Aurora
Aurora’s Master Plan is going to have its first reading at the May 8 city council meeting. This is the Master Plan revision that the Master Plan Review Commission looked at and created over the last year. Council will now consider the recommendations from the Master Plan Review Commission, which were also approved by the planning commission.
“The Master Plan is something that the charter requires we do every five years,” Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said. “We review our zoning, our residential areas, our infrastructure, our economic development, things like that, in a very comprehensive plan that the city uses as a guide for future development and decision-making.”
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The city has been receiving many phone calls from people who are concerned that they have to make some decisions about their electric supplier.
“There have been organizations sending out letters to folks, some of whom aren’t Aurora residents but are actually Reminderville residents,” Womer Benjamin said. “Reminderville is with NOPEC. Aurora, however, has its own electric aggregate program through Energy Harbor, and the price is good through the end of May 2025.”
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A networking luncheon in which the topic will be “Protect Yourself Against Scams!” will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 at The Aurora Inn Hotel & Event Center at 30 Shawnee Trail.
Learn how to identify and protect yourself from current scams. Kelly Tremaine, community outreach coordinator for the Better Business Bureau of Akron, will show you what to look for and how you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim.
The admission fee is $30 for Better Business Bureau members and $35 for non-members. Register at allaboutaurora.com.
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City council approved its annual road-paving contractor, Perrin Asphalt & Concrete. The project will cost $1,186,000. “We pave a select number of streets depending on their condition and ranking in our pavement rating system,” Womer Benjamin said. The paving will be done before July 4.
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City council approved a contract with Pavement Technology, Inc., for a road treatment called Reclamite, which will be put on some of the city’s roads that were paved in the last several years to extend their longevity. That will be done through the spring into the early summer.
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City council approved contractor Matt Winters Excavating to rebuild two bridges in two of Aurora’s parks, Paddock River Preserve and Bretschneider. “That’s almost half a million dollars’ worth of work that will be done,” Womer Benjamin said. “Hopefully, the bridges will be done sometime this summer.”
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Aurora is gearing up for its annual July 4 festivities. It is a big day in the city, and the Fun Run, parade, festival and fireworks will gather thousands of people.
The parade lineup will be held at 10 a.m. in Barrington Square (Heinen’s parking lot). The parade will begin at 11 a.m. in the Heinen’s parking lot, continue to state Route 306 South, then continue to West Pioneer Trail and conclude at Greenmen Way.
Judges will award best school, nonprofit, business and community parade entries as well as most patriotic. Winners will be announced at 12:30 p.m. in the Kiwanis-Moore Park pavilion.
To walk or ride in the parade, click the following link: City of Aurora Parks and Recreation (activityreg.com). There is no entry fee. Booths must be completely set up by 10 a.m. The festival will last from noon to 4 p.m. at Kiwanis-Moore Park. Each group will be provided with a 10-foot-by-10-foot tent. Vendors are responsible for everything else, including a table, chairs, decorations, etc. The fee for businesses is $50, and the fee for non-profits is $10.
To register, click the following link: City of Aurora Parks and Recreation (activityreg.com). To nominate this year’s grand marshal, click here.
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At 10:15 a.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, there will be a parade that will begin at Veterans Memorial Park, and then there will be a procession to the Aurora Cemetery, where there will be several programs. “The city works with the veterans for this event,” Womer Benjamin said.
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The Aurora Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau now offers BWC premium discount program benefits. You can save up to 53% off your worker’s compensation premiums for 2023. To receive a no-cost quote, contact Aurora Chamber member Peter Young at [email protected].
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The Friends of Aurora Memorial Library at 115 E. Pioneer Trail will hold an “Educator Appreciation” Book Sale in the lower-level gallery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27. The library will honor educators, including newly graduated teachers, and homeschoolers with a 20% discount off their purchases. Bring your school ID or another teaching credential.
Proceeds from the book sale support library activities, programs and events that enrich the lives of community members. They also support purchases of new library books. Face masks are suggested for all adults and children over 2 years old.
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The Aurora Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing, sponsored by Anna Maria of Aurora, will be held Friday, June 16 at The Tanglewood Club at 8745 Tanglewood Trail in Chagrin Falls.
The fee for an individual golfer is $138, which includes cart, breakfast, lunch, dinner, golfer swag bag and two drink tickets. The fee for a golfer that includes ProPack is $163, which includes mulligan, longest drive contest, closest to the pin contest, costume hole and golf pong (for advantage on specific hole), Caddyshack kick, sand trap escape and AM adult beverage ticket. The fee for a foursome all in is $625 (save $27). For more information, contact the Chamber at 330-662-3355.
