LIVE PUBLIC SQUARE A.K.A. JIMMY DIMORA SQUARE WEBCAM CONSTRUCTION UPDATES FROM TOWER CITY CENTER IN CLEVELAND, OHIO:

http://www.towercitycenter.com/event/live-public-square-renovation/2145454801

Mayor Jackson’s administration recently engineered the senseless destruction of  218-year old Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio. 

A new square, under construction, has been nicknamed the Jimmy Dimora Square because of corruption involved in the process.

The $32 million project, which will be built on the cheap, is scheduled for completion in time for the Republican National Convention in July 2016.

The funds are coming from corporate (Cleveland, Gund, Keybank, & Kent Hale Smith Foundations: $18 million) and $14 million from public sources. The Foundations have secured naming rights. In addition, about $5 million will be spent on relocating public utilities under the square. How much will be spent on relocating private utilities (AT&T, Illuminating Co., and Dominion East) is not known.

Ontario Street will be closed permanently and Superior Avenue will be narrowed from 77 ft. to 48 ft. and limited to buses only. During construction and major events – Superior will be closed completely. This choking of major arteries, according to the 2012 Traffic Study, will cause traffic nightmares. 

A defective design was selected which City Hall knew would cause delays in travel time to thousands and add to the operating costs of the RTA. 

Mass deception was used to promote the project. 

No full-scale Traffic Test was conducted and no Public Meetings were held. 

RTA rejected the Test and the Public Meetings – saying it was not their project even though they will be spending millions paying for operating costs. The project is estimated to cost the RTA $3.5 million in operating costs during the 16-month construction period, and $1 million in annual operating costs for delays caused by traffic gridlocks afterwards. Where is RTA going to get the extra money and what effect this will have on existing services is not yet known?

No Environmental Impact Statement – explaining the presence of hazardous materials (Asbestos, Lead, Mercury, etc.) in old electrical utilities buried under Public Square was provided. 

No plan was submitted explaining how ambulances and firetrucks will get around the crowded perimeter roadway. 

Mayor Jackson (“It is what it is is”) did not respond to ten e-mails and two certified letters raising questions about the project.

With a  37% poverty rate, the Casino, Forest City, and others will benefit from a rise in  property values while the rest of us will all get screwed. 

THIS IS A BOGUS PROJECT! 

THERE WAS NO NEED TO DESTROY OLD PUBLIC SQUARE!

The renovation has been actively opposed by the LEAVE PUBLIC SQUARE ALONE, and now the WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA SQUARE campaign since August 2014. As of today (May 8, 2015) – there have been over 350 hours of demonstrations, mostly in Public Square. This is the equivalent of walking nearly 1,200 miles.

There was a 10-day long Hunger Strike to protest corruption in the project. 

The campaign has been virtually ignored by the media. The Plain Dealer is the biggest cheerleader for the project. The TV folks continue to sing its praise.

The protests will continue unabated.