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.

January is a time of New Year Resolutions, so here goes…

The first resolution for City Hall is to fully commit to our other resolutions. Too many of us start the New Year with great intentions to (fill in the blank) exercise more, eat healthier, sleep longer, save more only to quickly give up. Not that any of these are unimportant, we simply get distracted or overwhelmed by other daily obligations. It is a challenge for any of us to commit to and stick with our resolutions, it is a larger effort to keep an entire City focused on common goals and objectives. Understanding this, our New Year’s resolutions include:

• Re-imagining our Historic Downtown as an Arts, Entertainment and Cultural District. The first of its kind in three counties.
• Continuing our efforts in growing our Lakefront District a destination.
• Assisting our manufacturers in attracting a skilled and motivated workforce as well as helping promote the unique services and products they provide.
• Identifying underutilized commercial and manufacturing properties and creating strategies to make them more productive.
• Creating opportunities for new housing near our Historic Downtown.
• Working to create a balance in our merchants and restaurants in the Downtown mix in order to enhance day and evening activity.
• Providing access and activities along our riverfront.

These are ambitious objectives individually, an especially exciting challenge when considered collectively. The effort is more complex given the economic headwinds we face; stagnant revenues and increased expenses. Fortunately, the team assembled at City Hall is equal to the task and anxious to meet the challenge. We are committed to using each of our New Year’s resolutions to enhance the quality of life in our City and stimulate economic growth. This work will be challenging and we will face obstacles as we move forward, but with focus and a healthy work ethic, we expect progress. It will certainly require cooperation and collaboration from all stakeholders, but we are a City known for this.

For me personally, I resolve to exercise more, eat healthier, sleep longer, and save more. I know I will be successful through January, but I cannot guarantee how long after. I can promise our work for the City will be a year-long, intensive effort.

 

 

 

 

 

As we near the end of 2018 it is a great time to reflect on the challenges and successes Willoughby encountered in the past months. Change always brings excitement and concern and with a new Mayor, four new councilpersons and four new directors the past year has witnessed the remarkable resilience of our City. The encouragement from our residents for the administration has been overwhelming and has helped the transition to be smooth and effective. Our new councilpersons have eagerly assumed their responsibilities with the support and guidance of the three veteran council members. In all, our city government has continued to function at the same level of excellence expected by our citizens for decades. Collectively we are looking forward to an exciting New Year.

In looking back at 2018 we’ve had an emphasis on “branding” our Historic Downtown as and Arts, Entertainment and Cultural District. The effort was advanced with the creation of the Willoughby Arts Collaborative. This group of volunteers has been working to establish our Downtown as a premier location to experience the arts with the goal to increase traffic for our merchants and continue the success of our bars and restaurants. We have had outstanding cooperation from the downtown stakeholders and we are looking forward to a great collaboration in 2019. The City is also strengthening our relationship with the Fine Arts Association and their wealth of talented students and teachers to provide additional emphasis on the arts. Finally, we are delighted to see the start of construction of Courthouse Square, the much-anticipated residential development adjacent to the Willoughby Municipal Court, and the sale of the former Memorial Junior High School which will be remodeled into office space. We expect these projects will add new life to our city center.

In North Willoughby we have invested in more amenities at Osborne Park and we have been adding banners and flowers to match the character of our downtown. A private developer has started construction on a manufacturing warehouse facility at Lost Nation Airport that will add more jobs for our city and help sustain the airport. Also, we are getting increased interest in new commercial construction along the Lost Nation Corridor and we will continue to solicit others to invest in convenience retail to support the new housing in this area.

Overall this has been another great year for Willoughby. While we have challenges ahead of us we are blessed with dedicated professionals at City Hall, Service, Police and Fire as well as intelligent and cooperative Council members committed to serving their constituents. It is wonderful time of the year to give thanks!

 

 

 

 

I may have confused a few residents with last month’s report. To clarify, the former Memorial Junior High School is the building sold to developers to be renovated as office space with adjacent townhomes and ranch-style duplexes. This is the property that recently housed the Indian Museum. The current Middle School on Ridge Road near the High School will be demolished after the High School additions and renovations are complete. The site will then become practice athletic fields.

