Detroit Shoreway
Thanks to a new breed of bandleader, polka music is enjoying (yet another) Cleveland revival. While some of the acts might appear more shtick than substance, the motivation behind them comes from love and respect – and in the process are giving rise to a new generation of polka fan.
As the number of cyclists and pedestrians on the near west side grows and car traffic remains relatively flat, urban planners are giving several streets a "road diet" to make them friendlier for bikers and walkers while still accessible to drivers.
The result will be some of the city's first model green streets.
"We're starting to create all this connectivity," says Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone, who has helped push green initiatives through city hall, including the "complete and green streets" legislation that passed last year. "The city is realizing they have to accept and build out and incorporate all modes of transportation."
So what does a "road diet" look like? The recently-completed plan for W. 65th Street between Denison Avenue and the lakefront shows curb bumpouts with additional landscaping, striped sharrows for road riders, and a 10-foot-wide multimodal path for peds and cyclists who prefer not to ride in the street.
If the pretty pictures become a reality -- a process that will take several years and require an application to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency for millions in federal dollars -- it could result in a "healthier" street that better connects the investments happening in near west side neighborhoods.
"This is the main north-south thoroughfare between West Boulevard and W. 25th," says Zone. "We can build off the momentum we've created here. You'll eventually be able to bike from Edgewater Beach to the zoo via W. 65th."
Among the assets in the area, Zone cited the Gordon Square Arts District, the new Max Hayes High School scheduled to break ground this year, the EcoVillage, major employers and eight schools. The W. 65th project will cost about $6 million.
Most importantly, Zone says, streetscape projects like the W. 65th Street re-do make roads safer for kids who walk to school and families without access to a car.
Other green-street projects on the near west side include bike lanes on Detroit Avenue (which will be striped this spring), the planned Train Avenue corridor greenway, the creation of bike lanes on W. 41st and 44th streets in Ohio City (to be completed this year), a new streetscape for Denison Avenue (a few years away) and a planning process for Lorain Avenue (launching this month).
The West 65th Street corridor study was completed by Environmental Design Group, which has offices in both Cleveland and Akron.
Source: Matt Zone
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The result will be some of the city's first model green streets.
"We're starting to create all this connectivity," says Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone, who has helped push green initiatives through city hall, including the "complete and green streets" legislation that passed last year. "The city is realizing they have to accept and build out and incorporate all modes of transportation."
So what does a "road diet" look like? The recently-completed plan for W. 65th Street between Denison Avenue and the lakefront shows curb bumpouts with additional landscaping, striped sharrows for road riders, and a 10-foot-wide multimodal path for peds and cyclists who prefer not to ride in the street.
If the pretty pictures become a reality -- a process that will take several years and require an application to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency for millions in federal dollars -- it could result in a "healthier" street that better connects the investments happening in near west side neighborhoods.
"This is the main north-south thoroughfare between West Boulevard and W. 25th," says Zone. "We can build off the momentum we've created here. You'll eventually be able to bike from Edgewater Beach to the zoo via W. 65th."
Among the assets in the area, Zone cited the Gordon Square Arts District, the new Max Hayes High School scheduled to break ground this year, the EcoVillage, major employers and eight schools. The W. 65th project will cost about $6 million.
Most importantly, Zone says, streetscape projects like the W. 65th Street re-do make roads safer for kids who walk to school and families without access to a car.
Other green-street projects on the near west side include bike lanes on Detroit Avenue (which will be striped this spring), the planned Train Avenue corridor greenway, the creation of bike lanes on W. 41st and 44th streets in Ohio City (to be completed this year), a new streetscape for Denison Avenue (a few years away) and a planning process for Lorain Avenue (launching this month).
The West 65th Street corridor study was completed by Environmental Design Group, which has offices in both Cleveland and Akron.
Source: Matt Zone
Writer: Lee Chilcote
huffpo discusses vacant school building uses
In a Huffington Post report titled “Cities have hundreds of empty schools,” Philip Elliott writes of the nation’s largest cities struggling to sell valuable property while still incurring costs to keep them secure while empty.
Elliot notes that Cleveland already has found uses for 25 former buildings, bulldozed seven other buildings to turn into parks, but still has 27 additional properties up for grabs.
“The number of idle buildings does not include properties that the districts are holding on to but are not using. Cleveland, for instance, kept several buildings at the ready to fill in for others they plan to renovate in the future, officials there said.”
Read the full report here.
Elliot notes that Cleveland already has found uses for 25 former buildings, bulldozed seven other buildings to turn into parks, but still has 27 additional properties up for grabs.
“The number of idle buildings does not include properties that the districts are holding on to but are not using. Cleveland, for instance, kept several buildings at the ready to fill in for others they plan to renovate in the future, officials there said.”
