"PAINESVILLE'S NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS"

Have you made any you care to share with the rest of us?

"HAPPY NEW YEAR PAINESVILLE"

I can't help but wonder what the coming year will bring to our community?
What will be our towns propect's be in the coming year?
Is Painesville headed in the right direction?
Please post your thoughs for the coming year.

"A CHRISTMAS STORY"

At this time of year its always a good time to not only enjoy the Christmas Season but to reflect on past Christmas'es. As a child,with your children, in the service away from home. Please share your story with us. Merry Christmas

"DEMOLITION LADIES"

No this is not a movie. Two very prominent ladies in our community have decided how to demolish Lake East Hospital. City Manager of Painesville along with the Lake Hospital CEO are going to use Ohio Issue 2 funds along with matching funds from the LHS. Clean Ohio Program [check it out on the web] will be asked for over 2 million dollars from their Brownfield Revitalization Program. [I'm assuming this is the only fund they could use.] Plus over 2 million dollars from Lake Hospital System. Bet your HMO didn't see this one coming. What a waste of Taxpayers money, along with Health Care Funds. If the County wants to pass off this problem to the city of Painesville we should not play a part in it. If Painesville cannot get the grant money will we have to pay our share out of the General Fund? Where else could the money come from?
I have e-mailed Clean Ohio Program to ask what were there criteria was to receive funding.

"CLARAIFICATION AND AN APOLOGY"

After a conversation with the city manager at Hal Werners meeting tonight, I realize the she has no intentions of using city funds for the demolition of Lake East. She has told the County and the Hospital she doesn't want to get saddled with a white elephant. She was trying to get the grant as a courtesy to the county and the hospital being the former owners they could not apply for the grant. I am sure the city will not be taken for a ride. Also the hospital match would not be 2 million but a 25% match.

"WHAT DOES?"

A free brewski to the first correct answer to; What are Medina,Jerusalem,and Painesville all working together on? It has nothing to do with religion, but it is good news for us.

"UPCOMING MEETING"

Painesville City Council Meeting 12/15/08 at 7:30 at city hall.
Christmas lighting awards presented by PCIC
3rd reading on 09' budget
Amending appropriations and making inter-fund transfers to 2008
Clean Ohio Funding
JEDD Contract


Wednesday 12/17/08 "Concerned Citizens meeting at the new Hobart Middle School on Cedarbrook. Hal's special guest Painesville City Manager Rita McMahon. Meeting starts at 6:45p.m. Wednesday.


A new neighborhood group has started in the Heisley Park area. They have a web site and also have started a newsletter to the area. A group of these people have been attending council meeting for the last couple of months. Basement flooding seems to be a major concern to them. I will ask for more information from them on Monday night.

" IS THIS JUST THE START?'

Someone has already mentioned that they heard about the "layoff" at Avery- Dennison
[Fasson] in Painesville on the radio this morning. There were also stories in todays News- Herald and Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The story in the Plain Dealer had more information than the News- Herald.
The Headline
36 jobs eliminated at Avery Dennison
"Where severing them from the company" spokeswoman Heather Marks said "We don't anticipate calling them back to work." WOW person needed at Fasson.
This statement made me all warm and fuzzy wishing I was part of the Avery Dennison extended family. 14 days before Christmas not "laid off" but "severed."
This in the time of "Comfort and Joy."
My thoughts and prayers are with these 36 people and their families. Hope they all land on their feet.
Heather also mentioned freezing merit pay increases,cutting travel and entertainment.
This comment surprised me. Painesville City Manager Rita McMahon and other officals had heard nothing about the layoffs by mid-afternoon. Marks said she would notify Cathy Bieterman, the city's economic development coordinator, while employees were discussing their fates with supervisors and human resources officers.
Now I wonder why a Public Relations professional with some expertise in notifing the Press, would not send a heads up to city hall? I wonder what kind of relationship exists between Avery and Painesville? About two years ago at a town hall meeting a former Fasson employee asked her if she knew about demolishing the new office building on Chester St. She at that time reassured everyone no buildings were being torn down. Within two months, no more building.
You have to wonder what kind of relationship exsist betwen the city and its businesses?
Oh yes, Heather also added "It's always a very painful thing to do, telling people they have to leave the company." AH! my soulmate.

