MONETARY DONATIONS NEEDED to support Puerto Rico relieve efforts by Greater Cleveland's Puerto Rican community

Esri CrowdRescue Puerto Rico Infrastructure Map

In the wake of the catastrophic hurricane that hit the Islands of Puerto Rico on September 20th, Greater Cleveland Puertorriqueños have come together and have collected and palletized 350 skids for relieve efforts for their families and our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico.

We are in immediate need of $30,000 to pay for transportation of those goods to Miami FL, for transport to Puerto Rico.  Individuals from Cleveland's Puerto Rican community are traveling to San Juan this week to do advance work on logistics on the Island in preparation for receipt and distribution once goods arrive.

DONATE $ TO:  The Cleveland, OH - Latinos Unidos Fund - A gofundme.com fund set-up in partnership with Cleveland's Club San Lorenzo, Club Alma Yaucana and Spanish American Committee.

Relieve Efforts in Cleveland

Since Thursday, 9/21/2017 Club San Lorenzo and Club Alma Yaucana have collaborated to receive material donation at Club San Lorenzo.  Volunteers and Club Members have worked tirelessly these past 10-days.

Contributions will continue to be received on Saturdays from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at Club San Lorenzo, 3121 W 33rd St, Cleveland, OH 44109.  Volunteers are needed during these times.  Please call Club San Lorenzo at 216-651-0535 to sign-up to help with deliveries as well as other volunteer opportunities as they develop.  Volunteers are also needed from 7:00 am - 3:30 pm at the IX-Center, where the goods are being palletized and warehoused.  No donations are being accepted for drop-off at the IX-Center.

The City of Cleveland is working with our local foundations and corporate leaders and we hope to have announcements soon on joint efforts to provide support to relieve efforts.  Those efforts are anticipated to include:

• Coordination and transport of donations to Puerto Rico.
• Coordination of monetary contributions for relieve efforts in Puerto Rico.
• Humanitarian and medical aid for victims of the hurricane.
• Support for families in Greater Cleveland for crisis intervention and other social services.
• Support for families from Puerto Rico anticipated to arrive in Cleveland escaping the devastating conditions of the Islands.

Call for Greater Federal Assistance

Speakers at a Prayer Vigil and Rally for Puerto Rico Relief on Saturday held on Public Square called for greater Federal Government Assistance.  That included an end to the 1920's era Jones Act that requires shipments between U.S. Ports to be made by U.S. owned and operated carriers. 

Call for repeal of the Jones Act

For more information about the Jones Act see: 

• The Jones Act, the obscure 1920 shipping regulation strangling Puerto Rico, explained Protectionism and exploitation at its worst, VOX, 9.28.2017
• Is the Jones Act Waiver All Politics?, The Atlantic, 9.28.2017

Coordination of Federal, State and Local Assistance 
Call for the use of the Ohio National Guard, Ohio State Troopers...

Above and beyond our city's efforts, both public and private, there are calls for coordination of federal, state and local efforts.  One such potential example would be the authorization by President trump and concurrent authorization of Ohio Governor John R. Kasich to deploy the Ohio National Guard to assist in transporting humanitarian aid from Ohio to Puerto Rico.  This would require  authorization of a U.S. Code, Title 32/Title 10 or single Title 10 act.  Ohio has significant military assets that should be deployed, including the Air National Guard 179th Airlift Wing

See: The Role of the National Guard in National Defense and Homeland Security

By Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Lowenberg, National Guard Association of the United States 

"The question is when, not if, the next domestic disaster will occur. The question is also when, not if, federal military forces will be deployed domestically in response to a humanitarian disaster or emergency."

REF: Emergency Management Assistance Compact

U. S. States deploying National Guard Troops

A quick survey online confirms deployment from the following eight Governors and States:

• New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. More than 600 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were on State Active Duty or federal orders as of September 29, supporting response and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Efforts in the Caribbean were matched by efforts back in New York to collect and ship donations to assist Puerto Rico.  Collection sites at four National Guard armories September 24. Mobilized some 100 personnel, including a transportation platoon and members of the New York Guard State Defense Force. These troops will augment state resources to prepare donations for shipment to Puerto Rico. The first shipment of relief supplies managed by the National Guard departs October 2.
• New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie. Sending 1,100 emergency responders to Puerto Rico for six-weeks to aid in recovery efforts. Two National Guard armories will open Monday as donation centers.
• North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper. Authorized 200 NC Guard engineers to go to PR. Troops left Fort Bragg Friday with supplies. Engineers and troops prepared to be there until the end of October.
• Florida, Governor Rick Scott. 
• Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan.
• Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf.
• Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker. 
• Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds.

