In anticipation of container overcrowding when the recycling program is expanded later this year, the Public Works Department is hoping to gain approval from the City Council to have residents put their containers in the street. The car pictured in the photo above would need to be at least three feet away from the cans, so on-street parking could be a problem.

Bowing to concerns expressed by some members of the City Council, Public Works Department officials have abandoned their effort to slap a parking ban on certain crowded car-lined streets during the hours of refuse collection.

Instead, they will seek to give residents, who can right now can park their container on the tree lawn or driveway apron, the option to put it in the street against the curb, at least three feet away from any parked car.

Cans would be permitted in the street as early as 6 p.m. on the day before trash collection. The action would effectively seize the space and basically prohibit cars from parking in the area. The can would be removed from the street once it is emptied and returned by the collection truck’s hydraulic arm to a spot off of the street.

The push for a parking ban originated after the city decided to expand its recycling program over the next three years and issue residents another 96-gallon container specifically for recyclables.

Large recycling can would encourage more recycling

Program administrators believe the large recycling cans will lead to greater levels of recycling, thereby reducing the amount of money the city must spent to send trash to the landfill, a key selling point for a municipality still under great economic pressure to squeeze cost savings out of every nook-and-cranny.

However, with twice as many cans to collect from tree lawns frequently blocked by parked cars, Public Works representatives were concerned the speed and efficiency of collection process would be negatively affected, and ultimately, made to be more costly.

Aside from a parking ban, the city also considered alternate collection days for refuse and recycling and the possibility of placing of all collection containers on one side of the street.

Police wonder about safety of putting cans in streets

Captain Gary Sprague said the Division of Police favored the parking ban because it would have helped it enforce the rule prohibiting cars from occupying the same on-street parking spot for more than 24 consecutive hours.

Sprague was somewhat worried that motorists could accidentally strike the containers, especially at night. There’s a law on the books preventing cars from parking within three-feet of a driveway, but nothing yet mandating the distance between a car and a can. Sprague also wondered how the overall parking situation would be affected when cans placed in the street consume a parking spot.

Program cost would be recouped in little over three years

According to a PowerPoint presentation provided to members of the Public Works Committee by Public Works Director Joseph Beno, the total cost of the expanded recycling program will be approximately $1.37 million. The price tag includes two new collection trucks and 18,000 plastic containers, which will be parceled out over three years.

In the three years after the program is fully implemented, Beno projects the city will see a savings of $740,000 by not replacing three refuse workers who leave or retire and another $600,000 savings in the reduction of garbage disposal fees due to more material being recycled.

The first batch of containers will be distributed around October to houses on the streets marked in red. This is a preliminary map, so it could change. Click on the map to see a larger view.

Roughly 1,000 to 1,200 households in each of the city’s five refuse and recycling routes will be issued a container this fall, according to Beno.

Beno provided a preliminary map to the committee showing that containers will be provided to, among other places, most of the houses north of Clifton Boulevard, as well as pretty high concentration of streets between Woodward Avenue and Warren Road.

The decision to park waste and recycling cans in the street isn’t final. The City Council will have at least a couple of more meetings to fine-tune the situation.

In other news….Mayor provides updates on Rockport Square, Hidden Village, July 4th security measures, etc.

The 5:30 p.m. meeting time is kind of tricky for people with jobs and families, but residents should consider attending at least one of Mayor Michael Summers’ monthly Listening To Lakewood gatherings. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions and learn more about what’s going on in the city.

Summers met with a small group of residents on Tuesday at Rozi’s Wine House on Detroit Avenue. Here is a quick and dirty summary of some of the things that were discussed:

- City social workers are helping to find new housing for the group of senior citizens who are being evicted from the Westerly. Of the roughly three dozen seniors involved, only about 15 are still without someplace to go.

- Security will be significantly tighter at Lakewood Park for the Fourth of July. Tents and propane and gas grills will be banned. Police will conduct random inspections of peoples’ bags and coolers. The playgrounds and tennis courts will be cleared of people after 7:00 p.m. The moves are partly a result of the incident at the Boston Marathon…The fireworks show itself will be provided by the same company that bungled the display last year. They are doing it at no cost.

- The city will absolutely not be funding a return of the beloved RTA circulators. It will, however, this Friday begin to experiment with taxi cab vouchers for senior citizens. The mayor described the loss of the circulators as “a great leap backward in Lakewood.”

- The city will use a portion of the $245,000 Hurricane Sandy reimbursement it received from FEMA to buy six more public security surveillance cameras and to acquire a “FEMA trailer” with equipment to be used during times of emergency. Some of the cameras will be placed at Cove Park and the Gold Coast neighborhood.

- The city thought it might be losing $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money due to sequestration, but was recently informed the opposite is true: it will be getting an extra $200,000.

