It was reported today that Richard E. Jacobs, real estate magnate and former owner of the Cleveland Indians, passed away after a long illness just shy of his 84th birthday. The obit says he was a Lakewood resident. In checking around, it seems he lived at Winton Place.

My Ohio tax law knowledge is limited, but according to Wikipedia:

“Though the state enforces the tax (through its administrative officers in the counties) and receives the tax, it retains only 20% of the tax and passes the rest on to the townships or municipalities associated with the resident decedent or the resident decedent’s real property.”

The tax rate for estates valued at over $500,000 is $23,600 + 7% of excess over $500,000.

Mr. Jacobs probably had his loot squirreled away in places where it wouldn’t get hit by the full force of the estate tax, but it will be interesting to see if anything is coming Lakewood’s way.

The city provided spreadsheets from the database they use to track troublemakers and trouble properties.

The nuisance (aka troublemakers) spreadsheet (see .PDF) dated 5/26/09 shows surprisingly fewer addresses than I would have figured.

It’s nice to see McCarthy’s is drawing some attention. They’ve had more than their fair share of disorderly conduct arrests and noise complaints.

Hidden Village Apartments — home of the Lutheran-operated youth re-entry program — is curiously absent for the list. I wonder if their federal lawsuit against the city has anything to do with it.

Here is a link to the city’s criminal activity nuisance ordinance.

Here are the addresses:

• 2134 Atkins
• 1343 Beach Parkway
• 1651 Bunts – Evicted – City recommended family from removal from Section 8 program
• 11719 Clifton – Tenants moved (Man indicted for rape still living there)
• 1269 Clifton Prado – Fined $391, reconsideration requested
• 1578 Cohassett – Owner will try and talk to tenants
• 1595-97 Cohassett
• 1284 Cove #9
• 18900 Detroit #615, #719 – Landlord sent letter to tenants
• 16918 Detroit – McCarthy’s – Landlord meeting with tenant
• 2114 Dowd
• 2160 Elbur – Eviction
• 1327 Fry -
• 1393 Geil, #8 – Domestic violence issues
• 1386 Hall
• 1471 Hopkins
• 14026 Lakewood Heights – Fined $1,500, reconsideration requested
• 1684 Lincoln – Tenants in 102 gone, 204 under eviction
• 13386 Madison, #3
• 1265-67 Marlowe
• 2066 Morrison – Tenant given three-day notice
• 11712 Nelson Ct.
• 1464 Ridgewood
• 1416 Ridgewood, #1 – Eviction
• 2191 Riverside
• 11820 South Lane, #8
• 1607 Winchester, #4 – Apt. 3 and 4 evicted. Apt 2 moving. Fined $667, reconsideration granted. Owner starting over.
• 1538 Woodward – Fined $400

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The other spreadsheet lists “problem addresses,” or houses and structures that are in bad shape or have ownership issues. Even though the document is dated May 19, 2009, some of the information seems a little out of date.

Here’s a link to the ordinance covering unsafe structures.

Here are the addresses (check out the PDF for more information):

• 1577 Alameda
• 1179 Andrews
• 2134 Atkins
• 2098 Bunts
• 2218 Carabel
• 2126 Chesterland
• 14715 Clifton
• 1273 Clifton Prado
• 1276 Clifton Prado
• 16619 Delaware
• 14124 Detroit
• 2101 Dowd
• 1386 Edwards
• 1279 Ethel
• 1494 Grace
• 1269 Granger
• 2030 Halstead
• 15232 Hilliard
• 16801 Hilliard
• 1384 Kenilworth
• 1546 Lakeland
• 1466 Lakewood
• 2092 Lark
• 1426 Lauderdale
• 1631 Lauderdale
• 1664 Lauderdale
• 13736 Madison
• 1262 Mathews
• 1415 Newman
• 1434 Ridgewood
• 1436 Ridgewood
• 2107 Robin
• 2112 Robin
• 1468 West 117th
• 1482 West 117th
• 2016 Warren
• 2020 Warren
• 2048 Wascana
• 1346 Webb
• 1361 Webb
• 1510 Westwood
• 1570 Woodward
• 1611 Woodward

One of the great benefits of living in a modern society is our ability to capitalize on the collective experiences of previous generations. For instance, today’s automobiles are far safer than those produced in 1969. If the people alive in 1969 knew then how much safety we would be enjoying today, they’d surely be envious.

The folks in 1969, though, probably took for granted a simple technology that most of Lakewood’s residents can no longer now enjoy: air-tight garbage can lids.

