As we near the end of 2019, it is a great time to reflect on the important successes and challenges our City encountered during the past year. Financially, the City did an excellent job of managing ever-increasing costs, with a relatively stable income. Thanks to the efforts in managing expenses by our Directors, we will finish this year with a solid fund balance. It should be noted costs are rising at a faster pace than income. Our Director of Finance, City Council, and I will be closely monitoring this over the next few months. Our economic development team has worked tirelessly in bringing new business to Willoughby, including seven new businesses to Downtown Willoughby and providing two storefront renovation grants in our Lakefront District. We are also excited about the completion of the Weston building at Jet Center Place, and the announcement of Marc’s to locate at the shopping center at Euclid and S.O.M. Center Road. Proceeds from the sale of the former Memorial Junior High School were returned to the Willoughby-Eastlake School District as promised. Finally, a Request for Qualifications is underway for the Glennridge project to be located on Glenn Ave near the Todd Field parking lot. We anticipate this project will bring enhanced parking and access for our Downtown. Submissions will be received and reviewed in January.

We have been active in bringing new and exciting programs to our City, including Wildroots Modern Market, Live Well Willoughby, growing merchant organizations in Downtown and Lakefront Business Districts, and an expanded summer gazebo concert series. With recent improvements to Osborne Park, we are planning to host live music and other family-friendly events at the lakefront next summer!

We are also thankful to our Police, Fire, and Service Departments for their exceptional work. These departments continue to work with a staff committed to public service and are constantly researching better ways to serve Willoughby.

Finally, we are delighted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our annual Christmas Tree Lighting. This year we have a very special addition added to our program to celebrate!

From all of us at the City of Willoughby, we wish you a happy, healthy holiday season!

For many of us, the holiday season begins this month with the celebration of Thanksgiving. It seems to be an appropriate time to acknowledge and thank those who are primarily responsible for making our City a great place to live, work, and play.

 

Our Police and Fire Departments do an outstanding job in protecting our community. This year Police Chief Jack Beckwith provided valuable data and guidance in determining where to install our new traffic control devices. There has been a marked decrease in speeding in these targeted areas as a result of his efforts. Fire Chief Todd Ungar and his team garnered significant grants to provide our firefighters with improved equipment necessary to serve our community. Service Director Lee Bock along with our City Engineer continued our stormwater management improvements with projects completed or underway in Two Town Ditch, East 364th and 365th Streets and cleanup efforts in Ward Creek. Chief Building Inspector Darryl Keller, along with Zoning Inspector Karen Brooks, has been instrumental in researching, reviewing, and editing a significant zoning code update. Tom Thielman, our Economic Development Director, has been working tirelessly in attracting new business to Willoughby with a focus on our Lakefront District and increased efforts to reduce vacancies in downtown. Parks and Recreation Director Judean Banker successfully concluded a three-year senior center construction effort, and her team is working on exciting summer programming for the Lakefront District. Law Director Mike Lucas crafted legislation to help create an ESID, a program to assist in financing energy-saving initiatives, and a Lakefront SID to assist our lakefront property owners in addressing erosion issues. Our Finance Director Diane Bosley has done an exceptional job of managing our finances and keeping a watchful eye on both revenues and expenses.

In all, these directors and their teams have provided exceptional service to our City.

A final note is a reminder that November 5th is Election Day. Below is a brief summary of what is on the ballot:

Willoughby City Council: Six (6) of the current Willoughby City Council Members are on the ballot, and all are unopposed. The 7th Member of Council (Ward 6) is also unopposed and replacing retiring Councilman Harrold.

Issue 2 Laketran: Shall sales and use tax be levied for all transit purposes of the LAKETRAN Regional Transit Authority at a rate of 1/4 of 1% for ten years effective January 1, 2020.

Issue 3 Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library: 1 Mill Renewal Levy – Current Expenses – Ten Years – Commencing 2019 Tax Year.

Issue 4 Willoughby-Eastlake City School District: 4.99 Mills Additional – Current Expenses – CPT – Commencing 2019 Tax Year.

Willoughby City Ward 4 Precinct C Local Option Petition: Shall the sale of wine and mixed beverages & spirituous liquor be permitted for sale on Sunday between the hours of ten a.m. and midnight by 5858 SOM Center Rd. LLC, also known as Zeppe’s Tavern, an applicant for a D-6 liquor permit authorizing on-premise sales who is engaged in the business of operating a family-oriented, full-service Italian restaurant & tavern at 5870 SOM Center Rd., Willoughby, Ohio 44094 in this precinct?

