Parma City School District Focuses on a Safe Start to School, Plan for Future
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“Fake friends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you.” - Yolonda Hadid FREE! August, 2020 TAKE ONE! Vol, 12, Is. 8 Please Patronize Our Advertisers Parma City School District Focuses On A Safe Start To School, Plan For Future by Charles Smialek once-in-a-lifetime school year, struction on this November’s (Grades Pre-K through 5). A Message from PCSD Superintendent we must also turn our atten- ballot. It has been sometime (Second phase) Charles Smialek, Ph.D. tion and efforts to helping our since we have spoken formally The Ohio Facilities Con- The beginning of the 2020-21 school year is unlike any we communities understand the about the plan that emerged struction Commission (OFCC) have ever experienced! However, we are working hard to ensure a importance of our Strategic from our public meetings last remains excited at the potential safe opening for our students and staff and are very grateful for the Consolidation plan. We worked year, so it is important to review to partner with us, a collabora- flexibility and patience that all of our students, families and staff extremely hard throughout its contents. tion which will save our district members have displayed as we formed our plans. We encourage 2019 to gain input into building We seek to create: $69 million of the current cost you to visit www.parmacityschools.org for updates as we progress this model for the future of our Two secondary campuses of construction. We will ask through our first few weeks of classes. district and anticipate placing (grades 6-12), each with a district tax payers to consider a While we are striving to have a successful opening to this a bond issue to fund new con- middle and high school that 6.5 mill bond issue to fund the serve as separate entities but new construction. share one roof, on the sites of We wanted to share our Seven Hills - Pandemic and Progress Normandy and Valley Forge. plan in person throughout our by Tony Biasiotta Seven Hills “Stay-At -Home” One wellness and edu- three communities this summer Happy Summer! I hope Days. This event will hope- cational campus at Parma to allow you to ask questions and this summer season you have fully honor the tradition and Senior High School, home learn more from the informal been able to take a break from will consist of a car parade and to our Board Office, ACES conversations that are so criti- the challenges 2020 has pre- virtual activities. (formerly known as the cal to building understanding. sented us and focus on all Seven Hills, like all cities, Opportunity Center for stu- These opportunities are clearly of the wonderful things that has continued to be impacted dents with autism), and limited now. We will commu- come with the season. When financially by the economic community assets open to our nicate, instead, through written I took the oath of office about disruption brought on by residents including gymna- and social media so that you can seven months ago our plans for COVID-19. However, we have siums, a pool, and the iconic learn more about the exciting 2020 were quite different. On been quick to adjust and froze PSH Auditorium. possibilities that we continue to one hand the time has passed Mayor Tony Biasiotta most spending in March. As Six elementary campuses pursue. in a blink of an eye yet at times of our June YTD financials it seems it was an eternity ago. This spring, with a heavy our general fund expenses are Ohio House Speaker’s I am sure my experience this heart, we announced the pass- $1,3000,000 LESS than last year is not unique. ing of former Councilman year. Moreover, our Safety Alleged Criminal Enterprise As we continue into the Robert J. Leech, 74 “Council- Forces have remained and summer months some of the man Bob”. “Councilman Bob” WILL remain at FULL opera- Hurt Us All emergency measures that passed from COVID-19 and his tional strength. that it needed this massive tax- were instituted back in March family has asked me to remind Meijer remains on sched- by Jeffrey Crossman payer funded subsidy (over have been slowly lifting. Our everyone to continue to take ule. If you have driven by lately On Tuesday July 21st, $1B) or the two reactors would Recreation Staff has done a precautions that will help pre- you will have noticed that the news broke that the Speaker need to close. tremendous job working dili- vent the spread of this terrible walls to the store have gone of the Ohio House, Larry This deal stunk from the gently to ensure the safety of virus. vertical! Householder (Republican, start. The proponents of the our members. We have also Our long-standing Home I’m proud to announce Glenford), had been arrested bill fought hard to eliminate welcomed back our summer Days tradition was cancelled Erie Bank has made a pre- and arraigned on criminal any transparency require- campers and other programs. for this summer. This was a application to our planning charges stemming from his ments from the bill, refused If you haven’t checked our difficult decision. However, commission with the intent work to get House Bill 6 passed to impose caps on the amount recreation center offerings under the current guidelines of moving their district in 2019. This is now the sec- of the subsidy that would recently please do. Beginning and increasing vendor cancel- headquarters to Seven Hills. ond Ohio House Speaker in ultimately be provided, and July 2nd, we welcomed back lations it was becoming evident Further, their office and the past three years that will eliminated energy efficiency our Annual Farmer’s Market. that we could not present a branch are slated for new con- leave under the cloud of an standards that had saved Ohio The farmers market is held quality event. The administra- struction along Rockside Rd.! FBI investigation (although as consumers millions of dollars every Thursday 4pm -7pm tion quickly went to work on Earlier this year we of this writing the Speaker has since their implementation. at the corner of Hillside and a creative alternative with our formed a Water Management not resigned, it is expected that In short, HB6 appeared to be Broadview. Task Force. On July 21, 2020 he will). Cliff Rosenberger’s a blank check to a corporation the task force presented their resignation under similar cir- funded by consumers---a bad findings to Council. The mis- cumstances in 2018 opened the deal for Ohioans. This is why sion of the Task Force was to door for Householder seize the I voted “No” on its passage the develop short and long-term Speaker’s gavel. two times it came to us for a plans to remediate water For those who are vote (the Ohio Senate passed related issues, identify and unaware, HB6 was the contro- the bill with changes which prioritize specific projects that versial “nuclear bailout” bill required a second House vote). will lead to the rehabilitation that, once passed and signed What we did not know at the of the sewer systems and other by the Governor last year, time is that this bill might also control measures to minimize added a fee to electric bills to tainted by corruption.\ flooding. help subsidize the operation of As the recently published In addition, the task force two nuclear reactor facilities criminal complaint alleges, worked with experts from located in Lake and Ottawa counties. First Energy claimed E. Sprague Resurfaced continued on page 7 continued on page 9 Interested In Writing For The Observer? - Join Us At Our Public Meeting At Arabica Coffee House (6285 Pearl Rd.) Every Tuesday 7 PM Page 2 The Parma Observer Vol 12, Issue 8 August, 2020 COMMUNITY NEWS The President's Corner by Sean Brennan, Parma City Council President Last month I unveiled the Wel- come to Parma mural project. This month I thought I would bring you up to date on where we are with the project. I am happy to report that it is coming together, as planned. In case you were not aware, let me bring you up to speed on the project. Earlier this year, I contacted Stamy Paul, a Valley Forge High School graduate and founder of Graffiti This is a current draft of the Welcome to Heart, to commission a Welcome to Parma mural. OBSERVER Parma mural. I was so pleased that Stamy, whose name rhymes with roots project is $15,000. Like the Tommy, loved the idea and agreed to Parma • Parma Hts. • Seven Hills Script Parma sign, our plan is to partner on it. bring the project to life with private The Parma Observer is a com- Graffiti HeArt is a 501(c)3 non- particularly moved by their Wel- munity owned and operated donations – not using taxpayer dol- profit that develops opportunities come to Tremont and the Greetings citizen based news source. The lars. I am happy to report that the for graffiti and street artists to create from Cleveland murals, among oth- views and opinions expressed fundraising effort has been a great art installations with donors looking ers. That is why I contacted Stamy do not necessarily reflect the success, thus far. In fact, in the first to bolster community beauty and to bring a Welcome to Parma mural views and opinions of The few weeks of fundraising, we have pride. The organization’s projects to a wall on one of the entranceways Parma Observer staff or our already raised over $5,700.