Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz
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Let me start this week by wishing everyone a very happy Holiday Season. I hope you will join with me in the spirit of hope and optimism for Toledo. We have accomplished so much, and yet we still have much more to do. Working together, we can take another step in 2020 toward making Toledo the city we all know it can be.
As an indication of the positive momentum Toledo has right now, we are ending this year with some great accomplishments in just the past several days:
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Leaf Collection Successful
As an early holiday present, leaf collection officially ends Monday. Leaf collection last year did not go as well as we would have liked, but we learned from our mistakes, instituted some new policies, and enjoyed much more success this year.
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Employees worked long hours and through weekends to make sure the service was delivered with the same dedication Santa has for delivering gifts by midnight on Dec. 25. Leaf collection crews put in a combined 60,000 hours of work so far this season to get the job done. That resulted in 65,500 cubic yards of leaves collected. We will be making additional trips to finish final cleanups in some areas. I want to thank residents and business owners for helping us make it a successful service this year.
Economic Development
Also this week, we announced how the city would be placing an even greater emphasis on job creation by expanding our economic development division into its own department. Economic development and job creation -- both for small and large businesses -- is critically important. Successful cities invest in creating jobs. We have a growing economy, and this administration intends to ensure that we continue to build on our momentum as we move forward.
A new director of development will be hired to lead the city’s job-creation initiatives. Brandon Sehlhorst, commissioner of economic development, will continue to lead the city’s efforts to assist large companies in retaining and creating new jobs. Sandy Spang, a successful local business owner who plans to resign from her at-large seat on Toledo City Council after six years in that position, will take the role of commissioner of small business services, concentrating on small business development. Ms. Spang’s last day on council will be Dec. 31. Her experience on council, and as a businesswoman in our community, makes her an invaluable asset for the people of Toledo.
We are committed to hiring the best and the brightest, regardless of background or political affiliation. Sandy’s Toledo City Council, business, family, and community experience certainly counts her among our best and brightest.
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We were all thrilled to learn this week that a non-profit group intends to open a Jeep Museum called The Jeep Experience, in 2022. The 56,000 square-foot facility will have “interactive exhibits." As
Car and Driver Magazine
said,
"Toledo and Jeep go together like off-roading and Jeep. So it's about time Toledo, Ohio, gets its own Jeep museum."
I could not agree more.
I want to thank ProMedica for its help on this project and dedication to Toledo.
Mercy Health and Nationwide Children’s Hospital Partnership
Finally this week, I want to congratulate Mercy Health Children’s Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. The two organizations
announced
Tuesday that they would join forces. The new partnership will allow patients access to cancer clinical trials and cutting edge cancer treatments. It also expands the network of local and regional pediatric providers. This is great news for Toledo and I am overjoyed to see these two experts in children's healthcare join forces.
Again, on behalf of the City of Toledo, I extend my warmest regards and best wishes to everyone in our city. May the spirit of this wonderful season be with you and your loved ones throughout the holidays with many blessings in the New Year.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Day Celebration
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Join us for our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Day Celebration,
8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday, Jan. 20, 2020
at the University of Toledo's Savage Arena.
The service begins with breakfast, and will move into a program that includes performances and music that honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Join us after for a community project that gives us the opportunity to serve Toledo residents.
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By The Numbers
(year to date)
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162,888
potholes filled
276
water main breaks repaired
1,873,112
feet of sanitary sewers cleaned
46,914
feet of storm sewers cleaned
2,388
illegal signs removed
1,428
trees trimmed
9,875
building inspections
3,137
contractor licences
65,500
cubic yards of leaves collected
3,030
salt used
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'The Jeep Experience' expected in Toledo in 2022
After years of discussions, a
Jeep museum
is finally coming to Toledo. Members of a non-profit working group announced Tuesday intentions to open the facility, which will be called The Jeep Experience, in 2022. A location for the museum, a 56,000 square-foot building that will have “interactive exhibits,” has been chosen but has not yet been announced to the public while the group works to finalize a contract. The building will be in metropolitan Toledo.
Mercy Health announces partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Mercy Health Children’s Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus are joining forces as officials announced an affiliation agreement between the two medical facilities Tuesday morning. Hospital officials said the partnership will allow patients access to cancer clinical trials and cutting edge cancer treatments while expanding the network of local and regional pediatric providers and other expanded services. The two will also collaborate on patient health initiatives and research.
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Two-hundred kids were given a great Christmas gift a week before the holiday. "Feet on the Street" partnered with Toledo Police and other agencies for their 12th annual "12 Kids of Christmas."
Each child was given a $100 spending limit and paired off with an officer or armed forces member. As you can imagine, the toy aisle was just a
little
popular, and some kids were done with their shopping in less than a minute, opting for one bigger gift.
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