The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mayor praises first responders, community resilience in address
Says residents can look forward to the completion of several projects in State of the City
“You may be tired of hearing it, but I think it’s appropriate like never before — we’re in this together. Whether we’re talking about COVID-19, civil unrest, the business climate, our neighborhoods, or our community identity and vision. We are indeed in this together.”
Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail made that observation this week in her annual State of the City address.
As Gail spoke to the administration and community of Euclid after the virtual City Council meeting on Feb. 1, she emphasized that even though “2020 was a year like no other,” she was proud of how residents, businesses and officials pulled together to adapt to all of the changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
She said she was particularly proud of Euclid’s first responders, who were not only still on the front lines amid the pandemic, but the police department also participated in the activities and discussions prompted by the calls in 2020 for more social justice efforts.
“2020 brought much attention to social justice and police reform,” she said. “I am proud that the Euclid Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Scott Meyer, has been making changes for the last several
years and has made progress.
“The police department participated in local social justice events, joining our faith leaders in Zoom discussions and their Rally for Change while always working to build strong community partnerships.”
The police department also saw the creation of a community services division of the police force in 2020, and began working with the public safety policy and training solutions company Lexipol to fully update the department’s policies, according to Gail.
The police moved their community engagement events to social media in order to continue them safely, Gail added, including events such as Coffee with a Cop, Books with Badges and Safety Town. However, they were still able to complete several in-person outreach activities as well.
“They provided many
personal interactions like passing out PPE to residents, assisting with meals and food giveaways, passing out school supplies and holiday gifts,” Gail said.
She said the administration shares the public’s concerns about growing crime rates, particularly those involving firearms, but said the police have attained a solve rate of 88% for homicide cases since 2016.
Moving forward, the mayor said they intend to hire more qualified candidates to the police and fire departments in 2021, including three officers that will be dedicated to responding to gun-related incidents in the neighborhoods.
Funding to hire these particular officers will be provided by a grant from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Expansion of the Euclid Fire Department has also been important, Gail said, as they are using federal CARES Act funding to hire new staff members in order to better handle increased call volume.
“The Euclid Fire Department was awarded over $1.8 million in federal funding to hire six new firefighter paramedics through this grant program, the amount will cover a period of three years and provide funds for the salaries and benefits,” she said. “The award will ensure that our total department strength will be at least 83 members through March 2024.”
The mayor said that residents can look forward in 2021 to the anticipated completion of the 0.75-mile multipurpose waterfront trail, a part of Euclid’s major waterfront improvement project, as construction on Phase II of the project has already begun.
The trail will span from Sims Park to approximately East 248th Street, and Gail said the city was able to use grant funds to acquire an additional 6 acres at the eastern end of the trail to conserve as waterfront green space.
On the residential end of things, Gail said the city had a record number of land bank sales in 2020, which will result in the construction of 17 new homes — along with another proposal for a new housing development at the site of the former Wilmore Elementary School in the works.
“Thanks to the increase in land bank sales, 2020 saw an increase in new home construction,” Gail said. “And this will continue into this year with many more projects in the pipeline.
“I want to thank city council for supporting new construction and development, as we saw at tonight’s city council meeting with the new housing development proposed at the former Wilmore site, which will add 11 more new homes.”
The mayor said the areas they plan on prioritizing in 2021 are safety, infrastructure and community, which is already represented by adding more first responders to Euclid and the expansive waterfront projects which will combat erosion and provide residents with more recreation space.
Strides will be made in infrastructure as well, Gail said, with the complete repaving of Euclid Avenue, improvements to Richmond Road and the beginnings of a $2 million paving project for Euclid’s side streets.
Gail remained optimistic about the year to come, as she said she has seen the entire community work together to overcome the many unforeseen obstacles that came along with 2020.
“While there was stress and uncertainty, even more powerful was the way our community came together in new ways, demonstrating the strength of our community, adaptability, resilience, and the commitment to care for one another,” she said.