Scene at Ward 3 community meeting

Note: The new Ward 3 includes portions of Mt. Pleasant, Buckeye-Shaker and Broadway-Slavic Village.

The Cleveland City Council Ward 3 community meeting was held at Zelma George Recreation Center, 3155 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The rec center was open to the public during the meeting. Indoor and outdoor facilities were busy with families. A security guard at the door was directing residents to the meeting room.

The meeting room was large, with approximately 70 seats available for attendees and a podium at the front. Approximately 65 people attended, filtering in until 6 p.m. There was a meal available during the meeting, and about a third of attendees left after eating their meal.

Council Member Deborah Gray walked around and engaged with residents from 5 p.m. (the scheduled start time) until 5:26 p.m., hearing concerns and giving guidance on what residents can do to address their concerns, such as calling 311.

Gray formally kicked off the meeting at 5:27 p.m.

• The last ward meeting in this area was in December; the first meeting in Slavic Village (part of the newly expanded ward) was on Tuesday, March 24.
  • There will be two separate meetings for the next three months, then they will be combined.
• She expressed that she is glad to have been reelected and thanked everyone for attending.
• A main focus of this term will be updating infrastructure and bridging concerns from residents at both ends of the ward.
• She discussed the importance of resident input and collaboration on neighborhood projects and how that helped contribute to the neighborhood.
  • About 24,130 residents live in the ward.
• There were sticky notes and boards available at the front of the room for residents to share issues and concerns. This is happening in both meetings and will help facilitate communication between the groups, Gray said.

Request for new blue light security cameras

• Gray has submitted a request to the city for five new blue light security cameras. The city’s IT manager, Larry Jones II, is doing a survey, which is the first step in implementing these cameras. Requested locations include:
  • East 65th Street and Hillman Avenue
  • East 78th Street and Union Avenue
  • East 49th Street and Broadway Avenue
  • East 55th Street and Dolloff Road
• Mobile van cameras throughout the community (not on main streets) are also in place.

Home repairs list

• Gray had a Cleveland Housing Solutions signup sheet at the meeting for home repair inquiries.
  • Repair season runs May through October.
• Approximately a dozen streets across Ward 3 have been submitted for resurfacing.
  • Streets must be rated a D or F for resurfacing. The Cleveland Division of Streets has approved those streets.
  • Gray said she hopes to resurface at least eight streets per year. [Editor’s note: Learn more about street resurfacing planned for Ward 14].

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Plans for Luke Easter Park

• Gray highlighted improvements to Luke Easter Park.
  • Dog park ribbon cutting will be in another month.
  • Gazebo and amphitheater across the street is finished.
  • A skate and additional bathrooms will be built in 2027, funded by Machine Gun Kelly.
    • There will be additional meetings to solicit resident feedback on layout and other park elements.
  • Additional amenities focused on senior citizens are also part of the discussion and additional feedback will be solicited.
  • The “party parking lot” will be shut down soon – by midsummer – and then resurfaced. This is the lot between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Ramona Boulevard, and Kinsman Road, not the lot adjacent to the recreation center.
  • I noticed additional construction across the street and in front of the rec center when I arrived, so it appears that additional work is also in progress.

Affordable housing plans and ideas

• There will be 30 additional single-family, affordable infill homes (homes built on existing vacant lots) built on Parkview, Forest, Griffing, Sophia and Imperial Avenues this year.
  • Cleveland Housing Network is building the units and has identified families to move in.
• In Slavic Village, there are 1,000 empty parcels, and Gray is working with developers on an apartment complex and other housing ideas. Resident feedback will be solicited.
• A resident asked for a status update on Audubon, Robert Fulton, and Mount Auburn school buildings, which no longer house schools.
  • Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. (BBCD) and the Community Builders had the contract to renovate Audubon and Mount Auburn, but they backed out to build the new Woodhill Homes instead. Gray said.
  • Gray has met with four developers who expressed interest in all three schools.
  • She said that the delay is with the state, which Gray said owns the schools. The state needs to place an RFP, she added.
  • Gray said her next meeting with the mayor’s staff on this matter is on March 31.

