by Jennifer Bowen
Supplement to Northern Ohio Live, October 2000
Not many communities can claim a history of continuity that has remained prosperous since its humble beginnings more than one hundred years ago. Lakewood can. Even fewer can claim to have maintained a strong sense of community pride and neighborhood friendliness in the advent of growth and development. Still, Lakewood can.
Founded
in 1889, Lakewood was once the place of orchards and vineyards. Gradually,
it saw an increase in housing developments, as wealthy industrialists began
building summer estates and company lodgings along the Lake Erie shore. Many
such homes, including ones that housed the founder
of Glidden Paint and Varnish and the inventor of the White
Electrical Motor Car, are now listed on the National Historic Register.
Encompassing nearly six miles of tree-lined streets, and almost 60,000 residents, the community has the unique distinction of having two natural recreational resources as borders, with Lake Erie to the north and the Cleveland Metropark's Rocky River Reservation to the west. Just over five miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and five miles west of Public Square, as well as minutes away from a number of major freeways, Lakewood provides easy access to all of northern Ohio's amenities.
But
what Lakewood is particularly known for is the warmth and unity of community
it displays today. Families, young professionals and seniors are continually
drawn to its affordable housing, extensive city services and healthcare
and high-quality public and parochial schools. In fact, Lakewood is what [former*] Mayor
Madeline Cain simply but accurately describes as "a good place to call
home."
Since she took office as mayor of Lakewood in 1995, Mayor Cain says, these services have continued to strengthen. For instance, emergency services expanded to include a fire-based emergency medical system in 1999, an additional paramedic squad and twice as many medically trained responders. Especially of significance has been the reduction in response times from between eight and ten minutes to between two and five minutes.
In order to further secure a prosperous future, Lakewood has begun to implement its Community Vision. The product of citizen input, this vision sets a number of goals in almost every crucial area, but most importantly focuses on planning and zoning, says Cain.
The
first point of the Community Vision serves to attract new businesses to Lakewood
and bolster economic development. By the same token, developers are urged
to remember the architectural history of the community as they create new
business. "Businesses can flourish in this community, particularly if they
respect our history and try to leverage that history and those standards,"
says Mayor Cain.
Second, the vision has allowed, and will continue to allow for, the enhancement of Lakewood's neighborhoods in terms of infrastructure and housing improvements, including sidewalk-to-sidewalk construction. "At the end of a three-year period, we're seeing neighborhoods that are being completely transformed," says Cain.
Still, in terms of future importance, parks and recreation are key, says Cain, who believes the time to reinvest in Lakewood's park system is now. "We have to provide not only for our generation, but for future generations, with good, safe neighborhood and park environments," she says. In particular, the city is currently examining how to best use its own gem, lakefront Lakewood Park.
Above all,
Mayor Cain views Lakewood's neighborhoods as among its biggest strengths.
Known as the "City of Homes," Lakewood provides its residents with a wide
variety of housing and neighborhood options, from stately Lake Road mansions
and Gold Coast condominiums to charming single-family homes and affordable
rental properties.
"We have neighborhoods where people live together, people are brought together.
We do not live in isolation, and that's why we're a healthy, vibrant community,"
says Cain.
FAMILY LIFE
Of
particular importance to the growth and prosperity of Lakewood is the
presence of many young families. "We're seeing young families rent their first
home here, buy their first home here, buy their second home here. And that's
just a trend you don't see anymore," says Mayor Cain. This can be attributed
to family programs and services and strong schools -- both public and parochial.
Lakewood's Department of Human Services/Early Childhood assists parents in accessing various services, including affordable child care. In addition, the Family Rooms serve as family drop-in centers, operate toy lending libraries and help to ensure the well-being of the entire family. "The Family Rooms bring people together from every socioeconomic level and provide a support system," says Cain.
The Division of Police has also been instrumental in establishing youth and family programs. Youth services personnel, police officers, and schools administration and staff meet regularly to discuss and address the needs of Lakewood's children, says Chief of Police Dan Clark. And recently, Lakewood became one of five area communities to take part in the Children Who Witness Violence program. Here, response teams are notified of children who have witnessed violence in their homes, and mental health workers are sent to the scene for assessment and early intervention.
"There have been some very positive reactions to this program," says Chief Clark. "It give police officers a much greater sense of being able to do something to help these children."
