Social Change
What if we viewed Cleveland as a startup? "The ingredients for a successful startup and a successful city are remarkably similar," argues tech blogger Jon Bischke. You need to build stuff that people want. You need to attract talent. And you need capital to get your fledgling ideas to a point of sustainability.
detroit shoreway nabs $50k nea placemaking grant
The National Endowment for the Arts announced its 2012 Our Town Grant Recipients, with $5 million going out to creative placemaking in 80 communities across the country.
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization received $50,000.
"The Detroit Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, is home to more than 14,300 residents. Revitalization efforts in the neighborhood focus around the Gordon Square Arts District, an emerging arts and entertainment destination.
"The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, together with the City of Cleveland and several local arts and business organizations, is using the Our Town grant to design an affordable artist live/work space in Gordon Square. The 24 artist live/work units will be developed in the historic Templin Bradley Building, a site in downtown Cleveland that has been vacant for decades. When complete, the units will be inhabited by artists earning at or below 120 percent of the Area Median Gross Income. A 3,500-square-foot gallery space will also be created for residents and other local artists to display their work."
Read about all recipients here.
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization received $50,000.
"The Detroit Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, is home to more than 14,300 residents. Revitalization efforts in the neighborhood focus around the Gordon Square Arts District, an emerging arts and entertainment destination.
"The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, together with the City of Cleveland and several local arts and business organizations, is using the Our Town grant to design an affordable artist live/work space in Gordon Square. The 24 artist live/work units will be developed in the historic Templin Bradley Building, a site in downtown Cleveland that has been vacant for decades. When complete, the units will be inhabited by artists earning at or below 120 percent of the Area Median Gross Income. A 3,500-square-foot gallery space will also be created for residents and other local artists to display their work."
Read about all recipients here.
Backers call it a win-win-win: through an innovative development arrangement with Midtown Cleveland Inc., the City of Cleveland is moving forward on a new Third District police station. Leaders say it will make the neighborhood safer, catalyze development and free up two prominent properties in University Circle and Midtown for potential future redevelopment.
The new $17.5 million facility is slated to be built on the former Ward Bakery site at Chester Ave. and East 45th Street. The first new police station to be built in the City of Cleveland in more than three decades, it would consolidate the existing Third District police station at Chester Ave. and East 107th Street and the administrative offices located at Payne Ave. and East 21st Street.
The new station in the heart of the Health-Tech Corridor would also make the neighborhood safer without negatively impacting response times to surrounding areas, leaders say. The long vacant site would be infused with new life that could catalyze development in the area. Finally, the first floor will feature a police memorial and a community room that can be rented for special events.
In a recent community meeting, Ward 8 Councilman Jeff Johnson promised that the project would help to break down barriers between residents and police by emphasizing community policing and offering a welcoming environment.
Midtown Cleveland, which can access grant funding such as New Markets Tax Credits that the city is not eligible for, will develop the property and gradually transfer it to the city. The building will be a green structure that is LEED certified (Leadership in Energy, Efficiency and Design) and will save the city money.
Source: Midtown Cleveland Inc.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The new $17.5 million facility is slated to be built on the former Ward Bakery site at Chester Ave. and East 45th Street. The first new police station to be built in the City of Cleveland in more than three decades, it would consolidate the existing Third District police station at Chester Ave. and East 107th Street and the administrative offices located at Payne Ave. and East 21st Street.
The new station in the heart of the Health-Tech Corridor would also make the neighborhood safer without negatively impacting response times to surrounding areas, leaders say. The long vacant site would be infused with new life that could catalyze development in the area. Finally, the first floor will feature a police memorial and a community room that can be rented for special events.
In a recent community meeting, Ward 8 Councilman Jeff Johnson promised that the project would help to break down barriers between residents and police by emphasizing community policing and offering a welcoming environment.
Midtown Cleveland, which can access grant funding such as New Markets Tax Credits that the city is not eligible for, will develop the property and gradually transfer it to the city. The building will be a green structure that is LEED certified (Leadership in Energy, Efficiency and Design) and will save the city money.
Source: Midtown Cleveland Inc.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Dogs in public parks have a positive impact on safety, says Kerri Whitehouse, a Cleveland Heights resident who wants to see a citywide ban on dogs in parks overturned. Dog walkers are active park users who enhance the safety of public spaces, she argues.
The Cleveland Heights Dog Project sprung from the efforts of the Cain Park Neighborhood Association, a grassroots group of neighborhood residents. Whitehouse says the association formed last year to address crime in the neighborhoods bordering Cain Park, a growing problem in recent years.
Instead of merely complaining, Whitehouse and a group of other residents decided to take action. "We wanted to do something productive that would make the park more of a destination and community hub," she says. "We were looking at ways to increase foot traffic. The presence of dogs has been found to reduce crime."
Whitehouse says that the city, which implemented the ban decades ago to address safety, nuisance and liability concerns, has been receptive to their suggestions so far. Dog Project organizers hope to implement a pilot project in Cain Park that will eventually allow dogs to be safely reintroduced to parks throughout the city.
Over the long term, Whitehouse says, the vibrancy of Cleveland Heights may depend in part upon the city's friendliness towards its four-legged friends.
