The Observation Deck

Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee had a fund raiser at Around the Corner last
night. The place was packed, and a great time was had by all. Of course Mickey and
Ryan know how to help put on good fund raisers, and are great supporters of everything
Lakewood. It was held in ATC's Warehouse, which is a good venue.

Many people showed, and all were there supporting the bringing back of Basketball Courts
throughout the city. People there came from all over the city, north, south, east, west.
It was great seeing so many coming together for this effort. However the big conversation
seemed to center around, "The city took them down for no reason, why are we being
forced to have fund raisers to put them back up? Isn't this something the city should be
doing to enhance the activities in the city."

While many were in attendance, the events seemed very light on elected officials with the
exception of Councilwoman Monique Smith, State Rep Nickie Antonio, and Schoolboard
Preisdent Matthew Markling. I find it odd with so many groups pushing for a healthier
Lakewood, that more were not there to support one of the healthiest pick up sports in city.
Maybe this movement is a little too grassroots? Cleveland have brought their hoops back,
how about it Lakewood? Let's make Lakewood alive, by living well and healthier in this
walkable community?

Standing ovation to Nadhal Eadeh, and everyone on LOBC for a great event, and helping
to show the way to a healthier city, while building community spirit.



.

I noticed that the courts were open and the nets were up at the site by Kauffman Park.

There was a good-sized crowd using the facility, as well.

Unfortunately, I was unable to join in the fun.

My banjo would make a better tennis racket than a basketball hoop...

Jim,

As always, thanks for your support. LOBC is doing our best to improve and positively expand the usage of basketball and recreation oriented activities city-wide. This is precisely why many members of LOBC and I joined this cause: improving the lot of kids and teens, getting them physically fit and empowering them to be more responsible citizens.

Please note that Lakewood has had a strong thirty-five plus year history of basketball. The basketball courts have only been removed recently due to new school construction and overcrowding and isolated incidents at other courts on the eastern end of Lakewood. But Lakewood has changed; civic groups have risen to the challenge and brought more residents to the parks, which has improved the overall safety.

Here's a short list of cities comparable to Lakewood with multiple basketball courts: Parma, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Euclid Creek, and Brooklyn. The question to ponder: why can't we make this work in Lakewood? We have the resources, the advocates and the support to make this city one of the best, if not the best suburb in the greater Cleveland area; having outdoor recreational facilities is a huge step in the right direction, making Lakewood a thriving, healthy city.

In anticipation of the fundraiser we began going to local businesses and organizations to ask for donations. We approached our city's recreation department to ask for a gift certificate to a summer basketball camp. Unfortunately, we received the following reply from the recreation director:

"As we just discussed via telephone, this request was taken to the Superintendent and Treasurer for guidance. Unfortunately, due to the current position of the District and having removed all outdoor basketball hoops, we are unable to provide gift certificates to support the LOBC Fundraiser at this time. Thanks for the conversations and your understanding."

Is this a school board policy? Who made this decision? We are only talking about a small donation to a local grassroots group that is dedicated to youth fitness. Isn't that the precise reason why the recreation department exists? Mr. Markling you recently endorsed LOBC and I was wondering if you could answer these questions for me.

Thank you,
Nadhal

Nadhal

Once again a tip[ of the hat to you and everyone at LOBC for a fun event that was very well attended. I was
very refreshing to talk with so many people that we excited about the oops and now looking forward for what
they can do next to give kids and adults something healthy to do.

I was taken back the lack of support from other civic leaders. Who is on the Board of LOBC, and who have you
gotten public support from? I see some groups are made up almost entirely of politicians, that would seem to
have some serious conflicts of interest being on the board in anyway. And a great grassroots group like LOBC
seems to have the same clout makers.

Also we received a letter from a woman that lives near the courts, and is complaining that they have been
loud and abusive swearing. I also noticed she is talking about problems that go back before the courts were
even installed. Have you heard of this and are you addressing that?

Finally are there hoops planned for Lakewood Park? Madison Park? Webb Park? Even Rosewood Park?

Thanks again, it was a blast look forward to the next one.

.

Who's decision is it to not allow basketball at these courts? A city decision? A school board decision?

What are the options available to the people of Lakewood to make their wishes known to the people that made the decision? A referendum or as far as a charter update?

I definitely appreciate the LOBC and all their efforts in this. I'll be honest and say that I don't have a lot of history on the backstory to removing all the basketball courts but it seems to me that the decision makers on this haven't been too open in revisiting the issue in a serious way, at least that's what it seems to me from the outside reading about this issue the last few years.

