Hotel Bruce

Welcome to the Bruce blog—a weekly update on news, events and issues affecting life in Cleveland. Reporting as it happens on transit, development, planning, environment and arts & culture.

Basically, we write about creative ideas forming, talk to the people who have an inside track on the issues, and sometimes offer a commentary of our own. (For disclosure purposes, Bruce blog is a local, independent writer who also works part-time with nonprofit organization EcoCity Cleveland. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of EcoCity or any other organization).

At its meeting on November 17, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) presented a plan for the Innerbelt Bridge, which includes building a new bridge just north of the existing bridge and re-decking the existing span for continued use.

Meanwhile, The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission has been raging against the machine with its alternative plan, arguing that a signature bridge will be huge step in improving the appearance of the region, its traffic flow, not to mention open up the land across from Jacobs Field for potential development (ODOT’s new bridge will erase those possibilities).

The commission’s plan has a cadre of proponents, such as Ken Prendergast of the
Ohio Corridors Campaign, who told EcoCity Cleveland that if the bridge alignment were changed "the entire area of land opened up for redevelopment...is roughly three times the size of the Gateway Complex. That's four to six million square feet with a conservative land value of $150 million."

Prendergast adds that revenue from land leases could be used to offset the additional costs of new bridge construction and associated land development.

In response to calls from citizens who showed up by the dozens to the ODOT meeting, Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-11) called for an independent study to “find a location for the building of the I-90 Inner Belt that will be advantageous for both the residents of Tremont and the City of Cleveland.” Read Tubbs Jones’ letter in response to Bruce blog’s call for a signature bridge.

Tremont residents (led by ward councilman Joe Cimperman) oppose the county’s plan, saying that it will eat up more of Tremont, notably, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation on West 14th Street. The county contends that its proposal will not affect the church and that ODOT’s plan requires taking more property than the county’s southern alignment, according to a source at the commission.

According to The Free Times, “as recently as March, ODOT officials met with (County Planning Commission director Paul) Alsenas to show him that a southerly route was viable. They changed their tune by June, though, and have never explained why — except to throw out that frightening bit about the church.” The county and Real Neo are hosting online conversations and news of the dueling bridge proposals.

A federal independent study should determine the cost (and benefits) of the county’s proposed bridge—which could be an elegant, cable-stayed design like the one currently being built over the Maumee River in Toledo rather than the aging steel-truss span that represents the monolithic approach to bridge design of the 1950s. Tubbs Jones will have to ensure that the study group acts swiftly since ODOT is prepared to pick a design team and engineer for the new westbound bridge on Dec. 12.

ODOT is making a joke of convening a stakeholder group and asking for their input. Five years its Innerbelt advisory committee deliberated over the impact of the $860 million investment and suggested alternatives such as a signature bridge. In an instant (and at the buzzer) ODOT swats aside engineering in a quality idea. The state agency owes the community paying for the bridge a complete explanation before it takes one more step as to why the Alsenas plan will or will not work.

Rep. Tubbs Jones sums it up: “After many years of negotiating, planning and designs, this project could make significant contributions to the economy, infrastructure and development of the Northeast Ohio corridor.”

You can still send a letter of support for a signature bridge to ODOT
Project Manager Craig Hebebrand and Deputy Director Dave Coyle and cc Bruce blog.

Mittal Steel, which purchased ISG earlier this year, proposed last month to nearly double its industrial-waste landfill, expanding it 25 acres to the west of its present landfill. That will put it about 1,500 feet from the Cuyahoga River. Even with a special liner to contain the sludge from its smokestacks, opponents argue that the risk of contaminating the river is too high to allow this to stand.

Some local communities in the Cuyahoga valley are trying a different strategy than chaining themselves to the bulldozers. Sensing the inevitability that OEPA will grant the permit, nonprofit group Ohio Canal Corridor proposed that Mittal pay an impact fee on the expansion. OCC is circulating a letter to community leaders and development corporations in Slavic Village, Old Brooklyn, Clark-Metro, Tremont, and Ohio City calling for a Valley Regeneration Fee. The group wants a fee of $2/cubic foot or about $5 million out of the estimated $45 million OCC estimates that Mittal stands to save by expanding the landfill on its property. OCC wants the money to be used to enhance green space and recreation in the river valley, including the local match for neighborhood trail connectors to the soon-to-be expanded Towpath Trail.

Avon has spent its hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire consultants and is now ready to make its pitch to the locals and, more importantly, to the state that the booming exurb (or “boomberg”) needs a highway interchange. The consultants and the city are gearing up for a public meeting where it will make the case that traffic patterns and economic impact favor a new interchange. The economic impact study will rely on the inflation of land values and potential development to offset the cost of building and maintaining the interchange and roads. It’s the now classic pattern of sprawl, as seen in boombergs like Streetsboro and Fairlawntiny towns with real country quality that are paved over for redundant big box chains. Avon will hold its public meeting in December. Stay tuned.

Rolling Stone recently published a cool feature, “Warriors & Heroes: Twenty-five leaders who are fighting to stave off the planetwide catastrophe." Check it out. Bruce blog enjoyed the profiles on the head of Toyota, who gave the green light to the hybrid Prius during the gas glutted and SUV crazy 1990s. Also, the profile of a group of college students raising awareness among their peers of global warming by driving a bio-diesel bus and speaking at campuses around the nation is excellent.

City Wheels, a new car share company founded by EcoCity Cleveland transportation guru Ryan McKenzie, launches its web site this week and offers a holiday special on its sign up fee. McKenzie calls car share, “mobility insurance,” especially for families like Bruce blog’s who share one car. An hourly fee covers gas, mileage, insurance and use of a snazzy new Toyota Prius or Scion XB. City Wheels will roll out in February in Oberlin, with cars to follow in Ohio City, downtown Cleveland, and (depending on demand) densely populated areas like Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights.