- There are several sides to this story, but the decades-long negotiations with the Sisters of Charity to acquire rights to the parcel of land immediately to the west of Lakewood Park for purposes of park expansion and development seem to have run their course with the Mayor Summers administration…He had hoped to succeed where prior mayors failed, but didn’t have any luck. Mayor Summers found some of the demands made by the Sisters and their attorney odd, including the request that the city name a successor grantee in the event that the city ceased to exist. He also said that they inexplicably refused to sign a submerged lands lease.

- Forest City is “rounding third and heading home” on financing that would allow it to build a 3 or 4 story 140-unit “higher-end” apartment building at Rockport Square…the Foran Montlack project on Sloane Avenue remains “dormant.”

- Someone was taking a serious look at buying the vacant church building across from the Lakewood Public Library on Detroit Avenue (formally known as the First Church of Christ, Scientist church building). However, the deal “got cockeyed” when the building owner switched brokers. The mayor said he is “less confident today than six months ago” that the building would change hands. He added that “there’s lots of pressure building” on the property owner to make a move.

- There have been some informal conversations about the possibly converting the vacant McKinley Elementary School into 50 units of housing.

- Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is hunting for office space in Lakewood. Mayor Summers said there was some interest in moving into the vacant building at the southwest corner of Marlowe and Detroit Avenues owned by the Cleveland Clinic. The deal didn’t go anywhere because Kaptur’s people were only willing to commit to a one-and-half-year lease and the Clinic has unclear plans for the building, which they claim is structurally unsound.

- The city is still tinkering with the timing of the lights on Detroit Avenue.

- The search to replace former Human Services director Dorothy “Dottie” Buckon is at an end. The mayor said the job will go to acting director Antoinette Gelsomino. Mayor Summers posted the position publicly and didn’t find the “transformational” leader he was seeking in the pool of applicants. Summers admitted one downside to the director’s gig is that he could only guarantee employment for that person for next two-and-a-half years, when his term as mayor expires.

- The city has no plans to try and provide city-wide free wi-fi.

- The mayor and his crew met with representatives from the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries in Cleveland regarding the unacceptable level of crime occurring at their youth re-entry program based within a portion of the Hidden Village apartment complex on Clifton Blvd. He provided them with concrete evidence of the problems there and asked them to review it and meet again to discuss solutions….Several months passed and he did not receive a return response. About six weeks ago, he invited them to city hall to discuss things further. The conversation result in “some creative ideas.” Going forward, the police and the city’s human services department will engage the re-entry program in ways they had not previously in an effort to build a better relationship. The scene may improve even further when the ministry gets a new president later this summer….Meanwhile, the owner of Hidden Village (totally separate from the ministry) still has a federal lawsuit pending against the city involving the re-entry program. It’s hung-up right now because of a pre-trial appeal. Mayor Summers said the city hadn’t been fussing with the property due to the lawsuit, but he changed the policy of “paralyzed enforcement” and is now treating them just like everyone else…In fact, he sent the property owner a letter in April warning him that Hidden Village was on the verge of being designated as a nuisance property due to the following incidents (all re-entry program-related): 8/5/12 – Robbery: Apts. D145, D148, D248, D146; 1/2/13 Rape: Apts. D245, D248; 3/25/13 – Robbery: Apts. C148, C233, D144, C237….According to the Mayor, the letter made the property owner “mad as hell.”

85-year-old Clark Stager is among the group of residents who were told they can no longer live at the Westerly.

Senior citizens whose annual income exceeds $26,640 for an individual or $30,480 for a couple are no longer welcome to live in the three-building Westerly Apartment complex on Detroit Avenue.

New income limits imposed as the result of the property owner’s use of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to help finance a $14 million multiyear rehabilitation project means 34 residents will have their month-to-month leases terminated effective September 30 and must vacate the premises.

The bad news was delivered to the unsuspecting group of tenants last Tuesday afternoon.

85-year-old Clark Stager, a seven-year resident of the Westerly, said he was “stunned” by the announcement. “It didn’t really sink in,” he said. “I didn’t think it would affect me because I’m pretty handicapped.”

Stager, who had both legs amputated due to diabetes and suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis, along with a host of other debilitating ailments, gets by on a pension from his decades of work as a teacher at an Ohio juvenile correctional facility. He pays $626 per month for rent, plus $10 for cable.

He moved to Lakewood specifically because of the Westerly. “The rent was good and it was a senior apartment. It just offered things that I needed. It was close to the hospital and that sort of thing,” he said.

Stager is in the preliminary stage of finding a new place to live. “I’ve got to find someone to drive me and rent a car and cruise the western suburbs,” he said. “I’ve got to start all over again. I’ve got six doctors working to keep me going.”

