Twenty years ago, Fairview Park was a very different
place. At that time many residents felt that our
home town was steadily declining, as though we were
standing on a down escalator.
Our school facilities were badly outdated and
scattered all over the city. As the school district
struggled to keep the system going, we faced a
never-ending cycle of levy after levy. We voted on
twenty-eight school levies over a period of
twenty-six years. This financial instability
resulted in higher bond rates, which made it more
expensive and virtually impossible to borrow money
to initiate projects needed to improve things.
We were becoming trapped in a cycle of
ever-increasing tax burden with little or nothing to
show for it. The city was already built out, and
there was no open land for developments that could
add revenue without increasing existing taxes on
residents.
Unlike surrounding communities, we had no recreation
center to attract new residents. Instead, we had a
dilapidated trailer park adjacent to our athletic
field, in full view of spectators from other
communities. The track and field were owned by the
school district, and in order to minimize
maintenance costs they were unavailable for use by
the general public except for scheduled events. Even
so the track and field could not be well maintained,
and looked shabby compared to other communities.
The heavy tax burden, deteriorating school
facilities, lack of amenities on par with
neighboring cities, and absence of prospects for new
development was making Fairview Park a less
attractive place to live by comparison. This created
a negative impact on our property values as
potential buyers opted to invest in nearby places
without such problems.
Meanwhile the cost of providing other basic services
was constantly increasing. There is no discount
store where you can shop for police, fire, EMS and
other necessary services. Neither the city nor the
school district could find a way out of this
predicament. They were left to compete against each
other for more revenue, leaving residents to carry
both increasingly heavy burdens. Any rational person
could see that the future of Fairview Park was not
bright.
Of course, residents were very aware of these
growing problems. They still loved Fairview Park and
didn’t want to just move away and watch it decline.
Small conversations turned into larger meetings
seeking solutions. They were a passionate and
determined group, willing to apply their skills and
time as needed, and open to any ideas that made
sense.
That was the genesis of the original Gemini
Committee, whose name recognized the twin entities,
school district and city, with the goal of solving
as many of the problems as possible using our
resources most efficiently, and creating a way to
stop moving down and start moving back up.
There was no solution coming from the top down.
There was no use looking to Washington or Columbus
for help. The solution had to be of the people, by
the people, and for the people, in the classic and
uniquely American way.
It required a tremendous amount of effort to come up
with good and workable ideas, and fit them together
the best way. It required much thought, discussion,
information gathering, and presentation to the
voters promoting passage of two necessary ballot
issues. Voters passed both issues in 2005. The new
recreation center was funded by city income tax,
sparing most residents on fixed income from
additional burden. The school district’s component
was funded by property tax. This allowed the city
and the school district to issue bonds for their
respective parts of the overall $50 million project.
A key feature of the plan was to relieve the city
and school district from being competitors for tax
dollars by finding ways to require cooperation and
avoid duplication of expenses in fulfilling their
respective responsibilities. Many features of a new
recreation center would also serve some of the
school district’s needs if it were located adjacent
to the high school. To accomplish that, the school
district would transfer some of its land to the
city, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in land
acquisition costs for the new ideally located
recreation center.
Putting a new track and field under city control
would relieve the school district from maintenance
and allow residents to use them freely, as they do
now. A joint use agreement specifies the respective
rights and obligations of the city and the school
district to ensure continued cooperation concerning
the recreation center, track and athletic fields.
These changes also created the opportunity to
relocate trailer park residents, remove the
dilapidated eyesore, and create access and parking
for the new recreation center. People from the
churches in Fairview Park gladly stepped forward as
volunteers to assist the trailer park residents with
relocation to better homes, and also with applying
for benefits they were entitled to but were not
receiving.
To stabilize the school district finances, the
elementary schools were consolidated into the new
Gilles-Sweet school. This allowed formerly
tax-exempt properties to be converted to taxable
properties. The Garnett site is now occupied by
O’Neill Healthcare and the Coffinberry site is now a
high-end housing development. These changes
permanently added new revenue for both the city and
the school district.
Residents wanted to preserve the classic façade of
our high school. So rather than being replaced, it
was thoroughly updated and repaired. The junior high
and Parkview schools also received much needed
attention.
We were the first west side suburb to bring all our
school facilities into the 21st century. As a result
of the consolidation, repairs, modernization, and
joint use agreement, our school district finances
stabilized. As interest rates dropped, the bonds
were refinanced, saving more money. Our school
district received awards for its fiscal management.
And voters saw no new operating levies on the ballot
for the next fourteen years.
To serve the whole community we built a beautiful
Recreation Center, enjoyed by hundreds of thousands
of visitors a year, with membership fees much lower
than others nearby. The joint use agreement saved
millions of tax dollars and opened up the new track
and fields at the high school for public use, which
we take for granted today. Revenue from the
Recreation Center part of the project freed funds
formerly in the city’s recreation budget for other
uses. We added new permanent revenue for our city
and schools by converting tax exempt property at the
old Garnett and Coffinberry sites to taxable
development, which also relieved our school district
from unnecessary maintenance costs.
We got off the down escalator and quickly started
going back up. Soon our property tax rates were on
par with neighboring communities instead of being at
or near the top. With a new superintendent and
treasurer, our schools achieved excellent rating.
Young people began choosing our city to make their
home and raise their families. Fairview Park became
the fourth hottest real estate market in northeast
Ohio. Our property values increased significantly.
We fixed our problem ourselves. The Gemini Project
was a spectacular success.
After voters approved it, the work of the Gemini
Committee was done and the project was handed off to
the city and school district for implementation.
Years later it became obvious that serious mistakes
were made in constructing our Recreation Center.
Now we have another problem that jeopardizes the
priceless benefits achieved by the original project.
To preserve our upward movement, we have to fix
that, too. After thorough investigation by qualified
and experienced professionals, we know what the
problems are, we know how to fix them, we know how
to prevent future problems, and we know the cost. It
is well within our resources. The proposed levy is
the only viable, credible, reasonable way to fix the
problem with certainty as soon as possible.
Let’s fix it.
See the FAQ for
additional information.
