MAYBVM

172 173 Two community rooms, recently renovated with grant funding from the State of Ohio, are housed in the theatre building and are available for resi- dent rentals and special events. In 2012, a new park was created in the center of town when a vacant, blighted, and contaminated former gas station site was donated to the city by Margaret Colombo, the wife of a local developer. In addition to $300,000 donated by Colombo, the city also took advantage of funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Cuyahoga County Department of Development to establish Colombo Park. “We put an emphasis on green space, and try to utilize the space that we have and enhance it any way that we can come up with,” Byrne states. Another successful endeavor was the comple- tion of the Parma Heights/Big Creek Connector Trail - roughly 1,000 feet of new pathways and a bridge that spans the Big Creek and directly links the Greenbriar Commons in the heart of the city with the Cleveland Metroparks’ Big Creek Res- ervation. Collaborators on that project included the Cleveland Metroparks, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Cuyahoga County Department of Development Community Devel- opment Block Grant Program. Speaking of collaboration, Byrne reports that Parma Heights has been extremely effective in working with neighboring communities on public safety issues and resident services. The city is a member of a regional dispatch center for police PARMA HEIGHTS, OHIO and fire, and has established a public safety part- nership with a shared major crime investigation unit, auxiliary police, and local jail. Mayor Byrne is equally committed to enhanced communication between City Hall and Parma Heights residents. The city publishes a community newsletter three times each year, which is mailed to every home and business in the city. In concert with Cleveland Magazine and Great Lakes Cus- tom Publishing, the city also publishes an annual magazine Take a Look at Parma Heights. Parma Heights also communicates with residents via its website, an electronic sign located in front of City Hall, and via social media. Community participation is an enduring char- acteristic of the city, and recently, three Parma Heights community organizations have expe- rienced significant revitalization: The Parma Heights Garden Club, the Parma Heights Histori- cal Society, and the Greenbrier Art League. The Garden Club works to make Parma Heights