Read the full report here.
"We are all assets," declares the national website of TimeBanks USA, a movement dedicated to building "caring community" economies through an inclusive exchange of time and talent.
Indeed, time can be as valuable an asset as money in terms of the positive impact it has on a neighborhood, says Adam Gifford, director of community involvement at the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, and Brooklyn Centre Development Office, which, along with its parent Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, is sponsoring a time bank in Cleveland.
The time bank movement works through reciprocation. For example, a landscaper does an hour of volunteer tree-trimming work, then deposits those 60 "time dollars" into his account. When he needs a service done, like getting his dogs walked or receiving help with his taxes, he simply "withdraws" his deposit for the service. There is no monetary value ever attached to any service -- time is the one and only coin of the realm.
"People may not have the money available, but they may have time," says Gifford. "It's about giving people access to services they normally couldn't afford."
Time banks have sprung up across the country. Locally, Kent and Medina are among the communities to use the service. The Cleveland time bank is in its infancy, attracting nearly 100 members putting in about 150 hours of work so far. A program orientation will be held February 26 at The Salvation Army's Clarke-Fulton location, while a Cleveland time bank website is scheduled to go live in March.
The time bank is open to individuals and groups. Gifford views the exchange of skills and services without cash as a method to enrich lives.
"It's a creative way to build a community," he says.
SOURCE: Adam Gifford
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Indeed, time can be as valuable an asset as money in terms of the positive impact it has on a neighborhood, says Adam Gifford, director of community involvement at the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, and Brooklyn Centre Development Office, which, along with its parent Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, is sponsoring a time bank in Cleveland.
The time bank movement works through reciprocation. For example, a landscaper does an hour of volunteer tree-trimming work, then deposits those 60 "time dollars" into his account. When he needs a service done, like getting his dogs walked or receiving help with his taxes, he simply "withdraws" his deposit for the service. There is no monetary value ever attached to any service -- time is the one and only coin of the realm.
"People may not have the money available, but they may have time," says Gifford. "It's about giving people access to services they normally couldn't afford."
Time banks have sprung up across the country. Locally, Kent and Medina are among the communities to use the service. The Cleveland time bank is in its infancy, attracting nearly 100 members putting in about 150 hours of work so far. A program orientation will be held February 26 at The Salvation Army's Clarke-Fulton location, while a Cleveland time bank website is scheduled to go live in March.
The time bank is open to individuals and groups. Gifford views the exchange of skills and services without cash as a method to enrich lives.
"It's a creative way to build a community," he says.
SOURCE: Adam Gifford
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
buffalo orders up big platter of cleveland dining awesome-sauce
In a Buffalo News feature titled “Chow down on Lake Erie,” food writer Andrew Galarneau highlights the thriving culinary scene in Cleveland and wonders how and why it differs from Buffalo’s own food scene.
Galarneau, questioning local food scribes like the PD's Joe Crea and this pub's own Douglas Trattner, delves deeply into the likely causes for Cleveland's disproportionate maturity when it comes to food and dining. Many of the city's finest chefs are mentioned in the piece.
"How did Cleveland get so awesome?" Galarneau muses aloud.
“When Symon said, ‘Cleveland is awesome, check it out,’ he wasn’t lying,” Trattner, a restaurant critic and author, is quoted in the piece. “Anybody can get up there and talk about their hometown, but he had stuff to back him up, so it wasn’t just ‘Here’s what I’m doing’ but ‘Here’s what Cleveland’s doing as a dining town, I’d think you’d be surprised.’ ”
The scribe notes that “[Eric] Williams won the undying love of tattooed hipsters and blue-collar types with Happy Dog, a bar that serves 75 beers and $3 boats of Tater Tots with as many of the 19 sauces, ranging from black truffle honey mustard to Oaxacan chocolate mole, as you want. And live polka happy hour on Fridays.”
Check out the full tribute to Cleveland and get a sneak peak at Buffalo’s budding scene here.
Galarneau, questioning local food scribes like the PD's Joe Crea and this pub's own Douglas Trattner, delves deeply into the likely causes for Cleveland's disproportionate maturity when it comes to food and dining. Many of the city's finest chefs are mentioned in the piece.
"How did Cleveland get so awesome?" Galarneau muses aloud.
“When Symon said, ‘Cleveland is awesome, check it out,’ he wasn’t lying,” Trattner, a restaurant critic and author, is quoted in the piece. “Anybody can get up there and talk about their hometown, but he had stuff to back him up, so it wasn’t just ‘Here’s what I’m doing’ but ‘Here’s what Cleveland’s doing as a dining town, I’d think you’d be surprised.’ ”
The scribe notes that “[Eric] Williams won the undying love of tattooed hipsters and blue-collar types with Happy Dog, a bar that serves 75 beers and $3 boats of Tater Tots with as many of the 19 sauces, ranging from black truffle honey mustard to Oaxacan chocolate mole, as you want. And live polka happy hour on Fridays.”
