| CV2K by John Herrington WMV Web News Cleveland Story filed May 26, 1998 CV2K -- That's just to get your attention. And Now An Open Letter -
Dear Friends (all who enter here are friends!), Over the past several years, this (pick one you like)
has done a Godzilla-like march to respectability with a monstrous outpouring of public-private-sector cooperation, municipal management, and megabucks that created a $3-billion dollar decade of development: Gateway Sports Complex (Gund Arena and Jacobs Field), the lakefront people-grabbers (Great Lakes Science Center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum) and people-mover (RTA's Lakefront Line), and lots of other stuff.
And now--- Didn't someone in the recent past say something about, "...a billion dollars here, a billion dollars there, and pretty soon, you're talking about real money"? (Forgive any mistakes in the quotation, please.) The quote sounds a bit strange to the ear, but, folks, a billion to the third power ("...you're talking about real money") is the price tag on "Civic Vision 2000." (This one actually is the second "Vision" thing, and is called "Civic Vision 2000 and Beyond" to take it "beyond" the two-volume city plan, "Civic Vision 2000" that came out in 1992 and won an American Planning Association award.) "Cleveland Vision 2000 and Beyond" (Yep: the CV2K--thingy that began this page) is the biggie hatched by corporate, educational, and civic gurus from a monster-egg after 17 months of a study and planning incubation period. It is a plan that likely will change and change again and again before the final product comes into being. For the moment, the "Vision" includes a new convention center, a drastically changed Shoreway (it would no longer be a high-speed thoroughfare, but a slow-down-and-enjoy-the-scenery, Chicago-like roadway along the lake), a major hub of transportation, 11 acres of park linking downtown to the lakefront, and just lots of development on that lakefront. There is more: a rejuvenated Euclid Avenue stretching from Public Square to at least Cleveland State University. (Bringing the town's "Main Street" back will be a project in the true sense of that word, but many say, it's a very necessary one.) New downtown housing also is included and extension of the RTA Lakefront transit line and walkways and bikeways and on and on and on and on!! And, like, WOW! Who's going to pay for it....and how? And, like............. Let me get back to you on that, okay? And more billion-dollar-mind-blowing stuff: A newspaper headline the other day said: "Billion Dollar Browns." Say, what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????? In what has to be called by some as "unrealspeak," there is talk that the NEW BROWNS may be (double-gulp) a "$1-billion dollar franchise." Hey, guys; the stadium isn't even built yet!!! Speaking of that, there is a new stadium committment from the National Football League for another $15-million. That'll help in the battle against cost overruns (those costs seem to keep going up) and the city still is waiting on the state for a $22-million contribution. A new owner for the Browns? An owner selected, the NFL believes, by bidding process. ("How much you got?" ("Tons of $$$$" ("Give it to me!" (Well...not like that, so they say. The highest bidder may not be best for the team, they say.) The list of Browns-owners-wannabes keeps on growin'! A meeting in late July among NFL owners may settle how all that ownership decision-making is going to work...or, it may not. The Indians keep playing locally to sold-out houses, and, so far, winning more than they lose in the struggle to achieve more championship pennants. [BTW: reports are that the Indians made $100,000 from advertising on their web site (http://www.indians.com) last year. [So, it is no wonder that the Akron Aeros now have their own web site (http://www.akronaeros.com) to further the image of the team (and, just possibly to attract some advertising dollars). [And speaking of the Aeros, a piece in the Akron Beacon Journal recently reported that opening day at Canal Park brought Caribbean jerk chicken, steamed snow crab, prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, Yukon gold potato wedges and caviar rice pilaf to the menu of the Aeros Stadium Club!!! [Wow! And who said all the upscale goodies were at the Jacobs Field Stadium Club!!] And the Women's Professional Basketball Rockers have a pre-game clinic scheduled at the Gund at 4:30 p.m., June 27 prior to the 7 p.m. game with the Detroit Shock. Buy a game ticket, get a basics clinic session (information on the game and the players) and a Rockers ballcap. More details at 1-216-263-ROCK. Of course, with the Memorial Day weekend (celebrated), things move into a summertime mode. The cruise boats are out on Lake Erie, the amusement parks are open with new attractions that are drawing the thousands of visitors...and bringing, in some cases, huge traffic jams (see earlier reference to "Godzilla-like"). The Metroparks Zoo has white alligators. The Great Lakes Science Center has its "lasers, holograms and virtual reality" exhibition ("Liquid Vision"), and the Center's Omnimax Theater has "Everest," which drew 73,000 viewers in one month. Next door, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, there still is some confusion over what the place wants to be: New York rock-world-mover-and-shaker Jann Wenner reportedly wants more R&R artifacts on permanent display in the main exhibition hall, rather than filling the hall with temporary and specialized exhibits (even though he is quoted as admitting responsibility for one the exhibit on the psychedelic years of rock and roll). (Footnote: it was in the month of May - the 21st -- in 1955 that Chuck Berry recorded his first hit, "Maybelline.") Let's just call this: Items from the "That Was Then, This Is Now" file. That Was Then: A Westlake High School junior used his Web page to say some unkind things about one of his teachers. He called his page, "raymondsucks.org" because he wasn't happy with band teacher Raymond Walczuk. Well, the school system suspended him; the kid said that what the school system did was worse than what he did (or someone told the kid that was the case), and he went to court. Of course, he won: it was a violation of his First Amendment Rights (should "FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS" be