Metroparks reports 52 million visitors

The Cleveland Metroparks has a hand in a lot of things in our region, from stocking trout at watering holes to riverfront development. Documenter Daniel McLaughlin noted in his report  from the latest Metroparks meeting that it is also trying out technology to better count and track visitors.

The Metroparks reported it saw 52 million visitors in 2023. It calculated that figure with hard data from vehicle counters at reservation entrances combined with other analytical methods. The Metroparks described having roughly 19 million “visitor occasions” related to recreation. The park system said the other 33 million visits were considered commuters or scenic drivers.

Metroparks officials discussed testing technology to keep tabs on visitors. They said they are working with a couple of companies, including location tracker Placer.ai, which uses anonymized data from cell phone carriers to track a visitor’s time and location in the park as well as provide other information.

Metroparks leaders emphasized that neither Placer.ai nor the park system is collecting any identifying information on users. A line item in the vouchers section of the board packet shows the Metroparks paid the company $6,000 for data collection from late October 2023 to late January. 

Bibb TV

It’s almost a cliche now that every organization is a media organization. But Cleveland City Hall, like many municipalities, has long run its own television station.

TV 20 airs mayoral press conferences, council meetings, youth sports and an array of signature segments. City Hall recently completed an audit of its communications shop and is trying to refresh the government access channel.

As part of that new approach, Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration is hiring a news director to shape the stories that TV 20 tells each day. Among the director’s duties, according to the job listing, is to “promote the Mayor’s priorities and initiatives.”

The city is seeking a seasoned journalist who brings a “public radio news philosophy” to the job, the listing says. The pay scale maxes out at a healthy $176,800, which is more than the mayor’s salary.

Wheels up for mayor and council

Expect Bibb to take wing to Washington, D.C., more frequently this year. 

The city is budgeting $55,000 for mayor’s office travel this year, a slight increase over the $52,300 budgeted last year. (That may not represent the full cost of the mayor’s trips. City officials have previously said that his security detail’s travel is paid out of the police budget.) 

Finance Director Ahmed Abonamah told City Council that the city anticipates more visits to the nation’s capital as the mayor and staff lobby for federal dollars. Bibb also has new duties in the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where he chairs the committee on tourism, arts, parks, entertainment, and sports. 

By Signal Cleveland’s count, Bibb has gone to D.C. on business around a dozen times since becoming mayor. 

Council members aren’t staying home either. They’re planning two National League of Cities trips. The council budget sets aside $75,000 for travel in 2024.