Wishing you a very Thanksgiving!

On November 1st we will have a new provider for our trash and recyclables pick up.

Every three to five years, the City goes out to bid for trash and recycling services. For the past 14 years, the successful bidder was Waste Management. This year, the lowest and best bid for the 5-year contract was Republic Services. Republic is a reputable service provider and is a Fortune 500 Company, operating across 41 states. They are currently the solid waste pickup providers for Mentor, Perry, and Wickliffe and hundreds of other cities across the state. We were also successful in negotiating trash pickup for condominiums at the same price as other homeowners if the vehicles can service those properties.

Many of our residents will not notice a change in service, but there are a few important things to note. First, Republic will be providing both the garbage and recycling totes for our residents. This is due to their vehicles having automatic tote-handling equipment and is similar to the recycling pick up we currently have. Trash totes will be 96 gallons and the recycling totes will be 64 gallons. Republic is asking residents to use their totes first and you can add up to three 32-gallon cans of your own or five 30-gallon bags. Also, Republic will continue to pick up bulk items (furniture, appliances, etc.) and yard waste weekly. Yard waste in cans should be marked “YW,” or you can use yard waste bags.

Our new provider will make every attempt to maintain the current schedule for trash pickup, but some route days and/or times may change. Beginning the week of October 21st, Waste Management will start picking up their recycling bins and any bins not retrieved will be picked up the following week, along with any rented trash totes. They are asking all residents to place their recycling bins out the week of October 21st. During this same timeframe, Republic will be delivering 16,000 garbage and recycling totes to our residents.

Republic will invoice residents directly as Waste Management did. The monthly fee is $16.76 and will be billed quarterly. The first bill may only be for the last two months of this year. Waste Management will provide refunds to any residents that have overpaid but cautioned this could take 30 days.

Republic will be sending letters to residents with details of their services and will include their contact information. We are asking our residents to be patient during this change, and we will be adding information on trash and recycling pickup on the City’s website: www.willoughbyohio.com.

Finally, as fall approaches, please note that leaf pickup will resume. This will begin about the second week of October and continue until December 1st, weather permitting. If we have an early snowfall, plowing will take priority and leaf pickup may stop. You can bag leaves for trash pickup or rake them to the tree lawn. Please do not rake leaves into the street or roadside ditches.

The City of Willoughby has many assets, one of which is our lakefront. We are proud of the north end of our City and especially pleased with the recent improvements made in the area. Property owners along Lakeshore Boulevard near Lost Nation Road have been making significant investments, and these are stimulating others to do likewise.

Several years ago, J.T.’s Diner accomplished a beautiful transformation of an existing building into their relocated restaurant along Lakeshore Boulevard. The diner always noted for their excellent breakfasts and unique service has been a tremendous success. Recently Brandt’s Candies known for their exceptional handmade candies invested in a new storefront on Lost Nation. During a tour of their facility, Brandt’s owner, Barb Phillips, explained the care and attention that goes into each confection. This year, Jim and Charlotte Colwill completed a significant renovation to Charlotte’s Ice Cream. This extensive remodeling included both the interior and exterior of their store. Both Brandt’s and Charlotte’s utilized The City of Willoughby’s storefront remodeling grant program to assist with their projects. Another example of a north end improvement is the Sunoco gas station located at the intersection of Lost Nation and Lakeshore. This extensive renovation refreshed a worn corner property and is known as much for their exceptional hummus and corned beef sandwiches as their fuel.

Local community groups, including the Willoughby Lakefront Business Association, have also been working to bring events to the north end. They are the sponsor of the Osborne Park Market and Flea and Kathie Pinkerman has done an excellent job promoting this market. This market is every Wednesday from 4 pm – 7 pm through September.

The City has also been an active participant in the continued improvements to this area. The construction of Osborne Pool provided a catalyst to other park improvements including a new parking area with better access to the lake, a walking trail, a new play structure, and a new pavilion. This year’s improvements include new benches and electrical service for the recently completed pavilion.

