Tuesday, July 15, 2014

"I'LL BE WATCHING YOU" police

Seems a Kirtland resident has been.

This letter to the editor was in Mondays 07/14/14 News-Herald

In response to the June 15 News-Herald story about Painesville's revitalization efforts: Consider this: 1. Painesville's Main Street has lost a majority of it's business blocks. 2. It's a downtown mostly given over to government. 3. The once thriving Main Street now has approximately seven stores.
Therefore, how can Painesville ever return to what it once was-- filled with hustle and bustle, a mecca where shopping and browsing brought pleasure to ones senses and income to assorted merchants. It's neglect led to some slowly decaying nearby neighborhoods. Where is pride of place? Blame for Painesville's sad state of affairs goes back many years. Let's lock those memories in a vault and truly settle down to consider the future.
A chance recovery would be to give Main Street a two story business building stretching from St. Clair Street to State Street (The child and Family Services building could take over space on East Washington formerly occupied by the hospital). This would create a semblance of balance with stores on both sides of Main Street and the feeling of a downtown center. On East Main Street' demolishing the empty former hotel would create space if for not stores then perhaps a pavilion or playground area beneath the shelter of the lovely old trees.
On my travels around the country I have visited many towns like Painesville where formerly empty stores now house antique shops turning a  "lost" downtown into a thriving place with shoppers aplenty. Could this be the answer to Painesville's dilemma?
Meanwhile this historic and once beautiful town languishes as it waits, and waits, and waits for the miracle of rebirth. I pray it is soon.

Margaret J. Hommel
Kirtland

I'd say a pretty fair assessment of Downtown Painesville. The question I'd ask would you invest over 1.3 million dollars in a two block 'streetscape' before some of these idea's become realities? In her travels did she find other cities like Painesville, putting the cart in front of the horse? What are the chances of the county moving to East Washington, who will invest in a two story block of buildings?
What will be accomplished will be fewer parking places, six feet wider sidewalks with afew fences and a very narrow Main Street.  That's it!

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Much has been made about the 11% increase in refuse collection along with a message on last months utility bill explaining Ordinance 955.03 which for one reason or another I don't read into the statement at the bottom of the bill  (look for yourself)

What I have found out was;

Unlimited service: $21.97 per month ($65.91 qtr.) Up to 2 green totes plus the recycle tote.
 $25.02 per month ($75.06 qtr.) if you add a 3rd tote
$34.13 per month if you add a 4th tote Cannot have more than 4 totes.

This service allows an unlimited amount of trash bags ( along with totes) to be set-out on pick-up day.

Low Level Orange Bags: Buy your own orange trash bags- when ready to put them out they said you would have to call them for a Pick-Up?

Now back to 955.03 council meeting 12/03/07  I read nothing in that ordinance that claims you must have garbage pick-up. ordinance 24-07.

What if you own a business and you have commercial refuse pick-up and you just dump your garbage off at work?
What if your 88 years old and your daughter takes your refuse and recycles it?
What if you use the orange bags and at the same time Waste Management sends you a three month invoice?
Better yet what if Waste Mismanagement sends you that invoice for July-August and never provided you a tote? so what you have already paid two weeks for nothing?
This along with the 'error" $4.00 charge. Administration fee.

Anyone want to bet whoever negotiated this contract for us doesn't  live in Painesville?

17 Comments:

At July 15, 2014 at 1:28 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Different subject, have you noticed the horrible condition of the landscaping around the schools? Heritage is what, 5 years old? And it is overgrown with weeds and dead plants, it looks deplorable. I was shocked at the condition given how young the building is. First impressions mean a lot. If the outside is that bad, what does the inside look like now?

As for downtown, I would love to see some restaurants. Why can't willoughbys downtown happen here? So many restaurants there.

 
At July 15, 2014 at 4:00 PM , Anonymous I Can See Clearly Now said...

1.There has to be a reason for people to come to downtown Painesville. Why come here when there is the Mall, Walmart and Marcs? Specialty stores like Willoughby? Great! They must be progressive in their thinking to be a draw here.
2. Safety, people need to feel safe here and they don't. The gal in Mentor fitting me for glasses said if she has to come thru here she locks her car doors and goes as fast as she can. Thats how scared outsiders are.

 
At July 15, 2014 at 6:17 PM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

4:00 Yes you need an anchor store. The gal from Mentor has more than Painesville to worry about.
1:28 I have no idea what PCLS spends on landscaping. That said it seems to be sufficient. I would rather they spend money on education rather than landscaping. I went by Heritage and it looked decent to me?

 
At July 16, 2014 at 3:31 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

128 is correct, drive by doesn't show - get close up. There is a landscape company that cuts the grass they need to weed too.

 
At July 16, 2014 at 7:04 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Back in the day, if you received demerits, you could work them off doing "tasks" for the maintenance department.

