Light the Night

Like most of you, I thought FirstEnergy's plan to charge customers $21 for 2 energy efficient light bulbs was absurd and a ripoff. Instead of just complaining about this proposal from FirstEnergy, we've come up with a locally based alternative, which improves public safety at the same time. We're calling it "Light the Night."

Lakewood’s Neighborhood Block Club Program is kicking off the "Light the Night" campaign to encourage residents to leave their porch lights on at night as a safety mechanism. Many crimes happen at night and the block clubs are hoping that lighting the neighborhood just might help deter crime.

As part of the Light the Night campaign, the City has partnered with Lakewood Hardware, 16608 Madison Avenue, to offer residents affordable high-efficiency light bulbs. During the month of December, Lakewood Hardware will sell two 75-watt high-efficiency light bulbs for $5.00. They will also provide a recycling container in their store to recycle burned out light bulbs.

Lakewood will kick-off the Light the Night program on Saturday,
December 5, 2009 as part of it annual holiday celebration, Light Up Lakewood. Residents are encouraged to leave their porch lights as they attend Light Up Lakewood on December 5. Residents can purchase the discounted high-efficiency light bulbs at Lakewood Hardware throughout the month of December.

This project is a pefect combination of promoting safety, increasing energy efficiency, and partnering with a local business, all at the same time. I hope you consider participating.

Cheap Eats Features Lakewood

This month's Cleveland Magazine features a number Lakewood restaurants in its annual "Cheap Eats" feature. Check out some of the below (and click through to the actual article for more).

Under $5
Spicy Chicken Chili
Souper Market
14809 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
(216) 712-7292

Under $10
World’s Best Fried Bologna Sandwich
Beer Engine
15315 Madison Ave., Lakewood
(216) 226-BEER
buckeyebeerengine.com

Arayiss Pitza
Aladdin’s Eatery
14524 Detroit Avenue
(216) 226-2020

Under $15
Atlantic Salmon BLT
Pier W
12700 Lake Ave., Lakewood
(216) 228-2250
pierw.com

Lakewood Ranked as THE Best Place to Raise Your Kids in Ohio

Check out this snippet from Business Week Magazine, which ranked Lakewood as THE Best Place to Raise Your Kids for 2010.

We all know that with our new schools, great parks and fantastic neighborhoods that Lakewood is the best community to raise a family, but it's great to see that others are noticing too.

Business Week used data that included "school performance, number of schools, household expenditures, crime rates, air quality, job growth, family income, museums, parks, theaters, other amenities, and diversity." They gave the highest weights to affordability, safety and school performance.

Here's the link. The main article is available here.

Other Communities Recognizing Lakewood Development

Check out this article from the Morning Journal, where one journalist sought out "suburban downtowns that are finding ways to not only survive in the rocky economy, but to even grow." The Morning Journal profiled a couple successful downtowns, and Lakewood was featured.

Retail Occupancy Rates Up, Again, in Third Quarter

The Lakewood Department of Planning and Development prepares a quarterly commercial space availability report that measures retail occupancy. The latest report indicates that retail occupancy is up 2% from the previous quarter, continuing a trend of increased occupancy citywide. Both Madison and Detroit Avenues saw retail occupancy rise amid new construction and retail rehab city wide.

While the numbers themselves show a positive outlook for the city, actually seeing these spaces under construction and filling with new tenants is even better. Panera Bread opened on Tuesday in the INA Building at St. Charles and Detroit. The building is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation and will be accompanied by new tenants in coming months. Nearly across the street at 15000 Detroit will feature a newly renovated complex featuring Five Guys Burgers & Fries and other tenants opening after Thanksgiving.

When will my leaves be collected?

Leaf collection began on Monday, November 2nd. City crews started working on Clifton and Lake. Once they are finished collecting on Clifton and Lake, they will start citywide collection beginning at the west end of the city and working east.

You can find a daily update of the leaf collection schedule at http://www.onelakewood.com/leafcollection. Check back each day to see where the crews are in the city and how close they are to your street.

Residents are reminded to rake leaves onto tree lawns as close to the curb as possible. Raking leaves into the street will slow the collection process and may cause basement flooding. Please do not bag leaves during the Fall Leaf Collection, just place them on your tree lawn.

Leaf collection will continue until approximately December 11th, weather permitting. The number of citywide collections will be weather dependent. Residents are encouraged to place their leaves out as soon as possible to ensure collection.