Our lakefront, like many along Lake Erie, has been a recent victim of significant erosion. Our Service Department has investigated erosion control measures and costs associated with them. These costs, estimated at over four hundred thousand dollars, would represent about half of our annual capital budget. The capital budget is the fund we use to purchase police, fire, and service vehicles as well as pay for building maintenance. Furthermore, there are no other funding sources for erosion control measures. However, there may be a solution that will provide additional amenities for Osborne Park and residents as well as manage the erosion. The first is the creation of a Lakefront Special Improvement District (SID) with its ability to finance erosion control improvements, possibly over 30 years. The second is we have a unique opportunity to do a broader planning effort and include other park and lakefront amenities. We are reviewing our Osborne Park Master Plan for opportunities to couple erosion control measures with other park improvements which may provide other funding sources.

The lakefront is an important part of our community and we look forward to continued growth and success in this area.

On August 10th, the City will host an Open House event for the new David E. Anderson Senior Center. This much-anticipated facility will become the new home for our over 1500 members. Please stop by to take a tour, become a member or learn about all of the programs offered. The Center will open for our members on Monday, August 12th. The ribbon cutting will take place on September 14th.

Union Village is a collaboration between the City of Willoughby, the Willoughby-Eastlake School District, and the Lake County YMCA. This will represent the largest construction project in Willoughby’s history, and one of the most unique collaborations in the State of Ohio. In 2014, Superintendent Steve Thompson and Lake County YMCA Executive Director Dick Bennett began a conversation about combining and sharing resources. Given Willoughby South High School and the West End Y are neighbors, these leaders believed a partnership would increase services of both institutions. Shortly after this, Mayor David Anderson suggested it would be an excellent opportunity to build our long-anticipated senior center. Before the 2015 school district bond issue, the City, School District, and YMCA conceived a joint-use facility now called Union Village. The name truly represents the philosophy behind this project: a union of three entities to provide better services while reducing operational costs. It is also a nod to the former Union High School located in Wes Point Park.

Union Village includes an expansion and renovation of Willoughby South High School, the relocation of Willoughby Middle School to the current high school and the demolition of the existing Willoughby Middle School. The YMCA is investing in a new state-of-the-art facility and will relocate from its current building at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Shankland. Finally, the City is constructing a new senior center and will relocate from the current building on Brown Avenue.

The real story, however, is the value these separate but connected projects bring to our community. For the City, we will have a single-story facility with flexible and expandable spaces for programming. We also gain better parking and a more functional layout. Our proximity to the YMCA will offer more programming opportunities, and the new South High School field house will provide a larger gym as well as a walking track. We are also looking forward to a renewed relationship with our neighbors, Breckenridge Village, and their new Executive Director Dean Palombaro. The new YMCA facility will offer more program opportunities with an emphasis on family programming. Their building includes a warm water therapy pool, and the Y will manage the 8-lane competitive pool constructed by the school district. The pools are adjacent to each other, and they serve as an outstanding example of how the YMCA’s expertise in pool management can provide a direct benefit to the schools. The expanded Willoughby South High School/Middle School will offer more opportunities for student-centered learning and an opportunity for cross-generational learning experiences with its proximity to the Senior Center.

We look forward to seeing the community at Union Village soon!

 

Lake Erie’s water levels are at historic levels. In fact, the lake’s water level has raised 6″ since May 1st of this year, and we have already broken the historic highest water level of 1986.  This is 30″ above the average sea level of the lake.  May had the highest average monthly water level increase since 1918. Similar, but not as extreme high-water levels occurred in 1973-1974 and 1997-1998 when water levels receded until 2007. Historic patterns indicate we will continue to see elevated lake levels this spring and summer. Lake water level should begin to drop after this year.

Residents along our north shore and the city have been experiencing significant erosion damage due to these extreme conditions. In fact, the entire lakefront of Ohio has similar issues. Marinas with their docks underwater and lower lakefront areas experiencing flooding in many cities along the lakefront. In Lake County, Eastlake, Mentor, Fairport Harbor, and Perry Village are experiencing significant issues with lakefront erosion.

Over the past months, we have been investigating possible erosion control measures and funding for these.

