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The Lakewood Observer Volume 8, Issue 8Page 2April 17, 2012Calendar PageThursday, April 197th Annual “Healthy Starts. HappyHearts” Charity Wine & Beer Tasting6:00 PM - 9:00 PMThe best wine and beer tasting event inLakewood, benefiting Jordan’s Family Foundation.JFF provides funding for research, development andeducation in the field of pediatric cardiology. Admission is 25 at the door. The beer and wine are allbeing paired with delicious gourmet food.Rozi’s Wine House 14900 Detroit AvenueLakewood City Limits’ “Class and Sass”7:00 PM - 6:30 PMApril 19 brings “Class and Sass” to LakewoodCity Limits. The ‘class’ is Lakewood High School’scello quartet which includes 2 members who arealso members of the National Honors Orchestra. The‘sass’ is “WIFEY”, a two person improv group founded by LHS 1999 grad, Brenna Connor. Closing theevening may be a classy brass quintet. Remember,this is the series that is booked as ‘not your ordinarychurch music’ series.Trinity Lutheran Church, 16400 Detroit AvenueFriday, April 20Lakewood Chamber of Commerce AprilLuncheon Meeting11:30 AM - 1:00 PMJoin us for the annual Mayor’s Address to theChamber by Lakewood Mayor Michael P. Summersand State of the Chamber Address by Board Chairperson Diane Helbig 15 members, 20 non-membersRSVP to info@lakewoodchamber.orgLakewood Senior Health Campus1381 Bunts Ave., LakewoodCommunity Day at Lakewood YMCA2:00 PM - 8:00 PMCome See what the Lakewood Y has to offer:The Lakewood YMCA open to the public for freefrom 2pm-8pm2:00pm: Crafts for over 503:00pm-4:00pm: Water Aerobics for those whohave arthritis5:00-7:00pm– Open Swim, Pool Games 7-8pm4:00-4:30pm: Dance Demo for kids5:00-5:50pm– Zumba for all5:00-5:30pm– Theater for kids16915 Detroit Road Lakewood, OH 44107216-521-8400Junk 2 Funk 2012 Charity Event to BenefitNorth Coast Health Ministry7:00 PM - 10:00 PMLocal Girl Gallery and stArt Neo have joined forcesto bring back Junk2Funk, the season’s funkiest eventfeaturing local artists’ and designers’ work createdfrom repurposed materials, to benefit North CoastHealth Ministry, the West Side’s free medical clinicfor the low-income uninsured.The event will take place on Friday, April 20,2012, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Local Girl Gallery, 16106Detroit Avenue. The evening will feature unique art,jewelry, sculpture, furniture and more created bynortheast Ohio artists and designers. The eveningwill be highlighted by a live auction, Chinese raffles,wine, hors d’oeuvres and desserts from local restaurants and caterers, and organic, fair trade coffee fromCoffee for a Cause.Tickets are 15 in advance ( 20 day of event, asavailable) and can be purchased online from NorthCoast Health Ministry at www.nchealthministry.org/events or by contacting Elizabeth O’Brien at 216228-7878 ext. 114 or eobrien@nchealthministry.org. This event has sold out in advance the past twoyears.Local Girl Gallery, 16106 Detroit AvenueSaturday, April 21Spring Bargain Baby Bonanza9:00 AM - 1:00 PMLakewood Early Childhood PTA’s semi annualkids resale event. Sell or buy gently used baby andkid clothes, toys and gear.18514 Detroit Avenue,Lakewood, OH 44107phone: 216-521-7684fax: 216-521-9518West End Tavern presents:“Saturday“Sunday Brunch”Bloody Mary Bar” A 20-Year Lakewood Tradition10 a.m. – 2 p.m.Create Your Own - 11 a.m.Serving Breakfast/Lunchfeaturing our famousGourmet Meatloaf Stack andSavory Pot RoastVoted Best HamburgerOn The Northcoast!Eggs Benedict Eggs Sardoux Stuffed French Toast Pot Roast HashOmelets Fritatas and more!featuring our famous"Mega Mimosas"Tree &LandscapeServices LLC Spring Clean-ups Lawn Maintenance Sod & Seed Installation Decks & Fences Large Tree Pruning Tree Removal216-526-3954Seller registration forms are available at our website, by email or by calling 216 521 3134.Emerson Elementary School, 13439 Clifton Blvd,Lakewood OH 44107Lakewood Public Library Spring Book Sale9:00 AM - 12:00 AMThe Friends of Lakewood Public Library are gearing up for their annual Spring Book Sale. There willbe many gently used books, videos, music