Peterson Ditch Cleaning
Toledo City Council at its last meeting gave the go ahead to accept state EPA money ($1.5 million) and combine it with local storm fund dollars (another $1.5 million) to clean up Peterson Ditch. The city will begin cleaning 400 feet of open ditch and installing more than 10,000 feet of pipe in an area of west Toledo in 2010. The work is expected to have a major impact on flooding in the area.
Temporary road closures include Monroe, Douglas, Ilger, Marvin, Drummond, Goddard, Cheltenham, Aldringham, Bellvue, Haughton, and Wendover. Only one road will be closed at a time. I'll keep you posted as work commences next year. The city is not sure if they'll start late winter or late summer of 2010. I attended a public meeting on the project and most residents were happy to see something being done.
What a Mess
I'm sorry to say that I don't have much news as it relates to DeVeaux Village Shopping Center. It's still in receivership. I talked with the gentleman overseeing the sale and/or lease of the property but he's at the mercy of a court that is supposed to rule on the complicated financial expenditures of the shopping strip. You can imagine that the contractor that dumped stone in the parking lot doesn't want to lift another finger until it knows it's getting paid for the job. And Fitness 19's unsightly trailer remains. They told the receiver they're still doing business out of the trailer. I've got to believe there are better, more attractive ways to market yourself!
Please note...there are still businesses operating in DeVeaux. Stop by to patronize these local, small-business owners.
Sylvania Ave. Grants
Toledo Council passed an ordinance I sponsored for providing $30,000 of facade grants to business along a three-mile stretch of Sylvania Ave. from Lewis to Secor. You can read about the program in a recent article in The Blade that accurately reports the details. For businesses along Sylvania Ave., please note the money has not been received by Toledo Edison yet. The phone number to the development department in the city is 419-245-1286.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091202/NEIGHBORS05/9...
Properties For Sale
Did you know that the City of Toledo has enough property for sale that, when listed, fills 36 pages? If you're interested in seeing the addresses and/or making a purchase, click here.
http://www.toledo.oh.gov/Portals/0/City%20of%20Toledo%20Property%20For%2...
Automated Refuse Reference
To learn more about the upcoming automated refuse pick up, click here.
http://www.tomfortoledo.com/
Lights Out?
To report street lights out in your neighborhood, click here.
https://www.firstenergycorp.com/forms/streetlight/reportStreetLightProbI...
If you experience a power outage, call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877).
Nuisance Complaints
To report nuisance property, I posted this link in an earlier newsletter. Or please call my office and we will try to work with the property owner.
http://72.241.62.30/neighborhoods/complaint.htm
Rhodes Garden Fresh
There are many, great, local businesses in District 5. I urge you to support them this holiday season. Especially check out Rhodes Garden Fresh on Monroe St. west of Douglas.
http://rhodesgardenfresh.com/toldeo_holiday_gifts.html
We're Always Here to Help
If there is something I can help you with or if I can answer your questions about city services, please call my office at 419-245-1050. If I am not in my office at the time you call, please ask for my assistant, JoAnne, and she will help or get your comments to me. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and bring thoughtful, common sense to government.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS
I hope you and your families are able to relax this Christmas season and count the many, many blessings we have. Some of you reading this may not have a job, or you know someone who doesn't. That's tough. But I believe strongly in that light at the end of the tunnel. It once rose in the east and directed shepherds. It's a light that unexpectedly burned for eight days in the Temple in Jerusalem. I hope it is a source of strength for you.
