Cleveland airport changes
The shuttered Sheraton hotel, which greets travelers at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport like a giant failed dream, is finally coming down, Director of Port Control Bryant Francis told Signal Cleveland.
In 2022, the airport acquired the financially strapped hotel with plans to demolish it quickly. But that didn’t happen for a variety of reasons, including airport communications equipment that first had to be relocated from atop the building.
“We expect to demolish the Sheraton midyear and we are looking at summer,” he said. “We will be talking about how to best utilize the site once clear.”
Francis said the short-term plan for the space is additional parking, which is always in demand.
The space is also needed for the airport’s proposed makeover, which includes a new terminal. That plan, however, seems up in the air these days because airline carriers – which would pay for any improvements – are balking at the plan’s potential costs.
Francis broke that news in November before Cleveland City Council. He told Signal Cleveland this week that airlines and the airport have been discussing the costs for 18 months. He said the cost of the master plan was based on 2020 and 2021 figures but were “scrubbed” to update the “high level” numbers, which have soared in the post-Covid economy.
He said he remains confident a deal can be reached with the airport’s nine carriers.
“We will have something to celebrate in this calendar year,” he said.
Francis said carriers have agreed to pay for more design work, which will clarify costs. He added that the city-owned airport could see some “early elements” of the masterplan take shape in 2025 and “heavy construction” in 2026.
Francis also offered a quick take on a number of airport issues often in the news. Here are the highlights:
*Holiday travel was robust, and year-over-year passenger traffic is on target to beat 2022’s 8.7 million passenger total. Francis said he expects the final number to be close to 10 million, which was the pre-pandemic level.
*The city isn’t wasting any energy on the idea of creating a regional airport. Francis said he came to Cleveland to grow the city’s airport, which is responsible for more than 90% of the region’s air travel.
*The impact of closing Burke Lakefront Airport is being studied. Francis said the city has already completed an examination of what steps would have to be taken to close the airport, and a draft of a second study examining the economic pros and cons of closing it will be completed by year’s end.
*Separate from the terminal makeover, the airport is moving ahead with a long-term plan to return the car rental lot to the airport grounds. It currently sits north of the airport on the other side of I-480 – and that annoys many travelers.
Happy New Year Mayor Bibb — now get to work
Mike Polensek, Cleveland City Council’s longtime curmudgeon, delivered some signature New Year’s wishes to Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration on Dec. 31.
In a Sunday morning email, Polensek badgered city officials to deal with a trio of dilapidated houses near St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, a Slovenian parish in Collinwood.
The message came in at 10:22 a.m., just after parishioners filled the pews for the 10:15 Mass.
The Ward 8 council member warned he’d repeat his complaints about building inspections at the city’s budget hearings in February.
“I can’t wait until the budget hearings for I am going to let loose on someone over this lack of response to building and housing complaints from my office and my constituents,” he wrote. “I plan to make 2024 an interesting year for sure.”
Sally Martin O’Toole, Cleveland’s building and housing director, replied that the properties were priorities for her department. She didn’t miss the chance to plug the administration’s slate of housing code reforms, dubbed “Residents First,” that hasn’t yet passed through council.
“I believe that if Residents First passes, we will have critical tools that are currently lacking to address some of the most derelict properties,” she wrote. “We are using primitive tools to address shape-shifting market conditions.”
Running point on county tax levy
Say Yes Cleveland’s director of communications, Jon Benedict, is kicking off the new year with a new job – temporarily, that is. He’ll be stepping away to work as the campaign manager for the upcoming March renewal of Cuyahoga County’s Health and Human Services (HHS) tax levy, which funds a number of social services for children and the elderly and a tiny portion of MetroHealth Hospital.
In an all-staff email announcing the news this week, Say Yes Executive Director Diane Downing noted the levy “funds a wide variety of critical services for children, seniors and other residents in need.”
Benedict’s background includes long stints in consulting and strategic communications, including at Burges & Burges and R Strategy Group, per his LinkedIn account.
Port of Cleveland boss follow up
As noted in our last newsletter, The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority board split on whether to give Port President and CEO William Friedman a bonus this year. Friedman’s contract included a potential bonus of up to $10,404.The board’s chair sought to revisit the issue next week at a special board meeting, but the idea was dropped. The next regularly scheduled port board meeting is Feb. 8. The topic could come up then.