ARE " YOU " RECESSION-PROOF?

The heck with what the city's doing about the slowdown, a good friend asked what are some of the things we can do to make all of us recession-proof and please share them with us.

"PAINESVILLE RECESSION-PROOF?"

A recent comment on "Recession What Recession" grabbed my attention. even payed me a compliment.
3.What does Mentor cutting their budget have to do with Painesville?
Mentor population is alot higher percentage of white collar, higher middle class people. This is great for them in good economic times, but those are the type of jobs that are gone when companies buy and sell each other. Painesville's blue collar lower income population is an advantage right now. If the economy continues to fail we will eventually feel the pain, bot we will be the last.

Does this theory hold water? I have heard from people who work at "blue collar" jobs in Painesville about plant shutdowns,eliminatiom of shifts, people cuts on all shifts ect. I realize mergers cut "white collar" jobs but will we be the last to feel it? I'm starting to believe everyone will be in for a rough 09' Hope I'm wrong. but maybe Painesville should be preparing for the worse?

"THEIR INSULTED?"

Lake Hospital System: Snub an affront... Front page Fridays News-Herald. Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought affront meant insult, could be wrong but I don't think so.
I wish the Hospital would ask the resident of the city of Painesville if just maybe they felt insulted by LHS? Go ahead move out as far as you can from your patients as you can, to a location with no police department, a great fire department but really not equiped with dealing with more than a two story building a community that their "not for profit" business profile can not collect taxes on. Then they demand 2 seats on the JEDD, the allocation of funds, in other words what Concord and Painesville can do with the money. On top of everything else they haven't signed petitions to join the JEDD. To bad! You went to Concord now you want to dictate to them? I guess the old saying what goes around comes around.

"COUNCILMAN ANDREW FLOCK WARD 1"

Seems in the last post "Recession What Recession?" Andy seems to have picked up a few critics. First off I must disclose that I consider Andy and his wife Marge, to be two of my best friends, these are good people.
What will be Andys legacy as a member of Painesville City Council? Well for one Andy answers inquires from all resident in the city, not just ward 1. He started holding "Town Hall Meetings" once a month because he felt most residents felt intimadated or were not being heard in 3 minutes at ciy hall, his meeting have better attendance then any city council meeting, people can ask questions and he will get them the answers in a timely manner from city hall. He explains his votes to anyone who asks, along taking their views into account.
Andys of all the council people was the only one of 7 that voted against the 3.9Charter Amendment, after consideration Ms. Becks also was against it. The vote? 82% of voters voted against the change, now were the other 5 council people in touch with the will of the voters? One person claimed there were more vote yes signs than actual votes for the charter change.
It appears to me that some on council view council as "ceremomial" position, come to a meeting twice a month vote "yes" hand out a plaque now in then and listen to afew complaints. The residents want more then that and expecting more.
Wait until someone in ward 1 figures it out and runs against him? Be careful of what you wish for The only people in the northend of town who dislike Andy are people that dispise others on council and the administration more than him.
Has Andy made mistakes? Sure he has, The sad thing is I believe he has lost trust in the present administration.
Please let me know of what you want out of your councilperson?

"RECESSION WHAT RECESSION"

Went to Mondays council meeting, great presentation about the water system in Painesville. The Department Head explained with new equipment the department saved the city over $75,000 in electricity to run the water plant. The Dow dropped over 600 points today does the city have any plans when the cash stops coming in at the present rate? I also learned overtime is very high in the safety departments? Do we need more people? We have another plan for downtown Painesville this ones for cityscapes? A $75,000 grant plus $18,000 from the city, on top of the $85,000 spent on City Architecture already and $25,000 to the D.A.R.T. program, we do alot of planning around here. Have real concern about E.M.S. Fire, and Police response time to "Cobblestone Apartments" off of Heisley Rd. if Painesville Fire has to respond it 10 minutes to get there. Mr. Werner brought up Mentor Ave. becoming 3 lanes instead of 4. I thought we were trying to get people downtown, why not make it wider so we have a real four lane road? Watch on channel 12.