The nonprofit organization LiveCleveland has launched a website which provides urban parents with comprehensive school information for the areas in which they live. Our Neighborhood Schools allows parents to search by community and zip code to determine the best educational opportunities available to them across the spectrum of public, private and parochial schools.

"We wanted to battle head-on the perception that there are a lack of school choices in the City of Cleveland," says Jeff Kipp, Executive Director of LiveCleveland. "Our Neighborhood Schools is a searchable database and resource for parents that highlights high-performing schools in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District as well as charter school and private school options."

The new website was made possible through a partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and grant funding from the Cleveland Foundation. LiveCleveland shares with CMSD a marketing and web design staff person who works to increase enrollment in the city's public schools.

"CMSD basically had no marketing strategy previously, and was losing hundreds of kids each year to charter schools who were doing a more proactive job," says Kipp. "Now the district is trying to market its own strong schools to parents."

The website, which attracts about 500 unique visitors per month, is a "win-win" for LiveCleveland, CMSD and the city's neighborhoods and schools, Kipp adds.


Source: Jeff Kipp
Writer : Lee Chilcote

This week, the partners planning the West Side Market's Centennial Celebration unveiled a trio of unprecedented special events that will celebrate its wealth of small businesses, unite food lovers across the region and launch the icon's next 100 years. They include a family-friendly party and ice cream social by Mitchell's Ice Cream on Saturday, June 2, as well as a street festival with food trucks and Parade the Circle puppets on Sunday, October 7.

"The West Side Market is the most important icon in the City of Cleveland," said Ward 3 Councilman Joe Cimperman at a press conference at the Market this past Monday. "This place brings us together as a city."

The West Side Market Centennial events have also spurred a small but important shift within the venerable institution. For the first time in its 100-year history, the market will be open on a Sunday during the October 7 celebration. The nonprofit Ohio City Inc. has been working with the West Side Market for several years to boost its marketing efforts and broaden its already diverse appeal.

"There truly is a new energy in the neighborhood that is complementing the energy that's been here for 100 years," said Eric Wobser, Director of OCI.

No major changes will be made to the market or its offerings this year. Instead, a facilities assessment is being conducted that will guide future decision-making.

As part of the celebration, organizers are also planning a birthday gala on November 2nd that will feature celebrity chefs Jonathon Sawyer and Michael Symon, as well as a dozen or so of their chef friends from across the country.

Charter One Bank, which has made a $200,000 gift, is the presenting sponsor of the celebration. Other goings-on include the International Public Markets Conference from Sept. 21-23 and the fall release of a new book by Laura Taxel and Marilous Suszko, "The West Side Market: 100 Years and Still Cooking."


Source: Ohio City Inc.
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Last month, Jenita McGowan was sworn in as Cleveland's new Chief of Sustainability, replacing the outgoing Andrew Watterson. A Northeast Ohio resident since 1996, McGowan's an adopted Clevelander in every sense. Fresh Water contributor Erin O'Brien sat down with McGowan and got the lowdown on the status of sustainability in Cleveland.

These days, creative pop-up events are a fixture of the modern social scene, adding delightful, ephemeral energy to our streets, neighborhoods and retail districts. Yet even in this spirited era of pop-up dining, pop-up shopping, pop-up book release parties and even pop-up Santa races, the Cleveland Urban Iditarod still is pretty darn unique.

This new, one-of-a-kind event mimics the famous Alaskan Iditarod sled dog race, except that the dogs will be replaced by humans, the snow gear supplanted by wacky costumes, and the sleds are -- wait for it -- food-filled shopping carts.

In addition to the wacky race itself, there will be a talent contest, costume contest and pub crawl. The whole event is actually a food drive for Harvest for Hunger, with participants mushing 40 pounds of non-perishable items.

Here's how it works: Teams have five people and all "sleds" must be pulled a la dog sledding -- four people in front of the cart pulling with ropes and one person behind the cart steering it. Everyone must make it past the finish line.

