LifeLongClevelander

Right now, the volume of bungalows on the market is a "manageable" percentage of the real estate market. It helps were a community has held up well regarding crime and schools. Once those start trending in the wrong direction or the volume of those types of houses increases, it will drive down prices. I have also noticed that even some areas that do have a better "reputation", there has been an increase in houses becoming rentals. If the peak or near peak in prices is not enough to cause the owner of a rental house to turn around and sell it now, then it tells me they are staying as rentals.

The real estate market is crazy right now. The short supply, especially after such an extended period of time, is playing a huge factor. Even now, I haven't seen an uptick in new listings that would normally pop up in the spring. The market value is going up, being from bidding wars or all-cash deals that don't rely on getting lending approval. All of this will factor in appraisals increasing. Then factor in the ranking of school districts, crime, services and other quality of life factors. The lending industry may be more "cautious" in lending, but if appraisals and market values are increasing, so will the money that will be lent out as well. The factors may be different, but one can't help but wondering what the ceiling may be. Will this be another bubble like the one around 2007? When will the point come that people finally start feeling comfortable about listing their houses once again? I also have to question what is going to happen when certain communities that were built up in the 1950's and 1960's start facing a large increase in selling due to the aging of the home owners. There are some suburbs that has 70% to 80% of the housing stock fall into two or perhaps three styles. I've seen some extremely crazy sale prices in the neighborhood where I used to live. I also know that there are still quite a few elderly who still live there and at any time their living situations can change. I don't expect much demand for "vintage" unaltered mid-1950 to mid-1960 homes with no character if there ends up being a large number of them hitting the market at the same time. When this happened to suburbs that were slightly older, it played a big factor in the bottom falling out of the real estate market for those cities.

East Cleveland has a history in recent years of receiving hand-me-downs from several suburbs. They will just tap into the retired municipal equipment pipeline again for replacements. For that city, receiving surplus retired backup cruisers, rescue squads and whatever else will allow them to put into service equipment that is better than what they have been using in front-line service.

Regarding the Bluebird fleet, the 1954/1955 group had some minor differences with the 1958 group. For the original group, near the roof on either side of the operator's control end, there was a single lens where a colored filter rotated behind it so the light would be white, red or green. On the later group, this was replaced with three individual lenses with the white, red or green colors. Additionally, the married-pairs from the first group had only one pantograph for current collection for the 2-car set. On the second group, there were pantographs on the roof of both cars of the pair. Only one was used for current collection, however the second one did not have a power cable attached. It could be raised with special sleet-cutting sliders in place of the carbon sliders used for current collection in icy weather. As for the Airporters, the second group of 10 had smaller windshields than the first 20. The ends were the same, just the openings were smaller. In the late 1950's the Shaker Rapid was looking to replace the final group of center-entrance former Cleveland streetcars. They originally looked to purchase the eight that operated on Illinois Terminal. That number was too small so they turned to St. Louis Public Service. Initially they were going to purchase 14 from that city, but the cost of recovery from a bad flood that filled up their Kingsbury Run Shop complex and declining rider numbers caused them to reduce the purchase to 10 cars. The four that were declined by Shaker Heights ended up going out to San Francisco where they had earlier acquired 66 of that same group from St. Louis. As for the Illinois Terminal PCC's, 6 of the 8 were eventually scrapped and the remaining 2 went to the museums which eventually leased them to RTA in 1975. The PCC car was truly an amazing design. The operating technology behind the design was excellent. It was designed for flexibility in ordering. The standard car body was 46 feet long and 100 inches wide. Cities could order different lengths. Detroit, Shaker, Pacific Electric, San Francisco and Chicago all operated the 50 foot versions. Shaker, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago operated 108 inch wide cars. Washington D.C. operated shorter cars. Many systems operated on "standard gauge" track (4' 8 1/2" track gauge), however St. Louis and Toronto operated 4' 10" inch gauge track, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh had 5' 2 1/2" gauge, Baltimore had 5' 4 1/2" gauge and Los Angeles had 3' 6" gauge. The design was so well established so that a streetcar system could unload a brand new PCC from a flatcar after the morning rush hour, have the destination roll signs added and have it taken out for a trial trip around the carbarn that day. That same car could then be hauling passengers in the evening rush hour. Now, many newer design light rail vehicles take months if not years to get them operational. Of course, those types of problems happen when systems go for brand new designs with untested technology and no history of working out the problems. It gets repeated all too frequently.

