We're Hiring: Certified Mechanic

The City of Lakewood, has an outstanding opportunity for a certified seasoned mechanic to join our team of professionals in the Division of Fleet Management.

Successful candidates must have 5 years or more of experience as a Mechanic preferably in a Fleet environment, possess a High School Diploma or GED equivalent, a valid Class A Commercial Drivers License (with less than 8 points) and tanker and passenger endorsements and possess ASE or related certificates, master level preferred. In compliance with Federal law, the successful candidate must be certified in Heating and Air Conditioning recirculation, recycling and recovery as required by Section 609 of the amended Clean Air Act.

The wage range for this position is $22.55 to $22.98 per hour. Interested candidates meeting these requirements may apply in the Office of Human Resources at Lakewood City Hall, 12650 Detroit Avenue or may download an application in PDF format from the Human Resources page on the website.

View the detailed description here.

The City of Lakewood is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Jobs with the US Census Coming to Lakewood

The City of Lakewood, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, will host a Census Job Fair on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM in the Lakewood City Hall Auditorium, 12650 Detroit Avenue.

Census recruiters and top regional officials will be assisting Lakewood and Cuyahoga County residents with their... part-time and full-time employment searches. They will introduce area residents to the benefits of becoming part of the 2010 Census team and highlight the importance of community involvement in obtaining a complete count.

At the job fair, residents will have the opportunity to not only find out about census positions and testing requirements, but will also have the chance to take part in a confidential 30 minute pre-employment screening test on location. The officials at the fair will also provide on-site help to aid prospective employees with any uncertainties related to the simple or more complex test questions. Further information about employment or community involvement, future testing dates and literature will be available.

Also visit http://2010.census.gov.

H1N1 Vaccination Clinic to be held on Sunday

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health and the Northeast Ohio Public Health Partnership will hold a free H1N1 Vaccination Clinic on Sunday, December 13, 2009 from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Garfield Middle School, 13114 Detroit Avenue.

The Clinic is open to anyone who would like to receive the vaccination. Children under 10 years of age that were vaccinated anytime before November 16th can also get their second dose.

Handicap parking will be available at Garfield. General parking is available at Lakewood City Hall, 12650 Detroit Avenue or 12701 Detroit Avenue. Because parking is limited, individuals are encouraged to use public transportation to get to the clinic.

Click here to pre-register for the vaccination.

For more information about the H1N1 clinics, call the Cuyahoga County Board of Health at (216) 201-2001 and select option 5.

Protecting Lakewood's Landmarks - Update

A joint work session of the Planning Commission, City Council's Committee of the Whole, and the Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board has been scheduled for 10/21/09 at 6pm in the City Hall Auditorium. The groups will discuss the merits of the proposed legislation to protect the interiors of Lakewood's designated historic properties and consider amendments or alternatives. It will be a roll-up-your-sleeves style meeting that is open to the public. If you have material for the group to consider at that meeting, please submit it to planning@lakewoodoh.net before Monday, October 19th.

Your Voting Location May Have Changed

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections has made changes to voting precinct boundaries and voting locations in our community. Voters need to know their correct precinct and voting location. When voters cast a ballot on Election Day, they are required to vote in their correct voting location and precinct.

All voters who are affected by these changes received a Voter Location Notification (V.L.N.) card from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections informing them of their new precinct, and in some cases, their new voting location.

Voters can confirm their precinct and voting location at any time by visiting the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Web site at http://www.boe.cuyahogacounty.us/. This information can be found by clicking on the blue “Voters” button and following the prompts to find voting location and precinct information.

Voters who do not have computer access may call the Voter Information Hotline, 216-443-3298, and ask for their precinct and voting location.

Click here for the new Lakewood Precinct Map.

Wanna Buy a Cushman?

The City of Lakewood will be disposing of certain forfeited, confiscated, obsolete and
surplus items through GovDeals.com online auction service.

We've ended our usual Spring and Autumn auctions at City Hall. Now, items are added monthly as they become available throughout the year, so check back frequently to see the current items. You can inspect items before bidding (by appointment). To see a list of auction items, including the opportunity to own your very own Cushman Cart, visit here, or click on the "City Auctions" link on the onelakewood.com home page.

Email purchasing@lakewoodoh.net to schedule an appointment or for answers to any of your questions.