The Cleveland Colectivo are a group of thirtysomething social and urban activist types who grew tired of watching the big foundations have all the fun giving out money to worthy causes in Cleveland. Interested in fostering ideas that are under the radar and seeing the results of their charitable giving, these few dozen folks pooled their greenbacks, and now, are seeking requests for proposals on their newly launched web site.

"Working Locally, Thinking Globally 2: Critical Infrastructure" – The Cleveland Institute of Art hosts this presentation on Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Institute’s OBA Auditorium. The program will focus on the role of professional criticism in an artist’s career and in developing Northeast Ohio’s art culture. Panelists include Free Times art critic Lyz Bly; Angle magazine’s Dan Tranberg; New York artist and critic Joe Fyfe; and author and CIA/Case professor David Carrier. Discussion will be moderated by Saul Ostrow,
Dean of the Institute’s Visual Arts and Technology Environment and art editor of BOMB magazine.

The Jewish Journey – The newly opened Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2929 Richmond Rd., scores an impressive first traveling exhibit with, “The Jewish Journey: Frederic Brenner’s Photographic Odyssey.” A Frenchman, Brenner’s images chronicle more than 40 years of Jewish Diaspora across five continents. The show, organized by the Brooklyn Museum, is on view from Nov. 12 to Jan. 8, 2006.

Community gardening conference – The Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus hosts on Nov. 19. Topics include youth gardening, neighborhood impact, and health. Speakers include directors Betsy Johnson (American Community Gardening Association), Michael Metallo (National Gradening Association), and Dan Stark (American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboretums). For more information, email.

Youth garden grants – The National Gardening Association and Home Depot will award grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered, outdoor garden programs. The grants are focused on social aspects of gardening, including leadership development, team building, and community support. Application deadline is Nov. 30.
For more information.

Year of the Dog art competition – February 2006 will usher in the Chinese New Year, which will be the Year of the Dog. In celebration, St. Clair Superior Development Corporation is sponsoring a public art competition to design, paint or somehow dress up a pack of 31”x 41” fiberglass dogs that it will then display throughout the community. Selected artists receive a $550 honorarium upon completion. For more information on the application process, contact Katharyne Marcus at 216.881.0644.

I appreciate your updates on Dike 14. I am a science instructor at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and representative member of the Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative. Not to be confused with the separate organization with a similar name, The Dike 14 Nature Preserve Committee.

We are a collaborative of environmental education organizations leveraging our resources to create awareness and promote the use of Dike 14 as a nature preserve and environmental education asset for the Cleveland community. Members of the collaborative include staff members of Audubon Ohio, the Earth Day Coalition, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, the Cleveland MetroParks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association, Cuyahoga County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Lake Erie Nature and Science Center.

The Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative activities include guided tours in conjunction with the spring and fall migration, classes, workshops and community outreach. The collaborative recently published the “Getting Ready to Visit Dike 14 Nature Preserve Field Guide,” a supplement for grades four through six that highlights the geography, industrial history and natural history of the site.

We were invited to join the Public Advisory Group to work with the City Planning Commission, and Biohabitats Inc. in drafting a master plan for Dike 14. As you reported, the Dike 14 Committee offered the comment that, “Doan Brook reconstruction is totally unrealistic…” Put into the larger context, they follow up with, “day lighting Doan Brook on the Dike itself, for the foreseeable future would not be permitted by US Environmental Protection Agency or the Army Corps of Engineers.”

We cannot forget that this structure was engineered in accordance with federal law under the Clean Water Act. There should be questions and concerns in regards to breaching the engineered structure that was designed to prevent those sediments from entering the Lake Erie ecosystem. Furthermore there may be unintended and costly consequences based on the natural processes of littoral drift, and ice build up forming at the proposed outflow into Lake Erie causing reverse flooding of Doan Brook. The Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative recommends that a detailed hydrologic and engineering study should be undertaken before on-site day lighting location can be promoted.

Before signing off, I would like to share with the Bruce Blog readers the ecological priorities for the Dike 14 Nature Preserve outlined by Biohabitats Inc. (click here)

I hope that all community stakeholders adopt these principles and continue to work together to ensure safe public access to the Dike 14 Nature Preserve.

—Alison Ball
Cleveland Museum of Natural History

A new theater is opening in Coventry, which I thought might be of interest to you given your recent blog entry.

You wrote, "[It's] difficult for start-ups or independents to come to Coventry...stepping in their shoes has been a rash of sports bars and fast food joints..."

We're an interesting, ironic twist on that situation: We're opening on the second floor of the old Centrum theater on the corner of Coventry & Euclid Heights. The first floor of the theater is going to be a Johnny Malloy's, opening in December. Our theater, the Ground Floor Theater, will be taking over the second story theater and opening in January.

We will be a comedy theater with a sketch, improv, and stand-up shows, movies, open mic stand-up nights, and comedy classes. We will serve food and drinks at the shows, with all service and food provided by Johnny Malloy's and Gepettos, and we’ll use their liquor license. We will also be doing some dinner packages with the restaurant.

Thought you'd be interested, since I know you guys are very loyal to following the latest in Cleveland area goings on. You can also see our "coming soon" posters up in the Centrum theater windows on Euclid Heights.

—Lara Lebeiko
Managing Director
Ground Floor Theater

Just how good of a read is the Bruce blog? Good enough for veteran politician and blogosphere neophyte Paul Oyaski to troll back through two years worth to catch a mention of his name. And to correct a factual error. The former Euclid mayor writes:

Greetings—in the interests of accuracy, I did not run for a third term as Euclid Mayor in 2003 and was not "ousted" in that election. Volume 1, Issue 4 November 9-15, 2003 contains the error.