Check out the full tribute to Cleveland and get a sneak peak at Buffalo’s budding scene here.
For a number of years at the tail end of the 20th century, Greater Cleveland's public and private leaders attempted to pull the city up through ambitious marketing campaigns. For awhile it seemed to work. The national media began referring to Cleveland as the "Comeback City" in conjunction with the grand openings of ambitious projects like Tower City Center, Jacobs Field and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
But toward the end of the '90s a strange thing happened: The city, for all intents and purposes, stopped marketing itself.
Why?
"We began to believe our own press," says Rick Batyko, president of the Regional Marketing Alliance of Northeast Ohio, which conducts the Cleveland Plus campaign. And civic officials "moved on to other tasks and defunded marketing."
In essence, Northeast Ohio stopped telling its tale with the tale barely begun -- a rather large mistake in retrospect. "The underlying economy wasn't doing that well," Batyko says. "That's something you couldn't see in the skyline shots."
During the mid-2000s, the region's narrative thread was picked up by Cleveland Plus campaign. Established in 2005 -- with founding members that included Greater Cleveland Partnership, Positively Cleveland and Team NEO -- the organization champions Northeast Ohio as a culturally rich, yet affordable place to live.
Read the rest of the story here.
But toward the end of the '90s a strange thing happened: The city, for all intents and purposes, stopped marketing itself.
Why?
"We began to believe our own press," says Rick Batyko, president of the Regional Marketing Alliance of Northeast Ohio, which conducts the Cleveland Plus campaign. And civic officials "moved on to other tasks and defunded marketing."
In essence, Northeast Ohio stopped telling its tale with the tale barely begun -- a rather large mistake in retrospect. "The underlying economy wasn't doing that well," Batyko says. "That's something you couldn't see in the skyline shots."
During the mid-2000s, the region's narrative thread was picked up by Cleveland Plus campaign. Established in 2005 -- with founding members that included Greater Cleveland Partnership, Positively Cleveland and Team NEO -- the organization champions Northeast Ohio as a culturally rich, yet affordable place to live.
Read the rest of the story here.
cleveland public theatre recognized for production of women's work
In a Huffington Post feature titled “Women Playwrights Applaud Theaters,” Monica Bauer reports on theaters that make an effort to feature the work of female playwrights, but are not considered a female-centered establishment.
“The Applause Awards are based on the previous year's season, so the first awards go to theaters for their 2011-2012 productions," she writes. "Theaters whose mission is to produce women's work were not eligible. The winners are: Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH; Little Colonel Theatre, Pee Wee Valley, KY; Nora Theater, Cambridge, MA; Playwrights Horizons, New York, NY; and, Symmetry Theatre, Berkeley, CA.”
While women have been making great strides, still only 18 percent of productions done in the U.S. are from female playwrights.
Enjoy the full feature here.
“The Applause Awards are based on the previous year's season, so the first awards go to theaters for their 2011-2012 productions," she writes. "Theaters whose mission is to produce women's work were not eligible. The winners are: Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH; Little Colonel Theatre, Pee Wee Valley, KY; Nora Theater, Cambridge, MA; Playwrights Horizons, New York, NY; and, Symmetry Theatre, Berkeley, CA.”
While women have been making great strides, still only 18 percent of productions done in the U.S. are from female playwrights.
Enjoy the full feature here.
Back in 2011, Fresh Water ran a feature about Ohio's newly instituted Film Production Tax Credit, which helped attract big-budget productions like "The Avengers" and "Alex Cross," plus smaller films like "Take Shelter" and "Fun Size." We decided to revisit the topic to see how it's working out for Cleveland, and Ohio.
Northeast Ohio has a vibrant arts and culture ecosystem, so why not let its patrons be directly involved in growing that environment?
This was a question asked by nonprofit Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) when putting to a public vote which large-scale arts or culture projects will receive funding through the organization's new Creative Culture Grants program.
Starting February 1, voters will be able to pick two winning arts projects from a list of six finalists chosen by an independent panel of arts and culture experts. The project finalists, among them a multi-media ballet led by Dancing Wheels, a multi-faceted light installation from LAND studio, and a community-wide arts collaboration between Cleveland's East and West sides, were chosen based on their creativity and prospective ability to impact thousands of Cuyahoga County residents.
"We wanted something that would be a stretch for these groups; something they may not have tried otherwise," says CAC executive director Karen Gahl-Mills.
