Parma Mayor Interviewed For State Of City Address

Parma Mayor Timothy J. DeGeeter chose again to feature his state of the city address in an interview format with local broadcaster Dick Russ. On February 25th he sat down with Russ at the Powers Branch of the Cuyahoga Public Library. Before a fairly packed room, their discussion ranged over a wide range of topics, including the library, the emerging event center at Ridgewood Golf Course, many new businesses in our community, Tree canopy issues, UH Pamra Mecial Center, Parma Safety Forces, Parma City School District, and especially projects from NEORSD to combat flooding in the city. About the now completed Ridgewood Basin Project, he said " We have won over residents who did not want the redesign, because it looks good, attracts new wildlife, and most importantly, keeps water out of residents basements". 

The mayor acknowledged many people in the audience, including elected officials, business leaders and institutional professionals, and stressed that the partnerships formed over many years have forged an understanding of how best to proceed in these often uncertain times. One notable example was what happened during and after the dramatic tornado event in August, where power was out for several days and there was widespread damage to property and infrastructure. The fact that no one was injured or killed and there was a coordinated effort by everyone in the community during such an unprecedented disaster, served to prove the point about what Parma is made of.