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Mario’s International Spa, Hotel & Cabin Restaurant at 35 E. Garfield Road will be offering two specials in May honoring Mother’s Day. “Spa Time for Mom” costs $119 and includes grotto, steam cave, sauna and one of the following services: half-hour massage, half-hour facial, pedicure, haircut and style, and 25 Cabin Dining Dollars. “Time Together” costs $199 and includes overnight stay for two (with in-room whirlpool), 50 Cabin Dining Dollars, 20% Spa Service Savings and lite breakfast.
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PureBliss Studios at 4 New Hudson Road offers “Bliss Meditation with Art” from 5 to 6 p.m. the last Sunday of each month, with the next session May 28. The session includes a 15-minute bliss meditation, quieting your mind, balancing your nervous system and cultivating mindfulness with breath work. In the second part of the class, you will participate in a guided creative art work for you to take home! All art supplies are included. Don’t forget to bring a yoga mat and a water bottle. The fee for each session is $20.
To register for a session, visit PureBlissStudios.net/workshops. For more information, call 440-781-8000 or email [email protected].
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The invite-only grand opening and ribbon cutting for Aurora Meadows, a newly remodeled event space that can host events for more than 300 people located at 50 Trails End, will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 1. Refreshments will be served. Ticket details will be coming soon.
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eXp Realty opened at 199 S. Chillicothe Road, Ste. 202, in Pioneer Place. The grand opening was a couple weeks ago. The owner is Cassie Fitzgerald.
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High school juniors and seniors have the opportunity to earn a Dining Services Scholarship by working part-time at Anna Maria of Aurora at 889 N. Aurora Rd. The available scholarships are for $1,000, $1,500 and $2,000. For more information, contact Tiffany at 330-562-6171 or visit annamariaofaurora.com/careers.
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The city is hiring seasonal employees in the parks and recreation department. To apply, visit auroraoh.com.
Streetsboro
The construction project on state Route 14, which has been a two-year process, is almost complete.
“They added a third lane – a center turn lane – and completed all of the sidewalks,” Mayor Glenn Broska said. “Now, people can walk from Diagonal Road on the southeast portion of town all the way up to Walmart on the northwest portion of town, a little over five miles.” The project should be done by early June.
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Van Boxel Kitchen & Flooring recently opened a brand-new showroom at 9040 state Rte. 14. Van Boxel features a variety of home-improvement services, including kitchen cabinet design and custom cabinetry as well as flooring options such as stone core plank flooring. The company has been operating at its Chardon location since 2018.
“We are thrilled to open our doors to the community and offer our customers an exceptional experience,” Manager Krissy Blythe said. “Our showroom features the latest designs and products, and we are dedicated to helping customers create beautiful and functional spaces that meet their unique needs and style.”
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Construction has begun on a new Popeyes chicken fast-food restaurant on the site of the old Shell gas station at 9356 state Rte. 14. The new restaurant should be open in less than six months.
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The annual Streetsboro Senior Recognition Breakfast was held April 5. The Streetsboro Chamber of Congress, along with Broska, Congressman David Joyce, and area community members and business leaders, collectively celebrated the successes and academic achievements of Streetsboro graduating seniors with a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher. Joyce was a speaker at the event.
“The students who achieved this accomplishment should be proud of their hard work and dedication to their studies,” Joyce said. “It’s always great to meet the many talented students in our community.”
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The sixth annual R.A.T. Memorial Golf Outing will be held Friday, May 19 at Windmill Lakes Golf Club at 6544 state Rte. 14 in Ravenna. The golf outing is in honor of the late Richard A. Taiclet.
Taiclet, a former Streetsboro police chief, was known among his friends and colleagues simply as RAT (his initials) and was a longtime supporter of the Streetsboro Area Chamber of Commerce’s events and activities, but the golf outing was special to him. He gave the city of Streetsboro, the Chamber and the golf outing his all until he simply was not able to help anymore due to his battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, to which he ultimately succumbed on Aug. 9, 2017.
