The transformation of Euclid’s lakefront is well underway and the City of Euclid is offering multiple opportunities this summer for residents to learn about the exciting project and take a hard-hat tour of the construction site.
When the warmer weather hits, there’s nothing better than the smell of food on the grill. Unfortunately, that good smell can turn to bad if that grill catches on fire.
The beginning of 2019 brought more workshops from the Home Repair Resource Center to the community. Following those offered in 2018, January and February provided classes on ceramic tile installation and faucet repair at the Lakefront Community Center in Euclid. Each class seems to draw in more registrants expressing the interest in learning about and completing their own home repairs in Euclid and neighboring cities. David Brock and Wesley Walker from the Cleveland Heights' based Home Repair Resource Center continue to showcase their knowledge and educate the participants on safe and successful home repairs. At the end of the workshop, residents continue to compliment the program and ask when the next class is. This partnership has proven to be a success in Euclid and we look forward to additional workshops this summer.
If not cleaned and maintained on a regular basis, fans over time build up lint which can cause the motor to overheat and ignite the lint. This is a fire hazard!
Garage, Shed Burn in Euclid
At 7:34 pm on Saturday, March 2, the Euclid Fire Department (EFD) was dispatched to a garage fire at 23850 Chardon Rd. On arrival at 7:41 pm, crews found a large detached garage measuring 2,400 square feet with heavy fire conditions to the rear of a vacant property. The fire also spread to a nearby storage shed. Due to heavy fire involvement and packed content in the garage, the EFD worked to confine and extinguish the fire from the outside. Fire investigators were called in and the fire remains under investigation. There were no injuries and a damage estimate cannot be provided at this time. Anyone with information on how the fire may have started is asked to call the Euclid Fire Prevention Bureau at (216) 289-8425.
Every home should have one, does yours?
When George Washington still lived and before Ohio became a state, real estate developers from Connecticut sent a group of surveyors to explore the Western Reserve in northeast Ohio. They were led by former Revolutionary War officer Moses Cleaveland. The surveyors named one of the townships that they laid out after Euclid, the Greek mathematician whose work they relied upon to do their jobs.
David Dille was one of the first settlers on land near Euclid Creek near the road that today carries his name. Euclid’s early growth centered on the intersection of Euclid Avenue (once known as Buffalo Road) and Chardon Road.
Townships are sections of land created to permit local governance and services to local residents. In Ohio, these large areas were generally designed to be square in shape, five miles long by five miles wide
The first organizational meeting of Euclid Township took place in 1809. Local officials were selected.
Making Decisions
The Euclid Police Department engaged in many activities in 2018 including community events in crime prevention and safety, training for officers, and recognition by awards! The department received the AAA Platinum Award for the third straight year for showing sustainability and growth in traffic education and enforcement, Community Education Specialist Ed Bonchak received an award for 25 years of D.A.R.E., Community Policing Specialist Kate McLaughlin received the Crime Prevention Practitioner of the Year from the Ohio Crime Prevention Association, and Detective Orlando Almonte received recognition from National HIDTA as he is a member of DEA Cleveland which successfully dismantled a distribution network and drug trafficking organization from Mexico through Operation Scorpion Strike. Within the department, Detective David Olszewski was named Officer of the Year, Thomas Yanacek was named Employee of the Year, Officer John Foran received the OVI Ribbon, and Exceptional Service was awarded to Detective Susan Schmid and Officer Chris Frato.
It's never too early to think about Spring and Summer Projects! Is your aluminum siding chalking and fading? Do you have bubbling or peeling paint on the exterior of your home or garage? If so, The City of Euclid may have a program for you! The Special Projects Division of the Department of Planning and Development offers exterior painting assistance free of charge to eligible homeowners under "Operation Overcoat". For eligibility requirements, waiting times and further information contact the Special Projects Division at 216-289-8562 or visit cityofeuclid.com
At 8:33 PM on Tuesday, January 22, the resident of 21851 Priday Avenue in Euclid called 911 reporting a fire on the second floor of her home. Upon arrival, the two-story home had flames shooting from the windows of a second floor bedroom.
Fourteen Euclid firefighters responded. The first crew advanced a hoseline to control the fire while two other crews assisted searching for possible victims and fire extension. Flame damage was limited to the bedroom. The origin and cause is under investigation by the Fire Investigation Unit. All eight occupants, six of which were children, escaped unharmed. Damage is estimated at $23,000. No firefighters were injured despite the frigid temperatures and the American Red Cross was called to assist the family.
