April 23, 2009
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS , OH – Since February, two lease negotiation sessions have occurred with The Cleveland Music School Settlement (The Music Settlement) on the vacant Coventry school building. The Music Settlement reaffirmed their intention to maintain the proposed schedule of occupancy in the fall of 2009 with program operations beginning in early 2010. The Music Settlement has also selected the firm of Westlake, Reed, Leskosky as an architectural consultant.

In addition, a meeting between the CH-UH City School District, the City of Cleveland Heights, and The Music Settlement was held at the end of February. Parking was identified as an issue which will require further study and Richard Wong, Cleveland Heights Director of Planning, will serve as the City’s point of contact.

The Music Settlement President and CEO Charlie Lawrence recently clarified the organization’s intentions for the Coventry building in a letter to the Crain’s Cleveland Business editor following a misrepresentation in the newspaper’s April 6 edition.

“We are making every effort to ensure that we are well positioned and thoughtful in our decisions, while also keeping our eyes and ears open for opportunities that may present themselves,” Lawrence wrote. “The example I cited in my interview is a possible second location in Cleveland Heights. The project is not “on hold,” as represented in the article, but still in negotiation - a big difference in interpretation and potential. I stated that The Music Settlement has no intention of reducing our core programming of arts education and performance, and that we are creating new offerings and strategies to better serve and engage our clients.”

The next meeting between the CH-UH District and The Music Settlement will focus on their proposed programs.