The Streetsboro Chamber is proud to support RAT’s memory by funding The Richard A. Taiclet Scholarship with golf outing proceeds. This year’s $1,000 scholarship recipient is Jessica Reese. The fee for an individual golfer at the outing is $130, which includes a continental breakfast, unlimited beverages (excluding liquor) and a BBQ lunch after golf. The fee for a group of four golfers is $650, which includes four RAT Packs, a continental breakfast, unlimited beverages (excluding liquor) and a BBQ lunch after golf.
To register, call Deborah Covert at 330-626-4769 or email her at [email protected].
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A Fun Run and 5K for the Do-It-For-James Foundation was held April 30, both of which began and ended at Streetsboro City Park. The event was a memorial for former Streetsboro High School student and track star James Woods, the young man who died by suicide over the fact that he was getting blackmailed over the internet because he sent a picture of himself to another person.
“They had 175-180 runners participate,” Broska said. “They gave away five college scholarships to Streetsboro High students, so they must’ve raised a good deal of money.”
City of Ravenna
The Ravenna Fire Department was awarded two grants from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. One was in the sum of $16,773.50 to purchase equipment. The other was for $1,429.70, also to buy equipment.
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Ravenna resident Edward Seigerst donated $200 to the police department’s K-9 unit. “Mr. Seigerst has been kindly making donations to the police department every month or so,” Mayor Frank Seman said.
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The probation department donated $100 to the police department.
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City council passed an ordinance to advertise for bids according to law for the resurfacing of the police garage parking lot and for asphalt repairs at Maple Grove Cemetery. The cemetery will be paying for whatever the bid is on that project. “They certainly need to fix some of the roads – some of them have potholes – leading to the cemetery,” Seman said.
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The city tabled an ordinance authorizing a contract with CT Consultants, Inc., for a wastewater treatment plant assessment. “Our wastewater treatment plant’s last full update was about 30 years ago,” Seman said, “so we want to get an assessment on it, get an evaluation of all of the equipment that we have there, make sure the treatment equipment is sound and in good shape, and get recommendations of where we need to make some changes or update some things. The ordinance was tabled because we don’t have the contract for it, and we won’t approve it until we see the contract. It was on third reading, and we couldn’t do another reading on it, so we sent it back to committee until we get the contract. Then we’ll bring it out of committee and pass it.”
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The City of Ravenna accepted an ordinance accepting the recommendations and minutes of The City of Ravenna Tax Incentive Review Council for the 2022 Enterprise Zone Compliance Reports. “This is money that’s been granted to businesses in terms of tax relief,” Seman said. “You have to have approval from the state, the county and the city, and this board gets together with representatives from all of those places to see if they’ve met the requirements, which usually revolve around job creation. Everybody was compliant. There was nobody who had a problem with it, so that money is doing what it’s supposed to do.”
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The Ravenna Memorial Day Parade will take place Monday, May 29, beginning at 10 a.m. The parade will start on Main Street at the American Legion Post, proceed to the courthouse lawn for a brief ceremony at the Veterans Memorial, then continue to Maple Grove Cemetery for an “All Gave Some, Some Gave All” Memorial Service starting at 11 a.m.
For those who would like to participate in the parade, applications can be picked up at the Ravenna American Legion Post or the Ravenna VFW Post. If you would like an application emailed to you, email your request to [email protected], and one will be sent to you (PDF). Participants should sign in by 8:30 a.m. the day of the parade at the American Legion Post. No candy throwing, comedy acts or political advertising will be permitted in keeping with the somberness of the occasion.
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The Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate the 2023 Ravenna Award recipients:
New businesses – WellNow Urgent Care, Gypsy Sol Boutique, The Boston Group, Quick Med, LightSpeed Hosting, Carrie’s Hair Boutique, Manifest Beauty, Minute Men, Lav’s Grooming LLC, and Serene Tranquility
New construction – WellNow Urgent Care
New renovation – Record-Courier, Ravenna Township Board of Trustees, Grandview Cemetery, Longmeadow Care Center, ETNA House, Children’s Advantage, Portage County Health Department, and Bear’s Vintage Motorcycle Museum
Those people winning individual awards were: Gary and Tricia Krause (Honorary Way 2022), Laura Wunderle (Citizen of the Year), Sean Short (Volunteer of the Year), and Bruce and Lucy Ribelin (Lifetime Achievement).
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A free health screening will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, May 25 at the University Hospitals Portage Medical Center Audiology Department at 6847 N. Chestnut St. Anyone interested must register by calling 330-297-2576.