Smoke alarms were present, but the occupants noticed the fire before they activated. Make sure you and your family have, and practice, a home fire escape plan!
After weeks of mobilization, clearing the bluff and removing impervious debris from the shoreline, construction of the first breakwater was completed in December for Phase II of the Euclid Waterfront Improvements Plan. The breakwater is composed of 1 and 2-ton limestone slabs specially selected from a quarry in Ohio and carefully placed in the water with GPS coordinates. It provides necessary shoreline stabilization and forms the edge of new cobble beach to serve as nearshore wildlife habitat – as well as a place for the public to enjoy.
Join us at the Lakefront Community Center on Thursday, January 31st and make dripping or malfunctioning faucets a thing of the past! You'll learn how to take apart and fix a faucet, why it's better than buying a brand new one, as well as identify & repair the different types of faucets (compression, ball, cartridge, ceramic disc) that exist. You'll even get to work with a bunch of plumbing tools that are essential to do the job right, and see how to install a faucet. After this workshop, you'll feel a lot more comfortable making those plumbing repairs yourself.
Residents, tenants and landlords alike gathered in mid-December for the Fair Housing Law Seminar. The Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research provided an informative and detailed presentation on how to manage and maintain housing successfully. Michael Russell, from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, spoke to attendees about the basics of landlord-tenant law. Topics included landlord and tenant obligations, lease basics, remedies and the eviction process. There are relevant statues both parties must adhere to and also prohibited terms. Landlords in attendance were able to share scenarios from past or potential situations and walk through options of how to address issues. Mr. Russell made aware multiple resources including Cleveland Housing Court and their specialists, community clinics and workshops which are available to the public and at clevelandhousingcourt.org
The Euclid Police Department has been awarded a grant from the Ohio Traffic Safety Office that provides 420 hours of impaired driving enforcement and 280 hours of selective traffic enforcement. The goal for implementing these two programs is to reduce traffic fatalities from impaired driving, speeding, and unrestrained vehicle passengers. This grant allows Euclid Police additional officers to enforce traffic safety violations during peak accident times such as News Year’s Eve, Super Bowl, St. Patrick’s Day, and prom season. This federal grant program provides federal funds administered through the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), Ohio Highway Patrol (OSHP)/Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) to be used for traffic safety education, enforcement, and awareness.
While the Euclid Shade tree commission is known for its wonderful Arbor Day celebrations, a day that began back in 1872 in Nebraska City, Nebraska, encouraging people to plant trees, a day that became nationally recognized in 1970, a day where local Euclid humanitarians are honored by the planting of a tree in their name, it’s so much more than that. Even though the April holiday kicks off the season, the commissioners work hard year around planning for other events for the upcoming year. As we bring 2018 to a close, we would like for you to prepare and mark your calendars for the events to come in 2019. They are sure to be a real treat and an exciting, educational and an enlightening time for the city of Euclid. Starting with Arbor day, April 26, 2019 where two new honorees will be honored with the planting of a tree and the installation of a plaque. Who will it be this year? You never know it just might be you.
Keep Euclid Beautiful often gets questions about recycling. The Do's and Dont's are different in each State and sometimes vary from city to city. This can make recycling a bit confusing. In this column, Keep Euclid Beautiful will do our best to answer your recycling questions based on the guidelines for the City of Euclid and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
The Shade Tree/Municipal Beautification Commission strives to make a difference in Euclid and believes one of life’s richest blessings is to plant a garden and to believe in tomorrow. As we enter the final season of the year, the Commission is reflecting on this year’s achievements:
Anita’s journey started with Euclid City Hall on October 1, 1988 as Parks Department Secretary. It was obvious from the beginning, that Anita was a huge asset to the department. She had glowing reviews from her supervisors – some accolades include “her being a very effective team member, she makes reports and record keeping a priority. In her absence, records & files are easily located and understood. She keeps her supervisor apprised of upcoming meetings and activities”. “Visitors to the Clubhouse are treated well by Anita, telephone contacts for Clubhouse, Cemetery, tree maintenance and planting are handled with consistency and good judgment”. A quote from Tom Springer, former Super-intendent of Parks and Forestry, “In hiring Anita, they got an employee with ability and personality that works well with others.” One job review noted, “Her hectic personal life does not interfere with work performance”. Anita juggled the demands of being Mom to Jessica, just 9 months old, and son, John, 7, and her responsibilities with the City Parks Department very efficiently. During some big summer storms in the 1990s, Anita couldn’t make it in to work because her street was blocked with fallen trees, the Parks guys came and cleaned her street to make sure she could come to work!
