Home Care In Brook Park, OH

BROOK PARK, Ohio — Blue Abyss has moved a stop closer to building a multi-million-dollar commercial astronaut training complex, including a giant pool and hotel, in Brook Park.

On Monday, the UK-based company announced the purchase of 12 acres of land in the city of Brook Park, adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and close to NASA’s Glenn Research Centre, Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility, the Ohio Aerospace Institute, and Cleveland's International Exposition Center (I-X Center).

"As we step into 2024, this exciting milestone in our partnership with the State of Ohio and the City of Brook Park signifies a shared commitment towards realizing a visionary Blue Abyss centre," said Blue Abyss CEO John Vickers in a statement. "This facility will stand as a beacon of innovation and a cornerstone of regional and national infrastructure, fostering economic growth, and job creation, leaving an enduring legacy for Brook Park, Ohio, and the global community.”

Blue Abyss plans to begin construction on its "state-of-the-art extreme environment research, development, and training centre" sometime in the second half of this year. The project is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete.

A training facility like this has been a dream of Vickers for 10 years. Inspired as a kid by the Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975 and underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, he envisions several centers across the globe.

In a Facebook post to go with Monday's announcement, Blue Abyss provided views of the purchased land and a rendering of the outside of the facility. Another training center is currently under construction in Cornwall, England. However, due to a large delay overseas, the Cleveland location is on track to being the first complex like this completed in the world.

"Blue Abyss investing in Brook Park for this ground-breaking facility is a clear sign of our unlimited potential and bright future and continues the great legacy of innovation by NASA Glenn and the Ohio Aerospace Institute, both located in Brook Park. We're eager to collaborate, leveraging their expertise to boost our local economy, generate jobs, and create a lasting legacy for our community and Northeast Ohio," added Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt. "I extend heartfelt thanks to Blue Abyss for choosing Brook Park as their home. Together, we embark on an exciting journey toward innovation and prosperity. The road to the next generation of space exploration runs through Brook Park”

After business hours on October 19, a fire broke out at Cleaveland Grocers (13425 Snow Rd., 440-306-5374) in Brook Park. Owner Fasih Syed says that fortunately no family members or staff were injured, but the blaze decimated the two-and-a-half year old market and cafe. The business has been been closed since.

Opened in 2021, the marketplace has been a boon to the local Muslim community thanks to its all-Halal offerings. But Cleaveland Grocers quickly became known for its food, prepared in an open kitchen at the front of the store. The shop's smash burgers, beef cheesesteaks, grilled chicken sandwiches, fries and more draw hungry diners from every community in Northeast Ohio.

"We got called at 9:56 p.m. and responded with our mutual aid partners, which were Parma Hts., Parma, Middleburg Hts.," Brook Park fire chief Mark Higgins told Scene. "The fire was under control within about a half an hour. It was a structure fire that did enough damage to close the business."

Syed says that the likely cause was electrical, originating in some piece of kitchen equipment. An investigation remains open.

"We will be back," he pledges, adding that it likely will be months before that happens. "We want to take this opportunity to extend our sincere gratitude for your unwavering support and patronage. Cleveland, you have been the heart and soul of our business and we love you deeply. We are committed to reopening as soon as possible and serving you once again."

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BROOK PARK, Ohio — A Brook Park favorite for hot food, groceries, and specialty meats is temporarily closed after a fire last week left devastating damages.

Fasih Syed still struggles walking into what once was his thriving business.

“It hurts me every time I step in here,” said Fasih Syed, the owner CleaveLand Grocers & Grill.

Fasih opened Cleaveland Grocers & Grill back in 2021 when he noticed the lack of Zabiha halal meats in stores in the area.

“A Muslim man slaughters each individual animal by hand with the prayer recited upon it individually. So that is kind of hard to find,” said Fasih.

Yet their claim to fame with more than 32,000 followers on Instagram, isn't the grocery store or the butcher in their 55,000-square-foot property. It's their comfort food, which includes smash burgers, philly cheese steaks and more.

“I love food, I love burgers and I love wings, so I kind of wanted to do something in that sense,” said Fasih. .

But now all of that is gone after it was destroyed in a fire that happened last Thursday night. It was around 10 p.m. when a friend called Fasih and told him smoke was coming out of his building.

“I just rushed down here and I saw a whole bunch of firefighters trying to get the fire out,” said Fasih.

Once the flames were out, Fasih waited for the smoke to clear to step inside. He said from the outside, the damages didn’t look too bad, until he went in.

“Nothing inside is salvageable. None of the products that we have inside is salvageable. None of the equipment that we have inside [is] salvageable, the roof, nothing is,” said Fasih.