The winning projects will get up to $150,000 each through the nonprofit's grants program. County residents can vote in two ways: Online up until 11:59 p.m. EST on February 20 or by mail until 4:30 p.m. EST February 15. Paper ballots will be available for download or by calling 216-515-8303. CAC will announce the winning projects on February 25. The chosen projects will take place between March 2013 and August 2014.
Gahl-Mills views the vote as the public's opportunity to have a real say as to where community dollars are going.
"Any of the six projects can be terrific for the region," she says. "We want the community to help make that decision."
SOURCE: Karen Gahl-Mills
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
This was a question asked by nonprofit Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) when putting to a public vote which large-scale arts or culture projects will receive funding through the organization's new Creative Culture Grants program.
Starting February 1, voters will be able to pick two winning arts projects from a list of six finalists chosen by an independent panel of arts and culture experts. The project finalists, among them a multi-media ballet led by Dancing Wheels, a multi-faceted light installation from LAND studio, and a community-wide arts collaboration between Cleveland's East and West sides, were chosen based on their creativity and prospective ability to impact thousands of Cuyahoga County residents.
"We wanted something that would be a stretch for these groups; something they may not have tried otherwise," says CAC executive director Karen Gahl-Mills.
The winning projects will get up to $150,000 each through the nonprofit's grants program. County residents can vote in two ways: Online up until 11:59 p.m. EST on February 20 or by mail until 4:30 p.m. EST February 15. Paper ballots will be available for download or by calling 216-515-8303. CAC will announce the winning projects on February 25. The chosen projects will take place between March 2013 and August 2014.
Gahl-Mills views the vote as the public's opportunity to have a real say as to where community dollars are going.
"Any of the six projects can be terrific for the region," she says. "We want the community to help make that decision."
SOURCE: Karen Gahl-Mills
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Arts and culture can define a community, creating a critical mass that translates into jobs, business opportunities and, ideally, sustained economic prosperity. These were the words of Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium Initiative (NEOSCC) director Hunter Morrison during a January 25 roundtable hosted by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC).
These also are words that CPAC president and CEO Tom Schorgl likes to hear. The focus of the roundtable event was sustainability, and how the arts and culture community can assist the region as it evolves through population and land use shifts. The local arts sector becoming engaged in these issues can help keep Northeast Ohio resilient, vibrant and sustainable, said Morrison, a notion that the CPAC president shares.
"We have cultural clusters throughout the region, and the ability to communicate on a larger basis with the population about those clusters," says Schorgl. "We need to continue to reach our audience."
The roundtable, which drew over 50 attendees to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's main gallery, was CPAC's first such event of the year. The nonprofit will sponsor similar forums through November, with an overall aim of connecting the arts and culture realm with professionals from sectors including community development and health and human services. Past roundtable speakers have included Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon, and City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
"The idea is to provide a forum for new ideas around a common cause," Schorgl says.
SOURCE: Tom Schorgl
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
These also are words that CPAC president and CEO Tom Schorgl likes to hear. The focus of the roundtable event was sustainability, and how the arts and culture community can assist the region as it evolves through population and land use shifts. The local arts sector becoming engaged in these issues can help keep Northeast Ohio resilient, vibrant and sustainable, said Morrison, a notion that the CPAC president shares.
"We have cultural clusters throughout the region, and the ability to communicate on a larger basis with the population about those clusters," says Schorgl. "We need to continue to reach our audience."
The roundtable, which drew over 50 attendees to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's main gallery, was CPAC's first such event of the year. The nonprofit will sponsor similar forums through November, with an overall aim of connecting the arts and culture realm with professionals from sectors including community development and health and human services. Past roundtable speakers have included Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon, and City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
"The idea is to provide a forum for new ideas around a common cause," Schorgl says.
SOURCE: Tom Schorgl
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Cleveland's Gordon Square Arts District (GSAD) is supported by a strong backbone of dedicated institutions, corporations, merchants, residents and philanthropists, says Judi Feniger, newly named executive director of the West Side arts enclave.
Feniger planned to spend this week meeting with these groups, and looks forward to continuing the relationships that will help make the district even stronger. "It's a dynamic area," says Feniger, successor to GSAD founding executive director Joy Roller, who earlier this month became president of Global Cleveland. "I need to get a sense of what's going on."
What's been happening in recent years is new loft housing, an enhanced Detroit Avenue streetscape, new retail and gallery ventures, and the renovation of the Cleveland Public Theatre complex and Capitol Theatre. The latest milestone occurred in November with the groundbreaking for the Near West Theatre’s first permanent performance venue.