Helmets are recommended, but stealing shopping carts is not. The YoYoSyndicate, the team of self-proclaimed "creative freaks" behind this "on-demand creative experience," is working on procuring a few reasonably-priced shopping carts.

Event organizer Aaron Erb says that the Cleveland Urban Iditarod and other YoYoSyndicate events offer ways to keep young, creative people in Cleveland. "These are creative events geared towards creative people," he says.

Think you got what it takes? Registering your team is only $45 until Feb. 24th.


Source: Aaron Erb
Writer; Lee Chilcote

At last count, Ohio City was home to nearly 90 nonprofit organizations and community groups. Combined they employ 3,000 individuals and have a collective budget totaling several hundred million dollars. They also attract over 100,000 customers annually, and boast more than 10,000 committed volunteers.

Since the recession began, the groups that make up this sizeable nonprofit community have met regularly to discuss ways to combine purchasing, share services and leverage their resources. Such conversations have led to Ohio City Dialogues, an effort to bring together and strengthen the nonprofits in the neighborhood that is being managed by the community development corporation Ohio City Inc.

"These groups are able to accomplish more and better achieve their missions by working together," says Jeffrey Verespej, Director of Operations and Advocacy with Ohio City Inc. "They are able to get better services at lower rates because they're sharing the burden across so many different organizations."

The group is now working with the Sourcing Office, a local company that helps governments, businesses and nonprofits obtain competitive rates for goods and services. Recently, they crafted a Request for Proposals for an information technology provider and selected Onelink, a Westlake-based company.

Verespej says that the Ohio City Dialogues group will display its growing influence in the coming year. The group is planning to hold its annual meeting in March, with Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson scheduled to deliver the keynote address.

"There's a real nonprofit economy here, and nonprofits have an economic impact that's not often seen," Verespej says. "We think we can tell a different story, and leverage nonprofits into a stronger impact for the community."


Source: Jeff Verespej
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Liz Maugins of Zygote Press remembers the moment in 2008 when she realized just how fragile her own organization's existence was in Cleveland's ever-shrinking nonprofit ecosystem. Like many nonprofit groups, she was looking at fewer philanthropic dollars during the worst recession in decades. Meanwhile, many foundations were stressing collaboration or proposing outright mergers.

"Like a lot of nonprofit leaders, I was freaking out and wondering what would come our way," recounts Maugins, who worried that her small nonprofit would be wiped out by the tidal wave of the national recession. "So I started sending out messages to other arts leaders to see if they were feeling the same thing."

Not surprisingly, other nonprofit leaders were losing sleep over their situations, too. Yet rather than retreating to their own private islands to struggle in maudlin isolation, Maugins and her colleagues banded together for survival.

"The number one challenge was that we had no exposure, especially with the dwindling arts coverage locally," says Maugins. "Yet we knew that our arts organizations were doing amazing things with education and other programming, and we're the economic engines of our neighborhoods."

Today, Zygote and 27 other groups in Northeast Ohio have banded together to form the Collective Arts Network (CAN), received a grant from the Ohio Arts Council, and produced a magazine-style journal touting their work. Ten thousand copies have been distributed to galleries and other hotspots in the city.

Next up, the CAN group is working on other kinds of collaboration, including programming, events and sustaining the journal as a quarterly publication.


Source: Liz Maugins
Writer: Lee Chilcote

If the printed book business is dead, don't tell Mike Zubal. His family's Zubal Books is one of the largest booksellers in the country, moving about a quarter million titles per year. Though you'd never know it, roughly four million books fill a nondescript warren of buildings about a mile from the West Side Market. Never heard of the place? You're not alone.

Inefficient, drafty homes in Cleveland not only are an impediment to attracting savvy urban homebuyers, they're also a harsh economic reality for those who must swallow high utility bills. Despite the daunting prospect of renovating an old home, there are simple, cost-effective ways to save energy -- and money -- that don't involve notching the thermostat down another degree or donning Eskimo-like clothing.

That's the impetus behind Cleveland Energy $aver, a new program just launched by the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Action to Support Housing (CASH), Cleveland Housing Network (CHN), LAND Studio and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program aims to make 100 homes in Cleveland energy-efficient by fall of this year.