To garner feedback and ideas and test community support for its efforts, the Dog Project has released a community survey regarding its proposal to lift the ban.
Source: Kerri Whitehouse
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Cleveland Heights Dog Project sprung from the efforts of the Cain Park Neighborhood Association, a grassroots group of neighborhood residents. Whitehouse says the association formed last year to address crime in the neighborhoods bordering Cain Park, a growing problem in recent years.
Instead of merely complaining, Whitehouse and a group of other residents decided to take action. "We wanted to do something productive that would make the park more of a destination and community hub," she says. "We were looking at ways to increase foot traffic. The presence of dogs has been found to reduce crime."
Whitehouse says that the city, which implemented the ban decades ago to address safety, nuisance and liability concerns, has been receptive to their suggestions so far. Dog Project organizers hope to implement a pilot project in Cain Park that will eventually allow dogs to be safely reintroduced to parks throughout the city.
Over the long term, Whitehouse says, the vibrancy of Cleveland Heights may depend in part upon the city's friendliness towards its four-legged friends.
To garner feedback and ideas and test community support for its efforts, the Dog Project has released a community survey regarding its proposal to lift the ban.
Source: Kerri Whitehouse
Writer: Lee Chilcote
peter b. lewis donates $5m to the cleveland institute of art
The Cleveland Institute of Art received a $5 million gift from Peter B. Lewis to support construction of a 91,000-square-foot building as the final component of the College’s campus unification project. Lewis is the chairman of Cleveland-based Progressive Corporation.
“We are thrilled to receive this wonderful gift, not only because it represents a strong endorsement of our vision for a unified campus from this nationally known philanthropist with deep Cleveland roots, but also because it acknowledges the efforts of our University Circle neighbors in developing the Uptown project into a national model of culture and commerce,” explains Grafton J. Nunes, CIA’s president and CEO.
The Uptown development is a complex of rental residences, restaurants, and retail anchored at one end by the new MOCA Cleveland and at the other end by the Cleveland Institute of Art.
In recognition of this gift, CIA will name the auditorium in the new building The Peter B. Lewis Theater.
In addition to the theater, which will be the new home of the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, the new building will house CIA’s nationally ranked design majors, its acclaimed biomedical art and digital arts programs, art galleries, and administrative offices.
Read the rest of the good news here.
“We are thrilled to receive this wonderful gift, not only because it represents a strong endorsement of our vision for a unified campus from this nationally known philanthropist with deep Cleveland roots, but also because it acknowledges the efforts of our University Circle neighbors in developing the Uptown project into a national model of culture and commerce,” explains Grafton J. Nunes, CIA’s president and CEO.
The Uptown development is a complex of rental residences, restaurants, and retail anchored at one end by the new MOCA Cleveland and at the other end by the Cleveland Institute of Art.
In recognition of this gift, CIA will name the auditorium in the new building The Peter B. Lewis Theater.
In addition to the theater, which will be the new home of the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, the new building will house CIA’s nationally ranked design majors, its acclaimed biomedical art and digital arts programs, art galleries, and administrative offices.
Read the rest of the good news here.
One third of children in the U.S. live at home without their biological fathers. In turn, these children are five times more likely to live in poverty than children whose dads are fully present in their lives.
A feature length film that is currently being filmed in Northeast Ohio will explore the crucial role that dads play in their children's lives. It is documenting the journey of fathers as they seek to become better dads by attending programs sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative and The Center for Families and Children of Northeast Ohio.
Despite these harsh statistics, some nonprofit leaders say that Cleveland, which has a very high poverty rate, is making progress towards building better fathers.
"Public perception would have you believe that fathers are a vanishing species," says Kimberly St. John-Stevenson, Communciations Officer with the Saint Luke's Foundation, which provided funding to the Center for Families and Children in support of the film. "The Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative is working to dispel that myth through a variety of programs and partners that all focus on building better fathers."
Director Marquette Williams, a Cleveland native who currently lives in Los Angeles, has created a film company called Cinema:216 with a primary focus on film production in Cleveland. "We hope all of the information that we collect through the filming of the documentary will assist in the ultimate goal of bringing more fathers and children together," said Marquette in a news release.
Source: Marquette Williams, Kimberly St. John-Stevenson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A feature length film that is currently being filmed in Northeast Ohio will explore the crucial role that dads play in their children's lives. It is documenting the journey of fathers as they seek to become better dads by attending programs sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative and The Center for Families and Children of Northeast Ohio.
Despite these harsh statistics, some nonprofit leaders say that Cleveland, which has a very high poverty rate, is making progress towards building better fathers.
"Public perception would have you believe that fathers are a vanishing species," says Kimberly St. John-Stevenson, Communciations Officer with the Saint Luke's Foundation, which provided funding to the Center for Families and Children in support of the film. "The Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative is working to dispel that myth through a variety of programs and partners that all focus on building better fathers."
Director Marquette Williams, a Cleveland native who currently lives in Los Angeles, has created a film company called Cinema:216 with a primary focus on film production in Cleveland. "We hope all of the information that we collect through the filming of the documentary will assist in the ultimate goal of bringing more fathers and children together," said Marquette in a news release.
