Employees who have served the city of Cleveland for 20-40 years were honored
photo by Claire Henley
Employees of United Way of Bradley County have security concerns regarding the lack of street lighting in the area where they work, said President and CEO of United Way of Bradley County Matt Ryerson at Monday’s Cleveland City Council meeting.
The offices are located in the old Princess Theatre on Ocoee Street next to the Cleveland Summit, affordable housing for lower income tenants.
The street lighting concerns came up during an earlier board meeting about work place safety issues, said Mr.
Ryerson. United Way employees asked if they could get assistance with lighting around the parking lot on 1st Street, as well as down Church Street, which runs behind the building and serves as another parking area.
Mr. Ryerson said now that it gets dark around 5:30, the young women working for United Way are uncomfortable walking to their cars parked on Church Street after work.
“It’s not a huge walk, but it gets into a dark area,” he said.
Mr. Ryerson also requested that lighting be installed around the United Way building, stating the company would contribute to the cost.
President and CEO of Cleveland Utilities Ken Webb said the city would be more than happy to grant Mr. Ryerson’s request.
On another subject, a unanimous vote by council members on Monday approved the resolution to adopt the Stormwater Credit and Adjustment Manual. David Mason, the principal engineer at the consulting firm CDM Smith, said the stormwater utility funding program addresses long-standing flooding issues that impact local citizens. It is designed to offset and adjust stormwater fees by giving citizens credits on monthly stormwater bills ranging from 10 to 25 percent, and, in some cases, 50 percent.
Mr. Mason said there are seven credits available. For example, by reducing the water flow leaving the site, property owners could receive a credit of 25 percent off their stormwater bill. The same goes if owners improve the quality of the water leaving the site. Ways of doing this include keeping a rain garden that harvests and filters rain, or collecting rain in cisterns.
Everybody is eligible for stormwater credits, but the customer must apply. Some credits require a yearly renewal. The credits are awarded within 90 days of submittal, and they may be retroactive for up to one year, Mr. Mason said.
Director of Schools Dr. Martin Ringstaff gave council members an update on the Cleveland High School gym that is in the process of being built. Dr. Ringstaff said the brick and block work are complete, the scoreboards are installed, the basketball goals are mounted, and the sound system is wired.
He said plumbing is still being installed, and the wood floors are set to come in on Tuesday. There will be six classrooms and six locker rooms in the gym, making the space a multi-use area.
“I don’t believe that’s a gymnasium. We’re going to have to call that an arena,” Councilman Dale Hughes said. He previously received a tour of the gym and said the clock in the middle of the scoreboard looked like one for a major college.
According to Dr. Ringstaff, the clock was fully paid for by a local company. He said the Bank of Cleveland donated $100,000 for the fitness center.
The gym is on track for completion in the first week of March.
Council members unanimously passed the motion to send a resolution to the State Legislative Delegation to honor Rep. Kevin Brooks for making the much-needed Exit 20 a reality. The resolution will request the state to name the exit after Rep. Brooks.
Mayor Tom Rowland said Rep. Brooks took a crazy traffic area and organized it with the exit. He said Rep. Brooks has been named Mr. Exit 20 by the community, but now it’s time Exit 20 be named after Rep. Brooks.