CLEVELAND — Another cold day in Northeast Ohio leads some, like Lucky’s Bar and Grill Owner Frank Wolter, to lend a helping hand to those in need.
“My wife and I planned on closing today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) because business is probably going to be slow and then I told her, you know, we probably need to stay open because there’s people without heat,” said Wolter.
Not all superheroes wear capes, but when it comes to Wolter, Kevin Henderson said he’s just that type of person who he said deserves one.
“It’s just something about Frank. Frank is unique in his own way,” said Frank Henderson, who is a customer.
That’s why Henderson said he’s not surprised that Wolter opened Lucky’s Bar and Grill in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood as a community warming center for those waiting to get their power restored in this bitter-cold and dangerous weather.
“One minute you got power. The next minute you’re out, and you don’t know how long you’re going to be out,” said Henderson.
For the past two months, News 5 has reported on a number of power outages impacting different parts of Northeast Ohio.
The latest complaint News 5 received happened this past Sunday when we spoke to Cleveland resident Candice Gibbons, who said she had lost power up to 15 times.
“The one before that was out for quite a while, and I was getting very cold, and I had a ton of blankets,” said Candice Gibbons, who lives in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood.
RELATED: West Side residents fed up with constant power outages as cold weather approaches
Even Wolter told News 5 that Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood has been experiencing some outage issues.
“I don’t know why but this area gets power out a lot,” said Wolter.
Earlier this week, several councilmembers told News 5 about a letter they sent to First Energy to address these concerns, and First Energy told News 5 in a statement that they are aware of these outages and are working to understand each one and take the needed steps to prevent future interruptions, such as installing a new breaker at a local substation on Jan. 7.
Meanwhile, Wolter said he’s here to help.
“That’s what we do. We’re not doing it for attention. We’re just doing it because that’s what I would want someone to do for my family,” said Wolter.
Wolter told News 5 he’s still undecided if he’ll open his doors on Wednesday.
But he said if he sees enough people complaining about not having power, he said that you can count on him.
