The Observation Deck

Tonight is the yearly joint meeting with the Board of Ed and City Council. It's usually pretty interesting.
I wonder how they're all feeling about the success of the Community Fitness Facility in our high school.
If you're not busy, head over to Garfield Middle School at 7 tonight.




JOINT MEETING OF THE LAKEWOOD BOARD OF EDUCATION AND LAKEWOOD CITY COUNCIL
April 22, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Garfield Middle School 13114 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, Ohio

AGENDA
I. Lakewood Board of Education Call to Order, Roll Call
II. Lakewood City Council Call to Order, Roll Call
III. Pledge of Allegiance
IV. Discussion
A. Board Property Updates
1. Former Taft Elementary School
2. Warren Road Properties
B. School Safety
C. Community Recreation & Education Dept.
1. Community Fitness Facility Update
2. Municipal Swimming Pools
D. Strategic Planning Update
E. LHS Academic Programming
F. Other
V. Adjournment


Betsy Voinovich

Betsy Voinovich wrote:Tonight is the yearly joint meeting with the Board of Ed and City Council. It's usually pretty interesting.
I wonder how they're all feeling about the success of the Community Fitness Facility in our high school.
If you're not busy, head over to Garfield Middle School at 7 tonight.

JOINT MEETING OF THE LAKEWOOD BOARD OF EDUCATION AND LAKEWOOD CITY COUNCIL
April 22, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Garfield Middle School 13114 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, Ohio

AGENDA
I. Lakewood Board of Education Call to Order, Roll Call
II. Lakewood City Council Call to Order, Roll Call
III. Pledge of Allegiance
IV. Discussion
A. Board Property Updates
1. Former Taft Elementary School
2. Warren Road Properties
B. School Safety
C. Community Recreation & Education Dept.
1. Community Fitness Facility Update
2. Municipal Swimming Pools
D. Strategic Planning Update
E. LHS Academic Programming
F. Other
V. Adjournment

Betsy Voinovich

Ask them when they're going to release the "Health Study" so that residents and schools and restaurants and bars can properly form action plans to make Lakewoodites the healthiest on the planet.

I wonder how they're all feeling about the success of the Community Fitness Facility in our high school.

Betsy, who would know if it was a success or not? I’ve asked Christine Gordillo several times for membership numbers and usage statistics but have been ignored. That usually means the facts do not support the narrative so they are therefore withheld.

Big secret! Like everything else in this administration.

How many PAYING members use the rec center?

The city employees, school employees and First Federal of Lakewood employees use it for FREE.

Did we build and pay for this rec center for their use?

Are we subsidizing this facility for all the free, non-paying users?

I’d like to know.

Bridget Conant wrote:The city employees, school employees and First Federal of Lakewood employees use it for FREE.

Did we build and pay for this rec center for their use?

Bridget

To say First Federal of Lakewood gets this for free, is not a completely solid statement.

If memory serves me correctly FFL paid nearly $1 million in funding, towards that and other rec programs.

The fact that the numbers are not available is yet another symptom of the problem that lost Lakewood our largest asset, and allowed the Rec Center to pop up with no fanfare or talk to the public before it was started.

Lakewood residents, all, I am sure we can agree that as residents we deserve transparency, accountability from our elected officials. I mean 3 0ut of 3 would be lovely, but I can skip honesty with the other 2. Or is that too much to ask for from elected officials?

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Bridget Conant wrote:The city employees, school employees and First Federal of Lakewood employees use it for FREE.

Did we build and pay for this rec center for their use?

Bridget

To say First Federal of Lakewood gets this for free, is not a completely solid statement.

If memory serves me correctly FFL paid nearly $1 million in funding, towards that and other rec programs.

The fact that the numbers are not available is yet another symptom of the problem that lost Lakewood our largest asset, and allowed the Rec Center to pop up with no fanfare or talk to the public before it was started.

Lakewood residents, all, I am sure we can agree that as residents we deserve transparency, accountability from our elected officials. I mean 3 0ut of 3 would be lovely, but I can skip honesty with the other 2. Or is that too much to ask for from elected officials?

.

I am going to be so rude as to suggest that about 10,000 Lakewood homeowners have funded the schools to about $150,000,000 or more over the past 30 years. Not really sure why First Federal employees should have free use of the facilities.

This is the problem with privatizing public assets, generally the public gets screwed.

Lakewood seems to have this down to a science.

Signed,

Cynic.

I won't be there tonight but perhaps a pertinent question might be "what was the decision making discussion that led up to this particular facility?"

Bridget Conant wrote:How many PAYING members use the rec center?

