CLEVELAND 2016 HOST COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES BEAUTIFICATION EFFORT TO ENHANCE EXPERIENCE OF CONVENTION ATTENDEES
COMMUNITY COLLABORATES TO HELP
CLEVELAND SHINE TO WELCOME 50,000 VISITORS IN JULY
CLEVELAND(May
31, 2016) – The Cleveland 2016
Host Committee announced
today
a
collaborative
beautification effort aimed at enhancing the
visitor experience of the delegates, media and other guests in town for
the Republican National Convention in July. The goal of the initiative
is to create a brighter, more welcoming experience along the main
pedestrian and vehicular thoroughfares in Downtown Cleveland and the
surrounding communities.
The beautification effort involves the collaboration and contributions
of several community partners including The City of Cleveland, Downtown
Cleveland Alliance, ScottsMiracle-Gro & Petitti Garden Center, GE
Lighting, LAND studio, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and
the Regional Transit Authority (RTA).
“I want to thank everyone involved in this initiative for their hard
work and dedication to the City of Cleveland,” said Mayor Frank G.
Jackson. “As we continue to improve upon our infrastructure throughout
the city this collaboration will add an aesthetic element designed to
showcase the beauty and prosperity of our city.”
“This beautification effort is such an important component to this
community’s preparation for the Republican National Convention,” said
David Gilbert, president and CEO,
Cleveland 2016 Host Committee. “In July, Cleveland will be center stage
as we welcome 15,000-plus members of the national and international
media and many more delegates and guests. This is our opportunity to
demonstrate once again the collaborative nature of this community in
putting our best foot forward to showcase the true beauty of our city
and the passion of our people.”
CONTRIBUTION FROM SCOTTSMIRACLE-GRO ENSURES
CLEVELAND WILL
COME UP ROSES
The Host Committee’s beautification effort launched Tuesday morning in
collaboration with ScottsMiracle-Gro and the help of more than 60 Host
Committee volunteers to plant gardens in three primary locations
including: Downtown’s Willard Park, featuring gardens managed by the
Northeast Ohio Sewer District, the City of Cleveland and The Refugee
Response, along with Ohio City’s Market Square Park and a new garden in
Shaker Square.
These gardens are the recipients of ScottsMiracle-Gro’s GRO1000
Grant Program, an initiative launched in 2011 to support the creation
of more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces in the U.S.,
Canada, Latin America and Europe.
In addition to the gardens, ScottsMiracle-Gro and Petitti Garden Center
also donated 85 temporary planters filled with greenery throughout
Downtown, bringing the Downtown’s number of planters to more than 250.
Throughout the Convention, all planters will be maintained by the
Downtown Cleveland Alliance ambassadors.
“It has been an honor and a true source of pride for ScottsMiracle-Gro
to be a part of this city-wide beautification effort,” said Jim
Hagedorn, Chairman and CEO, ScottsMiracle-Gro. “Our partnership with
the City of Cleveland will help bring more gardens and greenspaces to
our urban areas.”
In August, many of the planters will be donated to several valued
neighborhood commercial districts as a way to enhance the local
resident experience long after the Convention. The Host Committee has
already received interest from Old Brooklyn, Shaker Square’s Larchmere,
Detroit-Shoreway, Collinwood and Midtown and is working collaboratively
with Cleveland
Neighborhood Progress to
identify
other
neighborhoods
with an interest and the capacity to
consistently replant and water them to ensure their continued.
DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE AND GE LIGHTING HELP
CLEVELAND
SHINE
Through the generous contribution of GE Lighting, Cleveland will
welcome visitors with the warm glow of 1.4 million individual LED
twinkle lights that will be strung in strategic gathering spaces
throughout Downtown. “GE Lighting is proud to be a part of the
Cleveland beautification project and we’re excited to help the city
shine,” said Bill Lacey, President and CEO of GE Lighting. The lights
will be installed by Downtown Cleveland Alliance in selected areas
along E. 9th Street,
Mall
B, Public
Square, U.S. Bank Plaza and around the perimeter of the Gateway Sports
Complex.