"Gordon Square is a growing part of Cleveland that attracting young residents," says Feniger. "How can we take these great assets and show them to our community?"
The experienced arts and business leader plans to answer that question thanks to a philanthropy and arts background that includes leadership stints with the American Red Cross and most recently the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
"I've been to Gordon Square many times," Feniger says. "It will be exciting to build on the foundation and bring more activity and awareness to the things going on here."
The district's potent combination of housing, new businesses, the arts and neighborhood beautification is attracting national attention and drawing audiences and visitors from throughout the region, notes the new executive director.
"There are many great things to do in Cleveland," says Feniger. "Our challenge will be to get a share of people's time and mind."
SOURCE: Judi Feniger
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Feniger planned to spend this week meeting with these groups, and looks forward to continuing the relationships that will help make the district even stronger. "It's a dynamic area," says Feniger, successor to GSAD founding executive director Joy Roller, who earlier this month became president of Global Cleveland. "I need to get a sense of what's going on."
What's been happening in recent years is new loft housing, an enhanced Detroit Avenue streetscape, new retail and gallery ventures, and the renovation of the Cleveland Public Theatre complex and Capitol Theatre. The latest milestone occurred in November with the groundbreaking for the Near West Theatre’s first permanent performance venue.
"Gordon Square is a growing part of Cleveland that attracting young residents," says Feniger. "How can we take these great assets and show them to our community?"
The experienced arts and business leader plans to answer that question thanks to a philanthropy and arts background that includes leadership stints with the American Red Cross and most recently the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
"I've been to Gordon Square many times," Feniger says. "It will be exciting to build on the foundation and bring more activity and awareness to the things going on here."
The district's potent combination of housing, new businesses, the arts and neighborhood beautification is attracting national attention and drawing audiences and visitors from throughout the region, notes the new executive director.
"There are many great things to do in Cleveland," says Feniger. "Our challenge will be to get a share of people's time and mind."
SOURCE: Judi Feniger
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
greater cleveland rta's ridership gains championed in rail mag
In a Progressive Railroading feature titled “Greater Cleveland RTA posts ridership gain in 2012,” the transportation mag covers the positive news.
"Ridership on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) rose 4.3 percent to 48.2 million in 2012, marking the second consecutive year of growth, agency officials said in a prepared statement."
"Every service mode registered an increase, but the biggest gain was posted on the Red Line rail corridor, where ridership climbed 9.1 percent. The Blue and Green rail lines posted a 4.1 percent ridership gain."
"Customers are making a choice to ride, especially on the rail," CEO Joseph Calabrese is quoted in the piece. "With our recent increase in frequency on the Red, Blue and Green lines, and 8,000 free parking spaces at rail stations, we have room for more Northeast Ohioans to make the green choice and ride RTA."
Average daily trolley ridership rose 5 percent to 3,840 trips.
Read the rest right here.
"Ridership on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) rose 4.3 percent to 48.2 million in 2012, marking the second consecutive year of growth, agency officials said in a prepared statement."
"Every service mode registered an increase, but the biggest gain was posted on the Red Line rail corridor, where ridership climbed 9.1 percent. The Blue and Green rail lines posted a 4.1 percent ridership gain."
"Customers are making a choice to ride, especially on the rail," CEO Joseph Calabrese is quoted in the piece. "With our recent increase in frequency on the Red, Blue and Green lines, and 8,000 free parking spaces at rail stations, we have room for more Northeast Ohioans to make the green choice and ride RTA."
Average daily trolley ridership rose 5 percent to 3,840 trips.
Read the rest right here.
The motto of the Near West Family Network (NWFN) is "Stronger Families, Stronger Cleveland." Good schools are an important means of bringing those families into town, maintains the volunteer group's founders, hence the forthcoming Near West Cleveland PreK-8 School Fair.
The fair takes place February 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Ignatius High School. Sponsored by NWFN and advocacy group Ohio City, Inc., participants will get information about the private, charter, public and parochial schools found in Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Tremont and other Near West Side neighborhoods. School representatives will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.
"There will be a gamut of educational options available," says NWFN co-founder and Ohio City resident Norma Polanco-Boyd.
The mother of two daughters expects between 18 to 20 schools to be represented at the fair. "The goal goes back to the reason we started this organization [in November 2012,] says Polanco-Boyd. "We wanted to create a resource-based organization to retain families or attract them to these neighborhoods."
Along with the schools, Polanco-Boyd expects attendance from a handful of non-academic groups as well. These entities will provide yet another source of information for participating parents.
The NWFN website has a list of schools serving the Near West Side. Polanco-Boyd, a community affairs officer with a bank regulator, moved to Cleveland from Chicago with her husband, Joe. At the time, the couple didn't know anyone; Polanco-Boyd helped create NWFN for young families in similar straits.