CDs,magazines and more at this big spring sale.Join the Friends and receive entrance to thespecial, members-only preview sale on Thursday,April 19, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Memberships maybe purchased at the door. Memberships: Individual 2, Family 5, Patron 10, Company/Business 10,Lifetime 100.Lakewood Public LibraryLakewood Police D.A.R.E. BasketballTournament9:00 AM - 3:00 PMThe Lakewood Police Department D.A.R.E. Unitwill be conducting its 12th annual basketball tournament for fifth grade students on Saturday, April 21,2012. The tournament begins at 9:00 a.m and thefinal game will start at 2:00 p.m. This year’s tournament will be held in the East Gym at Lakewood HighSchool, 14100 Franklin Boulevard. Admission is freeand all are welcome to attend.Lakewood High School East Gym, 14100 FranklinBoulevardKeep Lakewood Beautiful’s Great American Clean-Up & Earth Day Festivities9:00 AM - 2:00 PMThe clean-up will be from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.and Volunteer Lunch and Earth Day activity boothswill be in Pavilion from 11 – 2:00 p.m. - “Adopt-ATree for Free”Groups should pre register.(Dan Morgan rex@StraightShooter.com)Woman’s Club Pavilion at Lakewood ParkSpring Open House on Madison11:00 AM - 7:00 PMIt’s finally Spring! Come down to Madison Avenue on Saturday, April 21st to see all the awesomebusinesses Madison Avenue has to offer. SpecialEvents will be going on throughout the day, just lookfor the balloons to see who is participating!For each participating shop you visit during theday, you will receive a ticket for the raffle. The prizewill be a basket full of goodies from Madison Avenuebusinesses. This means the more shops you visit, thebetter your chance to win! Of course no purchase isnecessary, but it will be hard not to pick up a fewthings during the day. :)Please visit our website, www.mamalakewood.com for a complete list of participating shops andevents.Madison Avenue, LakewoodMODA OF LAKEWOOD EARTH DAY WEEKEND SIDEWALK SALE!(Saturday and Sunday)10:00 PM25% off Any Used Clothes, Shoes, Accessoriesand Rock Hard Treats T-Shirts For Men & Women!Local Art, Jewelry & Bath/Body Products and Housewares, too! Will Have Food, Beverages & BalloonsDrawing for 100 Lakewood Student Shopping Spree.14203 Madison AvenueSunday, April 22Lakewood Kiwanis Fundraiser Pancake &French Toast Breakfast8:00 AM - 1:00 PM*All You Can Eat Pancakes (regular or blueberry)and French Toast, Sausages - Juice & BeveragesTickets: 7.00 (children 5 and under free) available from any Kiwanian or at the door. Proceeds Benefit Lakewood Kiwanis Community Projects*Only Pancakes and French Toast Are All YouCan Eat.Grace Lutheran Church, 13303 Madison Avenue Across from Madison ParkMany more listings atwww.lakewoodobserver.comList Your Event Today - It’s FREE!Your Independent Source forLakewood News & OpinionPublished biweekly with a current circulation of 10,000 copies. The paper is made available freeof charge and can be found at over 130 business locations within the City of Lakewood and on ourwebsite. The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the viewsand opinions of the publisher and staff. Copyright 2010 The Lakewood Observer, Inc. All rightsreserved. Any reproduction is forbidden without written permission.The mission of the Lakewood Observer is to attract, articulate, and amplify civicintelligence and community good will in the city of Lakewood and beyond.Become an Observer!As a product of citizen journalism, The Lakewood Observer is looking for people, ages 3-100,to get involved in the paper and the city. We are looking for volunteer writers, photographers,designers, and illustraters to help with the production of the paper. It does not matter if you area professional or amateur, our editorial staff will be glad to help you through the process.Register to our website Member Center where you can submit stories, press releases, letters to theeditor, photos. No need to register to post online calendar or classified ads.Upcoming Submission DeadlinePublish DateSunday, April 22Sunday, May 6Tuesday, May 1Tuesday, May 