Our road and road striping programs are complete with nearly $1 million dollars of improvements over the past summer. Our City Engineer and Service Director will soon begin their review of repairs for next year and, as always, this list is developed based on need and age of streets. We are also planning significant repairs to Erie Street next year in conjunction with Lake County’s water main replacement in Downtown. Finally, we have started the engineering associated with road and walk repairs on Erie Street adjacent to the railroad tracks by Sheraton Furniture, Brim and Spirits of Willoughby. As the schedule for these projects become more defined, we will alert our residents through our website.

Yard waste pickup has ended and leaf pickup will continue through the month of November and please remember to bring your leaves to the tree lawn, but not in the street. Our crews will be continuing pickup for as long as weather permits. The schedule for these activities as well as the schedules for all public meeting can be found on the City of Willoughby website. Agendas and minutes of all meetings can be found here as well.

As we enter the holiday season, please check our website and Facebook page for events. The Squash Hunger scavenger hunt is currently underway in downtown Willoughby through November 10^th. Next up is Shop Small Saturday on November 24^th. This is a great way to experience and support our local merchants, restaurants and bars.  Our “official” kickoff to the season begins with our Christmas Tree lighting on Thursday, November 29^th at 7:00 pm and throughout that weekend our Downtown Willoughby Merchants are planning an exciting series of events and shopping experiences that have been re-imagined for a family-friendly experience. We encourage you to experience the Downtown holiday lighting on Thursday, Holiday Stroll on Friday, Miracle on Erie Street 5K and Breakfast with Santa on Saturday.

Wishing everyone a great Fall season!

 

Summer 2018 has been great for Willoughby! On August 31^st we celebrated the groundbreaking for Phase I of the Courthouse Square Apartments. This project will eventually include 64 luxury apartments near our Downtown. On the same day, we sold the Willoughby Middle School property to a development team that will construct 6 new ranch-style duplexes and 7 new townhomes. The former Middle School will be renovated as office space and is fully leased. These projects will help grow both our income tax base as well as our property tax base. We are excited and pleased to see these projects underway.

November 2018 also brings the mid-term elections. This election includes four charter amendments for consideration. Every six years the Mayor and council appoint a Charter Review Commission to identify any changes, updates or corrections suggested for this document. A brief description of each amendment follows:

Issue 7

Proposed Charter Amendment – Shall Article III, Section 1 be amended to provide that the term for each member of Council shall commence on the first day of January following the council member’s election?   The January 1^st day was recommended by the Commission to ensure no time gap in the event of an elected Council member’s change or retirement.

Issue 8

Proposed Charter Amendment – Shall Article III, Section 5 be amended to provide for the Vice President of Council to have the authority to perform the duties of the President of Council in the absence of the President of Council?   This recommendation expressly formalizes the role of Vice President of Council.

Issue 9

Proposed Charter Amendment – Shall Article IV, Section 1 be amended to provide that the Mayor of the City of Willoughby upon election shall commence and assume office on the first day of January following the Mayor’s election?   This recommendation to a January 1^st date was recommended to close potential time gaps when there is an elected Mayor change and/or retirement from the office of Mayor.

Issue 10

Proposed Charter Amendment – Shall Article VI, Section 5 be amended to delete and eliminate in its entirety this Section 5 and its language reading “This article and all ordinances, rules, and regulations shall be liberally construed to give effect to the beneficial distribution of population, and the orderly development, improvement and general welfare of the City”?   The Commission believes this language to be confusing and subject to varying interpretations.  As such, the Commission recommends its removal.

Thank you to the Charter Review Commission for this excellent work. Members include Jim Ralston (Chairman), Greg Patt (Secretary), Steve Norris, Joe Farroni, Brian Lutz, Al DiFranco, Bruce Shade, Jeff Mackey, and Lawrence Gradwell.

