Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz
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I participated in a panel discussion this week at The University of Toledo with Laurie Garduque, director of justice reform at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Our Lucas County officials are reviewing a renewal of the MacArthur Foundation criminal justice grant, which is critically-important for our community. Dr. Garduque praised the county’s work. In fact, the county has made remarkable progress dropping its jail population by nearly 20 percent, and the hope is that these best practices will spread throughout the state.
I thanked Dr. Garduque for coming to Toledo because her program represents one of the finest examples of social change achieved through evidence-based practices.
The foundation’s support is helping our city and the county with an immense problem we see across the nation – the overuse of jails. The MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge awarded Lucas County $1.75 million in 2016 to invest in “effective strategies to further reduce the average daily jail population over the next two years while addressing racial and ethnic disparity.” The county is near the end of its initial two-year grant and we will support its renewal proposal.
Years ago, the jail population exceeded 800 inmates. The jail population earlier this week was about 370 people in general population with another 42 people in the booking area. That is an accomplishment and we can do more together. National and local partners can affect meaningful change, and that is our goal.
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Also this week, I had the honor of attending University of Toledo President Sharon Gaber’s second State of the University address. She reflected on UT’s accomplishments and challenged our community to get behind the university by showing more Rocket pride. That’s what we should do. We have an amazing university in our city and we should all support its academic and athletic endeavors.
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Smoke detectors save lives.
The Red Cross, along with corporate volunteers and Toledo Firefighters, will canvass 650 homes in the Central Catholic High School and Cherry Str
eet areas, as well as other areas identified as being at risk, to give away and install smoke detectors.
The Red Cross will be presented with a Toledo City Council proclamation on April 24 to help kick off the smoke detector giveaway program.
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Household Hazardous Waste And Electronics Recycling
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The Lucas County Commissioners and the Lucas County Solid Waste Management District announced a new recycling program this week for residents to safely dispose of household materials, paints, chemicals, vehicle engine fluids, and electronics in a friendly environmental way.
Lucas County residents can call the Solid Waste Management District at 419-213-2230, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to schedule appointments to drop off materials. Appointments can be made for Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost for residents is $1 for each pound of household hazardous waste. Examples of acceptable residential household wastes are chemicals, pesticides, household batteries, and flammables. The costs for disposing of latex paint are: $1 for a one gallon or smaller container and $5 for a five-gallon container. A $1 fee will be charged for each fluorescent tube.
The Commissioners and Solid Waste Management District are also recycling electronics for free as part of the household hazardous waste program. Almost anything powered with an electrical cord, including cell phones, computers, laptops, VCR and DVD players, printers, and power tools, are eligible for disposal through the program. There is no charge for electronics recycling. Televisions, CRT monitors, and appliances will not be accepted.
Sustainability Tip: The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Buy used or reusable items whenever possible. Reduce waste by bringing your own silverware and cup to work instead of using disposable items.
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City crews worked throughout last weekend to combat flooding, especially in Point Place. Wind hammered the Point from the east.
City crews placed pumps to send water back into the lake as it blew over the break wall in certain areas. Sandbags were also placed in areas they were needed.
Lake Erie is supposed to drain out by going over Niagara Falls but a persistent northeast wind forced it to drain into Toledo
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Human Relations Commission
The city is looking for 13 people to sit on the newly-created Human Relations Commission.
The Commission consists of fourteen members. Thirteen members will be citizens appointed by the mayor and subject to confirmation by Toledo City Council, in accordance with the composition requirements. The remaining member will be a member of council who will sit on the commission in an ex-officio capacity.
To the greatest extent practicable, the commission will be comprised of members who represent the racial and ethnic diversity of the men and women of Toledo, and who have demonstrated in their words and actions a sensitivity to the need to end discrimination and ensure equal opportunity for all. In order to ensure representation of a broad range of community perspectives, the commission will include one labor representative, one religious affiliation representative, one education representative, one business or economic development representative, one youth representative, one member of the legal community, one neighborhood representative, one LGBT representative, and five at-large appointments. The at-large appointments include the four members and the board chairman who make up an executive committee.
Its mission states: “The Human Relations Commission shall endeavor to support a safe, energetic, and livable city. The commission will support residents working to overcome prejudice and build mutual respect.”
Anyone interested should submit a resume and a letter of interest to the
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The Public Utilities Department 2017 Annual Report is now available. It emphasizes Toledo's focus on safe water and includes links to several key websites, including the Toledo H2O water construction program for the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant and reducing water pollution through the Toledo Waterways Initiative.
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We will honor the Rogers High School girls’ basketball state champions with a parade downtown,
Saturday, April 21, 11 a.m.
The parade will stage on Jefferson Street between Summit and Huron streets. It will proceed north on North St. Clair Street to Jackson Street. It will turn east on Jackson to Summit. It will turn south on Summit.
The parade will conclude with a 30-minute rally in Promenade Park during which Mayor Kapszukiewicz will present the team with the key to the city.
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Public meetings on the 2018 street repaving program.
The remaining meetings are:
- District 5, Monday, April 23, 6-7:30 p.m., Washington Branch Library, 5560 Harvest Lane.
- District 3, Thursday, April 26, 6-7:30 p.m., East Toledo Family Center, 1020 Varland Ave.
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Earth Day
There are Earth Day activities throughout the weekend and into next month, please see the flier below for more information.
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By The Numbers
(
year-to-date
)
37,049
potholes filled
215
water main breaks repaired
405,299
feet of sanitary sewers cleaned
798
illegal signs removed
459,580
pounds of debris removed with street sweepers.
3,162
building inspections completed
2,379
contractor licenses issued
617
new jobs
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Text Alerts
Sign up for Toledo text alerts
here
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If you haven't visited the Warehouse District, you are missing out!
The
Toledo
Warehouse District is a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood located south of downtown.
Fifth Third Field is a big part of that neighborhood.
Mud Hens
Opening Day
week is a great day to watch this video produced about the area.
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Mayor Kapszukiewicz commemorated the 70th Anniversary of the State of Israel with this proclamation.
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2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act,
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Toledo In The News
More retail, restaurants coming to downtown Toledo
A new wave of retail is headed to downtown Toledo sometime later this year. About 20,000 square feet of space on the first floor of the parking garage serving the new Tower on the Maumee apartment high-rise will become home to six retailers, three of which already are committed to the site. Another two retailers are in lengthy discussions to take space.
Festival celebrates Toledo's bond with cities abroad
The ninth annual Toledo Sister Cities International Festival went on all day Saturday at the SeaGate Convention Centre, with food, booths, musical performances, dances, and more. There were foreign language presentations, martial arts demonstrations, and a parade of flags to honor the sister city and regional agreements Toledo has with other communities.
Toledo Jack and Jill of America celebrates 65 year
It's considered a prestigious club created by upper class black women in 1938 to help children thrive. It's still going strong. This year the Toledo Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc is celebrating 65 years in our community.
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