Source: Marquette Williams, Kimberly St. John-Stevenson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Recent media reports have highlighted neglect of Cleveland's lakefront park system by the State of Ohio, yet less attention has been paid to the dedicated volunteers and local heroes who have worked tirelessly to clean up our waterfront parks and offer free programming to the local community.
One such group is Friends of Edgewater State Park, which recently received a grant from the Cleveland Waterfront Coalition to support a cell phone tour of the park, and a grant from the Cleveland Colectivo to support a summer concert series.
This Thursday, July 12th beginning at 7 p.m, Cleveland artist Nate Jones will perform a free concert in the Lower Pavilion at Edgewater State Park. The event is the first of a four-part concert series to be held in the park.
"We wanted to connect back to the history of music in the park," says Mandy Metcalf, President of Friends of Edgewater State Park, noting that there was originally a dance hall and music pavilion when Edgewater Park was created. "We also want people to experience the park in a way they haven't before."
The Edgewater Park cell phone tour is now available, with six recorded messages on such topics as water quality, the Shoreway project and a history of the park.
Finally, Friends of Edgewater State Park, Euclid Adopt-a-Beach and Drink Local Drink Tap are launching a new Urban Beach Amassador program. It's a super-friends program that aims to give Cleveland's lakefront parks some much needed lovin'. Ambassadors are people who regularly tend to and look after their local parks. An initial training is scheduled for July 26th at Euclid Beach Park.
Source: Friends of Edgewater State Park
Writer: Lee Chilcote
One such group is Friends of Edgewater State Park, which recently received a grant from the Cleveland Waterfront Coalition to support a cell phone tour of the park, and a grant from the Cleveland Colectivo to support a summer concert series.
This Thursday, July 12th beginning at 7 p.m, Cleveland artist Nate Jones will perform a free concert in the Lower Pavilion at Edgewater State Park. The event is the first of a four-part concert series to be held in the park.
"We wanted to connect back to the history of music in the park," says Mandy Metcalf, President of Friends of Edgewater State Park, noting that there was originally a dance hall and music pavilion when Edgewater Park was created. "We also want people to experience the park in a way they haven't before."
The Edgewater Park cell phone tour is now available, with six recorded messages on such topics as water quality, the Shoreway project and a history of the park.
Finally, Friends of Edgewater State Park, Euclid Adopt-a-Beach and Drink Local Drink Tap are launching a new Urban Beach Amassador program. It's a super-friends program that aims to give Cleveland's lakefront parks some much needed lovin'. Ambassadors are people who regularly tend to and look after their local parks. An initial training is scheduled for July 26th at Euclid Beach Park.
Source: Friends of Edgewater State Park
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Lake Erie is a whole lot cleaner than it was decades ago, yet in the past 10 years, toxic algae has sprouted up en masse here, forcing state officials to post warning signs at popular area beaches.
The Healthy Lake Erie Fund, which was recently passed by the Ohio State Legislature and signed into law by Governor John Kasich, aims to address this problem by directing three state agencies -- the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency -- to work with farmers to help keep fertilizers and manures out of watersheds.
The $3 million fund could also help support projects such as enhanced education, soil testing, water quality monitoring and pilot efforts to reduce algae blooms.
"While we are all able to observe the harmful algal bloom problem, without effective research and monitoring programs, scientists and managers struggle to identify the causes and recommend, implement, and evaluate the most effective solutions," said Dr. Jeff Reutter of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab in a news release.
"Our $1 million annual monitoring budget of the 1970s and early 1980s was eliminated in the mid-1980s when people felt our work was done and the Lake had recovered from the 'Dead Lake Years' of the 1960s," he added. "I hope we have all learned that Lake Erie is simply too valuable to ever neglect again."
Source: Ohio Environmental Council
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Healthy Lake Erie Fund, which was recently passed by the Ohio State Legislature and signed into law by Governor John Kasich, aims to address this problem by directing three state agencies -- the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency -- to work with farmers to help keep fertilizers and manures out of watersheds.
The $3 million fund could also help support projects such as enhanced education, soil testing, water quality monitoring and pilot efforts to reduce algae blooms.
"While we are all able to observe the harmful algal bloom problem, without effective research and monitoring programs, scientists and managers struggle to identify the causes and recommend, implement, and evaluate the most effective solutions," said Dr. Jeff Reutter of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab in a news release.
"Our $1 million annual monitoring budget of the 1970s and early 1980s was eliminated in the mid-1980s when people felt our work was done and the Lake had recovered from the 'Dead Lake Years' of the 1960s," he added. "I hope we have all learned that Lake Erie is simply too valuable to ever neglect again."
Source: Ohio Environmental Council
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Believe to Achieve, a program that teaches young people kindness, caring and respect as a means of achieving lifelong success, this year helped dozens of at-risk girls graduate from Collinwood High School.
Now the leaders of Project Love, the nonprofit that is spearheading the program, are planning to expand Believe to Achieve to 12 schools across the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD). They are currently seeking funding for that initiative.
"l ascribe our success to a very simple formula, and the formula is love," says Stuart Muszynski, President and CEO of the Project Love Remember the Children Foundation. "When people love themselves and understand what they stand for, then they understand the social and emotional part of being successful."
Seventy one girls entered the four-year trial program in 2008, and 51 of them recently received diplomas. Along the way, they were buttressed with constant mentoring, a character-building curriculum, summer jobs and 24/7 support.
Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, also praised the program. "The successes we are celebrating at Collinwood show the power of collaborative investment in the social and emotional learning needs of our students," he said in a news release.
Source: Stuart Muszynski, Eric Gordon
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Now the leaders of Project Love, the nonprofit that is spearheading the program, are planning to expand Believe to Achieve to 12 schools across the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD). They are currently seeking funding for that initiative.
"l ascribe our success to a very simple formula, and the formula is love," says Stuart Muszynski, President and CEO of the Project Love Remember the Children Foundation. "When people love themselves and understand what they stand for, then they understand the social and emotional part of being successful."
Seventy one girls entered the four-year trial program in 2008, and 51 of them recently received diplomas. Along the way, they were buttressed with constant mentoring, a character-building curriculum, summer jobs and 24/7 support.
Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, also praised the program. "The successes we are celebrating at Collinwood show the power of collaborative investment in the social and emotional learning needs of our students," he said in a news release.
Source: Stuart Muszynski, Eric Gordon
Writer: Lee Chilcote
An annual JumpStart survey indicates that tech startup companies that receive assistance from mentors, advisors and investors make a significant contribution to the region’s economy, even in the early stages. The Center for Economic Development at Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs surveyed 121 JumpStart and North Coast Angel Fund companies to measure their economic impact on the region.
The report showed these companies had a $220.5 million economic impact in 2011 in Northeast Ohio, creating 776 direct jobs within the companies and 864 indirect jobs, for a total of 1,640 regional jobs.
“This is great for an economic region -- showing small growing startups are contributing,” says Cathy Belk, chief relationship officer for JumpStart. Belk emphasizes that the surveyed companies are not even a comprehensive list of all small tech companies in the region. However, many of the companies receive support from multiple organizations in addition to JumpStart and the North Coast Angel Fund.
Sixty-three companies included in this 2011 impact analysis also were surveyed in 2010. In one year, those companies increased their aggregated Northeast Ohio employment by 111, payroll by $8.7 million and expenditures by $20.6 million.
“All of this shows that Cleveland is one of the best places in the country to start and grow your business,” says Belk.
Source: Cathy Belk
Writer: Karin Connelly
The report showed these companies had a $220.5 million economic impact in 2011 in Northeast Ohio, creating 776 direct jobs within the companies and 864 indirect jobs, for a total of 1,640 regional jobs.
“This is great for an economic region -- showing small growing startups are contributing,” says Cathy Belk, chief relationship officer for JumpStart. Belk emphasizes that the surveyed companies are not even a comprehensive list of all small tech companies in the region. However, many of the companies receive support from multiple organizations in addition to JumpStart and the North Coast Angel Fund.
Sixty-three companies included in this 2011 impact analysis also were surveyed in 2010. In one year, those companies increased their aggregated Northeast Ohio employment by 111, payroll by $8.7 million and expenditures by $20.6 million.
“All of this shows that Cleveland is one of the best places in the country to start and grow your business,” says Belk.
Source: Cathy Belk
Writer: Karin Connelly
A partnership between Cleveland State University and the Northeast Ohio Medical University hopes to reach students as early as middle school and inspire them to consider a career in medicine.
Now, a recently awarded $500,000 grant from the Mt. Sinai Foundation will help to support a crucial piece of this program -- a mentoring program to ensure the success of students being trained as primary care physicians.
The three-year grant will focus on linking students with educators, clinicians and community champions in the neighborhoods where the students will be placed. The new urban-focused medical school, which will begin enrolling its first students in fall of 2013, aims to place students in neighborhoods throughout Cleveland.
Each year, up to 35 qualified NEOMED students will be eligible for full tuition scholarships if they agree to work in Cleveland for five years after receiving their medical degrees. One of the main purposes of the program is to train primary care physicians to serve in urban areas. Many city neighborhoods are currently underserved, and demand is expected to increase in coming years.
Source: Cleveland State University
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Now, a recently awarded $500,000 grant from the Mt. Sinai Foundation will help to support a crucial piece of this program -- a mentoring program to ensure the success of students being trained as primary care physicians.
The three-year grant will focus on linking students with educators, clinicians and community champions in the neighborhoods where the students will be placed. The new urban-focused medical school, which will begin enrolling its first students in fall of 2013, aims to place students in neighborhoods throughout Cleveland.
Each year, up to 35 qualified NEOMED students will be eligible for full tuition scholarships if they agree to work in Cleveland for five years after receiving their medical degrees. One of the main purposes of the program is to train primary care physicians to serve in urban areas. Many city neighborhoods are currently underserved, and demand is expected to increase in coming years.
Source: Cleveland State University
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Cleveland Foundation recently awarded $19.9 million in grants, the second highest amount the foundation has awarded in a single quarter, including $2.25 million to strengthen college readiness and graduation rates among Cleveland students.
“Only 11 percent of Cleveland residents 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher,” said Robert Eckardt, executive vice president at the Cleveland Foundation, said in a news release. “Our team created a strategy last year to bolster secondary education success among local students. This quarter’s series of grants is a reflection of that commitment.”
The foundation's grants in this area include $1.01 million to College Now Greater Cleveland, $750,000 to Cuyahoga Community College for the College Success Program and $210,000 to support scholarships for nontraditional students.