Cleveland - Local impact, responses and resources

Club San Lorenzo, (216) 651-0535, W 33rd St, Cleveland, OH 44109

Club Alma Yaucana, (216) 241-764,  W 25th St Cleveland, Ohio 44113

The Spanish American Committee:  Multi-servives, provides five core programs that help clients with family support and childcare services, financial literacy education and training, housing education and guidance, employment training and services, and adult education opportunities such as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and the only Spanish-language GED program in Ohio.
Red Cross Safe and Well.

The Red Cross Safe and Well website - Allows people to list their own status and allows friends and family to search for messages from their loved ones.

English - www.redcross.org/safeandwell
Spanish - https://safeandwell-es.communityos.org/zf/safe/add

• NEO Volunteers Heading to Puerto Rico Following Maria, IdeaStream, 9.25.2017

CONDOLENCES to the Cleveland relatives of:

• Harold Cancel Rosa.
• Father of Clevelander and Executive Director of Esperanza Inc., Victor Ruiz.

Prayer vigils, rallies and events:

Several fundraising events, prayer vigils and rallies have been organized at Club Alma Yaucana, La Sagrada Familia Church, Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center,  Mt Zion Baptist Church in Oakwood Village in affiliation with United Pastors in Mission.  A large fund raising event is currently being planned by a collaboration of organizations - call Club San Lorenzo, (216) 651-0535 for more information and to volunteer.

Public Education - Cleveland's Hispanic and our majority-minority Puerto Rican community.

• Cleveland's Hispanic Community,  Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
• Local Promotion of Hispanic/Latino Culture and Community.
  * La Villa Hispana Initiative - La Villa Hispana Action Plan approved by Cleveland City Planning Commission. 9.11.17 (approved 10.21.2016)
  * We Plan CLE tour highlights challenges and aspirations for La Villa Hispana on Cleveland's West Side, cleveland.com, 7.27.2017
  * La Placita Cleveland open-air market looks to ignite Latin food, business boom in Clark-Fulton neighborhood, cleveland.com 6.7.2017
  * La Villa Hispana Action Plan unveiled at Community Engagement Town Hall, Plain Press, 2.19.2017
  * La Villa Hispana: an economic and cultural Latino hub, freshwatercleveland.com, 9.29.2016

Councilman Cummins Receives New Endorsements going into November 7th General Election

Pick’s up Mayor Jackson, Christian Omar Medina, C.A.M.E.O., and Stonewall Democrats

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Brian Cummins, 216-333-5453, citizensforcummins@gmail.com

CLEVELAND, 9/20/2017:  Today, Councilman Brian Cummins announced several new endorsements of his campaign for a 4^th term and re-election to Cleveland City Council’s Ward 14.

New endorsements have been received from Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Ward 14 Primary Candidate Christian Omar Medina, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats and the Cleveland American Middle East Organization.  The full endorsement list includes:

·       Cleveland Teachers Union

·       Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council

·       The Plain Dealer, Cleveland.com

·       Mayor Frank G. Jackson

·       Christian Omar Medina, 2017 Primary Election Candidate, Ward 14 Council

·       Cleveland American Middle East Organization (C.A.M.E.O.)

·       Cleveland Stonewall Democrats

Upon receiving the endorsement Cummins stated,

“I appreciate the endorsements from these individuals and organizations. I will continue to work hard to serve our mutual interests for the benefit of our community and the City of Cleveland.”

In endorsing Cummins, Mayor Jackson stated,

"I support Councilman Brian Cummins for re-election because of his leadership and advocacy, which has led us to target the Clark-Fulton neighborhood for special bond funding over the next few years... one of only four projects to be selected for focused neighborhood investment. Councilman Cummins' experience and dedication serve the neighborhoods of Ward 14 well."