Even within those fleets, there were differences. The Bluebirds came in 2 different orders - 1954/1955 and 1958. The two orders were of the same type of car, but they had significant differences. 101-112 (1954/1955) and 113-118 (1958) were single units with operators controls at both ends. 201-256 (1954/1955) and 257-270 (1958) were semi-permanently joined together (married pairs) with a draw bar and had controls on one end of each car. They could be disconnected, but it involved significant effort. In later years, two of the 201-256 group were joined with two of the 257-270 group creating married pairs renumbered as 271-272 and 273-274, consisting of one from each group. This was done as one car in the original pairs in each case needed major repairs, enough so that it wasn't worth doing the work. These mixed pairings allowed 2 sets to stay in service. In later years, many of the single unit cars were removed from service and their parts permitted more married pairs to stay in operation. The presence of the single unit Airporters negated the need for the single unit Bluebirds to run in off-peak service. All of these cars did run to the Airport as well when the line was extended from West Park. There were 30 Airporters total. 151-170 came in 1967/1968 and 171-180 came in 1970. They were all single-unit cars with controls on both ends. The PCC fleet actually had more differences: 71-95, the only group purchased new by Shaker Heights, were 50-foot cars and were multiple-unit capable (run in trains) 56-70 were purchased from Twin Cities, were 46-foot cars and had multiple-unit capability added 51-55 were purchased from Twin Cities, were 46-foot cars but remained as single units (unable to run in trains) 40-49 (40 was later renumbered to 50) were purchased in 1959 from St. Louis Public Service, were 46-foot cars and had multiple-unit capability added. This group permitted the retirement of the last of the original center-entrance former Cleveland streetcars from service. The 51-70 and 40-49 cars were actually as wide as the 71-95 group at 9 feet (108 inches). The conversions for Shaker were done in their original cities before being shipped to Cleveland. 40-49, 56-70 and 71-95 were able to be mixed together in trains. In 1975, RTA leased two double-end PCC cars from museums and rebuilt/restored them, 450 and 451. They had controls at both ends with only one set of doors--at the front. They originally operated on the Illinois Terminal line that ran into St. Louis. They could only operate in a train with themselves. They were returned to the museums in 1979. They were 50-foot cars and 9 feet wide. In 1977, RTA purchased 2 additional single unit PCC cars from Newark, 3 and 27. These were originally from Twin Cities and were otherwise identical to 51-55. They replaced 59 and 65 that were wrecked in the head-on collision in the summer of 1977, but remained single units on RTA. In 1978, RTA purchased 9 former Cleveland PCCs that were originally sold and shipped to Toronto in 1952-1953. These cars were 4630, 4648, 4651, 4652, 4655, 4656, 4662, 4663 and 4665. They were equipped with multiple unit controls (they were built this way for eventual multiple-unit operation in Cleveland, but only had couplers added in Toronto) but they could only operate in trains within their own group due to different couplers. 4630 never actually operated in service on RTA. These cars were 46 feet long, but they were narrower than the rest of the RTA PCC fleet being 100 inches wide (8 foot 4 inches). Being that these cars were narrower, the front two panels of the 4-panel front doors were disabled and a bar placed in front of the steps inside. When these 9 arrived, the 2 leased museum cars were returned to the museums shortly thereafter.

I once knew a heavy rail operator on RTA. When he was an operator (he has long since retired), they used to run trains that only operated on the west side. At the Terminal Tower, they would change directions and head back to the Airport. The ridership numbers were greater on the west side versus the east side. Perhaps trips from Shaker, Van Aken or a mix of both could travel to the west side and others on the Waterfront Line. Aside from the differences in parts, there is another issue with the current shop and how they maintain the rail fleets. The shop has different jacking positions for each type of rail car. This may "seem" minor until one considers that the hydraulic jacks are embedded in the concrete floor of the Central Rail maintenance building. The 3-truck (wheel/axle/motor assemblies) articulated Breda cars have specific tracks they use for lifting while the 2-truck Tokyu rail cars have their own. When they still had a handful of the older rail cars they needed to service, they had to use portable jacks to properly lift those cars when they needed to do so. Extremely inflexible and redundant design.

As you stated, the Breda rail cars on the Blue and Green lines are very poorly built and have serious design problems as are San Francisco's Breda cars. Their reliability in service in San Francisco approaches that of the infamous Boeing LRV's that ran only in San Francisco and Boston. Boston also has a fleet of 95 Breda LRV's that are the Type 8 class that were delivered from 1999-2006. That order was truncated and there were significant legal actions initiated by MBTA due to poor reliablity. The Siemens rail cars are also common in Europe. Hopefully RTA decides to go with this manufacturer for its new fleet, They should go with a standard mechanical design and not design a totally new rail vehicle with new, unproven technology. Go with established designs where all of the bugs have been worked out. This is what made the PCC streetcar such a successful design from the mid-1930's to 1951 and continued on in rapid transit heavy rail cars into the late 1950's and early 1960's.

