Laserfiche WebLink
Regular Council Meeting <br />12-13-99 <br />Page 15 <br />The motion to authorize the 2S Plan for the widening of S.O.M. Center Road was removed from the <br />agenda. <br />^ A motion to authorize the 2N plan (5 lanes) for the widening of S.O.M. Center Road (north <br />of Highland Road) <br />Mr. Ilacqua, seconded by Mr. Busa, made a motion to authorize the 2N plan for widening of S.O.M. <br />Center Road. <br />Council President Marquardt asked if there was any discussion. <br />Mr. Ilacqua said at this point in time, I thank all the citizens for coming out this evening. I concur <br />with fellow Councilmember Buckholtz's comments about the Mayor and his efforts put forth. <br />However, and I want to state it for the record, I will have no hand in uprooting a single family from <br />this Village. With the 6 wide option, that is exactly what we will wind up doing. And in the name <br />of what? Progress? Aesthetics? We have senior citizens living on the west side of S.O.M. that are <br />84 and 82 that have been in this community for over 40 years. Where are they going to go? What <br />aze they going to do? That is all I have to say. <br />Council President Marquardt asked if there were any other comments. <br />Mayor Rinker said let me respond, Mr. Ilacqua. What you are saying not only does not fall on deaf <br />ears, but we have evidence of how we've dealt with those situations in a number of cases where we <br />have been able to work directly with individual families. There's one family who used to live where <br />the fire station now sits. That family now lives in Mayfield Heights near Lander Elementary School <br />because this administration took the time to sit down and talk with them and we worked something <br />out. We have options of moving houses. We have options of talking directly with every one of <br />these property owners. The impassioned speeches I did not heaz when we talked to the Rivers and <br />bought three of their properties, to the Ciofanis when we bought their properties, to the LaContes <br />when we bought their properties. We have not walked through this heedless and callous and I <br />frankly resent the fact that anybody would try to debase the discussion by playing on that emotion. I <br />have made a point in my administration to deal fairly, honestly and directly with every citizen on <br />these issues. I do not back off and I am sorry that you won't have a hand in at least allowing this to <br />go forward--discussing this further before slamming the door on the future of this community. <br />Because of all the things that aze being invoked here tonight in the name of the Village--of not <br />wanting a Mayfield Road--that is exactly why I want to look at this--is to avoid creating the kind of <br />commercial crap that we have seen every suburb fall prey to. Fairmount Boulevard, in a lot of <br />places, has very short front yazds and virtually no commercial--or wherever you see it you can't even <br />tell it's there. It's not Gates Mills Boulevard where everyone has got more money to burn on an old <br />right-of--way. Monticello Blvd. in a number of places has very nice houses close in. No, it's not a <br />perfect world. We're not making that decision tonight. We're making way for the opportunity to be <br />more intelligent about it. Now, I could tell every one of you on Council if and when someone wants <br />to come knocking on our door to challenge what is a referendum issue to change the residential <br />zoning on this corridor, what do they do in a Court of Law, they look to our Charter. Our Charter <br />