Cleveland’s East Side shoreline expansion project awarded nearly $1 million

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund awarded $985,000 for the continued design and engineering of the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study, or CHEERS project, located on Cleveland’s East Side.

The funds are part of a total of $1.97 million in design and engineering funds dedicated to the first phase of the transformative shoreline project intended to create a more naturalized shoreline of parks and habitat while also mitigating erosion and creating a sheltered embayment allowing visitors to safely access Lake Erie.

“We’re thrilled by the support to advance the transformative CHEERS project that will protect and enhance Cleveland’s East Side lakefront,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman in a statement about the award. “This project will create a resilient shoreline, improve quality of water and habitat, and eliminate barriers that have long separated Cleveland’s East Side communities from the lakefront.”

Matching funds and design input for the project come from six partners including the Metroparks, the city of Cleveland, the Port of Cleveland, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Black Environmental Leaders Association.

The plan, developed in part with the feedback of more than 1,500 community members and stakeholders, will use dredged material from the Cuyahoga River to create acres of additional shoreline property spanning from the East 55th Street Marina and Gordon Park.

The newly formed shoreline plan includes play spaces, amenities, trails, picnic lawns, fishing areas, habitats and overlooks, and is connected to a newly created a 36-acre isle north of the marina and the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve, which was once landfill.

The Cleveland City Planning Commission in October approved the plan to use dredged material from the Cuyahoga River. The total cost for the project is estimated to be around $300 million.

Ohio’s new unemployment insurance tax system for employers is scheduled to go live beginning Dec. 6, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services announced this week.

The State of Ohio Unemployment Resource for Claimants and Employers ,or SOURCE, replaces the current unemployment insurance tax system, the Employer Resource Information Center, which is more than 10 years old.

“Replacing Ohio’s antiquated unemployment system will allow us to better serve both employers and unemployed Ohioans,” said ODJFS director Matt Damschroder in a statement. “This transition was underway when the pandemic struck, temporarily delaying its implementation,” he added.

SOURCE, Damschroder added, will streamline processes; increase efficiencies; improve the customer experience; and facilitate flexibility to quickly respond to changes.

Ohio employers need to have up-to-date log-in credentials, which can be validated here, to use the new system.

Employers can access online tutorials and virtual training with step-by-step instructions and other information here.

The state plans to roll out SOURCE to replace the 17-year-old Ohio Job Insurance benefits system and RC Express, the legacy unemployment appeals system, in late 2022.

State grant programs available to eligible Ohio businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic have remaining balances on the books for those in need.

The programs, including the Food and Beverage Establishment, Lodging Grant, Entertainment Venue and New Small Business grants, administered by the Ohio Department of Development, have a total of nearly $196 million available.

“These funds were prioritized to help small businesses rebound from the pandemic and can be used to modernize equipment, hire more employees and make needed upgrades to their facilities, so they can continue to be competitive, create jobs and serve their communities,” said Lt. Gov. Jon Husted in a statement.

The total funds remaining in the four programs:

• $120,585,751 for the Food and Beverage Establishment Grant, which provides grants of $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000 to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other food and drinks businesses. ($79,414,249 total awarded)

• $36,326,535 for the Lodging Grant, which provides grants of $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000 to hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast operations. ($13,673,465 total awarded)

• $26,179,692 for the Entertainment Venue Grant, which provides grants of $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000 to theaters, music venues, spectator sports venues, museums and other entertainment venues. ($13,820,308 total awarded)

• $12,800,000 for the New Small Business Grant, which provides grants of $10,000 to small businesses that were established between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020. ($7,200,000 total awarded)

Information about each of the grant programs and links to apply for the grants are available at InvestingInOhiosFuture.Ohio.gov.