A media source by and for the Cleveland neighborhood of West Park
Nature’s Way Child Care is now hiring. Located at 14010 Puritas Ave., positions available include:
-Full-time preschool teacher (from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m..)
-Part-time morning (6:30 to 9:30 a.m.)
Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age and have a high school diploma/GED.
A background check is required.
Interested? Please email applications to email N8urway@aol.com.
CLEVELAND – On June 21, 2019, the City will begin the Chatfield Avenue Resurfacing Project from West 150th Street to West 151stStreet. The project will include all roadway work items from West 150th Street to 450 feet east from West 151st Street for a total of 750 feet of roadway improvements. Access to the Chatfield Avenue entrance from West 150th Street will detour north on West 150thStreet, then west and south on West 151st Street, and then east onto Chatfield Avenue. Access to Chatfield Avenue from the south at West 151st Street will be maintained. Access to all residential and commercial establishments will be maintained. The work is estimated to complete in September 2019.
The improvements include pavement resurfacing and the work will take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The project is scheduled for completion by September 2019.
Questions? Contact the City Project Inspector, Eric Faehner at 216-857-3028.
Editor’s Note: Road construction invariably presents hazards to the public. All travelers are urged to use caution in construction zones. Public safety and the safety of workers is a top priority.
About the City of Cleveland
The City of Cleveland is committed to improving the quality of life for its residents by strengthening neighborhoods, delivering superior services, embracing diversity and making Cleveland a desirable, safe city in which to live, work, play, and do business. For more information on the City of Cleveland, visit online at www.city.cleveland.oh.us, Twitter at @cityofcleveland or Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofcleveland
PRESS RELEASE
Cleveland Metroparks Police today announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspect(s) in the deaths of Carnell Sledge, 40, and Katherine Brown, 33.
Sledge and Brown were located at approximately 5:22 p.m. on June 4, 2019, in Rocky River Reservation north of the Lorain Road bridge, east of Valley Parkway.
Cleveland Metroparks detective bureau is leading the homicide investigation with support from the FBI, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation as well as the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“We are using all available resources to bring justice for the victims of this tragedy,” said Cleveland Metroparks Police Chief Katherine Dolan.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Cleveland Metroparks Police dedicated tip line at 440-331-5219 or Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County at 216-252-7463. Callers can remain anonymous.
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Cleveland Metroparks Media Contacts: External Communications Coordinator, Jeffrey Tolman, 216-635-3274Director of Communications, Jacqueline Gerling, 216-635-3338
By Jerry Masek for The West Park Times
Neighbors on West 140th Street, from PPG to Puritas, put together a huge yard sale June 8th on the yard of Blessed Trinity Church.
The event was organized by the Bellaire-Puritas Development Corp.
If you live in West Park, RTA could be your best friend this summer. Consider:
From June 2 through Aug. 10, children ride free on all buses and trains.
West Park is served by four major Red Line rail stations — Brookpark, Puritas-W. 150, West Park, and Triskett.
A trip planner is available 24/7 at www.rideRTA.com, or during business hours at 216-621-9500.
Children ride free
For the third straight year, children age 12 and younger can ride free on RTA from June 2 to Aug. 10. They must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older, and there is a limit of three children per adult. In the first two years of the program, more than 135,000 children have received free rides.
Riding the Red Line
Trains operate until after midnight, seven days a week, with direct service to Hopkins International Airport, the West Side Market and Ohio City, Downtown, University Circle and Little Italy.
At the Tower City Station, transfer to the Waterfront Line to reach these popular destinations — Flats East Bank, Great Lakes Science Center, Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium. You can also transfer to the light-rail Blue and Green lines, to reach the historic Shaker Square.
Exiting at Tower City gives you direct access to free downtown trolley service and the HealthLine, which operates 24/7 on Euclid Avenue. The HealthLine stops at many summer fun destinations, including Playhouse Square, University Circle museums, and two universities.
Using the on-line trip planner
From the RTA Web site, you can access an on-line trip planner. If you plan to use it a lot, you can set up an account to store all your trip information.
Just tell the planner what your starting point and destination, and when you plan to leave (or need to arrive). I tested it out for a trip from my home in West Park to Cleveland City Hall. Here’s what it told me:
Walk to a bus stop on Puritas Avenue.
Board the 78 bus to the Puritas Rapid Station.
Ride the Red Line to the Tower City Station.
Transfer to the 79-79A bus, or walk to City Hall.
The trip planner even gave me the distance of each walk, how many calories it would burn, and the time each bus or train arrives.