The Administration announced in July that it will target $4 Million to support the W. 25^th Street Corridor and related La Villa Initiatives. The initiatives began in 2010 when Cummins was elected to the new Ward 14.

Cummins’ work has been instrumental in initiating these projects.  He has worked closely with neighborhood organizations and leaders in the Latino Community in developing La Villa Hispana — a commercial and residential district that celebrates the Latino cultures of its residents and business owners. The district is centered at W. 25^th Street and Clark Avenue.

Cleveland City Council together with Mayor Jackson established a $25 Million bond fund for investment in neighborhoods in 2015.  The Mayor’s announcement in July followed meetings and lobbying by Councilman Cummins and partners and organizations including Councilman Joe Cimperman, the Hispanic Business Center, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, Metro West Community Development Organzation, Hispanic Alliance and MetroHealth Systems.

Regarding the Mayor’s support Cummins stated,

“I want to acknowledge Mayor Jackson’s leadership and accomplishments. He has always valued using public funds to attract private funding and investment to projects of merit.”

Christian Omar Medina was one of three Latino candidates that ran in the Ward 14 Primary Election.  In making his endorsement Medina said,

"I endorse Brian Cummins because he is the most qualified candidate to do the job... In this election ethnicity is not a factor. Ethics, experience and integrity are. Councilman Cummins will continue bringing resources into our community. And he will build on established relationships to move forward important projects like La Villa Hispana and others... continuing progress for everyone in all of our neighborhoods."

Councilman Cummins was first elected to Council in 2005 to serve Ward 15, which was comprised of portions of the neighborhoods of Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn Centre.  In 2009 he won his second term to council to serve a re-districted Ward 14, which was made up of portions of Brooklyn Centre, Tremont, Clark-Fulton and Stockyard.  In 2013 Cummins won a third term and picked up portions of the West Boulevard neighborhood. Beginning in 2014 Ward 14 was extended westward from W. 17^th to W. 47^th to
W. 97^TH Street.  This year’s re-election marks the first time Councilman Cummins is running to serve the same geographical Ward boundries he has served in a previous term.

Councilman Cummins is a graduate of Cleveland State University. His varied career includes 6-years with National City Bank’s Trust Division, 10-years affiliated with the Peace Corps, as a Volunteer with his wife Gayle, and then time served as a technical trainer and Administrative Director. Upon his return to the United States in 2009, Cummins served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Community Shelter Board in Columbus, Ohio, before retuning to Cleveland in 2001 to serve as the Director of the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation. Councilman Cummins lives in the Historic Brooklyn Centre neighborhood with his Wife Gayle and daughters Adalyne and Tatum.

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2017 Ward 14 Street Improvements and street conditions rankings

Street resurfacing in Ward 14 will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12th.

In addition to the City's Public Announcement, see below for a list and ranking of the worst streets in Ward 14 as well as the list of streets completed in 2015 and 2016.  The Ward 14 office works closely with the Department of Public Works and we conduct our own separate field inspection each year that are then compared with the City's lists to help determine what gets done each year.

If you have a question about the street ranking and status of pavement of your street, please call our office at 216-664-4238.

City Announces Neighborhood Street Improvements

Number of street improvement projects increase in 2017 

CLEVELAND – Improvements to City of Cleveland streets will begin (Weather Dependent) Tuesday, September 12th in Ward 14. Advance notice signs will be posted to advise the public of road improvements.  The following streets will be resurfaced and completed by the end of October 2017:

• W. 62nd Street (Denison Avenue – Storer Avenue)
• Mapledale Avenue (W. 36th Street – Pearl Road)
• W. 86th Street (Wentworth Avenue – Denison Avenue)
• W. 48th Street (House # 3590 – House #3609)
• W. 33rd Street (Denison Avenue – School Driveway)
• W. 56th Street (Denison Avenue – Eichorn Avenue)

One lane of traffic will be maintained for local traffic for the duration of each project and no detours are expected. Access to all businesses, residences and side streets will be maintained during construction.  On-street parking will not be allowed during construction.