We met with Paul Palgyi, Executive Director of Lake Metroparks, who offered to provide technical assistance in lakefront planning to help with temporary and short-term erosion control measures including landscape design. We also met with Peter Zahirsky of the Lake County Port Authority and Director of Coastal Management to review any funding sources for erosion control. Peter indicated that there are no funds specifically dedicated to lakefront erosion measures. However, he did state that if we combine erosion control improvements with lakefront master plan improvements, funding may be available. He referenced the work Euclid is doing as an example. Recently, Councilman Woodin joined the administration in a visit to Euclid to meet with Mayor Holzheimer Gail and her staff to better understand the scope, schedule, and funding of their project at Sims Park. We also participated in a meeting with mayors, managers, and state elected officials sponsored by the Lake County Port Authority, representatives from Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the law firm Bricker and Eckler, experts in Lakefront Special Improvement Districts. From this meeting, we learned:

• The ODNR, Office of Coastal Management is issuing Temporary Shore Structure Permits to allow homeowners to act faster than the standard permit process that can take three months or longer.
• The Technical Assistance phone number for ODNR is (419) 626-7980. Their website is http://coastal.ohiodnr.gov/.
• There is no financing assistance for landowners using the Temporary Shore Structure Permits.
• The temporary permits can be issued in 1 – 2 weeks and are good for two years.
• There are Coastal Assistance Planning Grants, for planning only, from ODNR. Willowick, Eastlake, and Willoughby are jointly pursuing these.
• Homeowners have the option to create a SID to help finance erosion control measures. Municipalities sponsor the SID, and it may contain both public and private properties, and the properties do not need to be contiguous.
• The SID would allow homeowners to amortize the cost of erosion control improvements over 30 years.

Summer will bring us outside to enjoy the weather, our homes, city parks and the many events planned in Willoughby. This month I thought I’d pass along a few reminders for the summer season.

Please note that we are requesting all pets be leashed on public properties. Also, remember to clean up after your pets. As we maintain our homes and yards, remember that all yard waste and grass clippings must stay on your property or can be removed by our refuse hauler, Waste Management. Grass clippings should be placed in lawn bags or containers provided by Waste Management. Please remember to sweep or blow your grass clippings away from sidewalks and streets. More information on Waste Management is below. Also, we have city ordinances that limit construction start times to 7:00 am on the weekdays and 8:30 am on the weekends.

For convenience, below is a list of the different service providers for Willoughby:

Waste Management: Our current trash removal contractor also picks up larger items such as furniture and appliances as well as grass clippings and yard waste. For any questions relating to trash pickup and recyclables, please call Waste Management at 1-866-797-9018. Also, more information on trash pickup can be found on the City’s website at https://willoughbyohio.com/service-department/refuse-collection/. Please remember that trash pick-up occurs one day later after Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

First Energy: Our electric and streetlight provider can be reached at 1-888-544-4877 and through the City website at https://willoughbyohio.com/service-department/. Please contact them for power outages as well as streetlight repairs. For streetlights, the pole number or the street address nearest the pole is required. Also, links to Ohio Dominion, NOPEC, AT&T, Spectrum and the Lake County Department of Utilities can be found on our website.

Lake County General Health District: The LCGHD can be reached at 440-350-2543 and their website is https://www.lcghd.org/. This organization provides many services for our residents, including restaurant kitchen inspections, reporting, and monitoring of infectious diseases in Lake County, animal bite reporting for rabies control, and mosquito spraying. Lake County’s birth and death records are archived at the LCGHD and they are actively involved in the opioid epidemic with Project Dawn (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone). This is a community-based overdose education and naloxone distribution program.

Finally, we ask that if you observe suspicious vehicles, people or activities, please report these to our Police Department at 440-953-4212. Our safety forces rely on resident involvement and we have a shared responsibility to look after our neighbors.

We wish everyone an enjoyable and safe summer!

 

 

The snow is finally gone, and May marks the beginning of the Spring-Summer seasons. This month we celebrate Memorial Day on May 27^th, an important holiday that commemorates the men and women who have given their lives while serving our country in the military. The first Memorial Day was celebrated in 1868 and was meant to honor those that died during the Civil War. I’ve always coupled this holiday with the observance of our country’s birthday on July 4^th.  Both are days meant to honor a country built on acceptance, tolerance and cooperation.

My family represents the true spectrum of current political thinking. Some are liberal and some are conservative. I’m sure this is the case with many other families. Our get-togethers are usually peaceful and uneventful, but occasionally, can become exciting when personal/political views are discussed. To date, we have not solved any social, economic or political challenges. However, the fact we can have open and frank discussions about issues is important. Also, the ability to consider alternate points of views is significant.

As we enter this year’s election season, and as the presidential campaign unfolds (two-plus years before that election), it is a great time to practice the art of listening, considering and understanding. This task is challenging at the Federal level, less so at the State level, but can be easily achieved here in our hometown. We are blessed to live in a community with residents of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and aspirations, as well as strong connections to family and friends.  We are also a city that cherishes relationships. This is the framework that fosters open dialogue. That is if we are willing to hear and understand.

