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shakershaker NORTHEAST OHIO’S PREMIER COMMUNITY lifelife february | march 2008 $3.50 cool apartments shakeronline.com contents features + departments on the cover: Shaker’s rental market is active, and the City can help renters find exactly what they are looking for. 8 Cover photograph Green Street Studio EASY LIVING 24 FROM FORECLOSED KINDERGARTEN TO FABULOUS 30 READINESS 36 Meet some residents who The Shaker school are investing in Shaker’s district stands out in architectural uniqueness. helping families with PLUS A look at the City’s this crucial educational housing preservation step. programs. more departments: Library News 15 Meet the Authors Series Out & About 63 Calendar of events. Shaker Observer 76 Mourning Becomes the Dancing Shrub. CHOOSING A A ROBUST REAL ESTATE NEWS 11 SUMMER CAMP 42 COLLECTION 46 Shaker Neighborhoods. What you should know Q&A with the before they go. Shaker Historical Museum director Sabine Kretzschmar. shaker renters... shaker life ready to become a FEBRuaRY | maRch 2008 VolumE 26 IssuE 1 SHAKER LIFE shaker homeowner? 3400 Lee Road Shaker Heights, OH 44120 WEBSITE: shakeronline.com EMAIL: [email protected] low-interest VOICE MAIL: (216) 491-1459 FAX: (216) 491-1408 down payment TTY: (216) 491-3161 EDITOR assistance loans Rory O’Connor [email protected] are available in DESIGN & PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jennifer Dial designated CITY NEWS AND REAL ESTATE NEWS EDITOR Vicki Zoldessy neighborhoods [email protected] LIBRARY NEWS EDITOR call 491-1457 Margaret Simon OUT & ABOUT for more info [email protected] SHAKER SCHOOLS EDITORIAL ADVISOR fund for the future of shaker heights Peggy Caldwell enhancing neighborhood diversity since 1986 ADVERTISING MANAGER John Moore, (216) 531-4044 [email protected] AD SALES REPRESENTATIVE Rebecca Wong Friends don’t let CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Brandt, Gay Eyerman, friends make a move Beth Friedman-Romell, Rita Kueber, Nancy O’Connor, Jennifer Proe, Sue Starrett without calling us first. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Janet Century, Marc Golub, Green Street Studio (Jeanne Van Atta & Bill Meckler), Shaker’S RELOCATION EXPERTS HAVE: Caydie Heller, Kevin G. Reeves • Shaker information packets READER COMMENTS: Please send comments and observations to Letters to the Editor, • School & neighborhood [email protected] or to Shaker Life, 3400 Lee Road, Shaker Heights, OH 44120. contacts Letters may be edited for publication. • Certified Shaker rental updates STORY SUBMISSIONS: Shaker Life does not accept unsolicited editorial material, but story suggestions from residents are welcome. Send suggestions by email • Details on financial incentives or letter. Please do not call. We cannot respond to every suggestion but each will be given consideration. for eligible home buyers Freelancers: Please email the editor for guidelines. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Kim Golem, (216) 491-1419 SHAKER LIFE is published six times per year by the Call (216) 491-1332 or visit City of Shaker Heights, Department of Communications & Outreach, and distributed free to residents of the Shaker Heights City School District. Extra copies are available shakeronline.com at area newsstands for $3.50. See shakeronline.com for locations. For general City information, call (216) 491-1400 or City of Shaker Heights EMAIL: [email protected] 3400 Lee Road The views of the individuals and organizations Shaker Heights, OH 44120 (216) 491-1400 interviewed in Shaker Life are not necessarily the official views of the City of Shaker Heights. Affirmatively furthering fair housing for over 30 years © City of Shaker Heights. All Rights Reserved. www.shakERonlINE.com life city news First Warrensville/Van Aken Public Meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. Generates Resident Support, Participation, and Excitement Awards for Human Relations and for Lifetime In December, 120 residents became city planners for a day when they attended the Achievement first Warrensville/Van Aken (WvA) public workshop. The goal was to solicit input to improve the intersection and to transform the area into a vibrant, mixed-use down- The Human Relations Commission town for Shaker Heights. Residents enthusiastically worked in small table groups and gave its 2008 Martin Luther King, provided the consultant team with valuable insight. Jr. Award for Human Relations to Each group brainstormed the positive attributes of the area, including its proxim- Lomond Community Association offi- ity to Thornton Park, public transit, connection to neighborhoods, existing shop- cers Brian Yusko, president, and Bryan ping, and potential for more shopping. Enthusiastic resident support for the project Moore, vice president. In addition, is also an important positive factor. The groups sketched ideas for the future of WvA the Commission chose Dr. Winston on maps that included retail, housing, transit, and parks. The consultant team used Richie to receive a special Lifetime these ideas to generate preliminary concepts for improving the area. Achievement