So, now you know more about riding RTA. Go have a great summer!
Jerry Masek worked at RTA from 2000-2018.
The next cure for cancer could come from one of these smiling faces. The sky is the limit for them. But even the sky cooperated May 28. The rain held off just long enough for these happy graduates to walk from St. Joseph Academy to Our Lady of the Angels Church, as plenty of proud parents watched.
*The West Park Library is located at 3805 W. 157 St.
Summer Lunch Program: Children up to 18 years old. Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; beginning Monday, June 3 – Friday, August 9.
Summer Lit League – Puppet Palooza: Summer Reading program for school-age children
Special programming on Tuesdays, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.; beginning Tuesday, June 4 – Tuesday, July 23.
K-Club: For families with children ages 4-6. All family members can attend. Breakfast provided. Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. – noon; beginning Wednesday, May 22 – Wednesday, August 14. *Registration required.
Survival bracelet (paracord): Tuesday, June 4, 4 p.m.
Dan Coughlin, author of Just One More Story: Author visit and talk. Thursday, June 13, 6 p.m.
Father’s Day:
Craft, Thursday, June 13, 1 p.m.
Hooley:
Visit our table at the Kamm’s Corners Hooley Festival, Saturday, June 15, noon – 8 p.m.
National Eat Your Vegetables Day:
Join us for a fun program involving vegetables! Monday, June 17, 11:30 a.m.
Lunch & Learn – Lessons Learned from the Blue Zones: Presented by Brookdale Senior Living Solutions Thursday, June 20, 11:30 a.m.
The longest living people on Earth come from the Blue Zones. Who are they and what can we learn from their way of life? Lunch provided. *Registration required.
Flip Your Flops:
Decorate your flip flops. Thursday, June 20, 1 p.m.
Red, White & Blue Pom-Poms:
Get ready for the Fourth of July by creating your own Pom-Poms. Thursday, June 27, 1 p.m.
Craft – Sun Catchers:
Create your own sun catcher out of old DVDs and CDs, Thursday, July 11, 1 p.m.
Craft – To be announced: Thursday, July 18, 1 p.m.
Christmas in July:
Sock snowperson craft. Thursday, July 25, 1 p.m.
CPL150: Street Festival, Main Library – Downtown Cleveland
Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. West Park Branch will be closed. Eastman branch will be open with limited hours and free Trolley rides from Eastman to Downtown.
Cleveland Metroparks:
Guest speaker and animals. Thursday, August 1, 1 p.m.
Celebrate Woodstock 50 Year Anniversary:
Make your own Lava Lamp, Thursday, August 15, 1 p.m.
All programs are free of charge and are located at 3805 W. 157 St., unless otherwise noted. Please contact the Branch at 216-623-7102 for more information.
By Jerry Masek
Sisters in the Congregation of St. Joseph have been a part of the West Park community for more than 125 years.
Now their future here has been ensured, as a new motherhouse has been completed at 3430 Rocky River Dr., just north of St. Joseph Academy.
The motherhouse includes private living quarters for about 20 nuns. The new structure is more environmentally-friendly than other buildings on the campus.
Apartments include private bathrooms and kitchens for each nun.
The motherhouse also has a new chapel and new dining room.
Part of the building includes River’s Edge, a spirituality and wellness ministry offering classes, programs, and services to the public.
A new yoga studio is now being used by the many yoga classes that are offered. For details, visit www.riversedgecleveland.com.
West Park Academy, 12913 Bennington Ave., is having graduation ceremonies for both Kindergarten and 8th grade classes today. The Kindergarten ceremony was held this morning at 10 a.m. and the eighth grade ceremony is at 2 p.m. this afternoon, Wednesday, May 22.
By Jerry Masek
A vital transportation link in West Park will soon get some attention from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
A $620,000 project on the Lorain Road bridge over the Rocky River Valley will start in May, says ODOT spokesman Brent Kovacs. Weather permitting, work will be completed by Labor Day.
Workers will upgrade fencing on the 1,219-foot bridge. Traffic will be maintained, and pedestrian detours will be posted. The structure is part of State Route 10, which runs between Downtown Cleveland and Elyria, where it merges with U.S. Rt. 20 and crosses the nation.
The original bridge, built in 1897, was replaced in 1935. It rises 130 feet over the valley floor in the Metroparks.
By: Jenn Wirtz,Restaurant owner & beer drinker
www.derbrau.com
The ingredients are simple: water, barley, hops, and later yeast, that come together and make what we love…
Beer is now over a $110 billion market. The process was refined in Germany before making its way all across the world, including to Cleveland!
