SPRING 2019 VOLUME 9

Opt-in for Opportunity Corridor and the opportunities it provides

I-490 Planned Closure Between East 55TH Street and I-77

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is excited to share that construction work on the third and final section of the Opportunity Corridor Opportunity Corridor Project (OC3) is underway. Starting May 29, 2019 construction crews working on Section 3 will be closing I-490 between East 55th Street and I-77 for two years. Traffic will be detoured via Woodland or Carnegie avenues to access East 55th Street. Specific detours are as follows:

th 90 I-77 northbound detour to East 55 Street northbound: Carnegie Ave • Exit at East 22nd Street / East 14th Street th • Keep left onto East 14 Street Carnegie Ave

th 90

• Keep right onto East 18 Street t

S

th h 77 t

4

• Turn right on Carnegie Avenue to East 55 Street 1

E E 55th St 55th E

E 22nd St

I-77 northbound detour to East 55th Street southbound: 162B th 77 • Exit at Woodland Avenue / East 30 Street Woodland Ave • Keep right onto Woodland Avenue to East 55th Street 162A

Kinsman Rd th CLOSED I-77 southbound detour to East 55 Street: I-77 I-490 Detour to E. 55th Street

th th • Exit at Woodland Avenue / East 30 Street E. 55 Street Detour 77 to I-77 I-490 St 55th E th I-77 South Detour • Keep left onto Woodland Avenue to East 55 Street to E. 55th Street Grand Ave

th East 55 Street detour to I-490 westbound: 490 th • West on Woodland Avenue to East 30 Street 490

• Keep left and merge onto Orange Avenue 77 • Keep right, merge onto I-77 southbound to I-490

OC3 Taking It To The Streets and Airwaves

billboards (pictured left) Radio coverage include sending out emails to their were installed early spring Adult Contemporary, Jazz, listening base, and throughout the community Classic Rock, Talk/News, distributing I-490 closure reminding residents and R&B, Hip-Hop, Retro, magnets and promo flyers commuters of the I-490 Sports, Gospel and Country. at station events. ■ closure. The billboards are The mix of music genres will designed to provide effectively reach a diverse line-of-sight coverage to target audience as The Opportunity Corridor both pedestrian and represented by the Section 3 (OC3) Project vehicular traffic. The units community. In addition, team is working with local will remain up through the on-air radio interviews are media partners to help month of May. Local radio planned with ODOT and increase awareness of the stations will also feature the OC3 representatives. Radio I-490 closure in May. In stations are also providing I-490 closure on-air as well 92.3FM Radio Remote Featuring I-490 Closure support of that effort, as digital media platforms. additional exposure by Flyers at Indians Opener

Opt-In For Opportunity Corridor | 1 The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NEOHCC) recently hosted the 2019 Construction Opportunity Fair along with sponsor Artessa Building Group, LLC a member of the Kokosing Design-Build Team and Diversity and Inclusion Outreach. The event was designed to increase minority participation in the construction industry and meet workforce demands on major construction projects. The event brought together developers, bonding agents, prime/general contractors, business owners, and financial institutions for meaningful networking. Attendees also participated in a panel discussion focusing on issues concerning minorities businesses, available support services and requirements needed to procure public and private contracts. ■

OC3 Connecting with the Community The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Kokosing Design-Build Team had the opportunity of sharing information on the Opportunity Corridor Project (OC3) on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at Elizabeth Baptist Church (EBC Campus) located at 6114 Francis Avenue in Slavic Village. Elizabeth Baptist Church has been in the community 100 years, and is located in the heart of OC3, just east of East 55th Street. The OC3 community meeting at Elizabeth Baptist Church was well attended by parishioners and residents. Pastor Richard M. Gibson welcomed attendees, and the standing room only crowd received a detailed OC3 presentation covering demolition to project completion. Attendees represented a mix of culture and diversity, reflective of Elizabeth Baptist Church OC3 Community Meeting the community it serves. Following the presentation, attendees participated in an informative question and answer session. ■

American Center are a changing thanks in The Journey to and to part to the dedication and become For Economic tenacity of local leaders Journeyman the best like Norm Edwards. Norm operator Equality Andre Johnson grew up Edwards is the President God and still resides with his Changing Lives of American Center for allows family in Cleveland’s Mount Economic Equality, and me to be American Center for Pleasant neighborhood. has devoted over 20 years and Economic Equality (ACEE) Andre is in his fourth year of fighting for diversity and maybe offers a free of the 4-year union inclusion in the construction one day, pre-apprenticeship apprenticeship and this fall Andre Johnson, industry. Norm takes pride I can soon to be Journeyman program that prepares will be a licensed in seeing real-life changes pass my young men and women to journeyman. Andre credits like that of Andre Johnson, knowledge on to my son enter the 4-5 year union his road to success to the who will become a with hopes of apprenticeship, which staff at Richfield Training journeyman this fall. Norm entrepreneurship for him”. upon completion they can Center, and fellow worksite become journeymen says “achieving the status operators that share their Thanks to people like operators, carpenters, of journeyman impacts knowledge and experience. Andre and Norm, the electricians, pipefitters, every aspect of their lives, stigma that has dogged plumbers, ironworkers, especially financially and Andre’s testimonial says it minority hiring and bricklayers, roofers, holistically” (see story to best, “I operated a front-end contracting opportunities cement finishers, union the right). ■ loader being my favorite in the construction industry laborers, elevator installers, piece of equipment and is improving. Andre is a pile drivers, and also a skid steer. It was a husband and father of 5 millwrights, and more. great experience to work on such a community changing children, and as a journeyman will be able to Similar to others industries, project that will provide so provide financial security the construction and union much to so many different and stability for his family. ■ world has a long history people. My future goals are of exclusion. Fast forward to keep learning as much Norman Edwards and to 2019 Cleveland, times Congresswoman Marcia Fudge as I can to perfect my craft

