October 14, 2024

I just go by Pamela this evening, just so we feel comfortable. I want to first of all wish a very blessed and prosperous happy Indigenous Day to the Native Americans today, the Native American people, and I want to also, before I proceed with my comments pertaining to the public comment, I just want to thank you all for making legislation possible for us to have Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I'm an overcomer of domestic violence and my family is an overcomer of breast cancer. And thank you for being the legislative body that puts legislation in place to address those concerns.

Mayor Bibb and Council President, I came this evening because I'm very much in support of your process that you have now for 10 people in 3 minutes and I'm very much in support of this because I believe that people have a misunderstanding that you're supposed to be here all night to hear what they have to say, that you don't have families. And I like the process also because it gives you a chance to listen to and review our concerns and it gives you a chance to simplify things and bring things in so you can address the agricultural needs, the domestic violence, the police needs, the family concerns, and I do like the process. I hear a lot of opposition and I think 3 minutes is sufficient, because I respect the fact that you have family members. My dad was Council President for Warrenville Heights, Ohio. I know what that's like.

I am Pamela. I'm a preacher, a plaintiff in the United States courts and Cuyahoga County court, and I'm a presidential candidate for the United States of America in this election, doing something new. And I like the fact that you're updating the things so that you have time to review and work and meet our needs. And I hope that as you go forward, Council President, that you will refine it even more to make people more respectful when they come down here. I think it's very disrespectful to call you out of your name and to do the things that I have been witnessing and tearing up our property. And once again I would like for you and Mayor Bibb, Council President Griffin, to attend the Women's March. The Cleveland's chapter of the National Women's March on November 2nd, as well as everyone listening and viewing and here today, at Market square at 12:00 noon. If you would be present we would love to have you. And you can contact me 216-548-0820 or Kathy Ray Coleman. Thank you so much and have a blessed evening.

Good evening everybody. On May 30th of this year, CEO Dr. Warren Morgan, he issued a statement with the support of Mayor Bibb to pause the plans of the new Marion Seltzer school. Since then, a steering committee of teachers, parents district officials, city staff and local stakeholders have been working on a new redesign. Earlier in the effort, CMSD committed to swinging the students to a new school while the existing one was demolished and a new one built on its site on the same footprint, thus preserving as much of Cudell Park as possible, especially the wooded area around the Memorial Tower and the highly utilized practice field. The steering committee has been a great place for the stakeholders to weigh in with their vision and priorities for a new 21st century school while also honoring the important legacy gift made by Frank Cudell to the city over a hundred years ago. The needs of the school have been thoughtfully balanced with the needs of the community and all of it was considered within the context of a neighborhood with a variety of adjacent land use types. Last month, a well- attended community meeting was held where the new school design was presented. Additionally, city staff were on hand to offer a sneak peek of the forthcoming redesign of Cudell Park. The community provided feedback about the design, and next week is going to be the second community meeting where those refinements will be presented. Certainly not everyone's going to be 100% satisfied with the final layout or design but I suppose that's just the hallmark of a good compromise. What I can say is that the new design made a massive leap in preserving Cudell Commons Park, which is a win for everybody involved. I asked that MOCAP sustain this level of community engagement as it begins work on the redesign of Cudell Park and together we can create a park worthy of Frank Cudell's legacy and one that will last for another 100 years and beyond.

That being said, CMSD still retains ownership of large portions of Cudell Park that were transferred through the land swap deal. I'm asking the administration and the council to not take their eyes off of returning the park land to the people. Restoring the land to the people certainly is going to involve the cooperation between CMSD, the council and the administration, but it's the right thing to do. It makes no sense for CMSD to be responsible for and administer city parkland.

And then finally with such an enormous amount of time and money being invested in a new school and a major park overhaul, there's no reason to think that a new gas station is complimentary to this work. There are currently two convenience stores 400 feet in either direction of the vacant CVS. The increased vehicle traffic along with the introduction of a fuel tanker other delivery trucks to this already chaotic intersection is a disaster waiting to happen. The representative of the CVS property testified at the Board of Zoning Appeals that he knew of the existing zoning and multiple overlay districts when the property was purchased. The community should not have to suffer because of their lack of due diligence, or worse yet, promises that were made without the community's input. Thank you very much.

Good evening my name is Christine. I'm a Cudell resident and this is my first time ever giving public comment. What spurred me to speak tonight is the debate over the vacant property at the intersection of West Boulevard and Madison Avenue. I live within walking distance of this parcel and I have serious concerns about constructing a gas station there by removing the pedestrian retail overlay.

Believe me when I say that I am not opposed wholesale to the introduction of new gas stations to the city. My grandmother Norma Fergus was among the first female gas station dealers in the US. I spent my teenage years clerking at my dad's gas station on the border of Euclid and Cleveland. My family's livelihood did for several decades rely on selling gas and other convenient store items to the surrounding community. I'm not opposed to gas stations, I'm opposed to putting them in the wrong locations.

Many other Cudell residents have already argued persuasively that a gas station should not be sited next to a park or a school. I would argue that a gas station would also run counter to ongoing community-led initiatives to improve the lives of Cudell residents.

I'm a founding member of the Detroit-Shoreway Cudell Better Streets Committee volunteer group and with support of Bike Cleveland, our group aspires to add bike lanes on Madison Avenue between West 65th and West Boulevard. We've met with City Planning staff to explore this option, and we're also advocating for these lanes to be included in the city's upcoming mobility plan. That's because this section of Madison is a critical missing link in Cleveland's East West trails network and the data show this, the most recent NOACA counts showed that during a random two-hour sample, more than 100 pedestrians and over 20 cyclists traverse this intersection. Nearly half of those cyclists use the sidewalks indicating that they already feel unsafe. Add to the mix a school, a rec center, and an RTA station, and a gas station would present a serious safety issue for the many people who walk or roll through this area.

Everyone seems to agree that this parcel remaining vacant is not ideal, however, there are already nine gas stations within a 1 mile radius. Sometimes something is not always better than nothing. For all of these reasons as well as the preservation of the integrity of the decisions of both the Board of Zoning Appeals and Cleveland's Planning Commission who voted unanimously against this proposal, I ask that you put political considerations aside and vote your conscience should ordinance number 791- 2024 cross your desk. Thanks for your consideration.