Mentor housing foreclosures have dropped, some patrolmen helped save lives, a pro ice skater is coming to town, and apparently people still need to be told not to leave their valuables in plain sight in their parked cars.

Those topics and more are part of the following list of excerpts from Friday’s city manager memo to City Council:

Economic and Community Development
• Housing foreclosures in 2011 declined 19 percent (80 homes) from 2010 levels.
• The unemployment rate in the city increased to 5.5 percent (from 5.2 percent in November) and at the county level increased from 6.2 percent to 6.6 percent. Mentor was “tied” with Cleveland Heights relative to unemployment for city’s 50,000-plus in population.

Police Department
• On Jan. 24, three vehicles were broken into and the owners’ purses were stolen. The thefts occurred between 8:25 a.m. and 9 a.m. Two vehicles were parked behind the Jazzercise business, 8701 Mentor Ave. and the other was parked behind Colonial Plaza, 7519 Mentor Ave. The driver’s window of each vehicle was broken to gain entry. Another vehicle was entered and a laptop was stolen from the rear of the Cruisin 50’s Diner, 8807 Mentor Ave. The vehicle was unlocked. This occurred between 12:30 and 6:50 p.m.
• There were seven catalytic converters stolen from vehicles the night of Jan. 24 to the morning of Jan. 25. One vehicle was parked at Value Place Inn, 5650 Emerald Ct., the other six vehicles were parked at Brunner’s Auto Service, 7121 Hart St. Video surveillance from Brunner’s shows two people in a mini van stealing the converters between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:12 a.m. on Jan. 25. Estimated value of the stolen converters is $1,400 dollars.
• Five officers will receive Life Saving Awards at the Lake County Association of Chief’s of Police luncheon on Feb. 1. The officers are patrolmen Kuret, Gerber, Bruening, Smelcer and Alvord. Kuret and Gerber performed CPR on a female who overdosed on Heroin. They successfully revived her and turned care over to Mentor Fire/Rescue. Bruening, Smelcer and Alvord performed CPR on a male who had a heart attack. They also utilized one of the departments AED machines to shock the male and then continued with CPR. Mentor Fire/Rescue arrived and shocked the male a second time with the AED machine, reviving the male. The actions of all five officers resulted in saving the lives of these two people.

Parks and Recreation Department
• Parker Pennington, a professional skater who got his start at the Civic Arena, is busy planning an ice show for late April. He and Terri Rosenwald, Civic Ice Arena manager, have been working together on this project.
• The Little Princess Valentine’s Dance and the Father-Daughter Skate are this weekend. Don’t get closed out sign-up now.  The Little Princess Dance is 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Senior Center. The Father-Daughter Skate is at the Civic Ice Arena from noon to 3 p.m., Saturday.
• The grand opening of the Black Brook Golf Course Practice Center is May 5. Some activities are planned for the day, including free 10-minute lessons with the pros, a closest-to-the-pin contest and a putting contest.
• The Lagoons staff is working to enclose a small shelter near the boat ramp to be used for our rental business. This will provide a more convenient location for our customers wishing to rent lifejackets, paddles, kayaks and paddle boards.

Fire Department
• On Jan. 23 at 4:37 p.m., fire crews responded to Route 2 westbound for a reported fire between Heisley Road and Center Street. Crews arrived to find a 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass fully involved in fire. The westbound lanes where closed for a brief period while fire crews extinguished the fire.
• A rescue squad that was hit and extensively damaged in an accident on Nov. 7 will be considered a total loss. The insurance company advised this week that they will provide $185,000 toward the replacement, which will cost $193,583. Legislation will be forthcoming to replace the unit.
• Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Georskey continues his recovery from his injuries from the squad wreck in November while at home. He is expected to be cleared to report for light duty in March.
• Great Lakes Mall has improved exit corridors from the main concourses. This was accomplished during its recent renovation and has significantly improved identification of the closest exit should an emergency occur at the Mall.
• On Jan. 19, Public Education Specialist Nate Peters attended a town hall meeting in Independence to participate in discussions targeted at reducing heroin drug abuse, as the city of Independence is experiencing a similar increase in heroin usage.  Nate was able to secure information from the program and is sharing prevention ideas with other agencies in our community.

Engineering and Building Department
• On Jan. 20, the Code Enforcement Division of the Economic & Community Development Department ordered the boarding up of an apparently abandoned house at 5865 Heisley Road under the public nuisance code. This house is directly across from Steris Way. The combined staff of the Law Director’s Office, Police Department, Public Works Department, Engineering & Building Department and Economic & Community Development Department helped to complete this effort.

Public Works Department
• The Public Works Activity Highlights last week were: Grading for new boat ramp — ongoing; fabricated steel rails for new boat ramp; fabricated and installed new debris cage for inlet behind Zappitelli’s; chipping discarded Christmas trees; painting at WWCC; storm sewer repair — Carolyn; Completed stabilization of section of Two Town ditch; attempted to locate gas line on Garfield Road as part of culvert replacement project; located storm lateral for resident on Green Valley; replaced curb back and sidewalk slab at 8765 Mentor Ave.; pothole patching; mailbox repairs; replacing ceiling tiles at the Senior Center; and established work zone for sanitary sewer televising on Route 306.

-- Betsy Scott, BScott@News-Herald.com, @ReporterBetsy