Feb '12
Let’s do something this week about Millikin
Two weeks ago we reported that the CH/UH School Board held a meeting at which the public was invited to share their thoughts about the future of the Millikin property. Many community members attended and shared their interest in giving our local Jewish schools a chance to freely bid on the property. Also very important, large numbers took the time to email the school board members directly.
That was just the beginning of a process that our community needs to continue to take part in over the long haul. The only way for us to have an influence on what is behind the scenes process is to express our voices whenever we can, and in a way that is intelligent and makes a kiddush Hashem. Here is a suggestion:
This week let’s take on the task of emailing the Cleveland Heights city council members, mayor, vice-mayor, and city manager. They will not be voting on the fate of Millikin, but in the event that the school board seeks to bring in a business, any kind of rezoning would need to come from the CH elected officials. Therefore, the school board and city council must work together on this issue. CH has an excellent council and mayor who would listen to the voices of our community, as long as they are there to be heard.
So, please write to the council members and tell them how you feel in your own words, or use the recommended text below. Even better, call them. Very likely you will get their voice mail, but leave a message and ask them to call you back to talk in person so you can personally share your feelings.
Click here to view a list of emails and phone numbers with some talking points as well.
Also, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District is holding community meetings as part of its master facilities planning. Meetings are from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 22 and March 21. Both meetings will take place in the Cleveland Heights High School social room. Unlike the previous meeting, there will be no open microphone time at this one. Really, it’s not a meeting, but a coordinated planning session in which residents participate in teams with randomly selected individuals and work on solutions for the entire school district’s facilities. Therefore, this meeting may not be for someone who just wants to come and voice his opinion on Millikin, but rather for someone who wants to take at least 2 hours to sit and help plan for all the schools. May I suggest that emailing and calling would be a much better use of our time.
Suggested email:
Dear Council Member _____,
I thank Mayor Kelley and City Council who have consistently supported the residents of the Taylor Road, CH area. Once again, we need your help with an issue that is crucial to the future of our neighborhood. The CH-UH Board of Education is currently in negotiations to re designate the Millikin school, and word is that that they are considering offering the property for use as a business incentive to encourage the opening of a call center in that location.
The Millikin School is the heart of our residential area and we cannot afford to forfeit our security and quality of life for such a risky venture. Furthermore, our community has already been hit by the development of Oakwood right in our back door.
We are aware that the School Board can not have this rezoned for commercial use, and ONLY the Cleveland Heights City Council has the authority to rezone the Millikin property. Therefore, we ask the Mayor and Council to stand with the citizens of this residential district and publicly state that Millikin will not be rezoned for commercial use.
Furthermore, we request that the Mayor and Council Support the sale of Millikin to Mosdos Ohr Hatorah. Mosdos has made a generous “fair market” offer of $550,000. Considering that Mosdos will need to invest over $1,000,000 into the building to make it an adequate school, and re-establish a playground for the whole community to use, there is no questioning that this is a fair offer and one that will build Cleveland Heights in the long-term.
The School Board closed the Millikin School and removed the playground in 2006. Now the Millikin school has fallen into disrepair, been struck by repeated vandalism and broken windows. The property is and has been an eyesore for many years. Enough is Enough. Allow for the sale of Millikin to the highest bidder- Mosdos.
Thanks so much,
Joe Ploni
Street
email, ph #
Comments
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16 February 2012, 9:49 am
I think the community needs to extend their campaign to raise public awareness beyond the Taylor Rd. neighborhood; to inform residents of Cleveland Heights’ neighborhoods about the ongoing conflict surrounding the sale of Millikin. There should include advertising at the public libraries, and other public areas. I strongly believe that the residents of Cleveland Heights would be appalled by the sale of Millikin for commercial use, and would agree that Millikin should remain a school.
16 February 2012, 9:41 pm
I think we need to take a step back and make sure our reasons for not wanting a call center in Millikin are not biased. If it was a choice between a call center and an inner-city public school, I think most residents would have a different take on the matter. Our arguments should be about the advantages of having Mosdos purchase the building (and their superior offer in terms of dollars and bringing jobs to CH). Having a large call center in CH is exactly the kind of business we need to raise the city’s tax revenue without having to raise taxes on the residents.
If our arguments appear to be self-serving and hypocritical, they will fall on deaf ears. We need to be objective and focus on why Mosdos is a better choice, not why bringing in new business is the wrong choice.
19 February 2012, 3:24 pm
as an anonymous person the word “we” is meaningless.
21 February 2012, 2:04 pm
I would opt to put any school there versus a call center. I agree with Michoel Cohen.
21 February 2012, 4:21 pm
I am not understanding what is so bad about a call center. If you are worried about traffic, schools can cause just as much (if not more) traffic. If you are worried about the types of people that would be employed at a call center, I can’t imagine they would be any worse than unruly teenagers from an inner-city public school.
I think our community’s focus should be on the benefits of selling to Mosdos (including the financial benefits to the CHUH school district in terms of the sale price of the building itself, the payroll tax revenue the school will generate, & the increased home values an orthodox school will bring to an orthodox neighborhood). By focusing on the negatives of bringing in a business, we only appear selfish and self-serving.
In response to Quimby, these types of postings are anonymous intentionally so people can judge the comments based on their content and not their author.
-Simcha Geller
22 February 2012, 3:18 pm
The purchase price alone will not sway the Board of Education. The Call Center promises several hundred jobs that will bring an income tax base to the city, in addition to the property tax. Any non-profit purchasing the property would be exempt from real estate taxes, so the city stands to lose that income as well. So, objectively speaking in strict terms of revenue, the City of Cleveland Heights stands to gain a lot more by having the Call Center. That said, the City (council, administration AND residents needs to give considerable thought to the impact on a community that is already suffering from suburban flight–in large part because of poorly performing schools. We could all debate about various racial issues, but families are choosing to live elsewhere where both diversity and high performing schools exist. While the Call Center provides a short-term fix, with some potential tax revenues (if the Call Center stays in business and adds the jobs it expects to ad), it won’t help the neighborhoods. And, a call center will have round the clock traffic, not the typical early morning and end of the day traffic necessary for a school. The question is, do we want Cleveland Heights to find a new way to grow as a safe bedroom community of wonderful neighborhoods, or do we want to shift our focus toward industry/office–to what end? If no one wants to live there because of the increased business and because the schools are performing poorly, what is the point in “saving the city.” What kind of city are we talking about? While it’s certain that Cleveland Heights could use added revenue, it seems that the discussion needs to be much broader in terms of the 20-50 year vision for the city. One off decisions about individual buildings and property won’t endure the long-term needs of the residents or the administration. That all said, Milken is a gem of a property, very rare as small cities go to have a 100 year old barn, with a usable building and 10 acres of property. A Call Center? How small are we willing to think here…