[Editor’s note: Cuyahoga County property records show that the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education owns the schools.]

Concerns about Burten, Bell, Carr Development

• There were questions about accountability from community development corporations. A resident said that money has not been spent properly and has not benefited the community. They called for audits, specifically of Burten, Bell, Carr Development.
  • Gray said that BBCD is “cleaning up” their business and is not ready for an audit at this point.
  • She encouraged residents to go to the BBCD office if they want more information, as the interim executive director has not shown up to various meetings.

Free Ring cameras

Acting Commander Shawn Smith and an officer from Fourth District Police:

• In the Fourth District headquarters, two new boilers have been installed and the buildings have been painted.
  • The building will be closed for 24 hours on April 9 and 12 hours on April 15 for large electrical work.
  • Service will remain; the building will just be closed.
  • This is part of a wider building maintenance initiative
• Neighborhood Connect pilot program for free Ring cameras:
  • Buckeye, Woodhill, Larchmere areas
  • First come, first served
  • Informational meeting on April 14
  • Smith advocated for these cameras and how they help solve crimes
• Smith said he has been “cracking down on” people for parking on sidewalks and lawns. They’re issuing tickets and towing cars.
• Crimes:
  • Murders up 33%, all but one are solved or in court
  • Rapes up 4%, all but one perpetrators are acquaintances, not strangers
  • Robberies down 33%
  • Felonious down 0.7%
    • With firearm down 1.6%
  • Burglaries down 27%
  • Theft down 33%
  • Auto theft down 24%
    • Judges are increasing sentences for repeat juvenile offenders
    • There is a diversion program with a 70% success (rate of juveniles not reoffending)
  • Arson down 71%
• Encouraged continued engagement with the new nuisance abatement rules, asking residents to continue to report and take video/photos of what is happening.
• There was a Q&A period with the police representatives. It was very difficult to hear resident questions/concerns due to the meal line and a large amount of cross-talk and side conversations between attendees.

Small business support

Sherita Mullins, neighborhood investment manager, Cleveland Department of Development

• This department used to only work on commercial development (previously, the department was called Economic Development). The new department will handle all real estate, including commercial and residential.
• They work with the Cleveland Land Bank, developers, residential programs, etc.
• Mullins covers the East Region, which includes Ward 3.
  • Mullins helps small businesses navigate city departments as a single point of entry to all departments and processes.
  • Works to administer grants and loans to small businesses.
    • Neighborhood Retail Assistance program is an example; it provides 3% interest rate loans for small businesses, up to $50,000.
• The Cleveland Department of Aging Chores program is also open to applications again.

Cleveland Municipal Court

Antonio McMullen, bailiff for Judge Brett Horton

• Thanked the community for voting for Horton.
• Encouraged engagement with issues and concerns such as drag racing and other community challenges.
• Stated goal of reducing recidivism.

Suggested Reading

Illegal dumping, crisis intervention top of mind for Cleveland residents at police meeting

by Cleveland Documenters April 6, 2026

The 411 on 311

Rick Roscoe, learning & engagement manager at 311

• Encouraged residents to call 311 whenever they see a problem; don’t wait to see someone at a meeting or to speak with council.
  • Missed garbage, new cans, litter issues, health inspector issues, burnt out street lights, potholes, etc.
• Someone will answer a call 24/7, as there is an after-hours service.
• Last year, 311 answered nearly 150,000 phone calls.
  • Submitted 52,000 service requests to the city.
• They can also help with information, like figuring out which city department to call, how different city processes work, and explaining different services available.
• Encouraged residents to also submit their own requests via the 311 website.
• 311 allows for anonymous complaints.
• A resident brought up illegal dumping in their neighborhood.
  • Roscoe encouraged them to call 911 if they see it happening, as that is against the law and police can respond.
  • 311 can assist with cleanup after the fact.

Meeting closed at 7:35 p.m. Some residents were still milling around talking to each other and various representatives after this time. 

These notes are by Documenter Julia Brookover. Documenter Alfreda Williams also recorded audio.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.