The school fair is a critical to her group's mission, Polanco-Boyd believes. "We want to grow Cleveland and help maintain its vibrancy," she says.
SOURCE: Norma Polanco-Boyd
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The fair takes place February 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Ignatius High School. Sponsored by NWFN and advocacy group Ohio City, Inc., participants will get information about the private, charter, public and parochial schools found in Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Tremont and other Near West Side neighborhoods. School representatives will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.
"There will be a gamut of educational options available," says NWFN co-founder and Ohio City resident Norma Polanco-Boyd.
The mother of two daughters expects between 18 to 20 schools to be represented at the fair. "The goal goes back to the reason we started this organization [in November 2012,] says Polanco-Boyd. "We wanted to create a resource-based organization to retain families or attract them to these neighborhoods."
Along with the schools, Polanco-Boyd expects attendance from a handful of non-academic groups as well. These entities will provide yet another source of information for participating parents.
The NWFN website has a list of schools serving the Near West Side. Polanco-Boyd, a community affairs officer with a bank regulator, moved to Cleveland from Chicago with her husband, Joe. At the time, the couple didn't know anyone; Polanco-Boyd helped create NWFN for young families in similar straits.
The school fair is a critical to her group's mission, Polanco-Boyd believes. "We want to grow Cleveland and help maintain its vibrancy," she says.
SOURCE: Norma Polanco-Boyd
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Detroit Shoreway resident Erin Gargiulo used to pass through the Gordon Square Arts District on her way to work each day and think, "I wish someone would open a hair salon, because then I would work here."
Last fall, when the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) launched the Charter One Business Plan Competition and she saw an opportunity to create her own business, Gargiulo decided to go for it. Next month, Honeycomb Salon and Art Gallery will open for business.
"I really wanted to be a part of the arts district," says Gargiulo, who is opening the salon with a business partner who does not wish to be named until it opens. "I wanted to be in a neighborhood that works together and supports each other."
The grant that Honeycomb received from the business plan competition will go towards building out the space and keeping rent low during the startup phase.
Honeycomb, which will eventually employ up to four stylists, is currently under construction in the former offices of Near West Theatre. DSCDO has been working on plans to add more retail to the strip, and the recent addition of several pop-up shops combined with Yellowcake's announcement of a permanent, expanded brick-and-mortar location have added to the district's retail offerings.
Men's cuts will start at $25, women's cuts at $45. Honeycomb will also offer hair coloring and haircuts for kids. Eventually, the duo plan to hire a manicurist, too.
Gargiulo and her partner plan to curate the artwork in the salon themselves, with help from clients and friends in the art world. They hope to host special events at Honeycomb in collaboration with the 78th Street Studios and 1point618 Gallery.
"We wouldn't have found an offer like this in Ohio City or Tremont; they're making a big play at getting the businesses they want here," says Gargiulo. "Everyone's been asking for a salon, I guess. It's going to be wonderful."
Source: Erin Gargiulo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Last fall, when the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) launched the Charter One Business Plan Competition and she saw an opportunity to create her own business, Gargiulo decided to go for it. Next month, Honeycomb Salon and Art Gallery will open for business.
"I really wanted to be a part of the arts district," says Gargiulo, who is opening the salon with a business partner who does not wish to be named until it opens. "I wanted to be in a neighborhood that works together and supports each other."
The grant that Honeycomb received from the business plan competition will go towards building out the space and keeping rent low during the startup phase.
Honeycomb, which will eventually employ up to four stylists, is currently under construction in the former offices of Near West Theatre. DSCDO has been working on plans to add more retail to the strip, and the recent addition of several pop-up shops combined with Yellowcake's announcement of a permanent, expanded brick-and-mortar location have added to the district's retail offerings.
Men's cuts will start at $25, women's cuts at $45. Honeycomb will also offer hair coloring and haircuts for kids. Eventually, the duo plan to hire a manicurist, too.
Gargiulo and her partner plan to curate the artwork in the salon themselves, with help from clients and friends in the art world. They hope to host special events at Honeycomb in collaboration with the 78th Street Studios and 1point618 Gallery.
"We wouldn't have found an offer like this in Ohio City or Tremont; they're making a big play at getting the businesses they want here," says Gargiulo. "Everyone's been asking for a salon, I guess. It's going to be wonderful."
Source: Erin Gargiulo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The health of Lake Erie has come a long way in the past 40 years, and it is now considered by many to be a case study of a recovering ecosystem. Yet not very many people know that, in part as a result of cleaning up our water pollution as well as our close proximity to a Great Lake, Northeast Ohio companies have developed rich expertise in water technology.