Through the Division of Aging, Lakewood provides a number of valuable senior services. Outreach and social workers provide case management and counseling on a number of topics. Home healthcare is available, as are minivans to transport residents to senior centers. In addition, the department strives to protect the nutrition and safety needs of seniors. Various recreation and entertainment excursions are available in the form of games, movies, parties, holiday celebrations, trips, wellness programs, volunteer opportunities and more.
Lakewood Hospital serves as an integral partner to the city, operating a walk-in health clinic for seniors. The hospital's outreach services also extend to fit the needs of women, young children and needy families.
"Our senior services are probably the most extensive you'll find in suburban government anywhere in the state of Ohio," says Mayor Cain. "Our services certainly keep those individuals out of nursing homes and allow them to live in the community safely and comfortably."
EDUCATION
Throughout its history, Lakewood has been known for its high-quality schools and extensive curricula. In fact, the schools and their students have consistently garnered numerous awards for academic and extracurricular achievement. Recently, the Lakewood School District was recognized as a Top 100 School Nationwide by Money magazine. It also received the national "What Parents Want Award," given to school districts that most closely match what parents look for in a school district -- including smaller class size, challenging curriculum and highly trained staff.
With one high school, three middle and ten elementary, Lakewood essentially operates a neighborhood school system, where younger students have to walk only two or three blocks to their elementary school. "Every neighborhood in Lakewood has its own school with its own playground -- and that's one of the reasons we have such proud ownership of our schools," says Mayor Cain.
At the upper level, Lakewood High School has consistently enjoyed a great reputation, and students are readily accepted at the colleges and universities to which they apply, says Dr. P. Joseph Madak, superintendent. last year, 100 percent of college-bound students passed their proficiency tests and as a whole, scored well above the national average on SAT and ACT tests. Moreover, thirty-five percent of college-bound seniors received more than $1.5 million in scholarships and assistance to the colleges of their choice.
However, what is truly remarkable at Lakewood High School is the great variety of available study, with nearly 200 courses and 65 extracurricular activities. Students can take classes from japanese to psychology to on-line journalism.
"Many parents comment that one of the things they appreciate about the Lakewood school system is the diversity of programming," says Madak. "No matter what eventual courses our students need, no matter what career choices they make, Lakewood has the programming to support them."
Still, the Lakewood school system is continuing to ensure the overall welfare of its students. The city has begun a program which sends professional social workers and counselors into the schools on a daily basis to do intervention work, special programming, recess operation and referrals.
The West Shore Vocational District (now called West Shore Career and Technical District -ed.), which provides courses for students from Lakewood, Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake, is also located at Lakewood High School. The program has been ranked number one in Ohio for many years in terms of the percentage of students who find employment in the fields for which they are trained, says Madak. In fact, last year 100 percent of students completing this program found jobs or continued their education in their chosen fields.
Lakewood is also home to six private elementary schools, as well as two highly respected private high schools. St. Edward High School is a college-preparatory, all-boys high school with grades 9-12. It enjoys a 96 percent graduation rate, while individual students have gained numerous academic reputation and is celebrating its 75th anniversary this fall.
Today, learning is extended beyond the school building, as the Education and Recreation Department serves 16,000 adults and youth in a wide variety of educational and recreational programs. As one of only three or four communities in northeast Ohio to combine adult and youth recreation, Lakewood provides its residents with some unique opportunities, says Erin Fach, commissioner of community recreation and education. For instance, adults can take part in spring softball, take numerous cooking and cultural courses, or prepare to build their retirement dream. Children can form summer baseball teams and learn to swim at two of Lakewood's public swimming pools, learn to decorate a cake or begin to Irish step-dance.
The Board of Recreation intends to continue building awareness of the recreation opportunities available and the new things being done. Currently, work is being done to expand and improve existing programs while also trying to introduce new programming. In particular, Fach hopes to soon be able to list all recreation programs on the Web, so residents can register at home.
"We want to continue to make our programs accessible to all Lakewood residents," says Fach. "Because, in any city, recreation is a big part of what makes a good community great."
ARTS & CULTURE
More and more people are coming to discover what Lakewood residents have known for some time: This truly is a place for cultural enrichment. Not only does Lakewood's population reflect great ethnic diversity, but it also displays great appreciation for the arts.
One of this community's greatest facilities, the Beck Center for the Arts, offers a broad range of entertainment and educational opportunities in the performing and visual arts. Founded in 1948, the center's Theater School for Children and Teens is the longest continuously operating theater educational program in the country. Each year, the theater department presents a total of eleven productions.