It is extremely alarming to hear of the drastic increase of violent crimes being committed by younger and younger teens. Robberies, shootings and assaults are being committed by youths that have barely reached the age of being a teenager. A 14-year old that was a part of group of teens that had committed 40 carjackings in recent months, including SEVEN in one day. Then it comes out that this kid had been released from house arrest stemming from previous robberies and violence as "he was doing good in school". These kids know how to play the supposed legal minds that are running the criminal justice system. If as early teens they can play the system now, what kinds of masterminds and ringleaders will they become when older with years of experience to build on? By the way, in that spree of 7 carjackings in one day, CPD had requested for permission to pursue 4 times and had their requests rejected each time. "Kids" play magistrates and know how to get away from being caught. How long before we hear of crime sprees from 10-year olds?

I do believe the floor area of the Wolstein Center is the standard size for a regulation hockey rink. The indoor soccer leagues based their field size and layout on the area used for hockey arenas. I attended indoor soccer games at the old Richfield Coliseum and Wolstein Center. The playing area at Richfield was regulation as was the area at Wolstein. There were other indoor soccer venues like where the Baltimore team played that were non-standard (for example, in Baltimore to balance things out, the teams would switch benches for the second half). As for seating capacity, there have been ice shows held at RoMoFiHo where there was ample excess capacity that would have been translated to less than a full house if they were held at Wolstein. Agree with you wholeheartedly that better rail access to Wolstein would greatly appeal to those who want to attend events at that facility. The current way of reaching Wolstein via mass transit is inconvenient and slow as it would involve transfers to most and have to deal with surface traffic.

There is another point to consider and that is the statement in the first paragraph in the article: "The Cleveland region saw one of the biggest gains in net new residents during the pandemic, according to a new study, adding more proof that the virus is altering migration patterns." It will be interesting to see how the numbers shake out from the census and other sites. Where are the gains happening? We need to see if the gains are in the city, suburbs or evenly distributed, plus what is considered as part of the Cleveland region for this study.

Berry is handling the free agency situation wisely. He knows that he will have to start making long-term commitments to players like Mayfied, Ward and Chubb. The defensive end/edge market got overpriced and could lead to teams getting burned by signing players with questionable injury histories. Recall last year the projections of Jadeveon Clowney coming here? Fortunately, he either wanted too much or what he thought in the way the 2020 season would turn out for the Browns wasn't good enough for him. Even though Vernon got hurt, the Browns got far more production out of him than what Clowney produced in only 8 games with the Titans before he got hurt.

Most certainly Wolstein Center needs improvements, but the whole initial design of Wolstein was influenced so that it could limit its "attractiveness" for other events. The lack of ice making capability was part of part of that reasoning. If Wolstein did have improved loading facilities and the ability to be used as an ice arena, it would be a significant competitor to RoMoFiHo. The forces behind the original Gateway development knew it. There are quite a few possible events that don't need 20,000 seats and 13,000 would be more than enough. Level the "playing field" with those sorts of improvements and it would make a difference. That is what I meant by my statement.

Considering the tremendous cost that went into upgrading Rocket Mortgage Field House during the last two years, how much would it cost to add docks to improve the situation for Wolstein? Much, much less than building a new and smaller facility. Removing Wolstein from the picture would however remove competition for RMFH.

I would think that the money that would be needed to demolish and build a new, but smaller facility (as that has been mentioned) would be better spent elsewhere else for the college's needs. Would the price tag fall in the $500 million range to do just that? It would be one thing if the facility were in poor shape, but it isn't. There isn't a lack of other space that can be redeveloped near the campus. The indoor soccer team needs a facility. One of the problems that indoor soccer faced was that the various indoor soccer leagues had troubles scheduling games around the schedules of the NBA, NHL and other big attendance drawing events. In many cases, they were stuck with the "leftover" open dates. Should the WNBA return to Cleveland, it could call Wostein home as well. I know that Wolstein was purposely designed to not include ice-making capability, but what would it cost to add it the facility? In that way it could even have an increased value to the area at a far lesser cost than building a new smaller facility. I think the Greyhould facility has been designated as a landmark.

42 or 43 years ago, Cleveland Public Power being and independent electrical provider was at least relevant. Is it still now? Here are some points and questions: Cleveland Public Power has not generated electricity for decades. The smokestacks at the lakefront plant have all been removed and the openings capped. It is nothing more than a big transfer station to distribute electricity generated by and purchased from other companies. Forty plus years ago, CPP provided Cleveland's residents an alternative to suppliers. Now people can select their own electrical provider and get lower rates. Can those who have CPP do this? Is the electrical service provided by CPP cheaper than other providers (First Energy or others) and is the service more or less reliable? How does CPP affect Cleveland's finances? Is it a money-maker or loser?