15www.lakewoodobserver.com – 216.712.707014900 Detroit Avenue, Suite 205, Lakewood, OH 44107The Lakewood Observeris powered by AGS’s:Publisher Editor in ChiefJim O’BryanMargaret BrinichADVERTISINGMaggie FraleyLO.adsales@gmail.comAdvisory Board - Kenneth Warren, Steve Davis, Heidi Hilty, Dan Ott,Jeff Endress, Lauren Fine, Steve Ott, Vince Frantz, Margaret Brinich, Betsy VoinovichEditorial Board - Thealexa Becker, Nicole Boose, Margaret Brinich,Vincent O’Keefe, Heather Ramsey, Casey Ryan, Betsy Voinovich, Kenneth WarrenWebmasters - Jim DeVito, Dan OttPhotography - Curt Broskey, Erika Durham, Frank Lanza, Mary Johnson, Mark Galbreath,Toni Gelsomino, Dan Morgan, Jim O’Bryan and Julie Stambaugh.Illustrations - Rob Masek,Production - A Graphic Solution, Inc.Contributing Writers - Paul Beegan, Christopher Bindel, Curt Brosky, Gordon Brumm,Frank Cirillo, Mike Deneen, Lynn Donaldson, Susan Dunn, Erika Durham, Andrea Fisher, LaurenFraley, Dave Gannon, Melissa Garrett, Toni Gelsomino, Jeanine Gergel, Christine Gordillo, AnnetteKelly, Amy Kloss, Eric Lowrey, Sharon Marrell, Arlie Matera, Valerie Mechenbier, Leana Donofrio-Milovan, Dan Morgan, John Palmer, Gary Rice, Elaine Rosenberger, Marilyn Scott, ChristinSorensen, Stacey Sponsler, Fran Storch and Jessica Ugarte.Join the Discussion at: www.lakewoodobserver.com

April 17, 2012The Lakewood Observer Volume 8, Issue 8Lakewood Council"No Turn On Red"Council President Brian Powerscalled the April 2, 2012 Council meeting to order at 7:34pm, and his firstorder of business was to excuse Councilman Tom Bullock (Ward II) whowas out of town. Council did so.The next order of business was areport from the Committee of the Wholegiven by Councilman Powers (At-Large)regarding an agreement between the Cityand the owners of the Drug Mart property on the east end of Detroit Avenue.The land immediately to the east of thatDrug Mart is owned by the City andthere has been a long standing agreementbetween the two that Drug Mart can usethe land to access the back of its propertyfor loading and unloading trucks provided they perform snow removal andsome other maintenance. The resolution before Council would formalize theagreement.The Committee of the Whole,which is made up of all the members ofCouncil, recommended adoption of theresolution to Council, which they did.Then Councilman Ryan Nowlin(At-large) read a report from the PublicSafety Committee regarding changesto the ordinances controlling theuse of ‘No Right Turn on Red’ signs.Currently every one of those signsis individually listed in Lakewood’sCodified Ordinances. This meansevery time traffic patterns change, forinstance when a school closes, in orderto remove those signs each one has togo through an ordinance in Council.With about 150 signs in the City thiscould take up a lot of Council's time,and City resources.The ordinance the Public SafetyCommittee discussed would take all ofthe signs listed out of the Ordinancesand replace them with a system thatwould allow the Director of the Public Safety to make those calls, thereforeallowing changes to be made morequickly. The Committee did add aprovision in the ordinance that wouldrequire the Director of Public Safetyto give Council a 30 day notice ofany changes that may be made. Withthat included, the Committee recommended Council adopt the ordinance,which they did.Councilman Shawn Juris (WardIII) then gave a report from the PublicWorks Committee regarding streetpavement. The Committee reviewedthe annual Pavement Condition Ratingreport and discussed a long term streetstrategy. They broke streets into threecategories, asphalt, concrete and thosethat can be paid for by CDBG funding.With CDBG funding dictating whatstreets, and how many, can be done theCommittee concentrated on the firsttwo. Though the number of streets thatcan be resurfaced depends greatly onhow much the bids are for the projects,the Committee discussed that between10 and 12 asphalt streets could be donethis year. No concrete streets are duePage 3by Christopher Bindelfor replacement, but two will receivesome maintenance.Also discussed in the meeting wasthe City’s