Mayor Justin Bibb’s office is looking fresher and brighter. The city has been renovating the corridors and rooms that the mayor and his staff use on the second floor of City Hall.
The city has replaced carpets and drapes, painted walls and made technology and electrical upgrades. Also on the list are replacement chairs for the Red Room, which the city uses for meetings and press conferences.
The price tag was $329,874. Tyler Sinclair, one of the mayor’s spokespeople, got ahead of any eyeball-popping by noting that the work included repairing damage from a burst water pipe.
“It’s important to note that what spurred this was the extensive water damage that occurred due to a pipe burst in the Mayor’s Office at the end of 2022,” Sinclair wrote in an email. “It has been decades since the Mayor’s Office was last renovated. The City is also committed to modernizing all of City Hall to ensure that it is the best place to serve our residents, conduct business, and be enjoyed by the community.”
(Chairs also aren’t cheap; two years ago, City Council spent $138,794 to replace chairs in the council chamber.)
In the Red Room, the portraits of former mayors – including the large visage of Frank Jackson – are down for now, but they’ll go back up when the work is done.
The room’s old red carpet and pink wallpaper are gone. Now the conference room has cream-colored carpet and maroon walls. For the sake of team spirit, we’ll call the color Cavaliers wine.
Biden branding for Cleveland ARPA projects
City Hall wants you to know which president is responsible for federally bankrolled work around town.
Cleveland is placing signs near ARPA-funded projects giving credit to “President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.” Remember him?
The city didn’t have to come up with the design on its own. The White House provides brand guidelines for cities, counties and states looking to give Biden some props.
Lest anyone accuse the city of presidential-year electioneering, take note that the signs do not mention Vice President Kamala Harris.
Last call for Cleveland school board applications
This week is the deadline to apply for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education. Applications close Oct. 11.
Three board members resigned over the summer, two of whom served for more than a decade. Now, the board’s longest-serving member is Chair Sara Elaqad, who was appointed in 2019.
The CMSD board is different from other Ohio school boards because its members aren’t elected. Instead, the mayor appoints members with input from a panel of residents and education experts.
Want to apply? Check out this explainer for more information.