The city employees, school employees and First Federal of Lakewood employees use it for FREE.

Did we build and pay for this rec center for their use?

Are we subsidizing this facility for all the free, non-paying users?

I’d like to know.

...and who else is comp'd?

Mark Kindt wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Bridget Conant wrote:The city employees, school employees and First Federal of Lakewood employees use it for FREE.

Did we build and pay for this rec center for their use?

Bridget

To say First Federal of Lakewood gets this for free, is not a completely solid statement.

If memory serves me correctly FFL paid nearly $1 million in funding, towards that and other rec programs.

The fact that the numbers are not available is yet another symptom of the problem that lost Lakewood our largest asset, and allowed the Rec Center to pop up with no fanfare or talk to the public before it was started.

Lakewood residents, all, I am sure we can agree that as residents we deserve transparency, accountability from our elected officials. I mean 3 0ut of 3 would be lovely, but I can skip honesty with the other 2. Or is that too much to ask for from elected officials?

.

I am going to be so rude as to suggest that about 10,000 Lakewood homeowners have funded the schools to about $150,000,000 or more over the past 30 years. Not really sure why First Federal employees should have free use of the facilities.

This is the problem with privatizing public assets, generally the public gets screwed.

Lakewood seems to have this down to a science.

Signed,

Cynic.

Mark, I couldn't agree more. My understanding at the time was that First Federal came along to donate money to support an indoor track that was going to be lost with the new gym. I supported the new construction. I campaigned for the levy. There was no mention of a rec center...no mention of a free space for CCF to capture more patients. Jim, you love to say "Lakewood, you've been played." Well I wasn't played regarding the hospital because I kept informed and did all I could to change the course of what was happening. However, I feel I was "played" by the school board. I campaigned for a lie. I would not have campaigned and supported the levy had I known they planned to add on a free to some rec center and free to CCF office space, office space gifted without other health care providers given an opportunity to get in this sweet deal.

I am much less inclined to do business with FFL and have long been disinclined to deal with CCF. Just like the hospital, I would like to see how these decisions were made and resent that my tax dollars are being used in a deceptive way.

I would not have campaigned and supported the levy had I known they planned to add on a free to some rec center and free to CCF office space, office space gifted without other health care providers given an opportunity to get in this sweet deal.

Key word here: PLANNED.

They planned this, it didn’t just happen. They thought about it, decided to do it, then planned the details. Yet at NO point in time was the taxpayer informed of these plans though they were using our money. No opportunity for us to comment or add input.

That’s a slap in the face to people who have consistently supported the schools.

The Recreation Center Is In The Decanting Plan

The 2012 architectural plans prepared for the Cleveland Clinic that illustrate the demolition of Lakewood Hospital also illustrate a new Recreation Center on the site.

Somehow the Recreation Center concept moved from the city administration to the school board administration.

I have no information on how this occurred.

I have no particular beef with First Federal of Lakewood, I just have a general objection to corporate money intruding into the public sphere of government and politics in mass quantities.

I will leave it at this:

"Why should taxpayers fund the building of stadiums and arenas with tax dollars so that a corporation can then market itself or its products at public expense?"

Who went?

Somehow the Recreation Center concept moved from the city administration to the school board administration.

I have no information on how this occurred.

At Sam O’Leary’s most recent Town Hall Meeting, he explained that the city of Lakewood recognized that it would be impossible to pass any kind of tax levy during the ’30’s. Folks were reeling from the depression and simply trying to make ends meet. The city knew that getting any kind of funding for extra-curricular activities would not pass.

However, people have always been willing to invest in schools and education. So, the management of recreational activities was transferred from the city to the Board of Education at that time. It has remained in the Board’s hands ever since.

The school levy passed.

Hey-- I'm the historian around here. I do not recognize O'Leary's perception of Lakewood's history. As I learned in college, let's see citations.

pj bennett wrote:

Somehow the Recreation Center concept moved from the city administration to the school board administration.

I have no information on how this occurred.

At Sam O’Leary’s most recent Town Hall Meeting, he explained that the city of Lakewood recognized that it would be impossible to pass any kind of tax levy during the ’30’s. Folks were reeling from the depression and simply trying to make ends meet. The city knew that getting any kind of funding for extra-curricular activities would not pass.

However, people have always been willing to invest in schools and education. So, the management of recreational activities was transferred from the city to the Board of Education at that time. It has remained in the Board’s hands ever since.

The school levy passed.

You are referring to the Recreation Department. The quote you pulled is in reference to the rec center concept that was floated for the hospital site and was denied ever existed, despite architectural plans to the contrary. And I personally would never use Sam O'Leary as a reliable source of information.