Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor Blackwell cites $6 million in outside infrastructure funding, highlights housing and job projects
Summary
Mayor Marinette Blackwell told the State of the City audience that the city secured about $6 million in outside funding for sewer, water and road work, reported residential sales activity and new-home construction, and announced an economic development win with Famous Supply’s $41.5 million renovation and hiring plans.
Marinette Blackwell, mayor of Maple Heights, outlined infrastructure grants, housing activity and economic development achievements in a State of the City presentation that ran alongside the school district report.
"We are fixing our infrastructure in Maple Heights," Blackwell said, summarizing a package of outside funding the city secured for sewer repairs, water‑main replacements, pavement repairs and reconstruction projects. She said Chagrin Valley Engineering and city staff helped obtain about 6,000,000 dollars in non‑city funding for those efforts.
Blackwell listed several specific awards and projects: nearly $1 million for Hillgrove Avenue work (in coordination with Cleveland Water), a $650,000 grant for Liberty Road sewer repairs, $825,000 from NOACA to help close a $1,500,000 funding gap for Southgate Park Boulevard reconstruction (work expected to begin in early 2026), and a $3,950,000 citywide traffic signal replacement project coordinated with ODOT. She also cited county road projects including Dunham Road (~2,750,000 dollars) and Rockside Road (~3,200,000 dollars) funded at the county level.
On housing, Blackwell said the building department processed more than 8,000 transactions totaling about 600,000 dollars and issued nearly 5,000 permits last year. She described an exterior home‑repair grant that combines 50,000 dollars from a Cuyahoga Development Supplemental Grant with 50,000 dollars of city funds to create a 100,000 dollar program that provided 2,500 dollar awards to qualifying homeowners (44 recipients this year, the mayor said).
The mayor provided a snapshot of the local housing market: 134 homes listed, 48 sold at market value, 30 under contract and 56 still active. She said the minimum sale price on the market was 43,000 dollars and gave an example of a house at 5177 Clement Street that sold for 302,000 dollars. She reported the current average sale price in Maple Heights at about 140,000 dollars and said the city welcomed eight newly constructed homes from three developers this year.
Blackwell also announced an economic development milestone: Famous Supply completed a 41,500,000 dollar renovation of a former Gojo facility with an expected 83 jobs; she said the county provided a 2,000,000 dollar loan to help close a financing gap and facilitate the project’s opening.
Other department highlights included: code‑enforcement procedures for property maintenance (warning and cure periods before charges are placed on property tax if a violation is not corrected), the return of in‑house lead‑line collection, installation of an EV charging station, and continued beautification and parks work. The finance department reported consecutive awards and clean audits and an improving bond rating that Blackwell said moved the city to a "B" rating with an eye on an "A." The fire department has installed more than 100 smoke detectors in homes and reported the most frequent transports to Marymount, South Pointe and MetroHealth.
Public safety and youth programs were also noted. The city has a juvenile diversion agreement with the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and a planned "father's club" to expand mentoring and engagement. Blackwell said the Kylan (Kindling) Village partnership will support community policing and kindness themes across the city.
Blackwell closed by recognizing local businesses, awarding a 2025 Business of the Year honor to 360 Barber and Beauty Lounge and naming James Evans the city’s 2025 Citizen of the Year.