The problem with insurance is that if they have too many claims, the rates go up, or worse yet they get dropped by the insurer after the payout. Higher rates, poor business in normal times and followed by no business at all for an extended period of time makes it financially impractical to keep it open.

I share your thoughts. Something must change. These criminals have their escapes well-planned. Get into Cleveland and they have made their getaway. In the very least, the criminals are in their "home turf". If the chase continues, unless the pursuing suburban officers have a good knowledge of the area in Cleveland, they are at a disadvantage. They are on their own without CPD's help and if something goes wrong, they get hung out to dry. In the end, it just creates more victims.

It all depends on what regional pursuit policy is adopted, the city of Cleveland's policy or that of the suburbs.

BOLO is Be On the Lookout. As for the violence expanding from the city to the suburbs, there have been numerous reports from suburban police departments stating their issues with criminals performing their activities and fleeing into Cleveland. Many suburban police departments break off their chases once they cross into Cleveland as they know they cannot expect any assistance from the Cleveland Police Department. Due to the chase policies in Cleveland compounded with severe under-staffing, the criminal elements know they have achieved their escape successfully once they cross into the city's limits. However, in general, violence knows no borders.

Dennis was horrible in the 2 years that he was mayor of Cleveland. Don't know of anything he accomplished in the state legislature. In 16 years in Congress as a member of the House of Representatives, he did NOTHING (I don't count 3 meaningless pieces of legislation to name post office buildings or granting an honorary citizenship to a long-deceased individual as substantial). But, he did have time to run for president twice and get caught scamming the system while doing so.

A couple of years ago, somebody posted the locations of where the members of the editorial board reside. I don't think that any actually lived in the city. Then there is Suddes who somehow has the insight of being "closely" viewing the goings on in Cleveland from his residence in Athens Ohio.

The "product" they generate is awful. They have the nerve to push pieces on how "great" their "journalism" is and how much it is needed. When they churn out the printed garbage, much of it is either recycled from stuff that appeared online days earlier or pulled in from all over the country. Even the stories that do get posted to the website now are old and report events that happened days before the stories were posted. Then the stories stay posted for days if not a week or longer. Of course they also have a cycle of re-posting old stories that were up months ago covering old malls, restaurants and other nostalgia pieces, over and over again Whenever they decide re-post these stories, they don't even bother to update grossly out-dated material. All of this is supposedly in prime, main web page space. This is what happens when most of the staff gets cut. Not enough warm bodies to write current news stories or editors to proof read the stuff that does get written. Most of the good and experienced columnists are gone--pushed out the door, retired or on to better media markets. To attempt to have a bare minimum of contributors, they get the greenest of the green churned out by journalism programs that results in proving just how inexperienced the contributors are.

Never stated that those were good options to take, I just stated they were options. Using the rapid transit and transferring downtown isn't a bad option only if the ultimate destination is nearby a rapid transit stop. Alternative funding and solutions are needed. On the east side, Parker Hannifin and Progressive are major employers in Mayfield Heights and Mayfield Village/Highland Heights respectively. Maybe they could work together with RTA to make using transit to get to their main sites more transit-friendly. Based upon the proximity, frequency and overall service, RTA really isn't an option to commute to either one of those companies. When RTA revamps its service later this year, they are eliminating their park-n-ride highway routes from the west side. Those two companies should collaborate with RTA to see if providing service from the Green Road terminus to those 2 campuses with those soon-to-be surplus highway coaches is an option and if their employees would use such a service. Twelve of RTA's twenty four highway coaches are a year old or newer and they are not the type of vehicle to use solely in stop-and-go congested city service.

There are those for whatever reason that detest freeway driving or want avoid the "parking lot" that I-480 can be at times. Rockside Road would be an alternate. Not my choice nor preference, but that would be their opinion and choice. Perhaps the way some people drive, that would be better for nearly everyone involved if they did. Even better yet, they may be the ones that should consider using mass transit.

Still, their basis on projects is largely based upon the public. They don't conduct surveys and polls, but they do make decisions based on the current choices of the public and trends. They have all sorts of information on road usage. That 3rd bridge for I-480 is going to be used for increased traffic as that is the route people choose to use. If drivers held the opinion that another route would suit their needs, they would take it. As for dollars spent, yes there is a lot of waste in ODOT and in the highway departments in all of the other states. If they would allow for better engineering and construction many problems would be eliminated or lessened. It may cost more up front, but in the long run the seemingly constant repair and rebuilding would not be done as frequently. Over time, the overall cost would be lowered, but then a lot of people in the paving industry would be out of work.