To leverage this cluster, influence policy, and conduct research and education, a group of organizations have launched The Alliance for our Water Future, a new nonprofit organization that seeks to spur innovative solutions to freshwater issues locally and globally.
"Silicon Valley is an example of what one industry cluster can do for a region," says Byron Clayton, Vice President at NorTech. "Companies all worked together in that region to leverage their strengths. In Northeast Ohio, we have a great legacy in cleaning up industrial waste water. We identified areas where we have the best chance of competing, and that's been the focus of our water technology cluster."
The areas that NorTech identified are automation and controls (identifying the best, most efficient way to control water), absorbents (extracting contaminants from water) and corrosion resistance (preventing water systems from corroding).
NorTech's role is to identify, organize and accelerate clusters. The Alliance will help promote this success story and spur cross-sector collaboration. By working together, the groups involved in the Alliance hope to make a global impact.
"This is about the economic future of our region," says Fran DiDonato, Program Manager of the Alliance. "If we can show that we had success with cleaning water, then that gives us credibility when we export our solutions to other places."
Two Northeast Ohio companies, MAR Systems and ABSMaterials, were recently selected by the Artemis Project as 2012 Top 50 Water Companies. Rockwell Automation is also considered a major player in the water technology field.
The founding members of the Alliance are NorTech, Case Western Reserve University, Port of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland State University, Hiram College, Great Lakes Science Center, Kent State University, MAR Systems and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.
Source: Byron Clayton, Fran DiDonato
Writer: Lee Chilcote
To leverage this cluster, influence policy, and conduct research and education, a group of organizations have launched The Alliance for our Water Future, a new nonprofit organization that seeks to spur innovative solutions to freshwater issues locally and globally.
"Silicon Valley is an example of what one industry cluster can do for a region," says Byron Clayton, Vice President at NorTech. "Companies all worked together in that region to leverage their strengths. In Northeast Ohio, we have a great legacy in cleaning up industrial waste water. We identified areas where we have the best chance of competing, and that's been the focus of our water technology cluster."
The areas that NorTech identified are automation and controls (identifying the best, most efficient way to control water), absorbents (extracting contaminants from water) and corrosion resistance (preventing water systems from corroding).
NorTech's role is to identify, organize and accelerate clusters. The Alliance will help promote this success story and spur cross-sector collaboration. By working together, the groups involved in the Alliance hope to make a global impact.
"This is about the economic future of our region," says Fran DiDonato, Program Manager of the Alliance. "If we can show that we had success with cleaning water, then that gives us credibility when we export our solutions to other places."
Two Northeast Ohio companies, MAR Systems and ABSMaterials, were recently selected by the Artemis Project as 2012 Top 50 Water Companies. Rockwell Automation is also considered a major player in the water technology field.
The founding members of the Alliance are NorTech, Case Western Reserve University, Port of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland State University, Hiram College, Great Lakes Science Center, Kent State University, MAR Systems and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.
Source: Byron Clayton, Fran DiDonato
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Each year in Cuyahoga County, 20 fortunate artists are awarded $20,000 Creative Workforce Fellowship grants to pursue their art, which often takes a back seat to more pressing needs. The fellowships also help to brand the region to outsiders as an artist-friendly place to live.
Small plates. Classic cocktails. A wine list curated by a well-traveled owner with a zest for local food. Shared tables made from old flour bins and lots of cozy nooks for hanging out with friends or snuggling up to a date. A menu filled with items like gnudi and braised lamb.
These are just a few of the wonderful things Fresh Water uncovered during a recent tour of Toast Wine Bar, which is set to open next month in the Gordon Square Arts District after six long years of planning.
Local resident and attorney Jillian Davis first purchased the building in 2006, with plans to open a place where she could share her love of great wine and locavore cuisine with others. The building, which had been vacant for years, is a former bakery and residence that came with cool window seats and built-in cabinets.
Then came a nasty spat with the church next door, which first opposed her liquor license but later came around. After her plans were approved a year ago, Davis started construction with the aid of contractor and furniture designer John Arthur. Toast is now drywalled out and Davis says that she plans to open in February. We know: We'll believe it when we see it. But trust us, folks, it's pretty darn close.
"The space was filled with stuff we could reuse; everything is just kind of getting recycled, which is cool," says Davis, pointing out the empty spot where the bar, which is being built from old doors and will have a zinc top, will be installed.
Davis is very excited about her cocktail list, boasting such colorful names as Vieux Carre, Widow's Kiss, Hanky Panky and Sir Alex. "I'm really into the cocktail renaissance," she says. "If you come here, you'll be able to have liquor, but only what I want you to have." Yes ma'am. And at 13 bucks a pop, we bet they'll be good and strong, too.
