Brook Park, Ohio- Economic Development

The Economic Development Department seeks to increase our tax and job base, and improve our visual environment by keeping our existing businesses here and healthy; by attracting new businesses; and by assisting with property development. Our efforts pay off in the form of the low tax rates and high quality services that our residents and business constituents have come to expect.

Brook Park Is A Member Community Of The
First Suburbs Consortium

Click the link below for
Available Properties

Click the link below for
Brook Park Traffic Counts

From The Newsletter

The sub-prime mortgage crisis has affected every community in Northeast Ohio, including the City of Brook Park. In April, Karen Posner from Keller-Williams Realty organized a panel
of experts to meet with local residents facing foreclosure. The message to residents facing
foreclosure is to proactively get help before your home goes to foreclosure. Call your mortgage
company to refinance your loan. Don�t take NO for an answer. Make a pest of yourself and keep calling till someone helps you! For additional questions or information, please contact
Karen Posner at 440-666-6666.

NEED HELP? 211 �FIRST CALL" FOR HELP MAY BE THE ANSWER
Need mortgage payment assistance? Loan counseling? Utility assistance? If you need help about any social, health or governmental resources, day or night, dial 211 for a free, confidential referral service operated by United Way of Greater Cleveland. When you call 211, a professional Information Specialist will discuss your needs and connect you to one of the 2,000 agencies that can help you with basic needs such as food, clothing, housing and utility assistance; health and mental health resources such as Medicaid, Medicare, community clinics, support groups and counseling; work support such as job training and education programs; financial management, budgeting, tax assistance and credit counseling programs; support for older
adults and persons with disabilities such as adult day care, Meals on Wheels, home health care and transportation; youth and family services such as Head Start, recreation programs, parenting help, child support and custody, mentoring and tutoring; and more. Last year, over 100,000 people were helped through First Call for Help. Dial 211 to get help today.

LOCAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
With a slowing economy, high gas prices and a housing slump, the City of Brook Park is working very hard to keep its existing businesses and to attract new ones to the community. We thank the following businesses for their commitment to the city:

FORD & NASA UPDATES
Ford and NASA are tremendous assets to the community and have an enormous impact on
our local and regional economy. We focus a great deal of attention and efforts on these two
important entities. Here�s an update:

NASA Glenn Research Center:
Employment is stable with approximately 3100 civil servants and contractors. Glenn has received significant oversight for portions of the new Constellation program. Constellation is the next generation of space exploration with a new Orion Orbiter and Ares V rocket, set to replace the space shuttle which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2010. Orion hopes to be headed back to the Moon, Mars and beyond by 2015.
NASA Glenn�s May 17-18 Open House, by all accounts, was a great success. The event was
opened to the public and was very well attended. NASA is a jewel that we can all be proud
of. The NASA Visitor Center is open to the public and is located inside NASA�s main gate. The Visitor Center features 6,000 SF of interactive exhibits. For more information call 216- 433-2000. Visitor Center Hours: The NASA Glenn Visitor Center is open every day, except New Year�s Eve, New Year�s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Sunday, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Holidays, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

FORD:
Engine Plant # 2: In March, the Ford Motor Company announced plans to further align its capacity with demand at four U.S. manufacturing plants by reducing operations to one
shift. Ford Engine Plant #2 was one of these four plants affected by the reduction and at the
end of May went from two-shifts to one. According to Ford, the change to a one-shift production pattern will not affect production volume. Rather, the intent is to allow the plant to operate more efficiently by running continually and to reduce �down weeks�.
Engine Plant #1: Engine Plant #1, which has been idled since May 2007, will resume production later this year. Approximately 100,000 SF is being renovated for production. The expectation is to have 400+ employees back to work at the plant by the end of the year.
Fun Ford Facts: For those interested in a bit of trivia, the 9 Millionth Mustang rolled off the assembly line in April. It was a Mustang GT convertible. Next year, on April 17, the Ford mustang will celebrate its 45th anniversary.

PROGRAMS

Homestead Exemption Program
The Homestead Exemption Program offers reductions in property taxes for senior citizens and disabled individuals that meet income qualifications. For more information on this program, call the Cuyahoga County Auditor’s office at 216-443-7050.

Taxpayer Liaison
The Taxpayer Liaison Department assists taxpayers in obtaining refunds on property tax overpayments. For more information about property tax overpayments, please call the Taxpayer Liaison Department at 216-443-7422.

Tax Escrow Account Management Program (T.E.A.M.)
The T.E.A.M. program is a free service of the Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s office. T.E.A.M. allows property owners in Cuyahoga County to pay their property taxes in easy monthly installments, avoiding large tax bills twice a year. For more information on the T.E.A.M. program, call 216-443-7420.

Heritage Home Loan Program (H.E.L.P.)
The H.E.L.P. program is a low interest home improvement loan program of the Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s office. The program reduces the lowest rate a bank will offer you by 3%. The H.E.L.P. program is available through participating banks in Cuyahoga County and has no maximum income limit. For more information on the H.E.L.P. program, call 216-443-2149.

Home Energy Assistance Program (H.E.A.P)
The Ohio Department of Development offers several programs to help low income Ohioans pay their utility bills and improve the energy efficiency of their homes. These programs are based on gross income of all adult household members. For more information, call HEAP’s toll free number 1-800-282-0880.

ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES

Businesses locate in Brook Park to benefit from a number of strategic economic advantages:
� Ford Motor Co's Brookpark Rd. Engine Plant
� NASA's Glenn Research Center
� Immediate access to the region's labor market
� Direct access to Interstates 480, 71 and nearby Interstates 90, 80 and 77
� Direct access to numerous rail lines and sidings, with nearby intermodal facilities
� Instant access to the adjacent Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and International Exposition (I-X) Center
� Proximity to the amenities of the central city
� Excellent City services and competitive tax rates
Over 450 businesses with 18,000 employees agree: Why go anywhere else?

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
The City of Brook Park's businesses drive our local economy, provide quality jobs for our residents and add character to our community. Chief employment sectors include health services, aerospace research & development, primary metal industries, transportation and fabricated metal products. We work hard to keep our 450 businesses "here and healthy" and to attract new businesses.

SITE VISITS
We proactively visit our businesses to build relationships so that problems can be uncovered and addressed in their early stages. Call us at 216-433-7059 to arrange a site visit anytime.

SITE SELECTION ASSISTANCE
Expanding, relocating or even downsizing? We can meet your site selection needs with our list of available properties in Brook Park. We feature a mix of R&D office/laboratory space, small-to-mid-sized industrial buildings, large warehouses, transportation-oriented warehouses and truck dock buildings.
Click here for a current list of available properties or contact us at 216-433-7059

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We collaborate with regional service providers such as Cuyahoga County, the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority and the State of Ohio to provide a full line of fixed asset and working capital financing, environmental remediation support and workforce development and attraction. Let us know how we can help.