Covered by Documenter Dan McLaughlin (live-tweet thread)
Board approves Cleveland Land Bank lot transfers
The board approved the transfer of 17 properties from the Cleveland Land Bank, most of them for $200 for people to expand their yards. Eight parcels in the Glenville neighborhood were sold for $51,500 to Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, a worker-owned commercial facility, to use for parking. Evergreen has operated in the neighborhood since 2009.
Another property was sold for $4,000 to a resident who plans to build a single-family home on Parkridge, near the Cleveland Metroparks Brookside Reservation.
Law Director Mark Griffin asked if the sale price for the lots sold to Evergreen was fair market value. Community Development Director Alyssa Hernandez said the city is using a new method to calculate the sale price for lots and “that is why you have seen us not give away lots anymore but to actually get fair market value when we are helping to support for-profit industry.”
Search for lots in the Cleveland Land Bank using this map.
Cleveland spends millions to keep water clean
The Board of Control approved a $2.25 million contract for sodium hypochlorite, a chemical commonly called bleach. Cleveland Water uses it in large quantities to disinfect the city’s water supply. Delivery of such a large amount of the chemical is heavily regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which makes it hard to find a qualified supplier for large quantities on short notice, Public Utilities Director Martin Keane said.
Public has new, clearer view of Board of Control meeting
New cameras in City Hall’s Red Room mean Cleveland Documenters – and residents – have a clearer picture of what’s happening at the Board of Control, where city officials discuss and approve contracts large and small. Documenter Dan McLaughlin, who covered many fuzzy and slightly muffled meetings, lauded the clarity and the multiple camera angles.