Note From Mayor George
Lakewood Residents,
We've made it through February! With springtime on the horizon at last, I invite you to read the March issue of our Lakewood E-Newsletter.
The Home Heritage Program officially goes live today, March 1, so please explore the fantastic resources and services that this program offers. We have already gotten lots of great feedback from homeowners excited to get to work on their home restoration and remodeling projects.
The "Great American Eclipse" is right around the corner! We know that you are likely already making plans to experience this extraordinary event, and our City departments are working hard to make sure everything goes smoothly in terms of traffic, accessibility, and safety.
In my Mayor's Corner, I discuss some of the success the City has had in bringing external funds to some of our core improvement projects - a practice that we are committed to continuing as we explore any and all avenues to make cost-effective enhancements to Lakewood.
Lastly, the 2024 State of the City address will take place on Wednesday, April 24 at the Cove Community Center, so be sure to save the date. I look forward to seeing you there!
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Heritage Home Program™ Returns To Lakewood
This year, The City of Lakewood will revive its partnership with the Cleveland Restoration Society to provide residents the opportunity to receive free, impartial, and independent assistance and advice for home repair and maintenance projects. This program is open to homeowners whose homes are over 50 years old.
Some of the examples of assistance that the program offers include:
- Site visits to your home to assess projects and provide feedback;
- Advice on repair, remodeling, and maintenance as well as compatible additions;
- Assistance finding contractors and evaluation of contractor estimates;
- Impartial product and service reviews; and
- Color consultations for exterior painting.
The program also offers equity loans at low interest rates - as low as 2%. These loans are made by local banks for both interior and exterior improvements.
To get started with your Heritage Home restoration or remodeling project, visit www.heritagehomeprogram.org or call (216) 426-3116.
By doing so, you can request information sent by mail or email, and register for free in-person or virtual information sessions to learn more and ask questions of the Heritage Home Program™ staff.
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In Person Presentation:
Thursday March 7, 6:00 PM
Lakewood Library Multipurpose Room
15425 Detroit Ave.
Lakewood, OH 44107
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Virtual Presentation:
Wednesday March 27 at 6:00 PM
General Information Session
Via Zoom
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Mayor's Corner: Lakewood Securing Our Fair Share
Our team at City Hall aggressively and persistently seeks out resources from federal, state, regional, and county sources to support public projects, capital needs, and programs. By doing this, our goal is to ensure that Lakewood consistently secures our fair share of public dollars for our city. Lakewood often seems like a quiet small town because you get to know your neighbors and can walk to meet all your daily needs. Because of that, we can forget that our city is actually our state’s most densely populated, with the 16th-most residents in Ohio. Given this, Lakewood is justified in seeking a meaningful share of public dollars beyond our municipal taxes.
Through the creative efforts of our Directors and their departmental staff, we have had significant success recently. That includes securing dollars for projects big and small and from all levels of government. These can be larger projects like getting the County Public Works Department to prioritize millions of federal dollars and oversee the resurfacing of Hilliard Boulevard in 2023. Or they can be smaller but still highly impactful efforts like successfully advocating to NOACA to provide $120,000 toward the cost of a new transportation van for our Division of Aging that will connect seniors in need to key services. Other recent examples are working with County Councilman Dale Miller to secure $1.5 million in ARPA funds and obtaining grants from the Ohio EPA to our combined Refuse and Recycling Center and upcoming Animal Shelter on Berea Road as well as $75,000 in combined grants from ODNR and Cuyahoga County for tree planting. This is just a sample of the millions in outside government dollars Lakewood was able to secure or implement last year.
We at City Hall are laser focused on this effort to obtain outside dollars to augment your local tax dollars. This involves getting input from you as taxpayers on public priorities, as well as a vigilant effort of our staff and leadership to stay informed of opportunities. But it also involves proactively reaching out and keeping an open dialogue with our public representatives, building strong relationships with them, and directly communicating to them your public priorities and needs, as well as the rationale for additional dollars to come to Lakewood. It’s important work that the City of Lakewood team enjoys doing on your behalf.
As an example, the City of Lakewood was excited to host Congresswoman Shontel Brown last week at City Hall for a “Constituent Coffee” discussion with residents. It’s another example of an opportunity for the people of Lakewood to meet their elected officials, ask them questions, and share their priorities for public policy and public dollars. A number of residents signed up and sent in questions for discussion. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Brown for her efforts to have an open dialogue with Lakewood and her role as a key partner as we work to keep Lakewood on the radar in Washington among other places.
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On April 8, 2024, the shadow of the Moon will pass over a large swath of the eastern United States, including Lakewood and the rest of the Greater Cleveland area. Total solar eclipses are an extremely rare occurrence, and as a result, we expect a large number of visitors and residents alike to experience the event.
In anticipation of the influx of people and traffic, the City of Lakewood is making arrangements to help make sure that everything runs smoothly.
Due to the construction work at Lakewood Park, we will close access to the Lakewood Park parking lot. However, the park will still be open to walkers and cyclists. The city's Public Works Department is preparing for a large influx of people at all of our parks.
Stay tuned to Lakewood's social media channels, email blasts, and website (lakewoodoh.gov/solar-eclipse) for updates as we approach the April eclipse date.
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Community Outreach Survey | |
The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission (LCRAC) invites you to complete its Community Outreach Survey.
This will help the City of Lakewood to better understand what is on the mind of our community, what our residents appreciate about our city, as well as some of the challenges that we may face. Responses will be accepted through March 15, 2024.
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Merl-Bunts Park Survey Open Until March 6 | |
On February 28, the City of Lakewood Planning Department held a meeting to hear input on the future of Merl-Bunts Park. This park, located just north of the railroad tracks on Bunts Ave., is in the early stages of improvements.
We want to hear your thoughts on the park's amenities and equipment! Click the button below to fill out the Planning Survey. The survey will be accepting responses until March 6, 2024.
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Lakewood Park Waterfront Access Feasibility Study
On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, SmithGroup presented its final renderings of the Lakewood Park Waterfront Access Plan to the public for review. The open house meeting was attended by around 40 members of the community, and attendees had the opportunity to view the plans up-close, talk to the design team, and provide their comments on the proposed new amenities.
View the presentation below:
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Upcoming Events & Updates | | |
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H2O Presents Home Alone
Registration for H2O - Help 2 Others' Home Alone program is open!
Each session teaches 9 to 12 year-olds important skills for their independence like basic first aid, home safety, and more.
The next event is March 6 from 6:00-8:30 PM at Cove Community Center.
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2024 State of the City Announced
Mayor George's State of the City address will take place April 24, 2024 at the Cove Community Center. The event is open to the public and begins at 4:00 PM.
The State of the City address is open to the public and will be streamed online for those who are unable to attend in-person.
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Report a Problem
If you would like to report a pothole, the best way to take action is to use the Report A Problem form located on the City of Lakewood's website.
In addition to potholes, this form can be used for reporting sidewalks obstructed by snow, refuse and recycling issues, park conditions, and many other options.
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