The Euclid Joint Veterans Council and Keep Euclid Beautiful are proud to bring you the Euclid Hometown Heroes Banner Program.
It seems whenever you go by the old Euclid Square Mall progress is being made. Whiting-Turner, the Project Management Company overseeing the construction of the Amazon Distribution Center has made sure work is on schedule and everything is running smoothly at the site. Earlier this year, Matthew White, Senior Project Manager at Whiting-Tuner sat down with Mayor Holzheimer Gail and City staff proposing other contributions WT could make while working at Amazon. Matt shared that when WT begins a project in a new city they seek to give back to the community they are working in and participate in their own "Community Service Day".
Euclid City Council President Charlene Mancuso and Councilman John Wojtila talked taxes at the October meeting of the Lakeland Civic Association. They were invited to discuss ballots questions being asked of Euclid City voters on November 6th.
Both council representatives and other Euclid officials frequently attend LCA meetings to discusses city issues. At their recent appearance Mancuso and Wojtila dicussed issues 32 and 33 and the reasons they were placed on the ballot. While taking no personal positions on the questions, they explained the needs and consequences of each issue. They answered an hour's worth of questions from LCA members.
Thank you to the Akers family for visiting Firehouse #1 today. Their granddaughter Abby was delivered in cardiac arrest by EFD paramedics. She had a rough introduction into this world, but is truly a beautiful miracle! Big brother AJ is behind the wheel of the rig.
First graders from Arbor Elementary were given the grand tour of Firehouse #1 today by Firefighter J.J. Burnette, Firefighter Joe Buckels, and Lieutenant Chris Wilson.
Be Safe - Be Seen! That is the name of our most recent pedestrian safety campaign, which had our Community Policing Unit handing out backpack reflector lights to residents walking their dogs, waiting at bus stops and on their way to school in the early morning hours. The lights were compliments of the Euclid City Schools, Safe Routes To School initiative. We finished up at Dunk'n Donuts where several customers helped us celebrate our shining success!
One year ago a young fan of the Euclid Police visited the station and met Officer Thomas who picked him up creating a great photo! Flash forward to today and we have learned that Sgt. Kocsis coaches a flag football team and this young man happens to be one of his players. He visited again and got to see the inside of a patrol car. EPD loves our supporters!
A porch pirate’s hiding stratagem failed yesterday thanks to an alert neighbor on E. 210 Street who observed a small group of juveniles walking with several packages and then try to hide them in another neighbor’s bushes. The Euclid Officer who arrived found the packages and returned them to the owner. The suspected juveniles were walking nearby and identified by the original caller. When residents and officers work together - community policing get results!
Thank you to all Euclid City Schools students and their families who attended our D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Family Skate Party at United Skates of America Wickliffe. Kudos to United Skates of America Wickliffe for hosting the event and donating $100.00 back to our D.A.R.E. Program in the City of Euclid.We currently implement Rx & OTC drug education in the middle school, bullying prevention in the elementary schools, and opioid awareness as well as safe teen driving programs in the high school.
Euclid Officers have received extensive and ongoing training including but not limited to weapons and tactics, investigative methods, school resource officers, first aid, drug interdiction, hostage negotiations, naturally inherent bias, social media, high-performance driving, technology, and procedural justice. Officers are trained to handle response to resistance through tactical training which involves skills and tools officers use when faced with a dangerous situation. This training includes decision making, verbal de-escalation, hands-on skills, and weapons. Since January of 2016 Euclid Officers have participated in over 14,000 hours of training. Over 1/3 of those hours have been tactical training.
As leaves start to turn and fall it’s time to talk leaf collection. Let’s cover some of the specifics and let you know how to track what neighborhoods crews are in on any given collection day. As the leaves start falling in volume collection will begin. This start date can vary from early to later October depending on the weather. Once started crews will continue collection until December 7th. This date may need to be adjusted depending on how quickly the trees shed the leaves. There will be advanced notice if the collection date needs to be pushed out further due to the leaves falling late. The City website will have the most up to date information on the current location of the crews and any changes to the end date.
