Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz |
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I would like to start today by wishing a very happy Mother’s Day this Sunday to all Toledo mothers, and also to all women who care for children. It is important to honor motherhood and the influence of mothers in our community, especially during the pandemic. Mother’s Day last year fell during the "safe at home" order established to stop the spread of COVID-19, and many of us were not able to spend time with family as we had in the past. |
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Things are slowly returning to normal and I hope moms will be able to safely enjoy time with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. One way we can ensure next year’s Mother’s Day is completely restriction free is for everyone to get the vaccine.
I know my mom reads this column each week, so let me say to her, Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for your unwavering support over the years!
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As you can see in the video above, we officially cut the ribbon yesterday for Amazon at the former Southwyck Shopping Center property.
Toledo worked for years for the former Southwyck property to be redeveloped, and we were thrilled to be there for the official ribbon cutting on the site that sat as an eyesore for South Toledo for too many years. That project created hundreds of new jobs and a renewed sense of vitality for that area along Reynolds Road. I am pleased to report that we continue to see that same kind of economic momentum in many other areas for our city.
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Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I was pleased earlier this week to announce the planned 2021 summer programming for young Toledoans.
Summer is a crucially important time for the children of our community, and want to be sure they have positive activities. This year, as we are emerging from COVID-19, it is doubly important to make sure that is the case. We will have a historically large slate of opportunities for children. There has never been anything like this before in the City of Toledo. You will soon see the full list of opportunities, also showing our many partners that will help operate the incredible investment in youth programming, posted on our website.
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Toledo City Council has before it a proposed ordinance from my administration that will dedicate $1.4 million for sports, enrichment, and job opportunities.
A great thank you to the partners who joined me for the exciting announcement and to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy for Boys students who were present.
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The City of Toledo recently closed on four property transactions that will support major economic development projects, lead to the retention of 193 jobs, the creation of 335 jobs, and $41 million of capital investment.
“Our team has been working relentlessly to close these transactions in record time to bring these job creation projects to fruition.” said Brandon Sehlhorst, commissioner of economic development for the city. “Between the four projects, more than 110 acres of underutilized city-owned property is being put back into productive use in a manner that creates jobs, investment, and sale proceeds for the city.”
Textileather, 3808 Twining St.
Stellantis closed on the purchase of the 40-acre Textileather site from the city. The company will soon begin construction on a $23 million, 250,000 square foot vehicle customization facility. The project will create 300 jobs with an annual payroll of $12 million.
Capital Commons, 5600 Angola Rd.
Estes Express Lines acquired the 50-acre Capital Commons property from the City. Estes is a privately-owned freight transportation carrier that provides end-to-end transportation and custom logistics services internationally. The company is planning to spend more than $4 million to expand its 33,100 square foot cross-dock terminal by 24,800 square feet. The expansion is necessary to accommodate growing demand for Estes’ services. The acquisition of the Capital Commons property gave the company the space needed to expand and remain in the City of Toledo. The project will retain 193 employees and create 15 positions.
Triad Business Park
The city closed on its last remaining available property in the Triad Business Park. The 6.51-acre parcel was sold to a company that will invest $12 million in the construction of a new facility that will create 20 full-time equivalent jobs. The property is located in the Maumee-Monclova-Toledo Joint Economic Development Zone in which Toledo receives a portion of income tax that is generated within the zone.
1821 Front St.
As part of the city’s commitment to the Glass City Metropark and Riverwalk projects, a city-owned parcel was transferred to Metroparks Toledo that will be developed as an urban campground.
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The 2021 Solheim Cup Opening Ceremonies will be held on Sept. 3 in Promenade Park, but the celebration won’t stop there. The following night, Saturday, Sept. 4, multiplatinum country singer and songwriter, Chris Young will perform. In 2006, he was declared the Season 4 winner of the television program, Nashville Star, and recently surpassed the four billion streams mark for his catalog worldwide, including eleven No. 1 singles. Young’s latest single is “Famous Friends.”
Gates open for the night at 5 p.m. in Promenade Park. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit promenadeconcerts.com.
ProMedica will continue to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 within the community and will communicate with state and local health officials to determine if each concert can proceed as planned.
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Engage Toledo Drop Off Refuse and Recycling Event |
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The next free refuse and recycling drop-off event of 2021 will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 8 at Robinson Elementary, 1075 Horace St..
Acceptable items include electronic waste; up to 10 tires, on or off the rim, but no commercial tires; documents; houseware goods; clothing; toys; bulky items, and refuse. Latex paint will be accepted for $1 per gallon. Televisions and CRT monitors will be accepted. Major appliances will not be accepted.
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Second Virtual Water Affordability Public Meeting |
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The Toledo Department of Public Utilities will hold a virtual water affordability public meeting at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 12.
The city is preparing a water affordability plan to ensure water and sewer service is available, and that all Toledo residents have access without feeling the need to make trade-offs between paying for water service and paying for other basic household necessities, Public Utilities Director Ed Moore said.
Residents are also asked to take a short, anonymous survey, now available in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese, posted at toledo.oh.gov/water.
Toledo supports the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion ADA coordinator at 419-245-1198.
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By The Numbers
(year-to-date)
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33,270 potholes filled
205 water main breaks repaired
593,412 feet of sanitary sewers cleaned
7,601 feet of storm sewers cleaned
797,843 pounds of debris cleaned from streets with street sweepers
947,660 pounds of debris removed from alleys
684,463 pounds of debris removed by the Clean Toledo blight team
1,400 tires collected by the Clean Toledo blight team
948 trees trimmed
604 illegal signs removed
3,511 building inspections completed
1,232 contractor licenses issued
2,079 fire runs
18,006 EMS runs
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