In a letter to affected residents, Curt Brosky, the president and CEO of Lakewood Senior CItizens, Inc., which owns the Westerly, said it would provide a lump sum $1,200 payment and relocation advisory services from the Cleveland Housing Network. He noted the corporation “is under no obligation to provide relocation assistance, but believes it is the right thing to do in recognition of the long-standing relationship between ownership/management and residents.”

An FAQ document provided to residents to explain the situation indicates the rehab project on the first building will begin in October and could last about 14 months. It will focus on infrastructure upgrades and energy efficiency improvements. New windows, HVAC and elevators will be installed. All apartments will get walk-in showers, updated kitchens, fixtures and appliances.

Locks hang from the gate leading to the Kauffman Park basketball courts.

Lakeland Avenue resident David B. Heller was convicted last month in Lakewood Municipal Court of disorderly conduct following a skirmish that occurred when he confronted a couple of seventh-graders over their after-hours use of the Kauffman Park basketball courts.

Heller and other property owners who live immediately adjacent to the court have spoken at several city council meetings over the past few years to express their unhappiness with the level of noise, rowdiness and foul language generated by basketball players in the park.

According to the police incident report, Heller called police on May 2 at around 8:20 p.m. when he saw a couple of juveniles playing basketball in an area that is supposed to be off-limits after 8:00 p.m.

Heller, who telephoned police 11 times in April about related concerns, took a stroll past the hoops shortly afterwards to see if the kids had been shooed away. Spotting the pair on the basketball court, he approached them and announced that the court was closed. He later told police that he wasn’t yelling at them and didn’t raise his hands above his waist.

The two kids, ages 12 and 13, told police they began playing basketball at around 7:45 p.m. and were later approached by the 58-year-old Heller who yelled at them for playing on the court after-hours. Heller threatened to take their basketball, according to the boys, and either throw or kick it.

Juvenile: I ‘did not want to have to hit an old man.’

One of the boys told Heller they didn’t realize the court was closed because the gate wasn’t locked. The same boy, when asked by police if he felt scared or concerned by man’s actions, said he suspected Heller may have been drinking and “he did not want to have to hit an old man.”

The confrontation was witnessed by a 32-year-old Lakewood man who was talking on a cell phone in a car parked to the east of the court. He initially thought it was a family dispute, and didn’t do anything. When the kids appeared to get scared, the observer left his car to get a better look at the situation.

The man told police he heard Heller “yelling at the kids to get the ‘[expletive-deleted]‘ out of the park and that he has lived there all his life.” The man also heard Heller threaten to throw the kids’ bikes or ball over the fence.

The man told Heller to leave the kids alone and warned him he was calling the police. Heller responded that he’d already called the police and challenged the man to come closer.

At that point, another bystander, a 48-year-old Rocky River web designer, who had been using a cell phone and was sitting in another car next to the basketball court, saw that the kids were scared and beginning to back away from Heller.

Neighbor alleged to have taken swing at bystander who intervened

The Rocky River man, who admitted to police that he hadn’t been in a fight since he was 11 years old, left his car, entered the basketball court area and told Heller to leave the kids alone.

After they exchanged words, the man told police Heller attempted to punch him. In response, the Rocky River man pushed Heller and then possibly struck him in his eyeglasses, causing a small laceration that bled.

An unidentified male separated the aggressors just as police arrived, more than 15 minutes after Heller’s initial complaint call.

Heller declined medical attention for his cut and the Rocky River man declined to press assault charges. The police charged Heller with disorderly conduct. He had been convicted in 1997 of the same charge.

Police talked with a park security guard who showed up at 8:50 p.m. to lock the basketball court gate. He told police he worked part-time and didn’t have a set schedule. Police told Heller they would check into the situation with the gate and follow-up with him at a later date.

Heller appeared at the May 20 meeting of the City Council to share his continuing concerns about the city’s inability to ensure the basketball court gates are locked at the appropriate times.

Without mentioning his court clash, he said he was disappointed with the Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee, the volunteer organization that spear-headed the return of public basketball courts to Kauffman Park, as well as by the city administration for their inconsistent efforts to clear the courts in the evenings.

Mayor admits to ‘some sloppiness’ in locking gate after-hours

Heller did add that neighborhood police officer Ted Morley was going to acquire another lock for the gate.

Mayor Michael Summers acknowledged there was “some sloppiness in April” in regard to locking the gate. He hoped that the new half-courts at Lakewood Park would lead to a lower volume of traffic at Kauffman Park. It was a matter he said he would continue to study.

The Mayor said he might add a second guard to Kauffman Park, although he seemed to downplay the possibility that the park itself was overly noisy. He said he had been monitoring the traffic on the hoops courts via the city’s security cameras and didn’t see much cause for concern

He asked for Heller’s continued patience with the situation.

The one-time rooming house at 1436 Grace Ave. has 12 bedrooms. The city wants it converted into a single family home.