At 2:56 a.m. on September 9, the Euclid Fire Department (EFD) was called to a structure fire with flames coming from the roof at 2046 East 224th St. On arrival at 3:03 a.m., it was confirmed that all occupants were out of the home. The EFD started an exterior attack and then transitioned to an interior attack after heavy fire conditions had been darkened. Firefighters battled the blaze for five hours until all the flames were extinguished, and all fire extension was stopped.
A total of 16 Euclid firefighters responded to the scene, in addition to mutual aid from firefighters in South Euclid and Richmond Heights. While there are no injuries to report, the occupants and their four pets are being assisted by the Red Cross. The cause of the fire is under investigation and damages are estimated at $135,000.
The public is reminded to have working smoke detectors and to create and practice a home escape plan.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 4 out of 5 fire deaths every year occur in the home. From 2010 – 2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 166,100 home structure fires that involved cooking equipment. These fires caused an average of 480 civilian fire deaths, 5,540 civilian fire injuries, and $1.1 billion in direct property damage each year. Almost half of the injuries and deaths related to these fires was unattended cooking.
The third and fourth installments of 2018 Home Repair Resource Center Euclid Workshops took place at the Senior Center last month. Window Replacement and Tuckpointing were the topics homeowners from Euclid and throughout northeast Ohio were invited to learn about and practice. Residents were able to watch instructors and try their own hand at replacing window screens and glass window panes. This workshop served beneficial for many owners of older homes throughout the region. Rather than hiring someone to repair or replace large older windows, residents learn how to do it themselves, which is more cost effective. Participants picked up on this trade quickly and were able to repair multiple window screens!
With a vote of 5-2, Euclid’s City Council approved a financing plan for Phase II of the Waterfront Improvements Plan that has been in development for several years. The plan will create a public walkway along the lakeshore from the pier at Sims Park to East 242nd Street.
The City of Euclid is teaming up with NOACA's Street Supplies and the Better Block Foundation and we need YOUR help to create 'Pop-Up Parkway', a vision for equitable, safe spaces for pedestrians, cyclists and motorist between the street curbs by creating parklets, bike corrals, buffered bike lanes, mid-block decorative crosswalks, pedestrian medians and more on-street parking.
We are merging engineering studies and previous event set-ups to create a road-diet (that could lead to permanent implementation of aspects of the temporary project) from E.218th Street to E.222nd Street on Lakeshore Blvd.
What does a typical day/ week in the life as Mayor look like? The last couple of days have included waterfront funding meetings, Euclid Creek Watershed meeting on Algal blooms, performing a wedding for 2 residents, attending a concert in the park, conducting a town hall meeting on upcoming ballot issues, attending a groundbreaking ceremony for an expanding business, phone calls with residents, reviewing the tax receipt and budget performance reports, meeting with the union rep and Chief, planning for upcoming events, discussions with Council members about projects in their ward, meeting with local businesses, conducting Ohio Mayor’s Alliance work, responding to emails… and much more. There are many things I love about being the Mayor for our wonderful city. Top on that list is being able to serve the community I love! It’s also a privilege to be working with great, creative people and to be intellectually challenged on a regular basis. I love that each day is different and filled with a variety of issues, topics, and people. Some may find that multi-tasking overwhelming, but I love the diversity, variety and stimulation of the inter-woven issues and projects that make up our community. There is never a dull day!
Homeowners,
Keep Euclid Beautiful often gets questions about recycling. The Do's and Dont's are different in each state and sometimes vary from city to city. This can make recycling a bit confusing. In this column, Keep Euclid Beautiful will do our best to answer your recycling questions based on the guidelines for the City of Euclid and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
On July 25th, the Euclid Police Department offered Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) training to a room full of area business representatives. The event was hosted by Lincoln Electric in the beautiful new state-of-the-art Welding & Technology Center.
Training was presented by Kate McLaughlin, Community Policing Specialist for the EPD, and Officer Ed Bonchak, Community Policing Education Specialist for the EPD. Kate has been certified in CRASE through ALERRT and is also a certified crime prevention specialist through the Ohio Crime Prevention Association as wells as an intelligence liaison officer for Ohio Homeland Security. Ed is a retired law enforcement officer with over 40 years’ experience and is also a certified crime prevention specialist through the Ohio Crime Prevention Association.
While we hope we are never in a situation where we will need this training, statistics show that over 50% of attacks have occurred in commerce settings. We are all wise to have plans in place for emergency situations, including active shooter events. Here are a few tips:
Clear your calendars and get ready for the most fun and impactful ‘This Is Euclid’ Art Walk yet!