Top-quality instruction is also offered at the Beck Center in such areas as ballet, modern dance, tap, modern jazz and social dancing. Also, professional artist-instructors teach such things as drawing, painting, cartooning, creative writing and pottery. Classes are available to artists of all ages.
Still another of Beck Center's selling points is its 3,400-square-foot gallery, which serves as home to the Cleveland Artists Foundation. The gallery exhibits contemporary and historic works by artists with connections to northeast Ohio.
Not too far away, the Riverside Academy of Music (now part of Beck Center -ed.) attracts students from thirty-six cities throughout northeast Ohio. The school offers piano and voice lessons, as well as instruction in all band and orchestra instruments.
Ice-skating buffs and residents alike are particularly proud of Lakewood's own Winterhurst Ice Rink (now Serpentini Arena at Winterhurst). As one of the largest indoor rinks in the country, Winterhurst has received international acclaim for the championship and Olympic skaters who have trained and coached there. Most recently, it was the practice site for skaters during the 2000 National Figure Skating Championships, held in Cleveland last February.
Yet what many residents feel truly lies at the center of the community is the Lakewood Public Library. "If you want to see the vitality, diversity, energy and future of Lakewood, go to the library," says Kenneth Warren, the library's director.
With two branches, this library system serves all segments of the community with a rich mixture of books and audiovisual materials, as well as technology instruction for adults and various programming for children and families. Such programming is important, because today's young parents are very involved and want to spend time with their children in the library, Warren says. For instance, Baby and me is designed for parents with babies nine to twenty-four months to enjoy books and songs, while Family Weekend Wonders is designed to bring the entire family together for programming that combines music, crafts and stories.
At the start of the 2000-2001 school year, the library introduced a new program specially designed to suit teachers' needs. The Teacher Loan Carrier program allows teachers who either work or reside in Lakewood to notify the library's children's department as to what type of materials they need and have them delivered and picked up. Also noteworthy, the Homeward Bound delivery service will bring reading materials to anyone who is sic or indisposed and cannot travel to the library.
BUSINESS
As home to nearly 1,000 businesses and government agencies which employ more than 21,000 people, Lakewood is not simply a good place to call home, but it is a good place to do business. In particular, it supports a number of businesses that have flourished in the community for many years.
"Overall, the state of business in Lakewood is good," says Matthew Biscotti, director of the Chamber of Commerce. "But what many people don't realize is that they don't have to leave town to get what they want -- and often at a cheaper price."
At the heart of Lakewood's business community is City Center, which holds fifteen retail stores, including Marc's discount store and JoAnn Fabrics. Major avenues, such as Madison and Detroit are lined with unique specialty and antique shops. Yet what makes shopping in Lakewood so special are the charming storefronts, brick buildings and accessibility. "You can walk wherever you want," says Biscotti.
Close to City Center is Geiger's Clothing and Sports. An anchor in Lakewood, Geiger's not only outfits today's sports buff, but is continuously supportive of Lakewood athletics with numerous donations. And no chocolate-lover can pass through Lakewood without a visit to the Malley's Chocolates ice cream and candy parlor. The regional favorite got its start in Lakewood more than sixty-five years ago.
Not simply a place for retail, Lakewood is also home to a number of larger corporations. A favorite of girls of all ages, Bonne Bell Cosmetics operates its international headquarters in Lakewood. Other major employers include UCAR Carbon Company, Lake Erie Screw Corporation and Hinkley Lighting.
Still,
what makes Lakewood's business community unique is its level of involvement
with the community, says Biscotti. "The Chamber in Lakewood is a good group
of concerned businesspeople. Most join just because they feel it's important
to be involved in the community where their business is located," he says.
As we move ahead to a different time, Lakewood residents have not forgotten what brought them here. And, as yesterday's industrialists and developers have given way to tomorrow's business leader, educator or public servant, some things do remain unchanged. Simply put, it cannot be forgotten what lies at the heart of Lakewood's prosperity is its character, its neighborhoods and its people.
As
one Lakewood resident put it: "Lakewood is streets versus roads, storefronts
versus malls and front porches versus attached garages." To which can be added,
neighborhood schools versus mass busing and grand architectural history versus
big-box construction. And instead of a sea of anonymity, it's an abundance
of friendly faces.
Or, as Chief Clark says, "You really grow up here -- you can't help but know everyone on the street, you can walk to a friend's house, you walk to school. There's a nice appeal about a place where people wave and know you by name!"
* Madeline A. Cain was Mayor of Lakewood from 1996 to 2004.