Award. The awards were The following day, the consultants presented a summary of the information to presented at the January City Council City Council. They showed three preliminary intersection realignment concepts. meeting, which included a performance Council members also saw a traffic simulation movie that demonstrated how the by the 40-member Heritage Chorale, realignment might work. under the direction of Sylvia L. Perry. A second public meeting was held at the end of January. The final public work- For a description and photographs of shop is on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 pm in the Shaker Community Building. All the event, visit the City’s website, shak- residents are invited to attend and to participate in the planning process. A summary eronline.com. of the previous meetings is posted at www.shakeronline.com. City Council hopes to Yusko and Moore were nominated adopt a plan at its March Council meeting. for the human relations award in rec- ognition of their leadership in the revi- Earl Leiken Assumes Mayoral Duties talization of the Lomond Community Association, an effort which embraced On January 1, outgoing Mayor Judy Rawson passed the baton to the neighborhood’s diversity and that the City’s new mayor, Earl Leiken, who brings a wealth of expe- motivated the involvement of dozens of rience to the office. He previously served two consecutive terms its residents. The two men demonstrat- on City Council, including two years as Vice-Mayor. He also ed sustained and active commitment to served as Chair of the Community Life, Safety & Public Works, the Association’s resurgence and to its and Finance committees; and as a member of the Economic ongoing role of building community. Development Advisory Group. Brian Yusko led the creation of Formerly a partner at the law firm of Baker & Hostetler, a Safety Committee and spearhead- Leiken is past president of Shaker Family Center and has also ed the Association’s support for the served on the Youth Center board. He has been a member Ogbuji family, whose children were of the Jewish Community Center and served as its president. His experience also lost in a house fire. Bryan Moore includes two terms on the Shaker Heights Board of Education, including two years was instrumental in starting the Youth as president. Committee, organized to address issues Mayor Leiken is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He and relevant to Lomond’s teen population. his wife, Ellen, have lived in Shaker Heights since 1973. Their two sons, Jon and As a team, Yusko and Moore have Brian, are graduates of the Shaker public schools. Mayor Leiken’s three grandchil- encouraged participation and coop- dren also attend Shaker schools. eration among all the neighborhood’s residents. Al Foster, Nancy Moore, and James Brady continued on page 4 Win Council Seats Al Foster and Nancy Moore were re-elected to their Shaker Heights City Council positions, and are joined by newcomer James Brady. Al Foster previously was appointed to Council in May 2006 to fill an unexpired term. Prior to that, he served on City Council from 1996 until 2001. He is a 22-year FEBRuaRY | maRch 2008 city news Dr. King Awards been Vice Mayor and is a graduate of continued from page 3 both Leadership Shaker and Leadership Cleveland. Nancy Moore was first elected to a four-year term in 2003. She has been involved in our schools and community for more than two decades. She was a member of the Shaker Heights Board of Education and served as its president. She has worked as an educator and free- lance writer. After completing her undergraduate Dr. Winston Richie met Dr. Martin Luther studies at Vassar College and George King, Jr. at one of several fundraisers held Washington University, she earned a in Cleveland during the 1960s. master’s degree in language and linguis- tics from Georgetown University. She has Dr. Winston Richie’s Special Award served on the boards of Shaker Family was given to honor the life and achieve- Center, the Shaker Heights PTO, and the ment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sussex Community Association. in celebration of the 40th anniversary of James Brady served on the Shaker the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The FHA, Heights Safety and Public Works which was signed into law just one week Committee, Boulevard Elementary PTO, after Dr. King’s assassination, prohibits and Board of Directors for the Fund for housing discrimination based on race, the Future of Shaker Heights. He also color, religion, national origin, sex, dis- coaches lacrosse for Shaker High School ability, and family status. and the Community Life Department. Dr. Richie has devoted much of his He is a decorated combat veteran of the life to integration and fair housing. He Persian Gulf War. and his wife were among the first African He earned his bachelor’s degree and Americans to integrate Shaker’s Ludlow MBA from the University of Toledo. He neighborhood. He helped found the is currently the Vice President of Sales Ludlow Association, whose purpose was and Marketing for Cohort International, 7E¦VE to prevent racial resegregation.