Opt-In For Opportunity Corridor | 2 Subcontractors Starting Out Strong FREE Career The Opportunity Corridor Section 3 Development (OC3) is starting to bring subcontractors Workshops on site to jump start this project. Vermillion Tree Service was here in the The Opportunity Corridor beginning of the year, and cleared the Section 3 Project (OC3) is excited path of OC3. The project really started to announce the FREE Career coming to life once this local company Development Workshop Series; cleared the trees and improved Creating Opportunity & Improving visibility. ■ OC3 subcontractor Vermillion Tree Service Your Job Skills. The Workforce Development series is a Great Lakes Pipeline Services will be around community initiative by the the OC3 project cleaning and videotaping Kokosing Design-Build team with the sewers. Prior to construction starting, the Wyatt Brownlee, the Diversity and drainage systems must be inspected to Inclusion Outreach Consultant for ensure it can handle a change of runoff OC3. The workshops are pattern due to construction. Great Lakes designed to provide community Pipeline Services is a subcontractor to residents with the necessary job Independence Excavating and is a local preparedness skills that are OC3 subcontractor Great Lakes Pipeline Services contractor to the Greater Cleveland area. ■ essential in today’s competitive job market. The job-readiness National Engineering & Architectural Services (NEAS) series will cover resume writing, provided services this winter and will continue to interviewing techniques, career come out throughout the beginning project phases. planning and execution, effective The contractor is helping locate existing utilities, communications, leadership/life identify soil type and classification, and confirming no skills, along with team building unknown utilities in way of newly designed structures. and networking strategies. In this photo NEAS was called out to confirm the The workshops are facilitated by location of a 72” box culvert more than 20 feet below Maurice Stevens, OC3 Workforce ground. They were able to locate the box, allowing Development Specialist, and the design team to ensure the piers of the bridge sessions are planned for 2019. would not interfere with the box culvert. NEAS is National Engineering & Workshops are expected to place ■ Architectural Services also a local contractor to Cuyahoga County. daily, Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. and will run three consecutive weeks. Helping Students Build For The Future There are no weekend workshops Job Corps Career Transition Readiness professional Sean (Friday, Saturday or Sunday).

Singleton, whose primary responsibility is helping at-risk kids Registration will be required by ages 16-24 get back on track, noticed flyers in his contacting Maurice Stevens, neighborhood advertising Career Awareness Sessions. Sean Workforce Development Specialist sprang into action. for OC3 at 330-687-6129. Parking

Sean recognized that these sessions align with Job Corps is free and refreshments will be mission. Job Corps is a national program administered by the available. Veterans and re-entry Sean Singleton United States Department of Labor that offers free-of-charge residents are welcome. ■ education and vocational training to young men and women. Stay tuned for future OC3 “The workshop was eye-opening. We learned about the large number of diverse workshop updates. ■ construction jobs available to us as part of the Opportunity Corridor Project. These kids got a clearer idea about how the construction industry works, including the amount of money they could eventually earn. They also received realistic guidance in terms of preparation to get into the construction field and the importance of setting goals and creating a realistic plan to achieve those goals,” said Sean. Sean is confident the Career Awareness Session tips for getting a job, and preparing for an interview have given his students, and others, an important new skill set. ■

Opt-In For Opportunity Corridor | 3 HOW TO STAY IN TOUCH 5500 Transportation Boulevard Garfield Heights, OH 44125

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT OpportunityCorridor.Transportation.Ohio.gov You can subscribe to our email list on our homepage

EMAIL US [email protected]

CALL 216.584.2007

YOU CAN FIND ODOT ON @District12Cleveland

YOU CAN FOLLOW ODOT ON @ODOT_Cleveland

Mother & Daughter Success In The Community

Tamela Bridget (aka KoKo Brown) joined the Cleveland Kokosing Construction Company family in July 2018 as the Project Administrator. Tamela grew up on the southeast side of Cleveland and still resides in the Buckeye area with her family. Tamela is well known in the community through her many years with Radio One (WZAK/WENZ/WJMO) as part of the Promotional street team, and the station’s Director of First Impressions, as receptionist. She is passionate about the well-being and sustainability of her community. “I enjoy my position with the Kokosing family, and I’m very happy the Opportunity Corridor is

Tamela and Briante Bridget finally happening. As a longtime resident of the community I feel OC will help to bridge the gap in what has been for many years as an underserved area in City of Cleveland”, shared Tamela. Tamela’s daughter Briante recently joined the Kokosing Construction team working directly with Wyatt Brownlee, the Diversity and Inclusion Outreach Consultant for OC3. Briante is a graduate of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s John Hay Campus, known for its excellence in academics and arts, and located in the heart of OC3. ■

Stay in the Loop supporting its diversity and inclusion efforts. Most meetings are held from 1:30–3 p.m. the third Wednesday As Opportunity Corridor Section 3 (OC3) begins in 2019, of each month. Starting in 2019, all meetings will be held the Opportunity Corridor Inclusion Advisory at the Friendly Inn, 2386 Unwin Road, Cleveland, Ohio Committee (OCIAC) will continue to keep the community 44104. informed of the OC3’s progress. Comprised of a diverse group of government officials, corporate and REMAINING MEETING DATES AND TIMES FOR 2019: community members, residents and stakeholders the May 15 (1:30p - 3p), July 17 (3:30p - 5p), Aug 21 (1:30p - 3p) Committee meets monthly. It works with entities who have Sept 18 (1:30p - 3p), Oct 16 (3:30p - 5p), Dec 18 (1:30p - 3p) close ties and interests with the Opportunity Corridor while Note: The Committee does not meet in June or November

Opt-In For Opportunity Corridor | 4