I scrubbed showers and moved heavy stuff to work off 3 demerits once. Better than one demerit per night, staying after school.

 
At July 16, 2014 at 8:56 AM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

3:31 I suggest you call the Board office with your complaint. Maybe the contract only covers cutting grass. Look please don't expect the schools to be manicured like Lake Erie College. I'd rather the maxium money be spent on education.
7:04 I think those days are behind us. Although it didn't hurt any of us.

 
At July 16, 2014 at 5:18 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Several years ago, I raked up some yard waste and threw it in my green garbage tote. When I retrieved the empty tote there was a large sticker informing me that I was not permitted to put yard waste in my garbage. No problem. I bought a plastic barrel wrote YW on the side. Problem solved. Today, I saw the Waste Management truck pull up. He lifted the green tote, emptied the garbage and then he emptied the yard waste into the very same dumpster and truck! I had to laugh. Then I got pissed. Are we being charge extra for yard waste removal? I was led to believe that yard waste was some how treated differently, more environmentally sound and kept out of landfills. Is the Administration aware of this practice? Have they approved of this practice? Is the Lake County Dump aware? I'm not sure if this is even a big deal. It just seems City Hall tells us one thing and does another.

 
At July 16, 2014 at 6:49 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

My call to WM --
All accounts were cancelled.
New accounts were created using the property owners name with info from the Lake County property maps. All new accounts were set at the top level -- unlimited. If you had a different leval of service, you have to call then (WM) and have it changed. If you used to have automatic pay -- you have to set it up again. Last question was, did the price of the bags go up? They did not know -- that was determined at city hall.

 
At July 17, 2014 at 6:34 PM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

Just seems Waste Mismanagent has some splain' to do?

 
At July 18, 2014 at 8:08 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is an open letter request to Councilman Andy Flock. Could you please invite a represenative from Waste Management to one of your Town Hall Meetings? I like the tone of your meetings, informal and informative. WM hopefully could explain their billing policy, availability of bags [vs totes], where our yard waste goes, our garbage goes and where our recycles go. Perhaps, WM will be more transparent in their answers than the Administration and Council have been in the past.

 
At July 18, 2014 at 8:21 AM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

I will also pass this request on.

I believe the bags cost $3.75 and you buy them in bundles of five @ $18.75. If and when you purchase them they will ask you for the address of where the bags will be used at city hall.

 
At July 18, 2014 at 9:07 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Re: downtown Painesville

You can thank the Walmartization of America for the disappearance of Mom and Pop shops and the greed of consumers who buy the cheapest garbage they can get their hands on regardless of the origins of those goods. Chain stores have pretty much replaced small businesses throughout the country. The only cities that have a thriving downtown scene generally have a far higher per capita than Painesville does and can attract the people who can afford goods like antiques, artisanal jewelry or fine dining/owner operated casual restaurants.

Let's face it, with the exception of a few districts, this place has turned into a gigantic ghetto and you can thank the former city manager and the council for allowing Painesville to be driven into the ground. There are just so many egregious property violations, abandoned and empty homes, policies that allow for and encourage large numbers of transient renters who have no stake in whether or not our city fails and, yet, the council would rather keep dumping good money after bad into myriad useless projects rather than make an effort to clean the place up to attract businesses and responsible home owners.

There won't be any rebirth in Painesville; it's probably too late to turn things around. People keep on voting for the elitists who hobnob with the college and the folks in the few monied districts. These are the office holders who don't see the decay going on under their noses because they don't travel outside their rarefied circles and these are the same people who don't understand how tacking on gratuitous assessments and allowing waste removal rates to skyrocket affect a sizable portion of the city's population.

 
At July 20, 2014 at 10:53 AM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

9:07 Very thought out comment. Will think about it as well as have others to comment.

 
At July 21, 2014 at 4:35 AM , Anonymous DISMAL said...

Don't look for changes, I see it getting even worse. In my opinion the CM,new PPD and council are very liberal. (Think the immigration proposal and see what new PPD chief said) With those in charge that want to give away our city we don't stand a chance. Past admin isn't all to blame, if past CM didn't buy into urban renewal this town may have had a happy ending.

 
At July 22, 2014 at 8:18 AM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

4:35 Time will tell. The decline of Painesville has been an over 40 year project. With alot of help along the way.

 
At July 22, 2014 at 6:11 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

TERM LIKES THE SUPER OF PCLS HE WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HIM OR THE WAY THE SCHOOLS ARE DOING THEY FAILED AGAIN AND WILL NEXT YEAR AND NEXT YEAR! term loves him so he will not say anything about him.

 
At July 23, 2014 at 9:43 AM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

6:11 Your right forgive me, let's bring the former Super back.... He had such success.
Maybe that Super from Richmond Hts.? Hear he's looking for a job. Even though he wasn't my first choice let's give Mr. Shepard a chance, why not? It didn't get in this shape overnight and only a fool would think it can get fixed overnight.

 

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