6/22 Ward 5 Community Meeting Recap

On Saturday June 22nd, a community meeting was held for the residents of Ward 5 hosted by the Church of the Epiphany located at 21000 Lakeshore Blvd. Speakers included Euclid Police Department Crime Analyst Kate McLaughlin, Euclid Public Schools superintendent Marvin Jones, Mayor Gail and Kiwanis Club of Greater Euclid Charter President Ken Ferlitto. Each speaker brought a wealth of information and those in attendance actively participated in the discussion, asking many questions and offering thoughtful suggestions to improve our community. Below are highlights from this meeting:

Kate McLaughlin, EPD

• Is a certified crime prevention specialist; Euclid is one of few communities that have an analyst like Kate. She is also a member of various other police and safety groups or organizations and is an intelligence liaison officer within the Dept of Homeland Security. Kate reads all reports from all officers on all shifts and puts together bulletins for officers as well as the police blotter that goes out to residents. This analysis is helpful to meet EPD’s mission of intelligence-led policing. EPD’s Facebook page and website are a great resource for residents, especially for block watch info or reporting suspicious activity (what to look out for and what to report).

• The city is divided into four beats with the highway & E222 being the intersection that split the city into quadrants and subsequent beats (Ward 5 rests in beats A & B; beat maps can be found online). Crime is down compared to the past two years but theft from auto is on the rise currently. Crime prevention is a lifestyle choice; tips to prevent theft include:

• Increase the effort by making it difficult for someone to steal: Lock doors and garages and use quality locks.

• Increase the risk of being caught: Install cameras, have a block watch, and talk to neighbors.

• Reduce the reward: Remove all valuables from site including loose change, phone cords, jewelry, and general clutter from vehicle and home.

• Average times for EPD call response:

• 1-5 mins: 29% of calls = High priority/Crimes in progress

• 6-10 mins: 33% of calls = Mid level priority 

• 30-60 mins: 38% of calls = Low priority 

• Dispatch is operated out of Chagrin Valley Dispatch (CVD): When calling, ask them to dispatch an officer to the specific location. Complaints go directly to CVD however EPD can investigate and pull audio for review.

• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): EPD offers consults with local businesses, but residents can adopt certain ideas like:

  • Access Control: Decrease opportunity to enter using fencing, landscaping, and good lighting.

  • Natural Surveillance: Visible front doors; remove any obstacles that block view of entryways and windows.

  • Territory Reinforcement: Ensure the way it looks reflects what it is

Superintendent Marvin Jones, Euclid Public Schools

• Construction timelines are on track. High school foundations have been poured, utilities plotted. Early Learning Village (Forest Park) nearing completion, look for open house this Fall. 

• The tax renewal levy failure adversely affecting school budget and teachers and staff will see layoffs. Teachers and administrators agreed to a pay freeze which saved 20 teaching positions. The renewal would have had no new impact on taxes and failed by less than 600 votes. He noted that school funding in the state of Ohio has been ruled unconstitutional three times in the past and negatively impacts communities with lower socioeconomic status. 

• The district’s most recent state report card had no individual F grades, yet an overall F grade was received. We went over House Bill 70 which authorizes state takeovers after a district receives three consecutive F grades on their report card. Upon which an Academic Distress Commission (ADC) is installed. Recent examples of school takeovers that are not necessarily improving districts include Youngstown, Lorain and East Cleveland. House Bill 154 would have done away with state takeovers; House approved, but it died in the Senate. Superintendent Jones, along with other residents, urged those concerned with state funding and state report cards to contact Governor DeWine’s office to comment: 614-466-3555. 

• The need to change the culture surrounding our schools and continue to work together to improve the collective behavior, both adults and students, was also discussed. Look for upcoming town hall meetings to discuss the district’s plan moving forward.  

Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail

Provided the following updates:

• Amazon hiring delays occurred at corporate level; they built too many centers too quick and need time to catch up.

• Tri-C Transportation Innovation Center is open.

• Two new buildings at Bluestone Business Park being built which indicates their continued growth and commitment to Euclid.

• Minute Men Staffing Services opening near Omni Building and the Omni Building has new owners.

• Euclid Hospital named new CEO Teresa Dews and will be investing $3mil in geriatric psychiatry ward (slated to be best in area).

• Housing values are up approx 17% increase; higher than Rocky River, Bay Village.

• Four new houses slated to be built in Ward 4 shows increased interest in our community.

• WWT progress: EQ tank done; headworks building close to Lakeshore, treatment bldg by senior center. Green space planning (above EQ tank) to begin soon. Overall WWT completion by 2021.

• E185th Street Plan: Engineering work for upgrade this fall (council just passed; construction could begin Fall 2020/Spring 2021.

• Gas tax goes into effect this July and will yield approximately $800k for city. Mayor is dedicating these funds to street resurfacing; work may begin this Fall.

• Lots of events this summer to look forward to:

• Outdoor free movie nights ongoing throughout summer: July 28th “Spider Man: Into the Spider Verse”, 8pm Euclid High School; August 23rd “ET”, 8pm Chardon Hills Elementary; September 21st “Dumbo”, Bluestone Elementary 7pm with live music prior to movie.

• Euclid Waterfront Project Public Tours, July 18th & August 8th. Tours begin at 5:30pm and depart from the parking lot to the east of Henn Mansion in Sims Park; expect the tour to last approximately one hour.

• Pond & Garden Tour, July 13-14: $10 tix available at Lakeshore Coffee, Maria’s Family Restaurant, Great Scott Tavern, Briardale Greens and City Hall. Admission is good for both days of the tour.

• This is Euclid Art Walk will be held on September 13th. Vendor applications are due by July 15th and can be found on the city’s website or Facebook page.

Ken Ferlito, Greater Euclid Kiwanis Club President

• Newest chapter serving the greater Euclid area, actively seeking board members and volunteers. Meetings are currently held on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at Shore Cultural Centre room 152. Email greatereuclidkiwanis@gmail.com for more info or if you’d like to get involved.

• Save the date for their Charter Celebration Gala to be held August 22nd at Tizzano’s Party Center. 

If anyone would like clarification on the discussion, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Councilwoman Christine McIntosh at cmcintosh@cityofeuclid.com or 216-333-8601. Also look for more upcoming Ward 5 meetings throughout Summer and Fall and feel free to contact Councilwoman Christine McIntosh with suggestions on future meeting topics. Thank you!