The foundation also awarded $2.2 million to support economic development and $1.425 million to support the next phase of the Engaging the Future project, which is an initiative to attract a younger, more diverse audience to the arts.
Source: The Cleveland Foundation
Writer: Lee Chilcote
“Only 11 percent of Cleveland residents 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher,” said Robert Eckardt, executive vice president at the Cleveland Foundation, said in a news release. “Our team created a strategy last year to bolster secondary education success among local students. This quarter’s series of grants is a reflection of that commitment.”
The foundation's grants in this area include $1.01 million to College Now Greater Cleveland, $750,000 to Cuyahoga Community College for the College Success Program and $210,000 to support scholarships for nontraditional students.
The foundation also awarded $2.2 million to support economic development and $1.425 million to support the next phase of the Engaging the Future project, which is an initiative to attract a younger, more diverse audience to the arts.
Source: The Cleveland Foundation
Writer: Lee Chilcote
An Olympic-style cycling track is being assembled by a group of dedicated volunteers on a patch of scruffy, vacant land in Slavic Village where St. Michael's Hospital stood until it was demolished years ago.
The Cleveland Velodrome met its initial $300,000 fundraising goal for the 166-meter, wood and steel banked track thanks in part to a $50,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation and generous lead donors.
Later this month, cyclists should be able to go for a spin on the velodrome, which is the only one of its kind between the East Coast and Chicago. Backers of the project hope to eventually construct a multipurpose domed athletic center that will allow avid Cleveland cyclists and area youth to ride during the winter months, as well.
“After many years of hard work, we are thrilled to bring a velodrome track to Cleveland,” said Brett Davis, Board President or Fast Track Cycling, in a release. “Phase I allows Fast Track to implement youth and adult programming and will serve as a tool to raise additional funds to enclose the track for year-round use. While we are very pleased to reach the Phase I target, fund-raising will continue towards the ultimate goal of an enclosed, year-round track and sports center.”
“This is a terrific opportunity for Broadway Slavic Village,” said Marie Kittredge, Executive Director of Slavic Village Development. “The velodrome is a perfect fit for us, because of our central location, and our community’s commitment to active lifestyles and physical fitness. The velodrome will complement the gymnastics programming at the adjacent Sokol Czech Cultural Center, the community’s two new athletic fields, the First Tee Golf Course, and the Morgana Bike Trail.”
Fast Track Cycling is leasing the 8.4 acre site from the City of Cleveland for $1 per year. The Cleveland Velodrome is located on Broadway Ave. near Pershing Ave.
Source: Brett Davis, Marie Kittredge
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Cleveland Velodrome met its initial $300,000 fundraising goal for the 166-meter, wood and steel banked track thanks in part to a $50,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation and generous lead donors.
Later this month, cyclists should be able to go for a spin on the velodrome, which is the only one of its kind between the East Coast and Chicago. Backers of the project hope to eventually construct a multipurpose domed athletic center that will allow avid Cleveland cyclists and area youth to ride during the winter months, as well.
“After many years of hard work, we are thrilled to bring a velodrome track to Cleveland,” said Brett Davis, Board President or Fast Track Cycling, in a release. “Phase I allows Fast Track to implement youth and adult programming and will serve as a tool to raise additional funds to enclose the track for year-round use. While we are very pleased to reach the Phase I target, fund-raising will continue towards the ultimate goal of an enclosed, year-round track and sports center.”
“This is a terrific opportunity for Broadway Slavic Village,” said Marie Kittredge, Executive Director of Slavic Village Development. “The velodrome is a perfect fit for us, because of our central location, and our community’s commitment to active lifestyles and physical fitness. The velodrome will complement the gymnastics programming at the adjacent Sokol Czech Cultural Center, the community’s two new athletic fields, the First Tee Golf Course, and the Morgana Bike Trail.”
Fast Track Cycling is leasing the 8.4 acre site from the City of Cleveland for $1 per year. The Cleveland Velodrome is located on Broadway Ave. near Pershing Ave.
Source: Brett Davis, Marie Kittredge
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Cleveland Public Library recently unveiled TechCentral, a new downtown computing hub that offers free use of laptops, tablets and desktop computers, wireless access and 3-D printing.
A library card is all one needs to access the center, which cost $1 million to build and is located in 7,000 square feet in the lower level of the Louis Stokes Wing.
In addition to being able to explore the latest technology on site, card holders will be able to borrow iPads and Kindles to take home for a week at a time. They will also be able to borrow laptops for use anywhere in the building -- including the Eastman Reading Garden -- but won't be able to take them off premises.
Other features of TechCentral include a flexible learning space and SMART board, cloud computing and computer instruction at the main library as well as branches.
CPL created TechCentral in part to provide city residents access to technology. Yet the library's intentions go beyond serving its core constituency of Cleveland residents to better connecting the library to new developments in downtown.
TechCentral is the first phase of CPL’s $12-13.5 million Downtown Destination Plan, which aims to better connect CPL’s downtown buildings with East 4th Street, the Horseshoe Casino, Public Square, the Medical Mart and Convention Center.
Source: Cleveland Public Library
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A library card is all one needs to access the center, which cost $1 million to build and is located in 7,000 square feet in the lower level of the Louis Stokes Wing.
