CLEVELAND — On Monday night, Cleveland City Council voted to approve $10 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funding to invest in the city's West Side Market, but not every council member was on board, Ward Five Councilman Richard Starr voted against the measure.
“Why don’t we put that same effort into making sure that the central neighborhood gets a grocery store,” said Starr. “It’s surrounded by almost seven public housing estates, so it’s like we have a food desert problem and we’re not leveraging ARPA dollars in the urban communities."
The councilman represents many communities on Cleveland’s east and southeast sides, referencing the West Side Market's new non-profit governing body which is managing day-to-day operations.
“I don’t see that same type of commitment, I don’t see that same type of staffing levels where the administration has a senior strategist person who is focused solely on the West Side market,” said Starr. “I hope we can have a senior strategist focus on some of the issues like food deserts.”
But Jason Scott who sells produce at the West Side Market said some of his customers have been begging for improvements.
“I have a lot of customers that come every week from the eastside that have written letters, that have done everything possible that they can do because they feel that it is an asset, they shop there every week,” said Scott.
Recently, News 5 has shared Scott’s and other vendors' concerns about the current state of the market.
“We need things fixed all the time every day, we walk into no elevators, we can’t bring up stuff in the morning when it rains, we have floods,” said Scott. “So I encourage anyone who feels like we don’t need the funds to come down and spend a little time with us."
Councilman Kerry McCormack whose ward includes the West Side Market said some ARPA funds will go toward some of Starr's concerns.
“It’s going directly into neighborhoods for lead paint remediation, down payment assistance, affordable housing, infrastructure, you name it," said McCormack.
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