people behind the concept of closing down the apartments at the end of Detroit Ave. for a mixed use strip mall. This was actually during the drop in malls around the country, but they wanted something that would grow and grow to be the go to mall on both sides of Rocky River, something BIG like the Euclid Mall, and anchor to the city of Euclid.

Today I had a chance to walk around Euclid Square Mall with a person that remembers the whole West End debate well, and while Euclid Square Mall has come and gone, now becoming Amazon, our civic leaders plod and plot in secret for malls and mix-use retail, office space. Two things dying as well. We left Legacy Village with no problem finding parking, no real traffic, and stopped by to remind us of the deep thinking of civic leaders, desperately caught in the past.

Here is the song "Winter in America" by Gil Scott Herron, seems fitting to look at what could have been ours...









While Amazon was looking to grow and create 2,000 jobs, Lakewood civic leaders looked to brick and mortar retail, telling us to dream of dry cleaners, pet stores and ice cream stores.

Pretty sobering to think they did it behind our backs, over ten years, with the push of two Mayors, council, and civic leaders. At least one Mayor, the one that started the fire sale and idea will benefit greatly! $$$$$$$$

Lakewood, we have been played by our so called leaders.

Merry Christmas, it is Winter in Lakewood, and America.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote: While Amazon was looking to grow and create 2,000 jobs, Lakewood civic leaders looked to brick and mortar retail, telling us to dream of dry cleaners, pet stores and ice cream stores.

Almost all of my shopping is done online any more. And they pitched that brick and mortar health care was a dying industry. Lakewood is bizarro world.

Yeah, well if Toby and Josh Kushner’s “Oscar” have their way, maybe health care will all be delivered online, too.

Tele-Health! Phone into your doc, send a pic, they’ll diagnose you and send a bill, right from the golf course!

Bridget

You have to be as amazed as I, when you see the same group of people that failed with the West End debacle, and raised little if no money and even less in accomplishments through LCPI, Mainstreet, DLBA, LakewoodAlive Version1 get a massive chunk of property, and every penny from the liquidation of Lakewood Hospital, something one of their own initiated, and they have been in on since day one in 2010.

It would have been nice if they had accomplished one thing besides awarding themselves countless awards for given each other countless awards.

Steve Davis once dubbed "The Miracle 8/10ths of a Mile" aka "DowntowN" as Shakedown Street.

"Shakedown Street"
Lyrics by Jerome Garcia

You tell me this town ain't got no heart (well, well, well, you can never tell)
The sunny side of the street is dark (well, well, well, you can never tell)
Maybe that's cause it's midnight, in the dark of the moon besides

Maybe the dark is from your eyes (maybe the dark is from your eyes)
Maybe the dark is from your eyes (maybe the dark is from your eyes)
Maybe the dark is from your eyes (maybe the dark is from your eyes)
You know you got such dark eyes!

Nothin' shakin' on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around

You think you've seen this town clear through (well, well, well, you can never tell)
Nothin' here that could int'rest you (well, well, well, you can never tell)
It's not because you missed out on the thing that we had to start

Maybe you had too much too fast (maybe you had too much too fast)
Maybe you had too much too fast (maybe you had too much too fast)
Maybe you had too much too fast (maybe you had too much too fast)
Or just over played your part

Nothin' shakin' on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around.

Since I'm passing your way today (well, well, well, you can never tell)
I just stopped in 'cause I want to say (well, well, well, you can never tell)
I recall your darkness when it crackled like a thundercloud

Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart (don't tell me this town ain't got no heart)
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart (don't tell me this town ain't got no heart)
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart (don't tell me this town ain't got no heart)
When I can hear it beat out loud!

Nothin' shakin' on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around



.

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Anyone see these reports in the PD today?

[url]http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2017/12/ranking_every_ohio_city_county_2.html#incart_target2box_default_#incart_target2box_targeted_[/url]

Lakewood median income is well below most area cities and suburbs. Why, even North Ridgeville has higher income levels, which surprised me!

Fairview, North Olmsted, Cleve Hts, And Brunswick are all higher. In the Greater Cleveland area we are about 33rd.

Now all bigbox and upscale stores locate based on demographics, especially income. Not much there to think we’d be near the top of any retailers list.

As for attracting outsiders here to shop, why would they? They have all the stores they want out west.

Shopping will NOT save us.

It is incredible to think that our gov't ditched one of the few growing industries in Ohio, HEALTHCARE!, for a dying retail model. Not surprising though, they are obviously not that bright.

When you couldn't care less about the welfare of you constituents, they suffer as well as the city as a whole suffers.

I guess the perks of privatization will make this all worth it, huh Mr. Summers?

I cannot wait to get another chance to throw this loser out on his ass.

WELL SAID CAMERON

Hizzoner can't pass third-grade math.

We USED to have $90 million in CASH. (PLUS a hospital that was operating in the black.)
Now, somebody/somebodies are getting back about $30 million (MAYBE it'll be that much.)

Question for Hizzoner:

What is larger? 30? or 90?

STUPID!

Jim, will you put some names to the prime movers behind the closing, and sale of Lakewood Hospital for $1.00 ?
I think many people in Lakewood do not know.

Since this thread is now about math, below is from an early 1970’s National Lampoon. Lightly photoshopped.... I still have the original kicking around somewhere. Math rules!

Cameron,

It gets worse. Here’s an article from The NY Times from May of 2017:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/busi ... ngine.html

“From Akron to Youngstown and Canton to Cleveland, as in cities and towns across the country, workers who once walked out of factories at the end of each shift now stream out of hospitals.

While manufacturing employment has fallen nearly 40 percent in northeastern Ohio since 2000, the number of health care jobs in the region has jumped more than 30 percent over the same period. In Akron, the onetime rubber capital of the world, only one of the city’s 10 largest employers still makes tires. Three are hospitals.

“People who used to make deliveries to factories are now making them to hospitals,” said Samuel D. DeShazior, Akron’s deputy mayor for economic development.”

But you know according to a “rising star” council president “healthcare is changing”.

Ask your newest council members to demand a third party investigation into the closing of Lakewood Hospital.

Nadhal