Parks Master Planning Update

Community Workshop #3 was held at the Woman’s Club Pavilion on March 9th and the completed working draft of the plan was presented for community review and comment.

This third workshop was the next to last phase in completing the plan that will help guide Lakewood as we take necessary steps as a community to more effectively manage and systematically improve our parkland.

This plan makes recommendations for the management of all parks and is a decision making tool that sets priorities and outlines implementation. The plan’s strength comes from the extensive research, analysis of existing conditions and community input that are the basis for the recommended goals, strategies and action steps it contains.

View the DRAFT plan here. Send any comments to planning@lakewoodoh.net.

In July, the final draft of the Park System Master Plan will be presented to the Planning Commission and to City Council for review and adoption.

Parks Master Plan Meeting

Park System Master Plan Community Workshop #3
Tuesday March 9th
6:30 - 8:00
Woman's Club Pavilion at Lakewood Park

Healthy Parks are key to a healthy community. The Parks System Master Plan is a strategy to evaluate, manage and improve our parkland through a collaborative public process. The plan considers the City’s parks as a system, not individual parks, and works toward consistency in appearance, maintenance and improvement design. The master plan outlines an on-going community input process, articulates a clear vision and recommends methods for improving our parks within a 5-year timeline.

The draft Park System Master Plan will be presented and discussed at the workshop. This is the working draft that is the result of community collaboration over the last several months and the generosity of residents in sharing their expertise, donating their time and their good ideas to improve our parks.

A Little More on Outdoor Markets...

Quick update regarding some of our Lakewood friends committed to organic and fresh food in Lakewood. Via CoolCleveland, check out this NEOtropolis episode featuring representatives from Nature's Bin and LEAF.

Credit CoolCleveland.

Eat Well Lakewood Event a Huge Draw

Last weekend, more than 300 (!) people attended LiveWellLakewood’s latest event: Eat Well Lakewood! Attendees watched demonstrations from Ernie Logsdon, executive chef for Nature’s Bin, and the Cleveland Clinic’s own executive chef Jim Perko discuss and show ways to prepare delicious foods that are good for you too. Former local chef Eric Lawrey demonstrated some healthy meals to be prepared quickly.

The standing-room only crowd sampled nutritious options from local restaurants like Buckeye Beer Engine, Root Café, Breadsmith, Route 6, Italian Creations, Sweet Designs Chocolatiers, Deweys, Aladdins, Nature's Bin and Panera Bread.

Keep in touch with LiveWellLakewood by visiting their website here.

Farmers Markets (and similar) for 2010

It’s still cold outside and it’s going to be a long time before most of us start thinking about buying fresh and local produce during Lakewood’s best months of the year. But, know that the city, community organizations and volunteers are working right now to coordinate three (that’s right three!) opportunities to get the freshest foods for your summer meals every week.

To start, LEAF (the Lakewood Earth & Food Community) is gearing up for the 2010 growing season. You can link to their site above, or join their facebook page here (All you LEAF-ers should return the favor and join Lakewood’s page too). They’re having an open house Sunday the 14th at the Library from 2-5pm. LEAF will be in front of the Main Library this year, Wednesday late afternoons starting in the beginning of June.

Then, the City is continuing its partnership with North Union Farmers Market. Starting June 2 through September 9th, you can see then Wednesdays from 10am – 1pm at Kauffman Park.

New this year, is the Lakewood Farmers Market, a volunteer-driven endeavor that will be downtown on Saturday mornings. Some of those details are still being worked out, so we’ll save that for another post. Suspense!

Why is the 2010 Census so important to Lakewood?

What do the twenty roads repaired and resurfaced in 2009, Lakewood public and private school students and first time homebuyers have in common? They all benefit from the City of Lakewood’s status as an “Entitlement Community”. The federal government bestows this designation annually on a formula basis. One of the principal components of the formula is population. A city must have a population of 50,000 or more persons in order to qualify as an Entitlement Community and the population count is based upon the decennial census report. Lakewood’s total population has decreased by approximately 10,000 persons each of the past three decennial census periods. Lakewood’s 2008 population estimate is 50,704 (source C.W.R.U. NEOCANDO database). Our community is very close to falling below the 50,000 population mark!

What will happen to our Entitlement Community status if Lakewood’s population falls below 50,000? Should the final census report reveal that our population is below 50,000, Lakewood would be eligible for only one more year of full federal entitlement funding. The fund allocation would be decreased by 50% in year two and all funding would cease in year three. This change would affect Title I school funding as well as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) used for a variety of City initiatives including park improvements, street reconstruction, commercial and vacant property revitalization, childcare scholarship assistance, services for older adults, and low interest loans. CDBG grants also support a number of important programs conducted by community organizations including the Beck Center, Lakewood Christian Service Center, Lakewood Alive, and North Coast Health Ministry.

What can we do as a community to ensure that everyone in Lakewood is counted? First, every resident must complete and return the census questionnaire that will be mailed in March. Next, remind your neighbors, friends and family to return their forms then help spread the census message through your church, community organization, school or business via web sites, newsletters, emails or Facebook communications.

Click here for more information about the 2010 Census..

Eat Well Lakewood

Come to this FREE event and prepare to change your eating habits, and your life! Eat Well Lakewood will be held on Saturday, February 27 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Lakewood High School, 14100 Franklin Boulevard.

The day will include chef demonstrations, mini-workshop in the kitchen, and a vendor fair featuring local restaurants and service providers offering tips on nutrition and healthy . An added benefit: you'll get to check out Lakewood High School's beautiful new culinary arts facility which serves the West Shore Career Technical program.

At 1:00 PM, Ernie Logsdon, executive chef for the Nature’s Bin, will demonstrate ways to prepare many colorful vegetable delights. Beginning at 2:00 PM, Jim Perko, executive chef for the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Mladen Golubic will teach participants how the food you eat can enhance your health and reverse chronic diseases. At 3:00 PM, Eric Lowrey, former pastry chef and instructor, will demonstrate how to prepare a healthy meal quickly and share tips on keeping fit on a tight budget.

Click here for more information.