1999 Master Plan Survey Questions

During the Nov. 2^nd committee session, Mayor Sutherland said the Master Plan surveys were mailed from the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission around Oct. 23rd. Council, administration and residents totaled around 20 in the room and no one could say they had received one. Sutherland said they probably weren’t mailed first class and there was a lot of election material coming through the mail too. She said they are hoping to have the surveys returned by Nov. 30th and expect 30% to be returned.

Everyone is curious about the questions in the current survey for the Master Plan. Alas, I do not have those but I have listed the questions from the 1999 quality of life survey that was mailed to 500 residents. Approximately half of those surveys were returned. I have looked at recent (2014) surveys for other cities, and the questions, although tailored to individual cities, are similar to the questions from 16 years ago. I would have loved to tell you the answers but it was too much for me to write/copy/paste. I encourage you to go to the 1999 Master Plan and read the answers. You have to scroll down to Appendices A.3 – about 200 pages. It is worth a read.

1. How would you rate the following services? EMS, police, fire, leaf pick up, garbage, snow removal, library services, public transportation, street lighting, sidewalk, roads.

2. What types of improvements or programs would you like to see instituted to make your neighborhood more desirable?

3. Please rate the following issues based on your home and neighborhood: Access to highway, safety, fire and police, convenience of shopping, rating of neighbors and appearance of neighborhoods.

4. Rate recreation services

5. Recreation options

6. Where do you purchase the following goods or services?

7. For those items purchased outside of Bay Village, in which communities do you shop?

8. What additional retail and service establishments would you like to see in Bay Village?

9. What improvements to the Bay Village Commercial Districts could be made to make them more attractive for shopping?

10. In which city do you work?

11. How often do you use RTA buses or rapid transit?

12. If you use RTA buses or rapid transit, what type of trips do you use RTA service for?

13. Please indicate which of the following would encourage you to use RTA’s services more frequently.

14. Please rate how important you feel it is for the City of Bay Village to provide the following services with respect to tree lawn trees.

15. Are you, or anyone you know, interested in elderly housing within Bay Village? If so, what types of housing would be of interest?

16. 17. 18. 19. How many years have you lived in Bay, how many people in your household, why did you move to Bay? Are you considering moving within the next 5 years? If so, why?

20. Would you support the development of alternative types of housing such as cluster homes, condominiums or townhouses, in Bay Village?

21. What do you consider Bay Village’s strengths and weaknesses?

http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/documents/pdf/masterplans/bayvillage.pdf

Master Plan Survey

It is of utmost importance that you respond to the survey regarding the Master Plan - if you were one of the lucky random residents to receive one in the mail. As a wise man said “The Master Plan needs to reflect what the residents want their community to be. Other than the Charter, there is no more important document for a city.”

Anyone here receive a survey? I did not or I could tell you all about it.

On 10/23 this was part of the Mayor’s email: “In preparation for updating our Master Plan, Cuyahoga County Planning will be conducting an opinion poll to get your input. They will be mailing 1,200 surveys to a random sampling of residents. The surveys should be in the mail today and will reach homes next week. If you receive a survey, please fill it out and mail it back to County Planning in the enclosed, postage-paid envelope. Your input is important to us as we begin this very important community planning process.”

A master plan is a document that shows recommendations for how a city should go forward concerning areas such as housing, economic development, and community services, to name a few areas. Based on demographics, geography and other factors, the results of the opinion survey created by Cuyahoga County Planning, are used as input and help in developing the goals for a new master plan.

The last Master Plan for the City of Bay Village was done in 1999. You can view it here:

http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/documents/pdf/masterplans/bayvillage.pdf

Miscellaneous

During a budget discussion at the 10/19 meeting it was acknowledged that major problems and priorities in the coming year will continue to be the sewers along with street construction, maintenance and repair.

Taken from Meeting Minutes: “Mayor Sutherland stated that sewer flow testing will be done in 2017. Because it is the third year, the City can go back to the committee to see if it can be done a year early. There is a meeting in November and they may approach them at that time. Mr. Koomar stated that he thought the agreement was to come up with a new idea on the way in which we flow test. Mayor Sutherland stated that is all part of this. If we wait for the third year, it is paid for by the Rocky River Wastewater Treatment Plant rather than having the City spend $100,000 for a flow study.”

And just for fun: Motion by Tom Henderson to approve the request for approval of 2016 Bay Days. Set up - Tuesday June 28, and Wednesday June 29. The event beginning Thursday June 30, and extending through Friday July 1, Saturday July 2, and Monday July 4, with fireworks on July 4, 2016. Rain date for fireworks on Tuesday July 5, 2016. Motion carried 7 Yeas-1 Nay (Mayor Sutherland). The mayor is not opposed to Bay Days, just having a rain date, because of the difficulty of scheduling and overtime.