Beer, for me, has not only fascinating history, but it inspires a way of life.
My first sip of beer was at age three and it was a DAB. My Opa drank it and when I could walk, to get him to chase me in the backyard, I would steal his DAB, run with it, and sip the bitter beer in its green bottle to make everyone laugh. That was the 80’s and we, after all, are Germans. However, it was approximately 5,000 years ago we can find Babylonian hieroglyphs that reveal ale recipes. In 1999, an archaeologist digging in Egypt put a 2,700-year-old urn under a microscope and deciphered an ale recipe. You can taste what early beer drinkers might have drunk with Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch. Sweet and almost like a wine, it is a high-ABV beer, fit for kings.
However, leave it up to the Germans to invent what we know today as beer. Hops in the 13th century was a game-changer that was a process from Northern Germany. Then, bottom-fermentation in the 16th century gave birth to the lager beer brew. Only a little over 200 years ago, Bavarians brought yeast into the mix. My German ancestors gave way to the idea of mass production with their every expanding polished process. It was in the 1800s that the perfection of lagers changed beer brewing from a home hobby to an industry. Many of those recipes have not changed and our always available on draft at Der Braumeister. Beers like Paulaner, Krombacher, and Weihenstephaner still follow the purity laws of 1516 and the traditional German lager recipes.
Finally, without borders, walls, and little restrictions, 1.7 million beer-drinking immigrants poured themselves into the United States in the 1840s. An estimated 75% of them were German and Irish. The Germans brought the skilled brewing practices and the Irish brought their drinking habits. Ales were within the colonies dating back to 1588; however, it was that wave of immigration that gave birth to beer as we know it and breweries like the legendary German Anheuser-Busch.
Cleveland, like other cities, was no exception. Some accounts have its first brewery opening in 1852. However, with the surge of drinking came the temperance movement. Yet, with the Civil War, early thoughts of prohibition were put on hold- but, in 1920, things changed and prohibition was a thing. As we all know, when someone tells us ‘NO’ or ‘CAN’T’- it sometimes, but not always, inspires rebellion.
And in 1929, Frank Herzog opened a delicatessen in West Park, Cleveland. However, the confectioner’s shop & deli was only a part of the building, next door to that deli with its high windows, unable to see in from street level, was a men’s only German club. It was one of Cleveland’s first taverns and we now know it to be one of Cleveland’s oldest bar and restaurants as Der Braumeister. But that is a history for another day. So in the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 said after repealing prohibition: “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”
In the words of your author: “Prost!”
Visit Der Braumeister at derbrau.com. Learn more about them, view their menu and check out what’s happening and different events.
Those of us who live and work in West Park are abundantly blessed in so many ways.
Those blessings include two great local development corporations — Bellaire-Puritas and Kamms Corners — that guide our neighborhood growth.
Bellaire-Puritas Development Corp.
On April 13 — with an eye toward developing future generations — BPDC sponsored a Youth Job Jam at Gunning Recreation Center. More than 60 local youths gained interview skill with workshop training and practice with adult volunteers. Twelve youths also completed a resume-writing workshop.
The event enjoyed strong community support and that is the key to so many projects. About 30 community and business people volunteered their time on a Saturday, and more than 20 local employers talked to youths about opportunities to work or volunteer this summer.
Feedback from both the youths and volunteers showed the event was a win for everyone. We applaud the strong community support.
Kamms Corner Development Corp.
KCDC staff is active all year but now, they are working on some high-profile projects. Staff and volunteers are preparing for both the June 15 Hooley, and the June 16 kick-off of the popular Farmers Market.
KCDC is also helping to guide a major restoration of the key public parking lot on Albers Avenue. The project is long overdue. We will experience the smooooth pavement, when work is completed in mid-June.
Summer is a busy time for both groups. We appreciate their hard work and hope that strong community support continues, as we watch West Park grow and prosper.
Photos courtesy of Jerry Masek
CONTENT AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEALPOINT MERRILL, LLC.
DealPoint Merrill, LLC, an owner and operator of value-added real estate opportunities and sponsor of real estate investment offerings, redeveloped the 124,000 square foot former Giant Eagle grocery store on 4.3 acres at 13820 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44111.
The redevelopment managed under the CubeSmart self-storage (NYSE: CUBE) a national brand is in addition to a 10,500 square pad for a restaurant planned for the street front pad.
The Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony with City Council Members of Cleveland, the Chamber of Commerce and team members of both CubeSmart and DealPoint Merrill is scheduled for Monday, May 22, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.
“There is a lot of revitalization projects going on in the Cleveland area is this building is a great addition to our climate-controlled self-storage portfolio and an excellent fit for our co-investment and redevelopment projects throughout the United States,” said DealPoint Merrill.
Located in Kamm’s Plaza on Lorain Avenue, Carol &
John’s Comic Book Shop is a treasure.
The store is eye-catching with neon signs and symbols of classic comics such as Batman, Superman and The Green Lantern; all welcoming visitors at the entrance.
Upon entering, one notices flyers lining the nearby glass countertop, promoting upcoming events and recent releases. The bright blue walls have memorable comic book icons and memorabilia as well as related décor. The top shelves of the store contain unique artwork; all in-line with the theme of this shop.
Apparel and figurines are available for purchase.
This store is also incredibly organized, with boxes of comics arranged around the central area of the store; everything in alphabetical order, making it super easy to browse. Even smaller paperback comics are placed neatly into a laminated sleeve, making for a very official and satisfying look and feel to the purchase.
Along the shelves, books of all sizes are placed together so that they fit like perfect puzzle pieces.
Accessibility is not a problem. Employees are also friendly with a light-hearted attitude and are always willing to help as needed, also.
This shop sells old and new comics and will be holding a free comic book day on May 4 this year. Be sure to stop by and check out the welcoming atmosphere yourself!
By Kevin Coleman
Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH) released a proposed ballot initiative in February which would require landlords to test and treat their properties for lead contamination.
CLASH, which is made up of several other community organizations, told City Council that if it did not act, they would begin collecting signatures to force the proposal onto the ballot in November.
City Council did not act. In order to let Clevelanders vote on the legislation, CLASH needed to collect 5,000 signatures for the cause. The coalition has now turned in over 10,500 signatures to City Council just six short weeks after taking to the streets.
Once the Board of Elections certifies that at least 5,000 are “valid” signatures, City Council will have 90 days to adopt the measure before it is officially added to the ballot.
Nora Kelley is a West Park activist with CLASH who has been involved in several political causes since the last election cycle. She says the vast majority of people she petitioned were shocked when they learned that Cleveland did not already have laws to ensure rental properties were lead-safe.
“There is absolutely a huge sense of frustration that this issue has been such a low priority,” she said. “We’re essentially letting our children be the lead detectors instead of requiring landlords to do their due diligence.”
The urgency of the issue was underscored in a study released earlier this year by Case Western Reserve University. The report found that, of all Ohio children who tested positive for elevated levels of lead in their blood, 40-percent resided in Cuyahoga County. The study also established that 10-percent of children born in Cuyahoga County in 2012 had elevated levels of lead in their blood by age 5.
Sadly, these numbers may not illustrate the true urgency of Cleveland’s lead problem. Kelley says that one of the leading issues facing CLASH is the lack of lead screening for children at risk of lead poisoning.
“We don’t truly know how widespread the issue is because we are only made aware that a house is contaminated with lead after it is found in a child’s blood,” she said. “By the time resources are finally brought to bear, irreparable damage has already been done.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that there is no safe level of lead exposure. Even amounts measured in millionths of a gram can be detrimental to a child’s brain development and has been linked to several cognitive deficiencies. However, the measures suggested by CLASH would not require landlords to conduct a complete abatement.
The legislation proposed by CLASH requires properties to be certified as “lead-safe” before any family moves in. This means that, while there may still be detectable levels of lead, it would not be of grave concern to the occupants of the home. In addition, the proposal aims to establish a fund for both private and public designation to assist landlords in testing their properties and completing any necessary abatement.
Kelley says City Council’s failure to act quickly is especially frustrating because the legislation is practical and in the best-interest of all Cleveland residents. The seven organizations which comprise CLASH have spent years working closely with other cities who have used similar solutions to deal with their own lead issues.
“Our coalition’s central message is that this needs to be handled as a city-wide public policy issue which is taken care of quickly and comprehensively,” she said.
Residents of West Park and Greater Cleveland can take their own precautionary measures by using a simple lead testing kit in their home. Also, Kelley says the best way to tangibly support the cause is to contact City Council and the Mayor’s office to ensure your voice is heard.
“Everyone should be calling and telling our representatives to not wait on this issue any longer,” she said. “When we put millions of public dollars into renovating an arena but can’t ensure our children are safe from lead, we have some pretty mixed up priorities.”