Additionally, the Host Committee is installing approximately 1,000
banners on street poles throughout Downtown and University Circle,
featuring the faces of Clevelanders selected by the Host Committee to
welcome convention-goers in July.
With the help of the City, Downtown Cleveland Alliance will plant 275
new trees throughout Downtown. They will also repair sidewalks as well
as work with parking lot owners and operators to ensure their
properties are spruced up and accessible to guests.
ADDITIONAL BEAUTIFICATION EFFORTS
The Host Committee is also supporting beautification efforts led by
local entities including The INTER|URBAN project, Rock Box, Cracking
Art, ArtS Interventions and pedestrian wayfinding signs.
- The INTER|URBAN project is a city-wide initiative led by LAND studio, the City of Cleveland, theGreater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency(NOACA) and Anisfeld-Wolf and The Cleveland Foundation. It will serve as a platform to connect public transit riders physically, socially and culturally through a series of large-scale, artist-designed murals, installations and experiences.
- The Rock Box public art project designed by artist Mark A. Reigelman – an initiative maintained and operated by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – is funded by Destination Cleveland and was coordinated by LAND studio. This project aims to connect visitors to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by a series of stacks of black, square loudspeakers in seven locations along East Ninth Street—from Progressive Field to the Rock Hall. The loudspeakers will feature bright colors and play snippets of music from Rock Hall inductees at strategic times throughout the day. Installation will be complete in mid-June.
- Cracking Art Group will bring outdoor art to the city before and after the Convention thanks to a $1.5 million grant to LAND studio from the Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation of Cleveland. In June, Cracking Art (an Italian art collective) will install hundreds of colorful plastic meerkats, wolves, swallows, frogs and snails at Downtown Cleveland’s Public Square and Cleveland Public Library.
- During the Convention week, visitors will be treated to “Arts Interventions,” supported by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Spontaneous gatherings of artists, singers, musicians and dancers performing perfectly rehearsed pieces will entertain visitors throughout numerous venues and will appear throughout Downtown and the region.
- Destination Cleveland will install 55 pedestrian wayfinding signs in Downtown Cleveland before the Convention. These signs come equipped with maps and directional information that help visitors navigate their way through the city. Visitors can also experience the map digitally atmaps.thisiscleveland.com.
- The Citizens Bank ArtBox effort is also focused on adding vibrancy to Downtown Cleveland. The organization is working with Downtown Cleveland Alliance and its advocates to wrap several utility boxes along Euclid Ave. that have been wrapped with printed art designs from six local artists and institutions.
- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) are each hosting opportunities to pick up litter along the RTA Red Line track as well as the I-71 corridor respectively. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up on the Host Committee’s websitewww.2016cle.com/beautification.
ABOUT CLEVELAND 2016 HOST COMMITTEE
The Cleveland 2016 Host Committee, Inc. is an Ohio nonprofit corporation with no political affiliation that is responsible for organizing, hosting and funding the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Their mission is to promote Northeast Ohio and ensure Cleveland is best represented in addition to lessening the burden of local governments in hosting the 2016 Republican National Convention. For more information visit www.2016cle.com.
ABOUT SCOTTSMIRACLE-GRO
With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business. In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligène® and Substral®. In 2015, the Company ranked on Forbes 100 Most Reputable Companies in America. For additional information, visit us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com.
ABOUT GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is the world's Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
ABOUT DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE
Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building a dynamic Downtown. By working with property owners and neighborhood based partners, DCA is able to provide economic development opportunities, business attraction and retention efforts, the Clean & Safe Ambassador Program, as well as strategic marketing initiatives for Downtown Cleveland. In 2014, DCA unveiled Step Up Downtown, a vision and tactical plan that sets the course for the future of Downtown Cleveland. The five-year strategy is available to read here.
Copyright © 2016 Eric M.
Appleman/Democracy in
Action.
All rights reserved.