In addition to being able to explore the latest technology on site, card holders will be able to borrow iPads and Kindles to take home for a week at a time. They will also be able to borrow laptops for use anywhere in the building -- including the Eastman Reading Garden -- but won't be able to take them off premises.
Other features of TechCentral include a flexible learning space and SMART board, cloud computing and computer instruction at the main library as well as branches.
CPL created TechCentral in part to provide city residents access to technology. Yet the library's intentions go beyond serving its core constituency of Cleveland residents to better connecting the library to new developments in downtown.
TechCentral is the first phase of CPL’s $12-13.5 million Downtown Destination Plan, which aims to better connect CPL’s downtown buildings with East 4th Street, the Horseshoe Casino, Public Square, the Medical Mart and Convention Center.
Source: Cleveland Public Library
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Famicos Foundation, a nonprofit community development group serving Glenville and Hough, recently completed a green renovation of the historic Doan School building into affordable apartments.
According to the Famicos Foundation website, "Originally constructed in 1904 and expanded in 1906 and 1950, Doan School, located at 1350 East 105th Street, is a national landmark that fell victim to the foreclosure epidemic. The structure was designed by Frank Barnum, a prominent Cleveland architect who designed many early twentieth-century public schools. In 1985 the building was converted to 45 units of low-income senior housing; in 2008 it became vacant and boarded."
Last year, Famicos began the $7.4 million renovation of Doan Classroom using low-interest deferred Neighborhood Stabilization Program loans provided by the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.
Famicos also contributed its own tax credit equity to the deal. This equity was provided by the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing through syndication of federal Historic Tax Credits as well as Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
The Doan Classroom Apartments project not only demonstrates the principles of historic renovation, but also shows that they can be married with green building.
"This was a large school building that was not built for residential use, yet we were able to renovate it so that it meets Enterprise Green Community standards," says Chuck Ackerman, Associate Director of the Famicos Foundation.
Source: Chuck Ackerman
Writer: Lee Chilcote
According to the Famicos Foundation website, "Originally constructed in 1904 and expanded in 1906 and 1950, Doan School, located at 1350 East 105th Street, is a national landmark that fell victim to the foreclosure epidemic. The structure was designed by Frank Barnum, a prominent Cleveland architect who designed many early twentieth-century public schools. In 1985 the building was converted to 45 units of low-income senior housing; in 2008 it became vacant and boarded."
Last year, Famicos began the $7.4 million renovation of Doan Classroom using low-interest deferred Neighborhood Stabilization Program loans provided by the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.
Famicos also contributed its own tax credit equity to the deal. This equity was provided by the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing through syndication of federal Historic Tax Credits as well as Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
The Doan Classroom Apartments project not only demonstrates the principles of historic renovation, but also shows that they can be married with green building.
"This was a large school building that was not built for residential use, yet we were able to renovate it so that it meets Enterprise Green Community standards," says Chuck Ackerman, Associate Director of the Famicos Foundation.
Source: Chuck Ackerman
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Groundworks Dance Theater recently presented an original work choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett that featured rousing Broadway-style choreography set to the music of the 80s band the Pretenders.
The show wasn't exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of contemporary dance, and audiences loved it. Groundworks General Manager Beth Rutkowski says her organization is using performances like this to reach new audiences in Cleveland.
"There are a lot of people who say, 'I'm not really a modern dance person and modern dance is weird,'" says Rutkowski. "Yet if we're able to get them in the door, they find our work is extremely accessible. It's getting past that barrier."
Connecting diverse, new audiences to Cleveland's rich arts and culture groups is the purpose of Engaging the Future, an initiative by the Cleveland Foundation to help arts organizations think differently about how to grow their audiences.
"It's about more than just putting butts in seats," says Rutkowski. "We're looking at ways to engage different people and a more diverse audience. Audiences for many arts organizations in Cleveland are getting older and are for the most part white. We want to look at new ways of thinking and share best practices."
Some of the new ideas Groundworks is considering include collaborating with other groups; stressing a more interactive relationship with its audience; offering performances online for younger audiences that want to "self-curate"; hosting evening gatherings of creative individuals, including entrepreneurs, to explore the relationship between art and creativity; and developing a series of videos called "It's Your Move" that connect dance to regular, everyday body movements.
Engaging the Future recently released a survey and hopes to glean audience information from it that will help organizations to chart a course in the future.
Source: Beth Rutkowski, Kristin Puch
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The show wasn't exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of contemporary dance, and audiences loved it. Groundworks General Manager Beth Rutkowski says her organization is using performances like this to reach new audiences in Cleveland.
"There are a lot of people who say, 'I'm not really a modern dance person and modern dance is weird,'" says Rutkowski. "Yet if we're able to get them in the door, they find our work is extremely accessible. It's getting past that barrier."
Connecting diverse, new audiences to Cleveland's rich arts and culture groups is the purpose of Engaging the Future, an initiative by the Cleveland Foundation to help arts organizations think differently about how to grow their audiences.
"It's about more than just putting butts in seats," says Rutkowski. "We're looking at ways to engage different people and a more diverse audience. Audiences for many arts organizations in Cleveland are getting older and are for the most part white. We want to look at new ways of thinking and share best practices."