Tax Amnesty Begins

For the first time in recent memory, the City of Lakewood is launching an initiative to collect delinquent income taxes. Starting July 21st, the City will offer a ONE-TIME income tax amnesty allowing residents and businesses who are delinquent on their taxes to:

• File outstanding tax return(s) and pay the outstanding tax and interest in full without penalties
• Pay outstanding tax balance(s) and interest in full without penalties
• Pay outstanding penalties only balance(s) at a reduced amount

This opportunity will expire on September 30th, 2009. On that date, the City will initiate a more aggressive and less friendly, approach. The City will use its ability to access Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax records to identify taxpayers who did not file and/or pay the proper city income tax. Taxpayers identified after the income tax amnesty will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Lakewood Income Tax Ordinance and be held responsible for all penalties and interest levied against any outstanding tax balance(s).

No appointment is necessary. The Lakewood Municipal Income Tax Division is located at 12805 Detroit Avenue in the City Hall Annex Building on the corner of Detroit and Alameda Avenue. The Division can address any questions or concerns regarding this one-time tax amnesty in person, by phone at (216) 529-6620, or by email at taxdept@lakewoodoh.net during their regular business hours. Frequently asked questions, additional information, extended hours, and/or tax forms are available on our website at OneLakewood.com/Tax.

Discount Prescription Drug Program for Lakewood Residents

The City of Lakewood’s Discount Prescription Drug Program starts today. The city is making free prescription drug discount cards available to city residents through a program sponsored by the National League of Cities. The discount cards offer average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs.

The discount cards may be used by all Lakewood residents and has no restrictions based on the resident’s age, income level, or existing health coverage. The card can be used when purchasing prescription drugs at participating pharmacies around the city, as well as at more than 59,000 participating retail pharmacies across the country.

Lakewood residents only have to show their card when purchasing medication at one of the many participating pharmacies. To get a card, just visit here.

Any Lakewood resident can start saving on their regular prescription costs right away.

Fire Hydrant Testing

Starting this week, our fire department will begin testing the fire hydrants city wide. The department flushes and tests the hydrants annually to make cure the hydrants work in the event of an emergency.

Hydrants will be tested Monday through Thursday throughout the month. The testing may cause temporary discoloration of the water supply, so check the color of water before washing clothes to guard against discoloring fabrics. After a few hours, the water will run clear again. The discoloration is due to the release of built-up mineral deposits present in all water mains.

Residents with questions about the fire hydrant testing may call 529-6607 after 9:00 a.m. on weekdays.

Interested in an Arts District?

Arts and Culture is clearly visible all over the City of Lakewood. From the designs created by Virginia Marti students to the dramatic productions at the Beck to the artists’ studios at the Lake Erie Building at Templar Park... art is a way of life in Lakewood.

The Planning Commission Sub Committee on Arts and Culture is holding community meetings to discuss the idea. The first was at the Beck Center in early April. The next is at the Winchester Tavern and Music Hall, 12112 Madison Avenue on April 23rd at 6:30pm.

Tom Schorgl is hosting the community meetings. Tom is President of Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC). He's worked with Cleveland City Council to develop a Live/Work ordinance that enable the creation of downtown spaces in which artists can reside as well as maintain their work studios; provided program development counsel for Cuyahoga County Department of Development to implement its Arts & Culture as Economic Development (ACE) grants; and created CPAC’s Artist as Entrepreneur Institute to provide business training to artists. He's an arts guy, and he's going to help the group answer three primary questions:
• What do artists need and want to make Lakewood the place they live and work?
• What are Arts and Culture Districts?
• How do would we benefit from them?

Hope to see you there.

Holiday Schedule Changes for City Services

City Hall will be closed Friday, April 10th to observe Good Friday.

So, the folks who collect our refuse and recycling are going to hustle to get five days of collection squeezed into just four days. If your normal collection day is Monday, nothing changes. But, if your normal collection day is Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, then we might get there a day early, so get that stuff out of the house just in case. And if your normal collection day is Friday, well, get it ready for Thursday collection.

Don't forget that refuse and recycling should not be placed on the curb or tree lawn until after 6:00 p.m. on the night before your collection day and should be available for collection by 6:30 a.m. on the collection day. Call Refuse and Recycling at (216) 252-4322 if you have any questions or need special accommodations.