sidewalk strategy. Some ofthe points discussed were under whatcircumstances City funds would beexpended to replace sidewalks, howcost will be assessed to property owners, enforcing sidewalk regulations,and how the City will systematicallymonitor the sidewalk conditions.Council filed the report.The last item on the agenda wasLaw Director Kevin Butler askingCouncil to extend the Moratorium oninternet gaming and sweepstakes cafes.These are establishments that allowpeople to play games on computers andwin cash prizes. Because these cafes arewithin a fine line of the law, the citywishes to keep a moratorium on themuntil the State makes a ruling. Direc-tor Butler updated Council saying thatlegislation regarding these types ofestablishments has begun to move forward in the State Legislature and thathe hopes to hear more about it soon.Council referred the moratoriumextension to the Committee of theWhole for further discussion.Coming to the end of an extremelyshort Council meeting, Council President Powers adjourned the meeting at7:56pm.Council meetings are held everyfirst and third Monday of the month at7:30 P.M. in the City Hall Auditorium.The next regularly scheduled councilmeeting will be held on May 7, 2012.For a copy of the agenda or for anyother information regarding the LakewoodCity Council, you can find it atonelakewood.com/citygovern council.html.Welcome To Lakewoodcontinued from page 1community. There will also be yummytreats from local bakeries. All attendeeswill leave with a packet of information allabout Lakewood.The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission wasestablished in 2005 to serve in anadvisory capacity for the purpose ofeducating, informing and makingrecommendations to City officials,departments, boards and commissionson matters relating to community relations within the City of Lakewood inan effort to advance respect for diversity, bonds of mutuality and equity.The Collaborative is a group ofagencies, organizations and concernedindividuals working together to makesure a network of services and supportsare available and accessible to children,youth and families in our community.The objectives of the Collaborative areto assist in the identification of community issues and needs as they relateto youth/families, advocacy for youth/family/community and consultationand support to strengthen and expandcommunity networking/partnerships.The University of AkronMBA Program Ranked #1in NE Ohio.*Get ahead with a Saturday MBA.Now, working professionals can earn an MBA in just two years. Classes meet every other Saturday using a hybridin-class and distance-learning format.Attend an information session to learn more:The University of Akron LakewoodWe’re located in the historic Bailey Bldg. atWednesday, April 18, 6-7:30 p.m.Detroit and Warren roads in Lakewood, Ohio.Thursday, May 24, 6-7:30 p.m.Our main entrance is to the south of the216-221-1141building just off of the parking lot.lakewood.uakron.edu*The 2012 Bloomberg BusinessWeek rankings of part-time MBA programs.Visit mba.uakron.edu to learn more about the Saturday MBA program.Join the Discussion at: www.lakewoodobserver.com

The Lakewood Observer Volume 8, Issue 8Page 4April 17, 2012Lakewood City NewsKeep Lakewood Beautiful Announces 2012 Schedule of EventsThe Keep Lakewood Beautiful(KLB) organization was created inSeptember of 1982 to promote civicinvolvement through public interest inthe general improvement of the environment of Lakewood. The volunteerboard initiates, plans and coordinatesprograms for litter prevention, solidwaste reduction, recycling and greenspace beautification. New programingis always being developed, and new volunteers are always welcome.This year, the Great AmericanClean-Up & Earth Day Festivities willtake place on April 21 from 9:00 a.m. to2:00 p.m. at the Woman's Club Pavilion at Lakewood Park. The clean-upwill be from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.,with volunteer lunch and Earth Dayactivity booths in the pavilion from 11a.m. to 2:00 p.m.Eco-friendly individuals andgroups are encouraged to join us.Individuals can simply come