Some of the new ideas Groundworks is considering include collaborating with other groups; stressing a more interactive relationship with its audience; offering performances online for younger audiences that want to "self-curate"; hosting evening gatherings of creative individuals, including entrepreneurs, to explore the relationship between art and creativity; and developing a series of videos called "It's Your Move" that connect dance to regular, everyday body movements.
Engaging the Future recently released a survey and hopes to glean audience information from it that will help organizations to chart a course in the future.
Source: Beth Rutkowski, Kristin Puch
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Before a packed house at Severance Hall, Cleveland Foundation President Ronn Richard touted the city's accomplishments in becoming a hub of innovation and taking bold steps to address big problems at the foundation's annual meeting this Tuesday.
Waxing poetic on the gilded stage for a moment, Richard harkened back to the foundation's early days in the 1910's as a time of tremendous innovation in Cleveland. "I still wonder if the past might be prologue," he mused, noting that the foundation's centennial is just two years away. "Can we envision the spirit of a second renaissance in Cleveland?"
Richard also posed a challenge to civic leaders to remain focused on true economic development and social change within the city. "Physical development, as wonderful as it is, must be coupled with investment in people and placemaking," he said, noting that the building spree of the 1990s was too focused on bricks and mortar projects. "We need to invest in connecting communities."
Among the foundation's projects, Richard touted the Cleveland schools plan that recently passed the state legislature, ongoing investments in high quality urban education, economic development programs such as the HealthTech Corridor and the Evergreen Cooperatives, and programs to connect new audiences to the arts.
Richard also told the audience that later this year the Cleveland Foundation will unveil a new microlending program for entrepreneurs seeking loans under $50,000 to help spur job creation and assist the creation of startups.
Source: Ronn Richard
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Waxing poetic on the gilded stage for a moment, Richard harkened back to the foundation's early days in the 1910's as a time of tremendous innovation in Cleveland. "I still wonder if the past might be prologue," he mused, noting that the foundation's centennial is just two years away. "Can we envision the spirit of a second renaissance in Cleveland?"
Richard also posed a challenge to civic leaders to remain focused on true economic development and social change within the city. "Physical development, as wonderful as it is, must be coupled with investment in people and placemaking," he said, noting that the building spree of the 1990s was too focused on bricks and mortar projects. "We need to invest in connecting communities."
Among the foundation's projects, Richard touted the Cleveland schools plan that recently passed the state legislature, ongoing investments in high quality urban education, economic development programs such as the HealthTech Corridor and the Evergreen Cooperatives, and programs to connect new audiences to the arts.
Richard also told the audience that later this year the Cleveland Foundation will unveil a new microlending program for entrepreneurs seeking loans under $50,000 to help spur job creation and assist the creation of startups.
Source: Ronn Richard
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Chloe Hopson knows firsthand the disparity between urban and suburban arts education programs. Having grown up on South Moreland on the edge of Shaker Heights and Cleveland, she flourished in the arts-rich Shaker Heights school system while many of her Cleveland friends lacked similar opportunities.
That's why Hopson founded the Passport Project 14 years ago. She wanted to provide arts programs to youth living in the Buckeye, Larchmere and Shaker Square neighborhoods, and expose them to different cultures across the globe. "We help kids in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to build literacy skills, and we also help them see that there's a whole world out there," she says.
Now this "local girl with a global perspective," as she calls herself, is working with other arts organizations, residents and businesses in the community to launch Shaker Square Arts. The new organization will offer a range of free programming and classes and will use the historic Shaker Square shopping plaza as its home base.
"We're looking to create a more vibrant neighborhood and one where we get to know each other," says Hopson, who now lives in the Larchmere neighborhood and operates the Passport Project in a storefront at Buckeye and East 128th Street. "We hope to bring people together across perceived lines of difference."
Some of the programs include West African dance and percussion classes, capoeira classes, storytelling workshops and "Drinks and Doodles." This "happy hour with a twist" will invite attendees to draw on a napkin and enter their creation into a contest to win a $25 gift certificate from a local Shaker Square merchant.
Some of the partners involved in Shaker Square Arts include the Passport Project, Lake Erie Artists, City Dance, the Coral Company and area artists and residents. The free classes are supported by a grant from Neighborhood Connections.
A Drinks and Doodles happy hour will take place on Thursday, June 21st from 5-7 pm at Dewey's Coffee Shop. A free West African percussion and dance class will be held this Saturday, June 23rd from 12:30-2 pm right before Larchmere Porchfest.
Source: Chloe Hopson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
That's why Hopson founded the Passport Project 14 years ago. She wanted to provide arts programs to youth living in the Buckeye, Larchmere and Shaker Square neighborhoods, and expose them to different cultures across the globe. "We help kids in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to build literacy skills, and we also help them see that there's a whole world out there," she says.
Now this "local girl with a global perspective," as she calls herself, is working with other arts organizations, residents and businesses in the community to launch Shaker Square Arts. The new organization will offer a range of free programming and classes and will use the historic Shaker Square shopping plaza as its home base.
"We're looking to create a more vibrant neighborhood and one where we get to know each other," says Hopson, who now lives in the Larchmere neighborhood and operates the Passport Project in a storefront at Buckeye and East 128th Street. "We hope to bring people together across perceived lines of difference."
