Covered by Documenters Collin Cunningham and Gennifer Harding-Gosnell
What happened: City Council’s Safety, Municipal Services and Properties, and Development, Planning and Sustainability Committees advanced legislation for the new Cleveland Division of Police headquarters (CDP). Officials from the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects said moving the headquarters to a refurbished ArtCraft building would cost $90 million. The original proposed site for constructing a new headquarters along the Opportunity Corridor would have cost an estimated $161 million, with the city already having spent $9 million on it.
Powered by CPP: Council Member Brian Kazy asked what company would provide electricity to the building. Jon Pinney, a managing partner with the project’s developer, told him FirstEnergy is the current provider. Officials are looking into expanding Cleveland Public Power (CPP) service north of Payne Avenue so that it can power the building. Council Member Michael Polensek said, “I’m serious as a heart attack on this one. If we’re gonna own a building, it better be on CPP.”
‘A lot of horse feed’: Council members questioned the decision to move CDP’s mounted unit stables from downtown to the Central neighborhood. Council Member Richard Starr said he spoke with residents on Thackeray Avenue who don’t want the stables in their backyard. Polensek said it was unclear why they should move the stables outside of downtown since that is where the mounted unit does the majority of its work. The stables have to move from the current location when the state transportation department straightens out Dead Man’s Curve. The estimated cost for the new stables is $13 million. The mounted unit currently consists of seven horses and three assigned officers.
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Gennifer Harding-Gosnell:
Curious about how council moves legislation? Check out our one-page guide to council’s legislative process.