When Huntington Bank announced last fall it planned to close its Buckeye Road branch, local residents and activists rallied around the shuttering as unnecessary and yet another blow to a community trying to make a comeback. Their efforts – and Huntington’s willingness to hear them out – produced at least a temporary reversal. In January, Huntington withdrew an application with bank regulators to permanently close the branch. In return, Huntington asked that city leaders and residents help come up with a plan to help reduce crime in the area. The bank, the residents and the city continue to meet regularly on the topic.
Exactly when it might reopen remains unanswered.
“Huntington continues to work with the city of Cleveland and other community leaders to pursue meaningful safety improvements in the area surrounding our branch,” the bank said in a statement to Signal Cleveland. The bank also noted that customers still use its branch ATM and that the bank provides transportation options to other locations.
Several activists remain optimistic the branch will reopen soon. In the meantime, they are highlighting the value of organizing around the closure in a short documentary.
“It gives us something to work off of as an organizer, as a network builder and as a resident, first and foremost,” said life-long Buckeye neighborhood resident Julian Khan, who helped produce the film. “It really frames us in the proper light and shows that there is life on Buckeye.”
Metroparks says stop messing with the Red Line Greenway
Metroparks recently put a stop to some work related to the Port of Cleveland’s $60 million project to stabilize Irishtown Bend, the storied Ohio City hillside that overlooks the Flats.
After discovering that the gas company had begun tearing up a portion of the Red Line Greenway, the Metroparks posted a “stop work order” sign at the site. As part of the stabilization effort, a major gas line needs to be relocated. Work is expected to be back on track soon.
“Enbridge (Dominion) didn’t initially communicate but now they are, and details will be ironed out shortly and the work will proceed,” the Metroparks said in a statement to Signal Cleveland.
This situation should not cause too much indigestion for the park system since the Port Authority’s work ultimately benefits Metroparks, which will have a major hand managing the 23-acre park that will follow the massive stabilization work.
Also noted by Cleveland Documenters
Bibb finds running mate in Kidd
While Bibb is not running for the U.S. Senate (for now), he is planning on running on some of Cleveland’s streets next weekend. That’s when he plans to join city planner Phil Kidd, who’s attracted wide media attention and a following by trying to run every street in the city (some 1,300 miles of them). Kidd started pounding the pavement during the pandemic and before he joined the Bibb administration. He regularly writes about his journey on his “Every Street Cleveland’’ blog. City Hall told Signal Cleveland that Bibb will be joining Kidd next Saturday for a few miles in the Union-Miles neighborhood on the city’s East Side.