The new Lakewood 96-gallon garbage cans, distributed as part of the budget saving transition to automated front yard refuse pick-up, have been in service less than two weeks and already get a failing grade.

They stink, or to be more precise, they can’t seal in the stink of garbage. Forget about storing the monster can in an enclosed area, like a garage. The smell will attach itself to your car and co-workers will be able to tell what you ate for dinner the previous three nights.

Let’s hope when the city next replaces these monster garbage cans, they demand lids that are air tight and cannot be lifted in the air by moderate wind gusts.

Here is the lid requirement from the January 2008 bid request for the current cans (see page 18)

Lid: The lid shall be configured to ensure that it will not warp, bend, slump, or distort such an extent that it no longer fits the container properly or becomes otherwise unserviceable. The lid must be crowned in shape and designed to disallow entry of rain when in a closed position. The lid must open from a closed position through a full 270 degree arc. Living hinges and lid counter weights are unacceptable. Lid latches are unacceptable.

Police received a report on May 30th that copper plumbing was stolen from the vacant home at 1446 Ridgewood. This is the same house whose overgrown lawn I observed on May 24th. The city cited the property owner on May 26th. It was scheduled for reinspection yesterday. The grass was cut as of this morning.

I haven’t read the police report and don’t know when the plumbing was removed. I do know you can’t have a for sale sign up, tall grass, and debris on the front porch and expect any kind of a different outcome — especially in Mary Louise Madigan’s Fighting 4th Ward.

Incidentally, copper pipes were also reported stolen from 1597 Lauderdale on May 26th and a vacant home at 1659 Lauderdale was reported broken into on the same day.

It might sound like an insignificant concern, but properties with overgrown grass present a serious danger to Lakewood’s neighborhoods. They are like a flashing neon welcome sign for copper pipe thieves and other troublemakers.

The city has more than a hundred vacant, abandoned, and otherwise empty structures that absolutely nobody is keeping a close watch over. As far as I have been able to tell, there is no effective program in place to facilitate quality levels of communication and coordination between residents and city employees in regard to preventing and treating tall grass.

Last weekend, I toured the streets of Ward 4 to get a hold on the number of properties with overgrown grass. I figured of all of Lakewood’s wards, Ward 4 would be the worst because it has some of the city’s highest total number of vacant, foreclosed and Section 8 properties. I spotted around 26 residences with grass over 6 inches tall.

This weekend, I traveled through just about every street in Councilperson Thomas Bullock’s Ward 2. The bulk of the problems I saw were south of Detroit. To be fair, it was only a couple of days after a heavy rainfall. I ignored borderline violations, and focused on flagrant cases.

See images:

14613 Bayes
2249 Emily
14917 Delaware (Lawn)
14940 Delaware
2146 Mars
15021-23 Athens
14959 Lakewood Heights Blvd
2051 Warren
2249 Carabel
2111-13 Morrison
2152 Morrison

2192 Morrison
[Update: Cited 5/28/2009, reinspect 6/3/2009. Neighbor called 6/1/2009, front mowed, back not mowed]

15611 Delaware
2240-38 Northland
2359 Woodward
One north of 1538 Northland
1626 Northland (Lawn)
1427 Rosewood
1578 Mars
1678 Victoria

1591-93 Victoria
[Update: Cited 5/29/2009,reinspect 6/5/2009]

1597 Victoria

1601 Mars
[Updated: Cited 5/28/2009, reinspect 6/3/2009]

1274 St. Charles

1267 Gladys
[Update: Cited 5/29/2009, reinspect 6/5/2009]

1179 Gladys
1254-52 Westlake
One south of 1289 French

There were 29 cases altogether, with 2240 Northland being the worst. The Northland address best symbolizes the failure of the current system of dealing with tall grass. The grass was staggeringly high — cadaver compost high. How could the neighbors not be moved to call the city to complain? How could the city not be aware of it? I’m sure the refuse department noticed it on garbage day. I bet the police have driven down the street at least once in the last two weeks. Why didn’t anyone do anything?

There are laws on the books to prevent this kind of situation. The manner in which they are being administered is a failure.

Similarly, I saw dozens of unwanted complimentary copies of the Plain Dealer in yellow plastic bags in all manner of locations: sidewalks, tree lawns, front yards. It looked terrible.

Again, there are laws on the books to prohibit this nuisance, and it’s not being administered properly. Would that kind of behavior fly in Brecksville or Beachwood? Would the PD be permitted to drop its unsolicited junk wherever whenever? Doubtful.