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).

The Cleveland Green Building Coalition is making headway with greening the Cleveland Public Schools. After spending months advocating for green building practices to be incorporated into the massive $1.6 billion construction project to replace, renovate or build anew 110 schools, the GBC made a breakthrough with Cleveland Municipal School District CEO Barbara Byrd Bennett recently. A source tells Bruce blog that GBC secured a commitment to build a showcase green school from the ground up. The GBC will spearhead the community engagement process and the advisory committee that will determine where and how to green a new school in Cleveland.

While many examples exist throughout the country, from Carrick High School in Pittsburgh, PA to numerous schools in California, Washington and Colorado, this would be the first school in Cleveland designed and built using ecological principles (although Bruce blog hears that Bay Village is interested in building a green school, too).

Green building includes such elements as reusing sites, designing with natural daylighting, materials made from recycled content and green energy systems, including a few of the big bells and whistles like geothermal heating and cooling. Geothermal uses the earth’s constant 55 degrees to heat or cool water in underground pipes which is then pumped through small compressors—it has been estimated to save up to 1/3 of the energy costs in new buildings.

A source close to the project tells Bruce blog that site selection has begun and that a leading candidate is a K-8 school on Cleveland’s east side scheduled for Segment three of the project. That’s a couple of years away, but the news amidst the district’s impending layoffs and cut-backs is a glimmer of hope.

Cleveland Public Art recently held their second in a series of stakeholder meetings for integrating art in the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project. The meeting was designed to introduce the selected artists to representatives of the stakeholders (a mix of citizens including Bruce blog and major organizations like Playhouse Square and Cleveland Clinic). The artists include Clevelanders Mark Howard and Arlene Watson, and out-of-towners Cliff Garten, Nancy Dwyer, Joan Brigham and Blanche Linden. Based on their individual presentations, the artists each bring a different talent to this team effort. Garten, an California-based artist, was particularly impressive while highlighting his site specific designs for a desert park in Scottsdale, AZ and for the organic flow of his copper benches in Olympic Village in Salt Lake, UT. Likewise, Howard’s designs have a strongly contrasting paper-cut-out feel and often tie in social or historically urban themes.

The guests were asked to share their views (and stories) about the Euclid Corridor. A conversation ensued about bridging the gap between new and old. One participant warned, “don’t get stuck in one period of time. The history of the area was and is continually changing.” Another participant countered to not consider history at all, but to “create something that people in the future will be bowing down to, the way we do to our history. Do something bold but workable.” To which another panelist added that history in Cleveland is often sanitized, and to ignore our gritty, unwritten history would make the art generic. Finally, a panelist reminded the artists that the project has daily users—bus riders—as well as people moving through the area on foot or by bike. That, according to Cleveland Public Art director Lillian Kuri, all adds up to many challenges and opportunities. And that’s why this team was selected, she adds.

The following call for entries is for the Raw Materials section of Hotel Bruce’s Spring issue.
Theme: Summer Lovin'
The mercury's rising and the days are a long bask in the sun. Summer's here and the kids are all right. Show us the wet hot American summer things that inspire your work. Send up to three web-ready jpegs, an artist resume and a paragraph relating to the theme to amber@hotelbruce.com. Submissions must be received by May 31, 2004.

According to the latest e-edition of the Ohio Passenger Rail News, published by the Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers, “Several large highway-widening projects in Ohio will be affected by the new EPA (ambient air quality/pollution) standards, including the reconstruction of the I-90/Inner Belt in downtown Cleveland. While it is unlikely that Ohio will lose federal highway dollars if it fails to comply with the new smog standards, as has happened in Atlanta, affected Ohio counties have until 2009 to meet the higher standards.

In recent years, ODOT has spent more than 95 percent of its budget on building and maintaining highways. While funding for highways is increasing, thanks to new gas taxes— which voters did not have the opportunity to decide—state funding for public transportation has been cut by more than 40 percent, says OARP’s Ken Prendergast. A recent, state-backed "Brownfields" initiative, approved by voters, to restore polluted urban lands to productive new uses will help provide a counter-force to urban sprawl. Much more needs to be done, he adds.

Email for more information.

The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission is the latest to jump into the blog universe. County planning's daily weblog sifts through most of the major media sites as well as local planning-related weblogs. According to our source at county planning, “there isn't a whole lot of commentary, since, as a government agency, we have to remain relatively unbiased. However, some might find it useful.” The site has made a strong start, posting a range of items from The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report on the use of ecosystem-based management approaches to an item on the scope of the Ohio Sea Grant.

Local cycling advocates are trying to organize a Cleveland version of the national "Ride of Silence" scheduled for Wed., May, 19th at 7 pm. The ride was started last May in Dallas, TX a few weeks after the death of respected ultra cyclist, Larry Schwartz. With only a week's notice, more than 1,000 cyclists gathered for this ceremonial ride. It captured the attention of the entire Dallas community. This year, more than 21 cities have signed on to host a ride, including Columbus, OH. Email if you’re interested in learning more or getting involved.

Share your opinion of bike lanes in Euclid Corridor with ODOT
In February, ODOT District 12 staff objected to the Euclid Corridor's proposed design for bike lanes. More specifically, local ODOT officials didn't like a detail which ends the stripe for bike lane markings well back from each intersection whenever a "choice lane" exists (straight or right turn allowed). It was the reason stated for pulling the lanes from the project. As of April 19, ODOT still has not decided, so the letter writing campaign continues.

Cycling advocates responded by pointing to an option in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials guide which was absent from ODOT's manual. The advocates’ move was seen as instrumental in getting ODOT to retreat from its position, even though the lanes are not yet back in the design.

If you want to see bike lanes included in the Euclid Corridor project, consider writing a letter to the director of ODOT District 12 and copying Mayor Campbell (addresses below).

Cycling advocates note that the City of Cleveland is actively defending the bike lanes, and that RTA is at least neutral (simply want to keep the project moving forward). ODOT officials are the only ones who have advocated the removal of bike lanes from the Euclid Corridor.

Send letters to:

David J. Coyle
Director, ODOT District 12
5500 Transportation Blvd
Garfield Hts, OH 44125