The opening of Toast is expected to create eight new full-time jobs in the city of Cleveland. Davis wouldn't disclose her total investment amount, simply saying that she's "doing it on the cheap" with some help from the City of Cleveland's Neighborhood Retail Assistance Program, a commercial bank loan and equity.
Davis, who has traveled the world drinking and eating, is excited about the launch. "When I'm not at work, I read about food and wine, cook and eat. It's my passion."
Source: Jillian Davis
Writer: Lee Chilcote
These are just a few of the wonderful things Fresh Water uncovered during a recent tour of Toast Wine Bar, which is set to open next month in the Gordon Square Arts District after six long years of planning.
Local resident and attorney Jillian Davis first purchased the building in 2006, with plans to open a place where she could share her love of great wine and locavore cuisine with others. The building, which had been vacant for years, is a former bakery and residence that came with cool window seats and built-in cabinets.
Then came a nasty spat with the church next door, which first opposed her liquor license but later came around. After her plans were approved a year ago, Davis started construction with the aid of contractor and furniture designer John Arthur. Toast is now drywalled out and Davis says that she plans to open in February. We know: We'll believe it when we see it. But trust us, folks, it's pretty darn close.
"The space was filled with stuff we could reuse; everything is just kind of getting recycled, which is cool," says Davis, pointing out the empty spot where the bar, which is being built from old doors and will have a zinc top, will be installed.
Davis is very excited about her cocktail list, boasting such colorful names as Vieux Carre, Widow's Kiss, Hanky Panky and Sir Alex. "I'm really into the cocktail renaissance," she says. "If you come here, you'll be able to have liquor, but only what I want you to have." Yes ma'am. And at 13 bucks a pop, we bet they'll be good and strong, too.
The opening of Toast is expected to create eight new full-time jobs in the city of Cleveland. Davis wouldn't disclose her total investment amount, simply saying that she's "doing it on the cheap" with some help from the City of Cleveland's Neighborhood Retail Assistance Program, a commercial bank loan and equity.
Davis, who has traveled the world drinking and eating, is excited about the launch. "When I'm not at work, I read about food and wine, cook and eat. It's my passion."
Source: Jillian Davis
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The legal and arts world don't seem like a natural pair, barring the occasional tabloid story about a drug-addled starlet backing her BMW into a police car.
The Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Committee (VLA) is bringing those realms together in a more positive fashion by providing the local arts community information about the law as well as free access to legal services.
VLA, a committee of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, refers low-income artists and arts organizations to lawyers for pro bono legal representation, gives informational talks to artists and arts groups, and presents legal seminars to lawyers regarding the arts.
In other words, if an artist needs legal advice about starting a nonprofit arts organization, protecting a copyright, or even forming a band, he or she can turn to VLA, says chairman Todd Masuda, an attorney with Schneider, Smeltz, Ranney & LaFond.
"It's by-need legal work," Masuda says. "Our attorneys will review applications and determine if they meet our criteria" of financial need and relation to the arts.
VLA recently gave a talk to lawyers at the new MOCA. The organization is planning a spring seminar for artists on nonprofit formation issues and health insurance options for the underemployed.
Steve Day, a VLA volunteer and attorney with Calfee, Halter & Griswold, believes the arts-law connection is an important one for Cleveland.
"If you want an attractive city, you need a lively, vibrant arts community," says Day. "We're helping artists navigate legal roadblocks that would be too expensive for them to handle otherwise."
SOURCE: Todd Masuda, Steve Day
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Committee (VLA) is bringing those realms together in a more positive fashion by providing the local arts community information about the law as well as free access to legal services.
VLA, a committee of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, refers low-income artists and arts organizations to lawyers for pro bono legal representation, gives informational talks to artists and arts groups, and presents legal seminars to lawyers regarding the arts.
In other words, if an artist needs legal advice about starting a nonprofit arts organization, protecting a copyright, or even forming a band, he or she can turn to VLA, says chairman Todd Masuda, an attorney with Schneider, Smeltz, Ranney & LaFond.
"It's by-need legal work," Masuda says. "Our attorneys will review applications and determine if they meet our criteria" of financial need and relation to the arts.
VLA recently gave a talk to lawyers at the new MOCA. The organization is planning a spring seminar for artists on nonprofit formation issues and health insurance options for the underemployed.
Steve Day, a VLA volunteer and attorney with Calfee, Halter & Griswold, believes the arts-law connection is an important one for Cleveland.
"If you want an attractive city, you need a lively, vibrant arts community," says Day. "We're helping artists navigate legal roadblocks that would be too expensive for them to handle otherwise."
SOURCE: Todd Masuda, Steve Day
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth