Mayor’s Report

November brings many significant events that we would like to share. The first, of course, is Election Day on Tuesday, November 7th. This year, all of our Ward Councilpersons and our Willoughby Municipal Court judge are up for election. There are also three seats for the Willoughby-Eastlake School Board on the ballot and two State Issues, Issue 1 and Issue 2. We encourage everyone to research all issues and candidates and exercise their right to vote. A sample ballot and polling location information can be found on the Lake County Board of Elections website at www.lakecountyohio.gov/boe.

Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 23rd, and our Holiday Lighting Ceremony is Thursday, November 30th. Our lighting ceremony kicks off a weekend of festivities, including the Downtown Willoughby Holiday Stroll and Open House with our local merchants on Friday and Saturday. Other events on Saturday include the Miracle on Erie Street 5K, sponsored by Erie Street Miracles, and a Winter Market sponsored by The Heart of Willoughby organization. Also returning this season is the Holiday Craft Fair at the Willoughby Senior Center on Sunday. We hope you will support our local merchants, bars, and restaurants throughout the holiday season.

Leaf collection has started and will continue through the first week of December. Please remember to rake your leaves to the curb, but not into the street, as they may obstruct our storm sewers. You can also bag leaves in kraft bags and place them at the curb or in a trash container marked “Yard Waste.” Snowplowing will take precedence in the event of snowfall, and leaf pick-up will temporarily cease. Please check our website, where we will update the routes of our leaf pick-up vehicles daily.

Finally, you may have noticed construction activity on the east side of Route 84, along the river near the parking lot. This work is sponsored by the Chagrin Watershed Partners and funded through the State of Ohio’s H2Ohio program. It is a $2.2 million investment in our Chagrin River and will help eliminate erosion along Route 84 by redirecting the flow of the east branch of the Chagrin River. It will impact about 1,400 linear feet of the Chagrin River and enhance 78.4 acres of protected riparian lands. Governor DeWine stated, “Providing access to clean water is the ultimate goal of H2Ohio, and this project will contribute toward better water quality in the central Lake Erie Basin.” The project also included the removal of the low-head dam that was damaged in a storm event years ago and was becoming increasingly unsafe. The project team recognized the importance of the dam to our fishermen, and the work included installing boulder clusters in the river to mimic the fish habitat the dam provided.

As always, please check our website and Facebook page for news and events, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!