With the warmer weather and the beginning of our summer events, it is a great time to reconnect with our neighbors and our community. It is the perfect season to talk and listen.

As we celebrate a country founded on acceptance, tolerance and cooperation, and the men and women who gave their lives protecting these foundations, hopefully, we can all work to practice the art of communication. Like my family, we will never agree on some things, but we can share a meal, enjoy each other’s company and be comfortable knowing our opinions may never align. More importantly, we can accept this as perfectly normal and acceptable.

Please remember our first summer event, the 2019 Rib Burnoff, is Saturday, May 18^th and Sunday, May 19^th. Also, our Memorial Day Parade will be on Monday, May 27^th in Downtown Willoughby, with a second ceremony at our Plains Road Cemetery in north Willoughby shortly thereafter.

Enjoy the Spring!

Mark and Terry are good citizens.

They are engaged, observant and care deeply for our City. They regularly attend Council meetings and, when they do, their comments are insightful and important. Noteworthy is their ability to communicate issues with civility, an uncommon practice today. Criticisms or suggestions are almost always followed by a compliment or nod of approval about other matters.

Recently one of them asked about my performance over the past year. Specifically, he inquired about how well I have been meeting the goals established in my campaign platform developed in the Fall of 2017. This platform was drafted, with the assistance of another good citizen, Bruce.

The task of measuring performance against promises is valuable and the exercise helped me assess the relevance of my goals and how successful I’ve been in meeting them. My platform was built on three pillars: Vision, Experience and Leadership. Within each of these we identified an objective, a reason for the goal and notes about each. To evaluate my performance, I applied a grade to each of the suggestions based on the typical grading scale of A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1 and F=0. I then tallied and averaged my grades for each of my 30 platform suggestions. In reviewing the past 14 months we have some great successes, but we still have work to accomplish. We have made great strides in re-imagining our Downtown, we have made improvements and increased investments on our north shore Gateway District, we have improved our community communications systems and we have kept watchful eyes on our budget. These were all accomplished with the support of our City Council and the efforts of our City Administrators. However, with these successes there are few things left to accomplish. One is the development of a 10-year strategic plan. Next year will be the final year of planning for our Civic Vision 2020 and it is the ideal time to initiate the planning of Civic Vision 2030. A second will be to establish a clear set of performance standards for City employees, including me. And finally, I will focus on more direct interaction with our community through council ward meetings, neighborhood get-togethers and civic organizations’ meetings.

If anyone is interested on how I scored myself, I posted the results of my report card on my www.fialaformayor.com website, where the platform resides. I would also be happy to forward this if you contact me via email at rfiala@willoughbyohio.com or at City Hall 440-953-4124.

If anyone is interested, my composite grade was a B.

During the past months, I’ve mentioned that last year was a “learning year”. The first order of business as a newly-minted Mayor was to understand the structure, policies, and procedures of our City. Equally important was becoming familiar with our departments and our staff as well as becoming fully acquainted with residents’ issues and concerns.

As we enter the new year, we are looking forward to growing our many outstanding events and adding a few more. We will also place additional emphasis on assisting the Downtown Willoughby Organization (DTWO) in order to support the growth o four merchants, restaurants and bars. For our Lakeshore District, we need to develop erosion control strategies for city-owned properties, For our residents living on the lakefront, we will continue to identify funding sources for erosion control measures by assisting in the creation of a Special Improvement District (SID). It would also be the appropriate time to evaluate land-use along our lakefront and begin to develop long-term plans for our shoreline.

Another important task for this year is to refresh our website to make it more user-friendly. This will include better navigation and more resident-requested features. The effort will take months, but we believe better and easier access to important information will make this effort worthwhile. Also, the expansion of our presence on social channels will be a priority in order

Finally, we will be evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of our many Boards, Commissions, and local organizations. I have been approached by many residents asking to become more involved in the city government and this is what makes Willoughby a great place to live, work and raise a family. Being a member of a Board or Commission is an excellent way to become an engaged citizen and we are always in need of community-minded citizens to fill positions within these groups. Specifically, those with planning, financial, business and development experience that will help foster thoughtful decision making. If anyone is interested in becoming a member of any of our Boards, Commissions or local organizations, please feel free to contact me via email at rfiala@willoughbyohio.com or at City Hall at 440.953.4124.