Some of the programs include West African dance and percussion classes, capoeira classes, storytelling workshops and "Drinks and Doodles." This "happy hour with a twist" will invite attendees to draw on a napkin and enter their creation into a contest to win a $25 gift certificate from a local Shaker Square merchant.
Some of the partners involved in Shaker Square Arts include the Passport Project, Lake Erie Artists, City Dance, the Coral Company and area artists and residents. The free classes are supported by a grant from Neighborhood Connections.
A Drinks and Doodles happy hour will take place on Thursday, June 21st from 5-7 pm at Dewey's Coffee Shop. A free West African percussion and dance class will be held this Saturday, June 23rd from 12:30-2 pm right before Larchmere Porchfest.
Source: Chloe Hopson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
northeast shores/collinwood scores huge placemaking grant from artplace
Of the 47 projects awarded grants from ArtPlace to support their use of the arts to improve quality of place and transform their communities, only one was from Ohio.
The creative placemaking grants totaled $15.4 million.
“Across the country, cities and towns are using the arts to help shape their social, physical, and economic characters,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “The arts are a part of everyday life, and I am thrilled to see yet another example of arts organizations working with city, state, and federal offices to help strengthen and revitalize their communities through the arts. It is wonderful that ArtPlace and its funders have recognized this work and invested in it so generously.”
ArtPlace received almost 2200 letters of inquiry from organizations seeking a portion of the money available for grants. One of those letters came from Collinwood.
Using Art to Spark Redevelopment
Collinwood Rising
$500,000
Northeast Shores Development Corporation – Cleveland, OH
To creatively combat urban vacancy and foreclosure in Cleveland’s North Shore Collinwood neighborhood, Collinwood Rising will work with artists to establish replicable development models for artist space in older industrial cities, leveraging ongoing HUD and municipal investments.
Great news, Collinwood.
The creative placemaking grants totaled $15.4 million.
“Across the country, cities and towns are using the arts to help shape their social, physical, and economic characters,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “The arts are a part of everyday life, and I am thrilled to see yet another example of arts organizations working with city, state, and federal offices to help strengthen and revitalize their communities through the arts. It is wonderful that ArtPlace and its funders have recognized this work and invested in it so generously.”
ArtPlace received almost 2200 letters of inquiry from organizations seeking a portion of the money available for grants. One of those letters came from Collinwood.
Using Art to Spark Redevelopment
Collinwood Rising
$500,000
Northeast Shores Development Corporation – Cleveland, OH
To creatively combat urban vacancy and foreclosure in Cleveland’s North Shore Collinwood neighborhood, Collinwood Rising will work with artists to establish replicable development models for artist space in older industrial cities, leveraging ongoing HUD and municipal investments.
Great news, Collinwood.
The Cleveland Carbon Fund has announced three grant awards totaling $15,000 for 2012, including an ambitious effort to increase the number of bike commuters in Cleveland, a backyard composting initiative in Tremont, and a project to make homes in the Central neighborhood more energy-efficient.
Bike Cleveland's project, Creating a Mode Shift, will provide riders with the tools, tips and advice on how to commute to work in Cleveland. The effort includes a commuter challenge in which individuals and teams can compete and win prizes, a guide to navigating bike commuting, and outreach to employers to help incentivize more employees to ride to work.
Tremont West Development Corporation will initiate a Residential Composting Program that will distribute bins to local residents, encourage participants to reduce their waste, and track how much is saved from landfills. The program is offered in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
Burton Bell Carr Development Corporation's project, Heritage View Model Block Sustainability Program, will make homes in the Central neighborhood more energy-efficient by switching out incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, adding sink aerators, and installing low-flow shower heads.
The Cleveland Carbon Fund was created in 2009 by the City of Cleveland, Green City Blue Lake Institute at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Gund Foundation, Cleveland Foundation and Cleveland Clinic. Its goal, as Carbon Fund Fellow Joanne Neugebauer puts it, is to "think globally, green locally." The Carbon Fund is the first community-based, open-access fund in the U.S.
Source: Joanne Neugebauer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Bike Cleveland's project, Creating a Mode Shift, will provide riders with the tools, tips and advice on how to commute to work in Cleveland. The effort includes a commuter challenge in which individuals and teams can compete and win prizes, a guide to navigating bike commuting, and outreach to employers to help incentivize more employees to ride to work.
Tremont West Development Corporation will initiate a Residential Composting Program that will distribute bins to local residents, encourage participants to reduce their waste, and track how much is saved from landfills. The program is offered in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
Burton Bell Carr Development Corporation's project, Heritage View Model Block Sustainability Program, will make homes in the Central neighborhood more energy-efficient by switching out incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, adding sink aerators, and installing low-flow shower heads.
The Cleveland Carbon Fund was created in 2009 by the City of Cleveland, Green City Blue Lake Institute at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Gund Foundation, Cleveland Foundation and Cleveland Clinic. Its goal, as Carbon Fund Fellow Joanne Neugebauer puts it, is to "think globally, green locally." The Carbon Fund is the first community-based, open-access fund in the U.S.
Source: Joanne Neugebauer
Writer: Lee Chilcote