George Nemeth · November Beachland Thinkrs & Drinkrs Recap

December 2nd, 2008

On 11/20 Paul Podnar, Terry Ross, Sarah & Kurt Gyorki, Rick Pollack, Lynn Phares, Erin & Tim Randell and George Nemeth met in the home of Larry Collins for some snackies, adult beverages, and a great discussion.

Here are the questions we discussed:

- What can one person do to get 5 people to move to North Collinwood in 2009?
- Can we create a waterfront initiative to draw people to this area with grants, the park system and by creating a boardwalk?
- If we created a giving circle (like the Cleveland Colectivo) for the neighborhood, would you participate? What would you fund?
- Would connecting Euclid Creek Park to Neff help improve North Collinwood? How important is it?
- What would you like to see happen with the Commodore Theatre lot?
- Do you think the RTA Healthline will revive the City of Cleveland?

I’d invite you all to comment on these questions here. Hopefully, one of the questions raised will resonate with you, and we’ll re-ignite the dialog we started last month. Also, if you’re interested in the next Beachland T&D session, it’s coming up on 12/17. Drop me a note and I’ll send you the details.

What is Beachland Thinkrs & Drinkrs?
The concept is simple—everyone thinks of a question (anything at all), writes it down (anonymously) on a piece of paper, throws it into a hat, then we’ll pick out one at a time and discuss it until the timer goes off. Then we’ll move to the next question. You can watch a CoolCleveland.com video interview of the originators of Thinkers & Drinkers who established a non-hierarchical group that meets monthly in Youngstown. Their meetings have spread around the country to Washington, D.C. and Columbus.

Why “Beachland”?
Because all of us in Collinwood know a neighbor who lives in Bratenahl or Euclid and vice versa. Let’s get together and brainstorm solutions that expand our community.

Does it work?
That depends. We don’t call it Thinkrs & Drinkrs for nothing. These are social events. They’re great for networking and getting to know your neighbors better. They’re small acts, one of the four conversations outlined in Instructions from the Cook. While we hope big things will come from these, we understand that first there needs to be conversations that inspire dreams, initiate small acts, engage gifts, and create invitations.

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4 Responses to “November Beachland Thinkrs & Drinkrs Recap”

  1. Mitch Says:
    December 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 pm

    Forgive the question but I am not from Cleveland, though I do read this blog often. You speak of the Commodore Theater parking lot but not the theater itself. I understand it was being razed. What is being erected in its stead?

    If you wish to help me understand, I would appreciate.

    Mitch
    Mitch_Greenstein@Yahoo.com

  2. Daniella Says:
    December 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 am

    I like your neighborhood. It is vibrant and well kept. I would not hesitate to relocate to such an interesting community but who will buy my home now?

    That is probably the most problematic issue. I have a nice home in Parma Hts but there are so many homes available due to foreclosure that moving to relocate almost sound arrogant.

  3. john mcgovern Says:
    December 3rd, 2008 at 2:49 pm

    if you forge ahead with any sort of giving circle plans, the cleveland colectivo may indeed be offering some sort of matching funds to help you get started. ‘may’ is the operative word.

  4. George Nemeth Says:
    December 4th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    @Mitch: As far as I know, nothing is planned for the site.

    @Daniella: Not sure who would be able to buy your home. Maybe we should set up an exchange program? Perhaps there’s a homeowner in North Collinwood that would love to be living in Parma instead? Too bad that hasn’t been organized yet, but maybe it will be!

    @the Guv: Thanks! I think at this point, I’d be more interested in having a conversation about the organization and operation of the Colectivo. That would be a huge leg up for us.