In that moment of disbelief and heartbreak, for Fasih, reality set in.

“The first thing we thought about was what's going to happen to all the guys that work with us? What's going to happen to our family members?” said Fasih.

In addition to the hardship for his family and the employees, Fasih said it’s the customers he's worried about.

“We just love serving the community. Cleveland's been so good to us ever since we opened,” Fasih continued. “The support I’ve received not just from the Muslim community, but from everyone else as well.”

As Fasih waits for the go from insurance to pick up the pieces, he promises everyone they'll be back in business.

“The process of rebuilding may take a while, maybe nine months to a year even. Just, in the meantime, just don't forget about us. Keep us in your prayers,” said Fasih.

Though the final fire report has not been released, fire investigators say no foul play is suspected in this fire. For now, the owner is looking for any kitchen, food trunk or location they can work out of until they can get their store back up and running.

BROOK PARK, Ohio -- To supplement efforts already under way in Brook Park to stem residential basement flooding, city officials recently heard Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works representatives explain services available to help keep municipalities’ sewer lines clear.

While a retention basin is currently under construction in Wedo Park to collect storm water and city workers frequently use sewer vacuum equipment to enable sanitary waste to flow unimpeded through the system, Mayor Ed Orcutt believes more needs to proactively take place.

He told City Council at its Sept. 19 caucus that the city’s preventative maintenance program, which includes a Vactor (sewer vacuum truck), high-pressure water jetting and clean-outs of catch basins, takes approximately 30 months to cycle across the entire city.

“We’ve found we’re going to have to speed that up,” Orcutt said, recalling recent 100- and 200-year storms and the associated flooding they caused.

“The standard for storm and sanitary (sewers) today vs. 1959 is much different,” he said. “We probably have pipes that are not large enough to adequately handle some of these heavy rains, so we need to pick up the preventative maintenance portion of this.”

Director of Public Works Michael Dever described “main line sewer cleaning” as the county’s first “frontline of activity” undertaken for the 38 communities it currently serves.

Other county services include digital video sewer inspections, storm sewer maintenance, clearing residential clean-outs, and smoke and dye testing to check for storm water infiltration into sanitary sewer lines.

To accumulate a funding reserve to pay for services, county calculations are based on a city’s overall average residential front footage. For example, Dever said Brook Park’s average is 70 linear feet. Thus, a $1 charge per linear foot on each homeowner’s property tax duplicate (i.e. a $70 annual impact) would equate to $557,000 generated annually for additional county sewer services.

A $1.50 assessment (i.e. $105 impact) would generate $835,000, while $2 would generate $1.1 million and cost the resident $140 per year.

“That money would be set aside, and as we provide services in the community, we would draw down from those dollars,” Dever said, noting that the Brook Park Service Department and city engineer would triage issues before escalating them to the county for action.

Orcutt estimated that he would need to hire 10 people and purchase an additional Vactor, at a total cost of more than $1 million, if the city decides not to pursue any county services.

No council action was taken at the caucus, and discussions will continue.

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BROOK PARK, Ohio — Brook Park is the latest city in Northeast Ohio to put a pause on new car washes coming to the area.

We continue to follow through on the craze of "car wash moratoriums." Brook Park is following suit with cities like Parma, Parma Heights, Stow, and Streetsboro.

Brook Park City Council unanimously passed the 12-month moratorium. At a meeting, Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt said the decision comes down to diversifying and redeveloping the city.

"Brook Park is under 8 squre miles. Our main corridor is Snow Road," he said. "We are landlocked a little bit, where we don’t have too many areas to grow, so what we want to assure to our residents and our visitors coming to our city is that we are going to provide a variety of retail."

He said there are several car washes in the city on Snow Road, and one that is currently under construction.

Paul Marnecheck is the city's Commissioner of Economic Development. He said they're hoping for unique businesses that attract people to the city.

"I like business that have some density, many employees, or businesses that have something unique for the residents," said Marnecheck. "We are a 63-year-old town. We need to redevelop. We need to be ready for the next 63 years."

Mayor Orcutt said it's also about allowing the already-existing car washes to thrive.

"We want to make sure we protect them, in the sense that we don’t want them to go out of business in a few years. We also want to protect the lending institutions that have given them the opportunity to set up shop," he said.

One car wash owner who did not want to go on camera with News 5 said he appreciates the moratorium but thinks it's too little, too late.

Another business owner said he agrees there are too many car washes but adds a car wash is better than a vacant building or lot.

"Maybe give other businesses the opportunity; if no one else wants to jump on board, then yeah, why not put a car wash?" he said.

Orcutt said they're considering a limit on other types of businesses like vape shops.