to theLakewood Park Pavilion by 9 a.m.Photo by Maria Parkeby Dan MorganYMCA Adventure Guides lent a big hand at 2011 Clean Up.Why not assemble a team of Lakewoodfriends or coworkers to help clean up?This kind of “off-the-clock” productive group activity is a great way tostrengthen your group through teambuilding. There is also limited spaceavailable inside the pavilion to showoff your earth-friendly company orconduct a fun activity. A group representative must be on hand in order todisplay at one of our tables.LakewoodAlive HostsCommunity Housing Forumcontinued from page 1community, and report on the Housing Forward Strategy that the City ofLakewood has begun to implement.Lakewood’s housing stock is vitalto the health and vibrancy of the city– we are a community of homes. Thehistoric character of our homes, ourbeloved front porches, and our walkable, tree-lined streets are the reasonwhy we all have chosen Lakewood as aplace to live and raise our families. Butthe health of our city is dependent onthe health of our homes. As the 2005Grow Lakewood Report cites, “housing is Lakewood’s economic linchpin.”The City of Lakewood and itscollaborative partners, including LakewoodAlive, are hard at work to makesure our aging housing stock is readyfor the next century. As planned inthe Housing Forward Strategy, theyhave been working with homeowners,landlords, investors, and local banks toabate residential code violations whileproviding connections to resources tohelp stabilize and strengthen the foun-dation of our community.This strategy has led to a city-widehousing survey in which the exterior ofall 12,600 of our one- and two-familyhomes were visually inspected for exterior code violations. The good news isthat this survey found that 84% of ourhomes are in good condition any manysimply require a few hours of weekendattention or a quick trip to the hardwarestore. Those houses which did not meetthe expectations of the Lakewood housing code have been contacted by the cityand will be processed to ensure thatour neighborhoods are maintained andready for the next century of use.The LakewoodAlive communityforum “Housing: A New Approach fora New Century” will focus on these cityinitiatives and provide connections tolocal resources available to all homeowners in Lakewood. The panelistsfor the forum are scheduled to includeMayor Mike Summers and Dru Siley,Director of Planning and Developmentfrom the City of Lakewood, Lakewoo-Groups should register in advancewith Maria Parke at maria1091@sbcglobal.net. There is also detailedinformation about group involvement at the Keep Lakewood BeautifulFacebook page, www.facebook.com/KeepLakewoodBeautiful.Mark your calendars for this year’ssemi-annual humus sales. The springhumus and perennial sale will be held onMay 19th this year from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00p.m. at the Skate House/Old Stone Houseparking lot at Lakewood Park. Our fallhumus sale will be held on October 20th.Humus will be sold for 2.50 a bag. Wesell great organic leaf humus and there isnothing better for your gardens any timeof year! Lakewood High School sportsteams will be on hand to generously helpwith bagging and loading the mulch.The 2012 Beautiful Home AwardsandAdopt-A-SpotAppreciationBreakfast is scheduled for November10th at the Woman’s Club Pavilion.Keep an eye out for a particularlybeautiful home in your neighborhood,and nominate it! Judging is based onlandscaping, house maintenance, andoverall beauty of the property.Keep Lakewood Beautiful is particularly proud of its Adopt-A-Spotprogram. For 28 years, volunteers havebeen maintaining over 60 green spacesthroughout Lakewood. There are currently a few volunteer opportunitiesavailable. The City of Lakewood supplies plants, fertilizer and yard wastebags. Our volunteers plant, weed, waterand keep their areas looking fabulous.KLB provides out Adopt-A-Spot volunteers with the Annual AppreciationBreakfast in November.The City of Lakewood has recentlyincreased its efforts to strengthenthe community through volunteerism. New KLB volunteer task forcesare being formed. The tree, litter