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A multi-Chamber breakfast talk will be held from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday, May 11 in the PMAB 150 room at the University Hospitals Portage Medical Center. The topic will be “Supporting Employees (and Employers) in Managing Workplace Stress.” The speaker will be Paul Schoenberg, Ph.D., Coleman Health Services. Learn valuable tips and techniques to help you and your employees stay calm and productive. The admission fee is $10. Make your reservation by visiting bit.ly/MultiChamberBTMay11.
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Leadership Portage County will present “Literacy Under the Lights” from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 12 at Ravenna High School’s Portage Community Bank Stadium at 6589 N. Chestnut St. The event is open to all third-graders and their families who live in Portage County. There will be local community resource outreach tables, activities for children as their parents visit the resource tables, a book giveaway by “The Bad Guys” author Aaron Blabey, and concessions. The rainout date is 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 13.
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On Saturday, June 10, Main Street Ravenna will hold its annual fundraiser for Art on Main Street in which local artists are invited downtown to paint, do woodwork and a variety of other artwork. Some of the artwork will be for sale. “There will be food and drink vendors,” Seman said, “and I know they’ve had wine tastings in the past.”
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Ravenna High School’s Day of Service will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, May 12. Students will clean up downtown and also paint spring designs on storefront windows. Business owners interested in having their windows painted can email [email protected].
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The Raven Awards Ceremony will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 7 in the Ravenna High School Auditorium. Sponsors are due by Monday, May 15.
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The Friends of Reed Memorial Library (RML) Sale will be from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20 and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 21. Members/friends of RML, located at 167 E. Main St., will have early access from 9 to 11 a.m. May 20.
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The Raven Packs spring fundraiser will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 17 at the West Main Street Winery at 234 W. Main St. Funds raised will benefit Ravenna students. There will be a 50/50 raffle (six for $5, 15 for $10 and 35 for $20). The admission fee is $20, which includes three raffle tickets and a drink ticket. Cash, check and Venmo will be accepted. You need not be present to win the raffle.
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Raven Packs’ final pack of the school year will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, May 18 at Portage Community Chapel at 6490 state Rte. 14. To sign up, click on the following link: Raven Packs: Raven Packs packing days 22/23 (signupgenius.com).
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“Youth & Alumni Night Out” will take place today. All youth and Ravenna High School alumni baseball players are invited to a Ravens baseball game at 5 p.m. All youth are invited onto the field after the game for an evening of fun.
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The Tavern 1888 Cruiz Ins will be held every Wednesday, weather permitting, on South Chestnut Street next to the courthouse. The rest of this month, the Cruiz Ins will be May 10, 17 and 24. Enjoy specials at Tavern 1888, located at 106 E. Main St., and bring your DORA drink to check out the vehicles!
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Main Street Ravenna’s first golf outing will be Friday, May 26 at Windmill Lakes Golf Club at 6544 state Rte. 14. To register, click on the following link: Golf Outing Registration 2023 – Main Street Ravenna.
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The Pokémon Club will meet today at Reed Memorial Library. Kids and tweens are welcome. If you collect Pokémon cards, play Pokémon video games, read the manga or just really love Pokémon, then the Pokémon Club is for you!
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The ribbon cutting and open house for the Lori Sams American Family Insurance Agency at 263 W. Main St. will be held at noon Thursday, May 11. To RSVP, email [email protected].
Ravenna Township
Ravenna Township’s road department started chipping up fallen tree branches from the recent windstorms and from people trimming their trees. Chipping season began May 1 and will run through Oct. 31. It will be done the first and third week of each month. There are rules regarding the size of the limbs that the road department can chip and how big the piles of limbs can be. Those rules can be found at ravennatownship.com.
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The township hired a part-time worker, Howard Dukes, for the road crew pending a drug test that is standard for all employees.
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Alec Vallant, James Crevar, Jeffery Cook and Dylan Keba were sworn in as full-time firefighters by the township April 11. Also sworn in that day was Dave Moore as the new part-time fire chief. Moore is a captain in the Kent Fire Department.
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The township appointed a new part-time zoning inspector, Lori Rotondo. Rotondo’s first day on the job was April 10.
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The township voted to put a moratorium on large-scale solar projects until it can get some ideas put down on paper for how it wants to see it go and progress.
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The township held its first Easter Egg Hunt on April 8 outside its offices.
“The Easter Bunny was there, and we had lots of small prizes and trinkets, stuff like that,” township Trustee Vince Coia said. “We did an allergy-free event, so we didn’t do anything with candy.”