Councilman’s Corner
It has been a fast and furious summer so far. I wish to thank everyone who joined us on Sunday, June 12 for the official dedication of Veteran’s Park at East 174th Street and Lakeshore Boulevard. It was truly a great day. I look forward to the final completion of the site and the installation of new signage. Also, congratulations to Holy Redeemer Catholic Church for their hard work for their annual Feast of St Anthony and Procession which was a great success with a large turnout.
The Friday night attendance at the Euclid Beach MetroPark’s Concert series has been overwhelming with great entertainment. Make sure to put these concerts on your calendar; they run every Friday night through August 12 beginning at 5:30 PM. Look forward to seeing you there.
We passed legislation in Cleveland City Council authorizing additional funding for the historic LaSalle Theatre Arts & Media Project which we all hope will get started soon. This project is critical for the redevelopment of the East 185th Street corridor. My sincere appreciation to my colleagues in City Council who supported my efforts and sponsorship of this legislation.
The Waterloo Arts Festival on Saturday, June 25 was well attended and we all look for bigger and better things taking place on Waterloo Road in the near future. Please support the local businesses in this growing Arts & Entertainment District along with all of our other vital and unique businesses in the Greater Collinwood community.
Work is underway on the rehabilitation of the tennis and basketball courts at the Humphrey’s Sports Complex. Work should be completed within the next two weeks. Work is also well underway on the replacement of the pedestrian bridge over I-90 at Villaview Road. It is a unique design to enhance our community and tie in to the new Greenway Bike Path that is being designed. The new bike lanes on Lakeshore Boulevard have been implemented but not without with some trials and tribulations. Traffic Engineering needs to restripe, better define some of the areas of concern and place proper signage where needed along the Boulevard. Work should be completed shortly.
On a very personal note, we lost a long-time neighbor, friend and dedicated public official; that being the Honorable George V. Voinovich. He was a product of the Greater Collinwood community and a graduate of Collinwood High School. He never lost sight of who he was and where he came from. As a United States Senator he could have lived anywhere in Ohio but he chose to live in Collinwood, just off Lakeshore Boulevard where he and his wonderful wife, Janet, raised four beautiful children. Very few people in public office, in fact only two in the history of the State of Ohio, had been Mayor, Governor and US Senator, both Slovenians. However, knowing George as well as I did, he would want to be remembered not for the public offices he held but for the fact that he was a loving son, husband, father and grandfather and one heck of a fisherman. My thoughts and prayers are with Janet, George, Peter and Betsy and their families. He joins his daughter, Molly, who left us way too early, in heavenly peace. He will not be forgotten for as he often said – as many of us do - “Once a Railroader … always a Railroader.” Rest in peace my friend. We will miss you but we will keep your memory alive by supporting the community you loved.