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Mark Naymik writes about Shaker
Square (posted
2/24/13)
His report on the state of affairs at the Square made the front page of the
Metro section of the Sunday Plain
Dealer of February 24, 2013. And it was informed coverage too. For more
click here.
Good news - The Connection is back! (posted
12/04/12)
The downsizing of SHAD, our neighborhood development
corporation, stopped the publication of its newspaper for a while.
We're very glad to see it back, with Kristen Romito as editor. You
can pick up a free copy at the Square, or read it online at
www.SHAD.org.
With the waxing and waning of the promotional spending
of the Square's owner (read more below), we urge friends of the
Square to join SHAD and to attend its annual meeting, to be held
Thursday January 10. (more
...)
A word to the Coral Company
Thanksgiving, when the Square's tall evergreen trees
would be decorated (a custom going back to 1930), has come and gone.
Sadly the trees were not decorated. We had hoped that the wave of disappointment expressed
last year would have led to a resumption of this wonderful custom.
Not so. To see pictures of past year's trees,
click here.
Happily, after perhaps five months of neglect, their
website is again up-to-date.
To me, a former business owner, it makes no sense for the Square's owner to charge the
merchants and restauranteurs a monthly fee for promotion and yet not
advertise and promote the Square. Everyone loses: stores, employees,
residents and the Coral Company too.
How many community development corporations will Shaker Square have?
For nearly two years, most of that time working in secrecy, the Shaker Square Area Development
Corporation (SHAD) was exploring a merger into the Buckeye Area CDC to create a Buckeye -
Shaker community development organization. Such a combination, if adequately staffed and funded,
with Shaker Square area interests well represented, could be good for the
whole Buckeye - Shaker area.
Some SHAD leaders felt that
a few aspects of the deal, not disclosed until late January and
presented on a non-negotiable basis, were unacceptable. Enough
SHAD members agreed with them to narrowly vote
down the merger proposal on February 25th, 2012.
What has happened since is puzzling and promising.
-
Puzzling because small changes in the deal could
have garnered a favorable vote - yet Buckeye
made no effort to negotiate.
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Promising because SHAD is continuing,
with new leaders, new vision and enthusiasm - all in the face
of financial problems and an end to its main source of funding.
Now you see why we ask "How many community development
corporations will Shaker Square have?"
Read our view of why the merger failed and why it looked a lot like a
Browns game.
With the Buckeye Area CDc having changed its name to
Buckeye-Shaker Square last June, it is clear they plan to take over
this area.
Welcome Coral Company
(posted 9/14/12)
Welcome? But The Coral Company has owned
Shaker Square since 2004!
True. But they have never had their offices at the
Square. In 2004 they were on Chagrin Boulevard in Beachwood. Early in 2007
they moved to Cedar Center, west of Warrensville Center, above the CVS.
Early in September they
have relocated above
another CVS - in the northeast quadrant of Shaker Square. It's beautiful space.
We hope the
Coral Company staff will enjoy their
new "digs." It can only help the Square to have them here each workday. Thus - welcome Coral Company.
Senior Wednesdays on the Square
If you are 60 or older, we hope you'll make
Senior Wednesdays on the Square
a habit.
Perhaps the first joint promotion at the Square in
years. Reid Robbins
would have called it "small ball" and liked the idea.
We're pleased to announce that
Zanzibar Soul restaurant is now
participating in these senior specials.
Parking
Good news. Late in May the parking meters around the Square (they're on Coral
Company property) have been repaired. Why is that good news? Because without meters, store employees and Rapid Transit riders
would take all the spaces.
Bad news. Parking rates have doubled. Your
quarter that bought 40 minutes in April 2011, now buys only 20
minutes. Free short-term parking was also ended In
June
Peter Rubin assured us that this feature, so welcomed
a few years ago, will be restored, but not immediately. Now, six months later,
only about 20 percent of the meters have free
short-term parking again - but without any labels to tell parkers
about it.
The Coral Company does provide two free parking lots. (See
a map.)
FYI, the parking meters along Shaker Boulevard
eastbound and westbound are City of Cleveland meters. Their rates
($.25 per hour) are set by law. We have repeatedly asked Councilman Ken Johnson to
work with downtown and west side councilmen to stimulate retail
trade with free short-term parking. No results so far.
Vacancies on the Square
Now that the space in the southwest quadrant once used for the
Obama offices has been rented by the Democrats again (see our page), space
is available in only two quadrants:
● northeast: two former Joseph-Beth spaces, west of CVS
● southeast: the East Coast Custard and the Shaker
Beverages spaces
Considering the economy and where the Square was seven
years ago before The Coral Company took it over, we're doing
very well.
We wish that one of
these vacant spaces could become a community meeting
place. See our page
About Public Spaces and Community.
Website news
This website is ranked #1
by all major
search engines. We now
have more than 13,000 visitors a month and hope that you
find this independent, neighborhood-oriented website
useful.
See you on the Square.
Arnie
Thanks for
being one of the more than 13,000
persons
who visit
www.shakersquare.net each
month.
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