September 2021
We are very excited about the progress the City has made over the last month. We recently announced our successful grant award from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources of $200,000 and the selection of The Smith Group as the designers for this exciting shoreline restoration. In August, we had our core team kickoff meeting to review the schedule and objectives, and the design team is already thinking of ways to create an interactive and exciting lakefront. Representatives from The Smith Group have visited the project site and are beginning the design process that will lead to a community meeting in September. At this meeting, we will ask for community input on the suggested design schemes.
We also recently issued Requests for Qualifications for a design team to assist with our proposed amphitheater and riverfront trail project. These projects received a total of $600,000 in funding from the State Capital budget. We hope to have a designer selected soon and a public engagement meeting in September to garner community thoughts on the design of these amenities.
More good news includes the selection of a development team for the former Union High School, also known as Building “A”. Council selected Liberty Development for this project, and we are looking forward to their concepts for this site which frames Wes Point Park, our city center. Again, the development team intends to engage our residents during the design process.
As summer comes to a close, we still have many exciting events planned. On September 1st, we have our final Osborne Park Sunset Concert. There are also gazebo concerts on Sept 2nd and 9th, which were rescheduled due to weather cancellations. We are very excited to celebrate Labor Day with fireworks on Sunday, September 5th, with a rain date of Monday, September 6th. The fireworks will be launched on Pelton Road and suggested viewing locations include Todd Field, the Municipal Courthouse parking lot, Andrews Osborne Academy front lawn, and the Fine Arts Association parking lot and front lawn. Parking will not be available on Pelton Road.
The Downtown Willoughby 5K is Sunday, September 19th. This annual event brings nearly two thousand runners and spectators to our downtown for a great day of activity and entertainment.
This fall, we are also pleased to announce our inaugural Clambake at Lost Nation Golf Couse on Saturday, October 16th. This is another addition to the programming at the course. Other recently added activities include a corn hole league, the Lost Nation High School Invitational, and the City Championship.
As always, please check our website and Facebook page for updates, schedules, and events.
