Link: http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=8799851

"Another concern is noise since the football field is so close to their neighborhood.

Central's director of operations says they have no plans to build a sound barrier. The owner of the corporation that has bought some of the homes along Palmer says they may or may not buy up more property in the area."

Noise from the PA system at the school has been a problem for the last four years.

Each year when football teams take the field, the PA system is turned up so loud that it can be heard in our house and up to about 4 blocks away.

Now, with the expansion of the field and the greater capacity in the stands, the neighbors will start complaining.

The bleachers are encroaching on the remaining homes.

Let's take a look at the bleechers and where they are to homes that have been there long before the field expansion.

These images are looking at the resized field from E. Delaware Ave.

The images below are from the Sherman and Palmer area of the expanded field. Houses torn down for space, I suppose and others are still boarded up and abandoned.

The city has been of little help when it comes to the volume of the PA despite the fact that there is an ordinance related to noise levels.

So when neighborhoods complain about the level of the PA, the response has been till now, it has to be that loud because of the sound dispersion patterns, the school will fail to see that while people want to hear play by play, we do not want to hear it in our houses.

And this will cause a property value decline in the area, people will drive by and look at the field encroaching on the neighborhood and decide not to buy there or near by.

Link: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS16/808050319

It takes a report to show us what we see when we drive through the city.

There a lot of vacant boarded up houses, that are being vandalized and siding stripped and so on.

"A study about vacant properties in Ohio released earlier this year said vacant and abandoned properties cost Toledo taxpayers at least $3.8 million in 2006 in demolition, boarding-up, grass-mowing, and trash-removal costs."

These locations are costing lost tax revenue and so on.

The answer till now has been to avoid the issue, the calls come from One Government Center, YOU ARE BEING NEGATIVE!

In fact, Toledo's problem with vacant properties "is poised at the proverbial tipping point," according to a draft report of a study its authors plan to release later this week.

The study was conducted by the National Vacant Properties Campaign and was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Local Initiatives Support Corp., and the city of Toledo.

The study, titled "Toledo at the Tipping Point," states the city has moderate levels of abandonment and vacancy when compared with other cities, but warns "powerful market forces could bring on a vacant property crisis."

More flower planters to bring the scales back to the other side of the ledger!

"Vacancy and abandonment will likely increase as borrowers and lending institutions walk away from properties when the foreclosure process begins, because the home is worth less than the outstanding mortgage and encumbrances," the study states.

Toledo has been trying to chip away at blight with consistent demolition, Mr. Schilling said."

And what is the plan for the lots that are too small by todays standards to be built on?

Another STUDY!

"Joe McNamara, chairman of city council's neighborhoods and community development committee, said he believes the idea of creating a task force to deal with the problem could be effective.

"Intergovernmental cooperation is critical for any problem. … The city and the county, everybody has different resources they could bring to the table."

To deal with the problem, one first needs to understand the problem.

There has been no vision of the future, more of the vision of the past.

Industries have left the area, industries that once made the area properous are leaving and moving and there are few to replace those that leave.

The administration fiddles and diddles, with flower planters, gardens in declining neighborhoods, rushes to the media to defend itself, with the Mayor telling us that the city is not responsible for the up keep of vacant and abandoned homes, when he knows darn well that the Neighborhoods Department does that on a daily basis, all in his vision of people are being negative when they bring to light the problems this city faces.

So, now we are going to have more studies and committees and more arguments between the administration and council, with the end result, business as usual.

Respectfully,

Michael Collins
Councilman, District 2
419.245.1284
dmichael.collins@toledo.oh.gov

Will need Adobe Acrobat reader to read the pdf.

Collins Corner Update on Erie Street Market

Our administration prides itself, on Pride.

We have signs telling us this.

We have awards that tell us this.

Then we have this former commerical location on Central Ave. near the former Willy's plant.

This shows the building in 2007.

Present day, the building has fallen into disrepair, is being stripped of siding and who knows what else and it sits as a stark monument to the care and concern shown to our older neighborhoods. Question put to the administration, how many city officials, etc., drive by this and let this location continue to crumble and decay.

On the other side of the building, running along Maplewood we have a vacant lot, what looks like to be a former commercial location, and which is city owned property, that is fenced and over grown with grass and weeds and sits as another stark monument to the lack of concern for our older neighborhoods and the lack of oversight and lack of maintenance to ones own property.

Here's an idea. Before we set off globe trotting around to different flower competitions and award ceremonies, we get our house in order and work to clean up, revitalize and renew our neighborhoods.

*I am writing in response to your email to the Mayor’s office regarding the properties at 936 W. Central Avenue and 3199 Maplewood.

936 Central Avenue - Orders were issued to the owner, H & A Realty on July 21, 2008. Once the orders expire it will be reinspected and if there is no compliance to the orders appropriate actions will be taken.

The city owned property at 3199 Maplewood is scheduled for another cut this week. *

The Secretary's response was nice, but the response raises more questions than it answers.

How is it that the staff and workers at the City facility not more than 500 feet from the decaying and tumbling building fail to see that state it is in and how can they fail to show pride in the community.

RESIDENTS & BUSINESSES WITHIN THE AREAS BOUNDED BY
Greenwood Avenue, Spring Grove Avenue, Idaho Street, and Navarre Avenue,

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A "MODEL BLOCK" PRESS CONFERENCE
ON MONDAY AUGUST 4, 2008 @ 11:00 a.m.
in front of the construction area for the
NEW RAYMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.


IMPORTANT DETAILS:
Starting August 4, 2008, through at least August 15th, the City of Toledo & Area 422A with the assistance from neighborhood residents and Block Watch Leaders, are partnering to clean up and beautify the areas bounded by Greenwood Avenue, Spring Grove Avenue, Idaho Street, and Navarre Avenue, as part of the City's Model Block/Toledo Pride Program.

THEY NEED YOUR HELP!
THEY WILL:
Trim Trees, Clean Alleys, Remove Abandoned and Junk Vehicles
Make Smoke Detectors Available (Call 419-245-1140 to order how many you need)
Sweep the Neighborhood for Crime,
Paint Fire Hydrants and Sweep the Streets Clean,
Replace Worn Out Signs, Repair Potholes, Repair Street Lights,
Bait Alleys for Rodents, Issue Nuisance Orders to Blighted Properties, etc.

THEY NEED YOU TO:
Keep Your Yards Clean and Grass Cut,
Paint and Repair Your Property As Needed: This includes homeowners as well as renters..

If a problem or violation is something that a landlord should be taking care of,
we suggest that you contact them immediately.
If you have no luck with your landlord or apartment manager, please
call with the landlords name, home address and telephone number,
into the Mayor's Toledo City Hotline at 419-936-2020, or you, the renter,
could possibly be ticketed!

Report Any Criminal Activity by Calling 911: Which should be done always, and without hesitation...you really can remain anonymous!

Report Street Light Outages by calling 419-936-2020 with the exact address
that the outage is in front of.

Individuals not properly caring for their properties will be ticketed and/or sited into court.

Please call 419-936-3015 to register household hazardous materials
for pickup.
(This is your opportunity to have this done free-of-charge!)

Please assist with the neighborhood clean-up efforts; every little bit helps.
We are trying to work together to make a BIG difference in our neighborhoods,
as well as attempting to increase that feeling of EAST SIDE PRIDE!