CLEVELAND — From creating a parks and recreation department to investing in a local grocer, Cleveland City Council worked through some big pieces of legislation in their July summer session Wednesday.

Members voted to create a Department of Parks and Recreation within its own Division of Urban Forestry.

“This council has never been able to examine forestry’s budget separately, to understand the degree to which we are or are not funding our urban forestry operations,” Council Member Jenny Spencer said. “And, this will also add increased transparency and along with that, increased accountability. And for council to truly dialogue and understand urban forestry’s operations.”

Currently, the Department of Public Works oversees the divisions of city parks, rec centers and forestry — separately.

But with the new parks and recreation department, council members said they will be able to streamline city operations for those services.

They’re hoping to hire a new director for the department within a month or two.

The city also recently secured a $3.4 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Inflation Reduction Act.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, communities should aim for 40-60% coverage by tree canopy.

A 2019 assessment in Cuyahoga County showed that Downtown Cleveland had only 17.9% coverage, a low number reflected in many neighborhoods across the city.

Spencer said she hopes the award will help make a difference.

Some council members raised concerns about trees causing damage to sidewalks and properties.

Spencer says the new Division of Urban Forestry will have more resources to tackle those problems than before.

Northeast Ohio grocery store chain "Dave’s Markets" asked the city of Cleveland for a $250,000 forgivable loan for improvements and equipment at its Shaker Square location, which council approved on Wednesday.

That request sparked a conversation among city council members about food deserts across the city.

Representatives from Dave’s Markets said they’ve made improvements at their Shaker Square location, but it is still in need of repairs.

They say this investment could help with Cleveland City Council’s efforts to revitalize the square for the neighborhood.

According to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, about 59% of Clevelanders live a food desert, meaning they don’t have convenient access to places that sell healthy food. 

In recent years, Dave’s has closed locations in Cleveland’s central and Collinwood neighborhoods — leaving a bad taste in the mouths of some who live in those wards.

David Saltzman, vice president of operations, finance and strategy for Dave’s, said the grocery business model is difficult. He said Dave's was losing a lot of money keeping those locations open in their final years. 

Several council members asked what can be done to prevent closures, saying they’re willing to help in situations like these.

Council member Richard Starr called on the administration to make an urgent plan to address food security. 

“This is what frustrates me,” Starr said. “This is what keeps me up at night, dealing with the fact that people can't buy groceries. And we saying, well, the model was outdated. The model at the West Side Market has been outdated, but we came up with a nonprofit to buy it and to put in. We gave them 20 million. We doing everything to make should stay open, but we ain't doing the same thing in our neighborhoods. And that's the problem that has me frustrated.”

Ultimately, many of the council members who spoke also said they support helping Dave's in this instance because they don’t want to see another Cleveland neighborhood lose a grocery store.