Homeowners who enroll in this program can obtain a complete energy audit for a mere $50, a tidy sum that likely amounts to a fraction of their monthly heating bill. After the audit has been completed, owners will work with program staff to develop a scope of work, seek low-interest financing if needed, and hire a contractor. When the job is completed, professionals will help evaluate the work to make sure it's been done properly. As an enticement, owners will save 20 percent off the top, and another 20 percent when the work is complete.

“Cleveland Energy $aver will provide homeowners with tools they need to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes,” says Marcia Nolan, Executive Director of Cleveland Action to Support Housing (CASH). “It will also help Cleveland to become more sustainable and competitive to future residents.”


Source: Marcia Nolan
Writer: Lee Chilcote

It's hard not to notice the attractive bike racks that have been popping up around town lately. Much more than simply utilitarian places to hitch your ride, these racks are at once urban sculptures and retail signage for local businesses. Many of them have been designed by Rust Belt Welding, two Cleveland entrepreneurs who are making a living doing what they love.

"We wanted to do creative, bicycle-related projects, and we knew there was a need for more bike racks because we'd ride around town and say, 'I wish there was one here,'" says Grant Smrekar, who created Rust Belt Welding with his friend Lou Erste four years ago in order to build bike frames, something that remains the core of their business. "We wanted there to be an artistic quality to these projects, and for the bike racks to represent the place they're at."

What started out as a small project grew quickly once the bike community and enthusiastic business owners grabbed ahold of it. "The local cycling group Crank-Set Rides offered to help us raise funds to create more bike racks, and that allowed us to make a few of them," says Erste. "Then places like Market Garden Brewery asked us to create custom racks in front of their businesses."

Their most recent creation, which was installed last month in front of Market Garden Brewery in Ohio City, spells out "BIKE" in red, metal letters. Rust Belt Welding has also installed bike racks in front of Phoenix Coffee, Joy Machines bike shop, Blazing Saddles bike shop and other local venues.

"We'll build pretty much anything, but the more that we can build stuff that's fun and creative, that's even better," says Smrekar, who adds that Rust Belt is planning to add more artistic bike racks around town in the near future.


Source: Lou Erste, Grant Smrekar
Writer: Lee Chilcote

If you fancy yourself a fan of Cleveland and its offerings, you have doubtless been asked for a recommendation or three. Having lived and worked in town for 20 years, Nina McCollum considers herself an unofficial tour guide, dispensing advice on everything from food and shopping to arts and entertainment. In preparation for a visit from an out-of-town friend, McCollum has devised her dream weekend in Cleveland.

What's the cumulative impact of Cleveland's 200-plus community gardens, 20-plus farmers markets and 60-odd acres of urban land that have been tilled and planted for a future harvest?

That's an as yet unanswered question, says the City of Cleveland's new Sustainability Chief, but one she hopes to glean serious answers to in the coming year. Billed "The Year of Local Food" by Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a grassroots, city-led movement to employ sustainability as an engine to grow the regional economy, 2012 is going to be a momentous year.

"Local food is exciting because it combines entrepreneurship and environmental benefits with making connections in the local community," says Jenita McGowan, who last week succeeded Andrew Watterson as the city's Sustainability Chief. "We're really hoping to better connect Cleveland residents with local food, since many people still don't know what is available and how to access it."

Other plans for 2012 include increasing the number of urban farmers in the city, tying into the West Side Market's centennial celebrations this fall, and garnering commitments from large institutions to buy more food locally.

"The Year of Local Food allows all local groups to co-market their work," says McGowan. "That helps them to tie into a larger movement."

Sustainable Cleveland 2019 will host a kick-off event for the Year of Local Food this Friday, Jan. 20th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside.


Source: Jenita McGowan
Writer: Lee Chilcote

To tap into demand for affordable yet professional office space from local start-up businesses, two local entrepreneurs have kicked off 2012 by opening a new shared workspace, Cowork CLE, in a decommissioned Ohio City firehouse.

