Atwater
The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), Atwater’s electric and gas aggregate, will be sending enrollment letters in the next week to all current and newly eligible electric customers as required by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (all Atwater residents and small businesses are part of the NOPEC aggregate). This enrollment packet provides details about the aggregation program, NOPEC’s Standard Program Price and other available options such as fixed-rate pricing. Residents who do not wish to participate in NOPEC’s electric aggregation must notify NOPEC by following the opt-out instructions in the letter.
The Portage County Township Association, which is made up of all the county’s townships, is offering a $1,000 Trade Scholarship to a 2026 graduating high school senior. To obtain an application, contact your township’s trustees or call Lori Calcei at 330-819-6947. The deadline to submit the application is Friday, May 1.
The Atwater Zoning Commission is looking for volunteers who would like to become involved by making decisions that influence the township, being the voice of what residents want and helping to maintain a vibrant community. If interested, call Trustee Charlie Harris at 330-858-9406.
The annual Atwater Township Memorial Day Parade, always a fun family event, will be May 25. The parade will start at noon from Bank Street and continue down Waterloo Road to the Atwater Cemetery and Town Hall for a short ceremony, after which trophies will be presented to the winners in various categories. For questions and/or to register, contact Peggy T. at 330-603-5227.
Upcoming township and community events:
- April 14 and April 28, 5-6:30 p.m. – Zoning office hours at Atwater Town Hall at 1219 State Route 183
- April 14 and April 28, 7 p.m. – Atwater Board of Trustees meeting at Atwater Town Hall at 1219 State Route 183
- April 26, noon-3 p.m. – End Alzheimer’s Spaghetti Dinner at Randolph Community Center at 1657 State Route 44
- May 15-17 – Waterloo Community Yard Sale. Sign up to be on the map by April 19. Call 330-808-3199
- May 16, 9 a.m.-noon – Plant Exchange at Atwater Old School Park. Bring a plant/take a plant (no money exchanged)
For township info: atwatertwp.net or facebook.com/AtvaterTWP/
Mogadore
Mogadore’s limb and branch pickup will be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, May 4 to Friday, May 8. Limbs should be no more than four inches in diameter. The limbs and branches should be placed right by the curb.
The next Mogadore Historical Society “Soup and Sandwich” will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 at the Russell M. Pry Community Center at 3857 Mogadore Rd. For around $10, you get soup and a sandwich. This will be the final “Soup and Sandwich” until the fall.
Suffield
The Suffield Farmers Market & Craft Fair will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at Suffield Town Hall at 1262 Waterloo Rd. If you are interested in being a vendor, contact Shannon at 330-807-0384.
“We had one of these last year just to see if there was interest, and there was,” township Vice Chair Jeff Eldreth said. “We’re going to try to have two or three more this year so local people can sell their stuff.”
The township is considering implementing data centers in the future.
A data center is a physical, secure facility that centralizes an organization’s Information Technology operations and equipment, such as servers, storage systems and networking gear. They store, process and distribute data, powering applications, cloud services and internet traffic. Data centers ensure high availability through specialized power, cooling and security.
“We’re just in the infancy stages,” Eldreth said. “Data centers are becoming real popular, so we’re just trying to figure out how to zone them.”
Brimfield
Pavlick & Reppas Oral Surgery Center on state Route 43 in Brimfield was approved by the board of zoning appeals. Mike Hlad, the township’s economic development director and zoning inspector, is currently working with the property owner, completing the lot split and easements.
Zoning is working with the City of Tallmadge to obtain a portion of the lake at McGuire Park, which is owned by the City of Tallmadge. Tallmadge is giving the property to Brimfield, but Brimfield has to pay for the replat. A purchase order was given to Campbell & Associates to start the work.
Work is continuing on tax increment financing.
7 Brew is coming to Brimfield and will be constructing a new building in Brimfield Commons across from Aldi.
A new hotel is being proposed in the Highway Commercial District behind McDonald’s. The board of zoning appeals approved the conditional use permit.
The proposed Fairfield Inn by Marriott was granted variances on the temporary fence it installed. The hotel obtained building permits and is working on a new fire alarm system and redesigning the sprinkler system.
There are several new occupants in Brimfield Plaza: Wing Warehouse, All Pro Sports & Creations, and Portage County Republican Headquarters.
Site work and apartment construction continues at the Villas at Wyles Farm apartment homes on Town Square Drive. Several tenants have now moved into the finished apartments. The Portage County Engineer has approved the public roadway improvements from tax increment financing.
Kenda Tire has completed construction.
The Woodland Reserve condominium development at 5036 State Route 43 continues to construct townhomes/condos. Also, work is being done on tax increment financing to run water down state Route 43. Replats for this condominium project continue.
Pleasant Lakes of Ohio has been granted approval to continue with condominium development off Sanctuary Drive. The roadway is now in, and several condos are under construction. Also, this developer will start building behind the Holiday Inn and the Mexican restaurant.
A new retail plaza is being constructed at Brimfield Crossing Drive across from McDonald’s. Construction on the building and site continues.
The Hill Church continues to work on its new addition.
The old Rico’s bar is being transformed into a restaurant/bar owned by KWT Commercial Real Estate, LLC, and it is nearing completion.
The Schaffer Woods Subdivision off state Route 18 has been approved by the board of zoning appeals and regional planning. This new subdivision will have 128 new homes and connect into Chapman Farms.
The Village of Saint Edward assisted living facility continues work on the building and site.
Menards is installing electrical vehicle charging stations in the front portion of the lot. Construction is underway.
Plato’s Closet is going into 3975 Cascades Blvd., Units 8 and 10.
A mixed-use development is being proposed south of Dunkin’ Donuts on state Route 18. More information to follow.
Currently, 69 zoning violation letters are out, and nine are in court with the prosecutor’s office.
Zoning permit fees as of April 3 total $8,042.85.
Upcoming meetings and events:
- Zoning commission meeting, 7 p.m. April 9
- Board of zoning appeals meeting, originally scheduled for 7 p.m. April 8, is canceled
- Regional planning commission meeting, 4:30 p.m. April 8
- Kent JEDD meeting, 11 a.m. April 29
- AMATS Policy Committee meeting, 1 p.m. May 14
- Portage Development Board “Locate, Stay & Grow” event, 7:30 a.m. May 27
Randolph
The former Circle K at 3966 Waterloo Rd. in Randolph has reopened as The Pit, also a convenience store.
Roger Gordon