all-caps? Perhaps.) The kid got apologies from the school system; he got thousands of bucks for being abused by the system that was trying to teach him something. He was right, and nobody argued about "ends justifying means" and all that sort of thing. You who live in this area know all about this; for you, who used to live here or are just peeking in at this page, that story was television and front page news here in the Cleveland area. Band teacher Raymond Walczuk said nothing in response to the kid's nasty remarks. His teaching skills and the learning of his students seem to have done his "talking." This is now: Westlake High School's Symphonic and Concert Bands both won "superior" ratings at the recent state competition. You don't get any better than a "superior" rating, and this is the first time that two Westlake bands have won those top marks at the same state competition. Not long after that, the Walczuk-trained musicians won a "Sweepstakes" prize in international competition in Canada! So, one might come to the conclusion that Raymond Walczuk isn't such a bad teacher, after all. And, one just might come to the conclusion... Well, never mind; the kid will get his recognition for learning something, too, since he is a member of the band. (Footnote: In Shaker Heights, 15-year-old Aaron Greenspan is a freshman who plays French horn in that high school's symphonic and marching bands. He created a website, too: it was recognized by the Plain Dealer as one of "10 sites to profile." So, Mr. Greenspan does get recognition....... but-- sorry: no megabucks.) That was then: (News Note: August, 1978--Mayor Dennis Kucinich barely wins by fewer than 250 votes from the 120,000 cast in Cleveland's first election to recall a mayor.) Twenty years ago, the "boy mayor" (voiced in a tone of sneer and scorn by so many) faced ouster. Opponents said he was "insensitive and immature." Those words were among nicer things that were said. The next year, he was defeated in his bid for re-election. This is now. Because of the distance, the only word in letters big enough to be read on the yellow yard sign across the street was, "Dennis!" The sign was part of the re-election campaign of Congressman Dennis Kucinich. His support in the primary was so big that even his primary opponent admitted he didn't have a chance. He was right. Cong. Kucinich beat his opponent (psychologist and poet and "good guy" C. River Smith) by a 7-to-1 margin. The "boy mayor" (now said with some respect by those who earlier rejected him) is now 51. Surely you jest!!!!! It is fact. Congressman Kucinich is.... at least until November, and perhaps, beyond that... IS! This is now.
"The proper memory for a politician Spilling over from that primary election, of course, is what now for school financing? That was then: April Fool's Day, and the governor said Issue 2 might not be the perfect solution, but it was the one in place for the citizens of Ohio. This is now: The citizens of Ohio clobbered Issue 2! One now might be confused as to where the next step will be taken: by the legislature? by the administration? by the Ohio Supreme Court? Pick one from column A...one from column B...one from column C....etcetcetc. And remember that your local school district likely will be coming back to you for more property tax increases, regardless of all the "what-do-we-do-now?" questions after the demise of Issue 2. Footnote: a lot of school funding (and even other money) issues on the primary ballot were dragged down to defeat (even some renewal levies that would not have raised taxes) in the wake of the Titanic-proportion sinking of Issue 2. That was then: A few years ago, Channel 3 Reporter Joe Mosbrook stood in a snowy field in Ashtabula County; in the background, the overturned "Newshawk 3" helicopter (yes; really...that's what WKYC television called its chopper; hey; every station had one at that time, and each station had to come up with some kind of name to call its machine). It had flipped over in a near-blizzard (so some described it). Some said the helicopter should never have been sent up in that kind of weather; the story called; the chopper went up; the chopper flopped, but, fortunately, the people did not "flop" (in fact, the report from the scene that Joe and cameraman David Hollis did was a story unto itself), but that situation for Joe, David and the pilot (apologies for not remembering the name) was a "near-enough-thing" that the "air wars" over Cleveland ended for a time. Some management types actually asked, "Is this really worth it?" This is now: Joe Mosbrook recently took "partial retirement" from Channel 3 (he leaves the news operation, but still will do some special reports and other presentations that will permit the station the use of his magnificent voice and reporting expertise. And in the skies over Cleveland, the "air wars" have resumed with the whupppa-whupppa-whupppa of "eyes-in-the-sky" helicopter technology that allows us all to see traffic jams on freeways. (One may wonder why anyone driving home from work is able to see the traffic jams he/she faces????? That just might be a problem in itself, might it not?: an in-the-car TV report from a helicopter on traffic jams? Whoa!) Ah, well: Joe, you tried! (BTW--besides being a heck of a reporter, Joe is well-versed on jazz music, and has compiled many a report on the Cleveland impact on jazz (hit the "Jazzed Up" bar in the dropdown menu on this website for Joe's latest story on jazz in Cleveland), and has written a book on that subject). And, that was then: May 5, 1865--Waterloo, New York, honored soldiers who had died in the Civil War; May 30, 1866--on Belle Isle, near Richmond, Virginia, there was a service at a burial ground for Union soldiers. 1966--the U.S. Government proclaimed that Waterloo was the birthplace of Memorial Day. (Other claims put the first such memorial service at Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, and at a service where Southern women put flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers after the Civil War. And this is now: The last Monday in May (made a federal holiday in 1971) is officially Memorial Day, although there are other ceremonial dates in some Southern states.
"All Gave Some, And Sir Walter Scott wrote:
"Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o'er,
OTHER STORIES by John Herrington RETURN TO Cleveland, The New American City |