Amy Mihaljevic

I can remember 26 years ago when Amy Mihaljevic was taken from Bay Village never to return. It was not for lack of prayers or wanting or genuine efforts put forth by our community, police and FBI. It was because she innocently walked away with a killer.

In 2013 retired FBI Agent Phil Tornsey was hired by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor McGinty to work part time on Amy’s case. I have never kidded myself that just because I live in Bay these things couldn’t happen, yet this was shocking to the core, it was personal. I am all for my tax dollars going to solve this.

26 years later where are we with this case? Two years of Tornsey, who has impressive work under his belt, where is he with this case? We do not hear much. Anyone living here in 1989 has never forgotten.

If you think you have any information and as law enforcement will always tell you – even if you think it is nothing, please call Bay Village Police Department at 440-871-1234 or the FBI at 216-522-1400.

Crossing Guard Recognition and Cahoon Park Fitness Track Recognition

The Council Meeting of October 19 paid special recognition to the Bay Village School Crossing Guards.

Bay Village School Crossing Guards:

Rose Quarick (34 yrs.); Joe King (25 yrs.); Audrey Weil (24 yrs.); Nicki Hazeldine (15 yrs.); Mike O’Boyle (14 yrs.); Bob Specker (11 yrs.); Dick Ormsby (6 yrs.); Robin Scobee (6 yrs.); Dianne Mueller (4 yrs.); Bonnie Wilson (4 yrs.); Laura Berry (2 yrs.); Ronald Lorenz (1 yr.); Leah Seitz (1 yr.); Frederick Steele, Jr. (1 yr.); Mary Frances Steiner (1 yr.)

The Council Meeting of October 5 recognized Sponsors for the Cahoon Park Fitness Track.

Mandy Singh and David Price - Perfect Fit Health Club; Jeff and Rosie Johnson - Arthur’s Shoe Tree; Kelly O’Hara - Highland Consulting Associates; Russ Bauknecht -Bay Village Kiwanis; O’Neill Healthcare; Al Paulus - Bay Village Foundation. The Bay Village Foundation also served as the financial intermediary for the project. Barry Tyo and Clete Miller brought the idea forward and saw the project through. “The Cahoon Memorial Park Trustees were also recognized for their good insight for selecting specific locations and making sure the details were aligned with the desires of the park on a long-term basis.”

School No Turn on Red Signs to be Updated

Bay Village will begin changing the existing all-day no turn on red signs to signage with designated before and after school hours. The plan will also add 6 signs at new intersections. The ordinance was on first read 10/19. Thirty-six signs will cost $1,800. “There is no money in the sign budget, so council will have to find the funds somewhere else, Safety-Service Director Scott Thomas said.”

Until the ordinance has passed and new signage appears, you should still follow the existing ordinance of 7:30 to 4:30 where signs are posted. New intersections to include: Bassett and Wolf; Bradley and Wolf; Douglas Drive and Wolf; Dover Center Road and Donald Drive; Dover Center and West Oviatt; and Bassett and Ashton Lane.

Fire Department Mutual Aid

Mutual aid response statistics were discussed 10/12. Bay Village Fire Chief Lyons reviewed the assistance given and received by the Bay Village Fire Department to our immediate neighboring cities from 1/1/15 through 8/31/15. While Bay Village runs at a deficit, Lyons believes the benefits we receive in return are fair. Council President Koomar expressed concerns that the numbers tend to “creep up”. “As other cities around us continue to grow and/or age, will this trend continue? When does this imbalance become a public safety issue? As Chief, how do you monitor this, and are there ways to make sure that mutual aid is still mutual?” Chief Lyons stated that the dispatch center will not call upon Bay Village if they are otherwise occupied. He iterated Bay Village is his first priority and they can and will decline so as not to put our residents at risk. Lyons stated this has been the trend for the last 5 to 7 years.

The aid Bay Village provided for surrounding communities was mostly emergency squad medic runs. Bay Village received mutual aid 28 times. Westlake obtained assistance from Bay Village 34 times, Avon Lake 13 times and Rocky River 12. 

The largest deficit is with city of Westlake. Our mutual aid relationship with them includes the Westlake service garage as the designated emergency operations center. None of our city buildings fit the requirements for an emergency operations center, required by the county as a place set up for administrative headquarters in the event of a disaster. Bay Village and Westlake are registered as the two cities for that center. Our pumps are sent to Westlake for an annual certification testing, a process which takes all day and involves a pit that would cost Bay “tens of thousands of dollars” to install. Westlake has a pit for this purpose and there is no charge for Bay Village to use it. The Bay Village fire fighters use their recreation center, off duty, for rescue swimmer training six to seven months of the year. Chief Lyons values their partnership as a mutual aid city.