andstorm/wastewater task forces willassist the City of Lakewood with theseimportant issues.Please visit www.OneLakewood/KLB.com for more information aboutall of these great programs and volunteer opportunities or “Like Us” onFacebook!Timothy P. Laskeycertified public accountantTax Preparation &Accounting Servicesindividual small businesscorporate estate12511 Madison AvenueLakewood, OH 44107P: 216/521-2100F: 216/521-3258continued on page 5Our Famous Fish Fry continueseven after Lent. Every Friday!Great Lakes Xmas Ale Beer Battered CodShrimp Louisiana, Blackened Catfish, Haddock,Homemade Cabbage & Noodles and Pierogies.Warehouse Party Roomavailable for your partiesor fundraisers!"Sundays -Enjoy our delicious a la carte BrunchMondays- Buy One, Get One- Black Angus BurgersWednesdays- Try our 5 Menu!Join the Discussion at: www.lakewoodobserver.com

The Lakewood ObserverPittsburgh;SlifeVolume 8,HeatingIssue8& CoolingInc;B05064;4x15-4cApril 17, 2012City NewsBackyard Hens Saga Continuesby Margaret BrinichAt the recent Hens in LakewoodForum expert panelist, Morgan Taggart of OSU Agriculture Extensiondescribed her experience as an advocate for the backyard hens’ movementin Cleveland. She noted that while ultimately successful in legalizing backyardhen raising, the campaign was a longstruggle. Three years and several iterations after the initial introduction ofbackyard hen legislation to LakewoodCity Council the debate over bringingegg laying hens back to Lakewood canbe described in similar terms.Not to be deterred by a series ofsetbacks, Hens in Lakewood wentback to basics, constructing the Hen'sForum as a mechanism both to educate the community as well as to vetconcerns and questions from all sidesof the issue. A packed Library Auditorium first listened intently to Hens inLakewood volunteer, Jaime Bouviergive a detailed overview of variouspeer reviewed studies tracking thebenefits of backyard hens. This wasfollowed by a point by point debunking of many of the common concernsexpressed by those opposed to bringinghens to Lakewood, e.g. odor, noise, andappearance/upkeep of coops.While the audience was overwhelmingly in favor of backyard hens, theconcerned neighbors made their voicesheard. As a law professor at ClevelandMarshall, Jaime emphasized her attention to the credibility of her sources for allof her material. Coupled with the admittedly biased recounting of several expertpanelists about their positive experiencesraising backyard hens, several audience members remained unconvincedthat bringing hens to Lakewood couldbe anything but detrimental, much lessbeneficial, for the community.These questions were then directedto a panel of hen experts. Ranging froma hen owner in Cleveland, to a realtor,to a young Lakewood mother and henadvocate, the panelists offered their owninsights into the value of backyard hens.At the conclusion of the program,a survey was distributed to the attendees asking for their opinions aboutbringing hens to Lakewood. Of the 54individuals who completed the survey,only four expressed an overwhelmingly negative opinion about hensin Lakewood. Despite the supportive audience, key points of contentionremain and appeared several times inthe survey results.Would hens hurt Lakewood'sproperty values? Realtors on both sidesof the issue spoke out- some were certain that the value of our housing stockwould take a hit, others cited personalexperiences in which clients listed hensas a key item on their wish list.How much would it cost the Cityto manage a hen licensure program? Inthe Cleveland example the program hasrun so smoothly that Morgan Taggartindicated that the Building Department no longer issues the licenses andin fact, the Health Department provides any necessary oversight. Whilethis points to a fairly low overhead, thestructure of the p

Large Tree Pruning Tree Removal Tree & Landscape Services LLC 216-526-3954 Thursday, April 19 7th Annual “Healthy Starts. Happy Hearts” Charity Wine & Beer Tasting 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM The best wine and beer tasting event in Lakewood, benefiting Jordan’s Family Found