“Meeting clients at Starbucks can get old; we offer a more professional setting,” says Emmett McDermott, who has partnered with Graham Veysey of North Water Partners, a video production company, to launch the 1,000-square-foot space on W. 29th Street. McDermott also owns 12five9, a web development firm.

Their pitch goes something like this: Are you a solo entrepreneur? Are you tired of working from home or fighting for an outlet at your local coffeehouse? Renting a desk at Cowork CLE can be as little as $250 per month. There's an airy, light-filled room with refinished hardwood floors, high-speed wireless, live Twitter feed on a flat-screen TV, conference room and even a private phone booth.

McDermott and Veysey visited similar coworking spaces in other cities, including Chicago, before they decided to launch Cowork CLE. “This is something that’s become popular in bigger cities,” says McDermott. “We chose Ohio City because it is an artisan neighborhood. We believe our clients are creative, independent artisans who are yearning for a collaborative environment."

The owners of Cowork CLE hope that the space will function as a kind of entrepreneurial incubator. By developing relationships in a shared work environment, their customers will be able to share useful information, help each other grow and eventually even refer business to one another, they say.

“We’re hoping people will make connections,” says McDermott.
Veysey, who owns the firehouse building, has also leased space to Rising Star Coffee Roasters, which will open Cleveland’s first “brewbar.” Rising Star will offer bags of beans for sale and also brew coffee by the cup. This will offer entrepreneurs here the best of both worlds -- a functional work environment and a downstairs coffee shop where they can easily get their caffeine fix.

Cowork CLE is located at 1455 W. 29th Street.


Sources: Emmett McDermott, Graham Veysey
Writer: Lee Chilcote

While we pride ourselves here at Fresh Water in having crisp, professional prose, the truth is, without art, a feature is just font on a page. Pictures tell a thousand words, we're told, but the best ones simply leave us speechless. Every masthead and feature image since we launched this pub over a year ago has been shot by Fresh Water shooter Bob Perkoski. Here is a collection of some of his finest work.

When Fresh Water launched in September 2010, we promised to highlight Cleveland's most progressive and creative people, businesses and organizations. But more importantly, we endeavored to place those subjects against the most compelling backdrop of all: Cleveland and its wonderful neighborhoods. Each Thursday, our readers are invited to dig a little deeper into this city we call home. What follows is a list of the 10 most-read features of the previous 12 months. Looking at the subject matter of those stories, it's clear that the most important topics to our readers include neighborhood development, sustainability and transportation, and, of course, food and booze.

Tom Gillespie enjoys riding his motorcycle and he loves outdoor activities like golfing and camping. The problem he had was how to transport his gear while on his bike. When he couldn’t find anything that solved his problem, the environmental consultant took things into his own hands and invented The Travel Tube, a hard plastic case that holds golf clubs, fishing gear, firearms and any number of objects. The portable case attaches to a motorcycle or just about any vehicle. 

“I kind of had it rumbling around in my head for a while,” Gillespie says of the concept. “I couldn’t find anything like it. So I wrote a patent and took my rudimentary drawings to a manufacturer. After I had the prototype for the Travel Tube I put my golf clubs in it, put it on the back of my motorcycle and rode to Chicago.”
 
The Travel Tube is lightweight -- only about seven pounds -- is water-resistant, and its hard shell allows it to be checked on airplanes or shipped through the mail. Gillespie took his prototype to COSE’s Cleveland Shark Tank Pitch Contest -- and won. He is now in full production, filling orders for 50 units, each selling for $99. He also is working on a variety of accessories.
 
Gillespie has a storefront in Ohio City. As he ramps up production and sales, he plans on hiring some salespeople and at least one person to manage the phones.

 
Source: Tom Gillespie
Writer: Karin Connelly

"Wellness" might sound like the latest corporate buzzword. But a growing number of local entrepreneurs have begun incorporating the concept into a new breed of anti-corporate gyms that cater to health-savvy urban professionals. In recent years, indie gyms and studios have sprung up in Ohio City, Tremont, St. Clair Superior and other neighborhoods not served by large fitness chains.