Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz
|
|
It was another challenging week for Toledo and our nation but it was also filled with good.
Many people celebrated 419Day on Sunday, we observed Earth Day Wednesday, the first day of Ramadan was yesterday, today is Arbor Day, and I continue to hear and read stories of generosity in Toledo. We have posted some at the end of this newsletter.
I know it is easy to feel disheartened by the effects of the pandemic on our health and economy. Cities across the nation are facing the same difficulties that we are. And while it may be difficult to believe right now, and you have heard it many times by now, but it is true: we will make it through this together. I urge you all to be kind to each other out in public at places like the grocery store and on social media.
|
|
We
will all feel the effects of this for some time. Our economy can be quickly turned off, but it will take much longer to restart. It could be up to one or two years before we get back to the point we were at just six or eight weeks ago, but we are working hard to support residents in many ways.
We announced yesterday, during a
virtual news conference
, 181
nonunion city of Toledo employees, including myself, will take five unpaid furlough days over the next five pay periods to help cut expenses. An additional 19 employees from the Toledo Municipal Court will also take furloughs. The furloughs will save the city $336,000. That is in addition to the more than 300 city employee positions placed on temporary emergency leave to address the budget shortfall due to the pandemic.
T
he temporary emergency leaves will be reevaluated every 30 days.
These were not easy things to do and we will likely make more cost-cutting measures. Again, I ask for your patience as you start to see city services affected. We will continue to deliver services, although you may notice it takes longer to complete certain tasks.
|
|
Also, I want to remind everyone that community
COVID-19
testing is now available in Lucas County. The testing details (in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin), and the Lucas County update on COVID-19, are posted below and at this link:
lucascountyhealth.com/coronavirusupdates/
.
Join me again next week for another virtual "Wednesdays with Wade," when you can ask questions on any topic. You may participate live on at
facebook.com/cityoftoledo
. The next one is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 29.
|
|
One of Toledo’s small businesses was featured on Good Morning America’s Deals and Steals Thursday.
Hyggelight is a family-owned business that founded The Growing Candle, which is a zero-waste product that starts as a luxurious candle and transforms into a pot of wildflowers creating a healthy atmosphere for the consumer and the planet.
In 2018, the city's department of economic development helped Hyggelight find a new location and provided an enterprise development loan for new machinery and equipment needed to produce candles on a larger scale. It is a fantastic example of how the city can assist small businesses with their growing needs.
The company sold out within 25 minutes of being featured on Good Morning America. For more information about Hyggelight, go to
this link
.
For more information about how the city may be able to assist your business, go to
this link
.
|
|
|
|
The annual grass-roots holiday, 419 Day, is a time to celebrate all we love and appreciate about living in northwest Ohio.
|
|
Toledo-Lucas County Health Department
|
|
Community
COVID-19
testing is now available in Lucas County. Increased testing is the first step on the road to recovery and easing restrictions necessary to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The health department's current weekly newsletter is at
this link
.
|
|
Visit
this page
for the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Lucas County.
The 24/7 Lucas County COVID-19 Call Line Numbers are: 419-251-4000 (English only) and 419-291-5355 (multilingual).
|
|
The Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 website is
Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov
and the Ohio Department of Health hotline is 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).
|
|
Toledo Parks, Recreation, and Forestry
|
|
Continue to call Engage Toledo at 419-936-2020 to request service or report code violations such as illegal dumping.
The city will issue appropriate orders for high priority violations. Lower priority items will be held until after the stay-at-home order is lifted. The city will not issue violation notices unless it is a high priority. (High priority items include life safety issues, requests for Toledo Fire and Toledo Police, unsecured structures, immediate collapse or imminent danger, fire, emergency demolitions, and compromised structural integrity.)
The Engage Toledo app lets you make service requests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. We are committed to customer service.
|
|
By The Numbers
(year to date)
|
|
41,640
potholes filled
536,543
pounds of debris cleared from streets with street sweepers
578,148
pounds of debris cleared from alleys
85
water main breaks repaired
440,168
feet of sanitary sewers cleaned
7,234
feet of storm sewers cleaned
767
illegal signs removed
283
trees trimmed
17,633
tons of salt used
2,503
building inspections completed
1,324
contractor licences issued
1,703
fire runs
15,357
EMS runs
|
|
Mentoring program sends handwritten notes to hundreds of Toledo school children
Some would say it's a dying art, but there's been a resurgence in letter writing in Toledo. With all the technology of today's world, there aren't many people who take the time to write letters anymore. But Partners in Education is working to change that during these challenging times. Volunteers with the program have gotten out the pen and paper to keep in contact with the school children they worked with before the COVID-19 crisis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