 

This has been an exciting and busy summer. The gazebo concerts and our four summer events, the Rib Burn-Off, Classic Car Cruise-In, ArtsFest and Last Stop Willoughby, were huge successes. In addition, Willoughby hosted a boat parade and display for the Offshore Powerboat races. The event organizers informed me that our parade was the third most successful event they sponsored this year after Key West and Sarasota, Florida. Every year, our events continue to improve and we will increase our efforts to make our Downtown a fun, family-friendly environment. Also, in anticipation of the ArtsFest, we introduced the Willoughby Arts Collaborative. This group of local artists, arts administrators, and arts supporters are offering their talents and experience to reinvent our downtown as an Arts, Entertainment and Cultural District. You may have noticed the painted crosswalks, custom-designed bike racks and “Art Happens. Willoughby” window clings throughout our downtown. This is the beginning of our messaging to identify Willoughby as an arts-friendly community. Similar efforts are in the planning stages.

In addition, we are also placing an emphasis on growing our merchant base as well as helping our merchants flourish. Our Economic Development team is in daily communication with our downtown shop owners and assisting them with event planning and marketing. Our goal is to increase retail customer activity during the weekdays and weekends. In doing this we believe we will provide additional patrons for our restaurants and bars. We are also working to fill vacant tenant spaces with fresh retail merchants.

We are pleased to announce that several new housing projects are planned in and near Downtown Willoughby. The much-anticipated Courthouse Square project, located adjacent to our Municipal Court, is starting construction, and four townhomes are planned near City Hall. Seven new townhomes and six ranch-style duplexes will also start construction in spring at the former Willoughby Tech Center (Indian Museum) site. This housing will be fresh, unique and aimed at attracting young couples and seniors to live within walking distance of our downtown.

Finally, you may have noticed additional planters and banners along Lakeshore Boulevard in our Lakeshore Gateway District. In collaboration with local landowners and merchants, we are aggressively working to create a second activity hub in our City. With the recent improvements at Osborne Park, including a walking trail, pavilion, and parking near our lakefront, and the addition of the Sunday market, we have increased amenities for our residents along the Lost Nation/Lakeshore Boulevard corridor. We are also in the process of developing an event schedule for our “north coast” to boost activity in this area.

With summer ending, the excitement of a new school year and a busy fall is here. Keep up to date on city events on the City of Willoughby Facebook page. Have a great Labor Day!

 

 

 

 

 

Spring is a great time of the year. After a long winter sequestered indoors and limited contact with others we can finally journey outdoors and re-connect with friends and neighbors. It is also a great opportunity to experience the monthly events sponsored by our civic organizations. These include:

• Downtown Willoughby Car Cruise-In on Saturday, June 16^th from 4:00PM to 10:00PM. This event showcases great motor vehicles. Proceeds from the Cruise-In are used as donations to The Glenn Sheffield, Kenneth F. Stafford Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Willoughby Food Bank, and Toys for Tots. Any additional proceeds go directly back into the community.
• ArtsFest on Saturday July 21^st from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. Sponsored by the Willoughby-Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce, this popular event showcases artists and craftsmen from throughout the region and it is a great opportunity to visit our local craftsmen, merchants and restaurants. This year we are planning a downtown surprise immediately after the event that will display unique artworks of a much larger scale!
• Last Stop Willoughby on Saturday, August 18^th from 10:00AM to 5:00PM. Sponsored by the Heart of Willoughby, the event includes free narrated Trolley Tours of the historic areas in and around the downtown area; a Kids-Zone located in Point Park with arts, crafts, and face painting;  Trains at Your Place will return with their model train layout around the fountain that provides kids the opportunity to be the train operator; music in the gazebo; and The Willoughby Library will be hosting an elaborate train layout made entirely of Legos.

These events are free and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon in our community. While Downtown we encourage you to shop at our local merchants and enjoy our great food and beverage establishments.

Spring is also a great time to consider a few “good-neighbor” behaviors. One is to remember to keep all dogs leashed when Downtown. Some adults and many children are nervous around pets they are unfamiliar with. Also, pets have accidents. Please clean up after them.

We also encourage our residents to follow city ordinances regarding the use of equipment and tools during early morning hours, the disposal of grass clippings and yard waste and property maintenance in general. These ordinances are meant to enhance our property values and maintain the quality of life in our City.

Finally, we asked that all residents keep “eyes on the street”. If you observe suspicious vehicles, people or activities please report these to our Police Department. Our safety forces rely on community involvement and we have a shared responsibility to look after our neighbors.

Have a safe and wonderful Summer!

 

 

https://willoughbyohio.com/office-of-the-mayor/mayors-report/mayors-report-3/