Aurora
The Aurora Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau’s annual State of the City luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 at The Bertram Inn & Conference Center at 600 N. Aurora Rd. The deadline to attend has passed, but there are always no-shows. The speakers will be Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin and Aurora City School District Superintendent Mike Roberto.
Womer Benjamin’s administration presented a resolution to Aurora City Council supporting the Ohio Commission for the United States’ semiquincentennial, and it was approved.
“This is part of our work and our plans to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday next year,” Womer Benjamin said.
Aurora City Council approved extending the moratorium through 2025 on the submission and acceptance of applications and the issuance of permits for vape shops, e-cigarette shops, smoke shops, tobacco shops and shops that sell any product related to CBD, cannabidiol oils or edibles.
A contract is being considered with ClearSpan for a new salt dome.
“We have two salt domes,” Womer Benjamin said, “and one of them is old and deteriorating. We need a new one.”
Womer Benjamin’s administration has requested that city council purchase more road salt.
Womer Benjamin’s administration is presenting 13 easements that residents who live on South Chillicothe Road have signed, giving city council easements to install decorative lighting there.
An International Women’s Day after-hours networking mixer will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 5 at Mario’s International Spa & Hotel at 35 E. Garfield Rd. Hors d’oeuvres courtesy of the Cabin Restaurant will be provided. A cash bar will be available.
There is no charge for Aurora Chamber of Commerce members; there is a $5 cost for non-members. RSVP at allaboutaurora.com.
Aurora Women in Networking Easter Wreath Craft Night will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, March 31 at the Howard Hanna community room at 195 Barrington Town Square Dr. There will be a crafting session, snacks/refreshments, and networking and team building. The $20 cost includes supplies and refreshments. Space is limited. RSVP at allaboutaurora.com.
The Fall Festival at Sunny Lake Park will be Saturday, Oct. 4. Registration for vendors and sponsors is open. For more information, visit allaboutaurora.com.
The deadline to enter the city’s annual snowman contest is Friday, Feb. 28. Entrants must email a picture of their snowman, the names of the people who participated and where the snowman is located to [email protected]. Prizes will be awarded to the winners.
There was a ribbon cutting Feb. 8 at The Goddard School of Aurora, a preschool located at 70 N. Chillicothe Rd.
A ribbon cutting was held Feb. 18 for 56 Tavern, the new restaurant at The Aurora Inn Hotel & Event Center at 30 Shawnee Trl.
City of Ravenna
There will be a multi-Chamber of Commerce networking breakfast talk from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 in the PMAB 150 room at the University Hospitals Portage Medical Center (UHPMC) at 6847 N. Chestnut St. The topic will be heart health, in honor of Heart Health Month. The presenter will be UHPMC RN Marc Streem. The participating Chambers will be Ravenna, Aurora, Kent, Rootstown and Streetsboro. Cost to attend is $10.
The Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce’s Ravenna on Display–Business Expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 1 at Ravenna High School at 6589 N. Chestnut St. The event will feature businesses, nonprofits and community groups. Free expo space is available for current Chamber members; sponsorship opportunities are available as well. The event will include a scholarship fund 50/50 raffle, scavenger hunt, gift cards, vacation getaway raffle and raffle baskets. To register and for more information, contact Ryann at 330-296-3886 or [email protected].
Ravenna Township
Ravenna Township Chair Vince Coia and Road Supervisor Ray Taylor attended the recent Chinn Allotment sewer project meeting at the First Church of the Nazarene.
Said Coia, “We gave residents updates on the pre-construction meeting that the county had regarding the project and fielded questions.”
The township will be represented by at least one of its trustees at the annual Portage County Health Department District Advisory Council meeting Wednesday, March 19. It is a dinner meeting in which the business of the health department is discussed.
A portion of Richardson Avenue will be renamed Beatrice Mitchell Boulevard in honor of Beatrice Mitchell, a McElrath neighborhood advocate who passed away in January.
“The portion that we’re changing doesn’t have any homes on that stretch, so it won’t be complicated,” Coia said. “We have to contact the engineer’s office, the board of commissioners and things like that. So there’s a lot of stuff that has to be done before it happens. By the time it goes through all of the steps, it will probably be the end of the year.”
Shalersville
The Shalersville Historical Society’s One-Room Schoolhouse construction project should be finished in time for its dedication Friday, June 13. An open house and pot-luck dinner is planned. The schoolhouse was decommissioned in 1905 and moved to the historical society in 2024.
The NOPEC Energized Community Grant awarded Shalersville $8,216 for energy savings projects.
The township’s new digital sign is now operational. The sign will be used to display future township events, meeting notices and other useful information.
The township trustees have two monthly meetings. The first monthly meeting is held at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month, and the second meeting is held at 5:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month.