Nadhal Eadeh wrote:In anticipation of the fundraiser we began going to local businesses and organizations to ask for donations. We approached our city's recreation department to ask for a gift certificate to a summer basketball camp. Unfortunately, we received the following reply from the recreation director:

"As we just discussed via telephone, this request was taken to the Superintendent and Treasurer for guidance. Unfortunately, due to the current position of the District and having removed all outdoor basketball hoops, we are unable to provide gift certificates to support the LOBC Fundraiser at this time. Thanks for the conversations and your understanding."

Is this a school board policy? Who made this decision? We are only talking about a small donation to a local grassroots group that is dedicated to youth fitness. Isn't that the precise reason why the recreation department exists? Mr. Markling you recently endorsed LOBC and I was wondering if you could answer these questions for me.

Nadhal,

Yes. I am a proud supporter of the LOBC.

No. The Lakewood City School District Board of Education does not have a policy against outdoor basketball hoops and/or courts on City of Lakewood property.

From the reply referenced above, the decision to not make a donation appears to have been made by the Administration. Perhaps there was a simple misunderstanding as the LOBC is working toward outdoor basketball hoops and courts on City of Lakewood property as outlined in Phases 1 and 2 of the LOBC Plan? The Plan can be viewed at http://lobc.org/plan. If it helps, I made a personal donation.

“The mission of the Lakewood Community Recreation and Education Department is to provide safe and meaningful recreational and educational opportunities for kids and adults of all ages.”

I would not be opposed to providing safe and meaningful outdoor basketball recreational opportunities on City of Lakewood property as outlined in Phases 1 and 2 of the LOBC Plan. See http://lobc.org/plan. Nor would I oppose the Lakewood Community Recreation and Education Department from considering “permitting” such activities for the City of Lakewood. But, I can only speak for myself.

Matt

The logical solution would seem to locate any such outdoor court(s) in the park(s), positioned so as to maximize visibility and minimize noise issues and the need for supervision and policing. Make them as low maintenance as possible with high expectations of behavior and care on the part of those who use them. Any programming, scheduling and permitting of such facilities could be done by Lakewood Recreation as is the case in other activities.

Bryan,

I would encourage you to visit our website at lobc.org. In the grand scheme of city-wide recreation, LOBC has always felt that basketball has been part of a larger outdoor recreation puzzle. If you would like to get involved, then email us at committee@lobc.org. We have a growing list of supporters that have been adamant about supporting our cause.

Jim,

We pride ourselves on having a strong grassroots foundation.

On to the complaint. This particular resident has been complaining about the park for six years. LOBC has only had hoops there for six months. While we definitely respect the neighborhood and its residents, we can't do much to control the volume of noise that is made at the basketball court. 40-50 kids and teens in one location is a cause for noise. This has been the only complaint that we have received. The vast majority of feedback from residents has been positive. When we are one of the few free recreation oriented options for teens and kids in the city (in the outdoor season) it's a cause for concern. The age group at Kaufmann Park ranges from 11-18 years old.

In fact, in addressing this particular complaint, we are holding a "Courtside Meeting" on April 13th at 6:00 pm. We will explain our plans for the summer, updates on basketball clinics, and a refresher on proper park etiquette (with an emphasis on foul language).
Overall the park has dramatically improved, we have to give credit to the “Friends of Kaufmann Park” and the “Leashed Dogs in Lakewood” group for increasing foot traffic in the park.

We are also looking to expand as soon as possible. Our sights are set on Lakewood Park and Wagar Park. While researching how other cities handle basketball courts, which is nearly everyone but Lakewood, we found that courts that are in parks with high visibility and foot traffic tend to do well: Lakewood and Wagar fit that criteria. Refer to our website for additional details.

We are confident that the Mayor will aid in this expansion. Mike Summers understands the process we have gone through to get just two hoops up. He has also been supportive of our cause. Mike Summers attended the "Youth Conversation" that was held on February 16th. I was impressed with how thoughtful, engaged, and hands-on he was with the group of teens after the event. He understands their concerns and frustrations about not having outdoor recreational facilities. I'm confident that he will see this project through.

Matt,

Thanks for your support and for the clarification. We want to be clear as well, LOBC does not intend to have courts on school grounds. Like Ed Favre has mentioned, we need locations that have high visibility and heavy foot traffic that are away from residential areas.