2017 Road Resurfacing Projects:
Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s enhanced budget, made possible by Issue 32, allows the City to embark on more street improvement projects in 2017 than previous years. Projects span all City neighborhoods and wards.

Highlights about this year’s road work:

• Street resurfacing began April 27 and will continue through the summer, weather permitting. The first resurfacing project was in Ward 4 on Parkview Avenue near the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
• Potholes are serviced year round, weather permitting.  The Department of Public Works has increased its pothole crews from three to 10 as a result of the passage of Issue 32.
• This year, with the completion of the Pavement Management Study the City has a graded system that allows streets in the greatest need of resurfacing to be selected. The City is using the worst first approach to road resurfacing.
• City projects it will resurface 95 streets this year.
• City is also investing in preventive maintenance on recently resurfaced streets to extend roadways’ high condition rating  

For questions, contact the City’s Chief Construction Inspector, Ms. Traci Hartnett-Mercado at (216) 244-5636.

Editor’s Note: Road construction invariably presents hazards to the public. All travelers are urged to use caution in construction zones. Public safety and the safety of our workers is a top priority.

About the City of Cleveland 

The City of Cleveland is committed to improving the quality of life for its residents by strengthening neighborhoods, delivering superior services, embracing diversity and making Cleveland a desirable, safe city in which to live, work, play, and do business. For more information on the City of Cleveland, visit online at www.city.cleveland.oh.us, Twitter at @cityofcleveland or Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofcleveland.  Also see the city's blog at Straight from City Hall
News and Information from the City of Cleveland

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W14 Street Resurfacing 2017 FINAL by Brian Cummins on Scribd

La Villa Hispana Action Plan approved by Cleveland City Planning Commission

La Villa Hispana's Action Plan as presented and approved at the October 21st, 2016 Cleveland City Planning Commission.

La Villa Hispana Presentation CLE Planning Commission 10.21.2016 by Brian Cummins on Scribd

The above action plan was developed out of work that started in 2012.  In May 2015, the La Villa initiative team began making a series of presentations to Cleveland Mayor Fran G. Jackson's administration and Cleveland City Council's Leadership.  The following is an early presentation of the planning and project developments.

La Villa Presentation Mayors Office 05292015 by Brian Cummins on Scribd

YOU ARE INVITED - AFFORDABLE HOUSING Ribbon Cutting for the $10 Million adaptive re-use of The Lofts at Lion Mills - Thurs. @ 3:00 pm

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the The Lofts at Lion Mills, 3256 West 25th Street,  Thursday, September 14th from 3:00 pm- 5:00 pm followed by delicious local food and festive music!

You are invited to Thursday's ribbon cutting of the Lofts at Lion Mills project - an $10 million rehabilitation project that creates 36-units of updated and affordable housing units.   The apartments with be available to those earning 30 to 60 percent of the area’s median income. And rents will range from $275 to $625 a month.

Come help celebrate the completion of this important project that helps provide new updated affordable housing in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood, injecting investment as part of our W. 25th Street Corridor project that began in 2010.

Since that time there has been more than $75 Million worth of investments on the corridor with recent projects that include  the $4 Million Fresenius Dialysis Clinic which is a partnership between Fresenius Company, MetroHealth, and the Cleveland Clinic and the Horizon Education Center - a new $4 Million early learning facility providing much-needed high quality early education seats to our community.  And most recently the city has designated Clark-Fulton and La Villa Hispana as one of the areas targeted for the Healthy Neighborhoods Bond Funding.

Stay tuned for an update on our speaker's list for this event and clear your schedule to come and help celebrate from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on Thursday.

REF:

• Update: iconic water tower retakes rightful place atop Lofts at Lion Mills, 5/19/2017, Karin Connelly Rice, www.freshwatercleveland.com
• Groundbreaking held for Lofts at Lion Mills on West 25th Street, 6/30/2016, By Stan Bullard, Crain's Cleveland Business.
• New Tax Credit Project Funded in Clark Fulton, The Lofts at Lion Mills Scheduled to Break Ground Early 2016, 6/19/2015. wwwbrian-cummins.blogspot.com

Lofts at Lion Mills Press Release by Brian Cummins on Scribd