[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 11, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2967-H2968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CLEVELAND AREA PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS THAT DEAL WITH MAKING OUR 
                          COMMUNITIES LIVEABLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues 
in speaking in support of livable community initiatives.
  I represent Ohio's 11th Congressional District that consists of both 
urban and suburban areas. Creating areas all citizens can enjoy is 
important. I believe we must not sacrifice our environment for 
expansion or destroy that which is already in place when we can utilize 
our spaces better.
  I would like to discuss several programs and projects in my district 
that deal with making our communities livable:
  The first program is in a small suburb of Cleveland called Woodmere 
Village. Woodmere is a small, predominantly African American community. 
Today the main thoroughfare in the village is Chagrin Boulevard, a busy 
two-lane road. Chagrin Boulevard, or Kinsman Road, as it was originally 
known, has long been a center for commerce with restaurants and stores, 
places like Gino's Jewelry and Trophy and Tuscany Gourmet Foods are 
examples of businesses that draw people from all over the greater 
Cleveland area.
  It is really wonderful for the Cleveland area to have such a vital 
route in

[[Page H2968]]

it, but a blessing can also create a burden. Chagrin Boulevard daily 
has traffic of nearly 26,000 vehicles. There are countless turnoffs 
from the street into private parking lots that cause traffic delays. 
The lanes of traffic are wide, often meaning that two-lane road turns 
into a four-lane highway with drivers exceeding the posted 25 miles per 
hour limit. People regularly drive simply to cross the street.
  This traffic problem resulted in Woodmere Village applying for a 
grant from the Transportation and Community and System Preservation 
Pilot Program. This grant will provide money for studies to be done to 
best create livable solutions for Chagrin Boulevard. I am happy to say 
that Woodmere received a grant of $195,000 for the Chagrin Boulevard 
project.
  The Transportation and Community Systems Preservation Act was a 
provision in our TEA-21 legislation, the Surface Transportation Act of 
last year. This program provides areas like Woodmere funds to improve 
by considering alternative transportation projects rather than simply 
constructing a traditional bypass to look at what would happen if more 
time, thought and resources were available to make a more comprehensive 
approach to the situation. The plan in Woodmere is not simply to create 
more lanes and widen the roadway, as was originally recommended. 
Rather, with some ingenuity the village is planning to create a true 
small-town thoroughfare. There will be tree-lined medians flanking the 
boulevard on both sides creating more pedestrian-friendly frontage 
roads. New sidewalks, crosswalks and traffic signals will be installed.
  Mr. Speaker, we must give people the option to leave their cars and 
walk to shops and restaurants. Chagrin Boulevard would be safer for 
drivers, accessible to people walking or wanting to ride a bike and 
better for those businesses along its routes should this proposed plan 
be accepted. This is a perfect example of creating a livable space with 
what is already available.
  I look forward to using the new Chagrin Boulevard because I travel it 
regularly.
  As the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), the driving force 
behind many livable initiatives such as this, said on the floor a week 
ago, it is not about Federal interference but partnership. It is about 
giving people more choices rather than fewer, and that will end up 
costing people less money rather than more.
  I would also like to highlight ParkWorks. This is a program working 
to reclaim urban parks. In Cleveland, Forest Hills Park, a large park 
bordered by three municipalities, one such area was rehabilitated by 
ParkWorks. It is now a thriving area for children and families. 
ParkWorks plans outdoor activities in these parks, encouraging those of 
us living in cities to enjoy available natural resources. ParkWorks has 
also worked with schools and churches in Cleveland funding things like 
a new running track for a local high school and has planted 50,000 
trees and created gardens for neighborhoods. The money for improvements 
is donated from the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund for the parks and 
through public-private partnerships for other projects. I would like to 
commend the involvement of ParkWorks in making urban areas more 
livable. By increasing green space and making that space available to 
the greater community they encourage a sense of partnership and 
camaraderie.
  Finally, I would like to commend an organization in my district 
working for affordable housing. The Affordable Housing Tax Credit 
Coalition is awarding the Cleveland housing network $5,000 for winning 
the Tax Credit Excellence Award in metropolitan urban category. The 
Cleveland Housing Network develops affordable housing in Cleveland's 
neighborhoods on a lease-purchase basis. These affordable options serve 
families in poverty by providing home ownership opportunities. 
Participants in the program of the Cleveland Housing Network will own 
their own homes within 15 years. By promoting home ownership 
organizations like the Cleveland Housing Network give poor citizens the 
ability to have a stake in the overall community. This sort of program 
is also important to livable communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the Cleveland Housing Network.
  Without adequate housing we ostracize capable and interested citizens 
and deny them the ability to enjoy the true feeling of community. I 
commend the work of the Cleveland Housing Network and congratulate them 
on their receipt of this award. Specifically I would like to commend 
and recognize both Rob curry, the Executive Director, and Andrew Clark, 
the Chairman of the Board for the Cleveland Housing Network.

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