Community Speaks Out at Ward 7 Meeting

By Guest Writer

A packed crowd filled the Cleveland Chinese Christian Church in AsiaTown during the Ward 7 community meeting to listen to City of Cleveland officials discuss plans to resurface Payne Avenue. The project will begin in 2024.

James D. DeRosa, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects, and Richard J. Switalski, Division of Engineering and Construction, said construction would not impact the Asian Festival scheduled for May 2024. The project includes replacing an 8-inch water main with a new 10-inch pipe between E13th Street to E30th Street. Sidewalks and a tree lawn with bike lanes are part of the plan. Construction will take 15 months, according to them.

Cleveland Ward 7 executive precinct committeeman Mike Seals asked about employment opportunities during construction for people living in the Hough neighborhood. “We live in the poorest neighborhood in the second poorest city in the country,” he said.

Other items on the agenda included Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) for non-Cleveland Public Power residential and small business customers. This is available through the City of Cleveland to provide a choice to the default supply of electricity.

Sarah O’Keeffe, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Climate Justice, recommended residents wait for the program for a better long-term choice of electricity supplier, which may take a few months to start. Low-income households experiencing high-energy burdens may be eligible to enroll in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) by contacting CHN Housing Partners at 216-574-7100. Her office phone number is 216-664-2455 for questions or concerns. “First Energy is increasing the cost of electricity,” she said. “Community Choice Aggregation through Cleveland Public Power offers a less expensive alternative.”

The city is considering building a land bridge to connect downtown to the lakefront, explained Keshia Chambers, assistant director of the mayor’s office of capital projects, and is expected to cost between $200 million and $500 million, depending on the design. Most of the funds will come from the federal and state government. The proposed land bridge, first unveiled by the owners of the Browns, would be built over the Shoreway and railroad lines, with access to the stadium, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, and Lake Erie. Concerns arose about development along the lakefront parks, including downtown, as well as proposed development by Cleveland Metroparks at E 55th Street, E 72nd Street, and Martin Luther King Jr Drive.  One constituent asked, “Where are we going to fish?”

Ward 7 Councilwoman Stephanie D. Howse said updates on the redevelopment of Martin Luther King Jr High School at E. 71st Street are changing. Their plans included housing and a school, but the developers, Structures Unlimited based in Maryland, pulled back, leaving the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to give them 90 days for another plan. “We are coming up with another community meeting to go through the third plan to see if that is something the community wants,” said Howse.

Improvements from the City of Cleveland and private developers took center stage during the meeting, but several people raised issues and concerns about shootings in the neighborhood. “These projects do not benefit the ‘hood’,” said one resident. “We are concerned about the shootings right next door to us,” she said. Howse assured the audience that law enforcement agencies tell her that the overwhelming majority of shootings in Ward 7 are not random, saying, “They are targeted and retaliatory. When I pick up the phone, I hear somebody is attacking people. I hear stuff, but it is months later.” People are not talking to law enforcement officers because the assailants are often the grandson or friend of someone they know, she said, telling residents they need to activate the community to take control of the situation. “We do not have enough money to pay our way out of violence prevention,” said Howse. “It is a collective effort.”