Having failed to find a suitable buyer for the former rooming house it owns on Grace Avenue, the city is now giving serious consideration to demolishing the property.

The city’s top housing official on Monday briefed members of the City Council’s housing committee about ongoing efforts to unload two boarding houses the city purchased last year for $270,000 from an absentee landlord in order to shut them down.

Dru Siley told committee members the city is close to selling the Mars Avenue property for $25,000 to a man associated with Final Destination Restoration. The man and his finance, who are not current Lakewood residents, will convert the property to a single family home and make it their primary residence.

Siley estimated the couple will invest approximately $140,000 to make necessary modifications and repairs. The sales contract, which is set to close around June 4, will have a “claw back” clause penalizing the owners if certain deadlines are unmet. They have 30 days to pull the necessary repair permits and 180 days to fix all exterior building code violations. They must have all other repairs made within 12 months.

While the new owners will have a lot of work to do, Siley noted that many of the house’s original interior features — like built-in wood cabinets — were left intact. In addition, many of the floor-plan modifications made by the prior owner were done using drywall and can be removed without too much difficulty.

The 1446 Mars Ave. property has five bedrooms.

He said Mars Ave. properties in the vicinity of the Lakewood Public Library on Detroit Avenue “tend to hold their value,” and observed the average sales price is around $170,000.

A representative from the city checked out a couple of Shaker Heights houses that were rehabbed by Final Destination Restoration and found them to be well done, according to Siley.

Grace Ave. property ‘more challenging’

The situation on Grace Avenue will not likely have as happy an ending.

Siley told the committee that the “economics of the property are more challenging” compared to the Mars Ave. house. He explained that it was “pretty significantly altered” over the years and all of the original features were stripped out. In addition, it must have all of its mechanicals replaced and suffered severe water damage.

Siley felt the high cost of rehabbing the property makes it very unattractive to potential investors. He doubted the city would even be able to give it away. The city lowered their asking price to $43,000, and marketed it through the Cleveland Restoration Society, but hasn’t attracted any serious interest.

One potential suitor approached the city last year with a proposal to turn it into a half-way house or keep it as a rooming house, and was rejected.

Siley said some Grace Ave. residents have been informed of the possible demolition of the house and offered no opposition. He said they were happy to be done with it — it had become a neighborhood nuisance as a rooming house. The homeowner to the south of the property expressed interest to Siley in buying the vacant lot.

Siley described one scenario in which the house could be demolished within 60 days to coincide with the grand opening of the new Discount Drug Mart on the corner of Detroit and Grace Avenues. Plans have not yet been finalized.

The stone facade of the former church building at 15422 Detroit Avenue is crumbling.

In other news…historic property in need of repair

On your next walk around town, be sure to check out the condition of the First Church of Christ, Scientist church building on Detroit Ave across from the library.

It’s not a pretty sight. A decent-sized section of the stone to the west of the front steps has failed.

It was designated as a historic property by the Planning Commission over the objection of its out-of-town owner.

As a historic property, the owner is mandated by law to fix the situation. It will be a good challenge for the city’s Division of Housing and Building.

It is guaranteed to be one of the best smelling storefronts in the East End.

Two Lakewood entrepreneurs have acquired the neat little building at 12405 Madison Avenue, across from the Fedor Manor, and plan to move their home-based handmade soap operation into the storefront.

Steven Meka and David Willett, owners of STEM Handmade Soap, purchased the property for $51,000 from the defunct mental health services provider Bridgeway, Inc., which closed last year. Bridgeway, Inc. had owned it since 1988, prior to that it housed a hair salon.

Meka and Willett said in an e-mail that they were attracted to the building because of its small size. “We wanted to keep it simple and self-sustaining as possible,” they said. “A small storefront with a great rental space in the rear will allow the business to thrive with little overhead.”

The Lake Avenue residents expect to open the retail space to the public during the weekends when they make soap. They also plan on making some improvements to the three-bedroom two-bathroom apartment in the rear of the property.

The duo look forward to becoming part of the East End community. It “has a lot of potential and opportunity yet untapped,” they said. “We feel it is just the beginning for this neighborhood as we join Knottily Wood, Taco Tonto and Baraco and several others to begin some forward momentum.”

In other news….Software reseller sues customer over unpaid half-million dollar debt

Onix Networking Corp., a leading Google Apps reseller, on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking payment from a California company on a half-million dollar debt.

In its complaint, Onix Networking accuses eTouch Systems Corp of receiving 45,000 1-year licenses to use Google Apps, but failing to pay a July 4, 2012 invoice in the amount of $499,500. eTouch Systems hasn’t yet filed a response to the lawsuit.

Onix Networking Group, based in the former Bonne Bell building on Detroit Avenue, last year signed a $35 million contract with the Department of the Interior to provide Google Apps.