Friday, May 18, 2012
Residents want flooding addressed before fields are put in.
More than a dozen residents living in the Sandy Lane area spoke out against the building of two proposed soccer fields at Schwartz Road Park May 16 at the city’s monthly Planning Commission meeting. Last November, the city purchased 18 acres adjacent to the park for $470,000 with the intent to build new soccer. That would allow the city to have almost all its soccer fields at Schwartz Road Park, while Veterans Memorial Park will be used for baseball, softball and football. Residents spoke out about several concerns, including the expectation of additional flooding and noise that would result from the fields. Initial site improvement plans were approved at the planning commission meeting after nearly one dozen comments were stated during a …
41.440329
-82.000412
Schwartz Road Park
35001 Schwartz Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/sandy-lane-residents-air-flooding-grievances-on-new-soccer-fields
1826975
/locations/7048561
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Water rates will increase 11.6 percent, sewer rates by 3.6 percent
Reacting to a 13 percent sanitary sewer rate levied by Avon Lake Municipal Utilities as well as an increase by the French Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant, the city of Avon approved a 3.6 percent increase of sanitary sewer use rate. Avon’s finance committee met on April 23 to consider the increases sought by the neighboring cities and their services and settled on the proposed increase. City council approved the increase at its May 14 meeting. The current sanitary sewer use rate is $5.59 per 1,000 gallons and will increase to $5.79 per 1,000 gallons, or by a rate of 3.6 percent, effective June 1, 2012 for bills issued in July, 2012. Finance director Bill Logan said sewer rate increases are passed along as they are received from Avon Lake …
41.46716
-82.0209
City of Avon City Hall
36080 Chester Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/water-sewer-rates-to-increase-this-summer
1073698
/locations/7012020
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
What do you think of the president's support of gay marriage?
On May 9, President Obama became the first U.S. president to issue a statement of support for gay marriage. "Same sex couples should be able to get married," he said. Soon after, Congresswoman Betty Sutton (OH-13), Avon's representative, released a statement in response to President Obama’s announcement. "Future generations will look back on the actions taken today to end discrimination in all of its forms as a watershed moment,” Sutton said in the statement. “Every American deserves a chance at the American Dream, with no exception. The President's actions today represent progress in fulfilling our nation's commitment to equality for all Americans.” We know where the politicians stand, but Patch is asking readers for your …
Friday, May 4, 2012
The men each face three counts stemming from a what federal officials say was a plan to blow up a Brecksville bridge.
The five men arrested in the plot to blow up a bridge in Brecksville have now been indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday. The self-proclaimed anarchists will each face three counts stemming from a plan hatched over several months to blow up the State Route 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Brandon Baxter, 20, of Lakewood, Douglas L. Wright, 26, Anthony Hayne, 35, Connor C. Stevens, 20, and Joshua S. Stafford, 23, face charges including one count of attempted use of an explosive. The men had hoped to use C-4 explosives to blow up the bridge, after deciding against other targets such as the Cuyahoga County Justice Center, the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland and the Detroit-Superior Bridge, according to an affidavit…
Road to be resurfaced, opened to avoid construction zone
The city of Avon will resurface Avon Road from Bradley Road in Westlake to the Avon border to re-open the road to save time and money on the interchange construction. Residents in that area will be able to avoid the construction at the Avon-Nagel Road intersection. Once school is completed, the intersection will be closed off to help speed up the interchange work in that area over the summer, Avon construction project manager Don Damyanic said in an e-mail. The city hopes to have the resurfacing completed by June 1 and will open the road a couple of weeks later. The goal is to complete the interchange work before school starts in the fall, Avon city engineer Robert Knopf said. Avon and Westlake agreed last fall to the resurfacing on Avon …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Lakewood native Brandon Baxter expected to plead not guilty next week.
The lawyer for Brandon Baxter, a Lakewood man who is charged with four others of plotting to blow up a Brecksville bridge, said Wednesday his client was coached into participating in the scheme by an FBI informant working the case. Cleveland attorney John Pyle, who took on Baxter’s case this week, said his client would not have — and could not have — gone through with the plot if not for the FBI's involvement. Pyle said his client will plead not guilty next week. Baxter, 20, Douglas L. Wright, 26, Anthony Hayne, 35, Connor C. Stevens, 20, and Joshua S. Stafford, 23, are each charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of attempted use of an explosive. They were arrested Monday night. According to the FBI affidavit, the agency used a…
Friday, April 27, 2012
The short rally encouraged people to focus on Election Day and the upcoming Senate races.
The Tea Party Express rolled into Brecksville Friday evening—and departed soon after with little fanfare. The tour’s Ohio location had been up in the air until Friday morning, and the short notice led to a small crowd. About 30 people had gathered in the city’s municipal parking lot by the time the rally began around 5:25 p.m. Members of the audience mentioned the short notice, and many said they came out because they want change in the government. Don Lastoria, owner of the BP gas station in Brecksville, said the country is “really upside down right now.” As a small business owner, taxes are making it difficult for him to keep going. Lastoria said he wants to look at different sides of both parties. “We definitely need change,” said Katie…
41.316936
-81.626863
9023 Brecksville Rd, Brecksville, OH
/articles/small-group-turns-out-for-tea-party-express-bus-tour
/locations/6895380
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Accusations, yelling at City Council meeting
The firing of streets department head Bill Biro in February spilled over into Monday's city council meeting as Biro's attorney accused mayor Jim Smith of having a vendetta against Biro. During public comments, Avon resident David Mast questioned why a hearing officer, Brooklyn law director Scott Claussen, was hired for Biro's appeal of his firing. Gerald Phillips, Biro's attorney, added that he had no input into the selection of Claussen, and that Biro had been denied due process because of it. Phillips said that a "desperate" Smith had given Biro "impossible" tasks to pave the way for Biro's firing. Smith jumped in then, shouting at Phillips, "Who gave (Biro) his job back when he begged for it?" According to a 2010 "last-chance" …
41.46716
-82.0209
City of Avon City Hall
36080 Chester Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/firing-of-bill-biro-creates-fireworks
1073698
/locations/6864008
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Trip marks president's second campus visit since 2010.
President Barack Obama’s speech at Lorain County Community College the work force marked his second visit to the campus since January of 2010. This time he spoke to an audience of only 250, but it was an opportunity not just for the president to talk about job creation, but also highlight the county’s community college. Obama’s approximately 20-minute speech, broadcast live on whitehouse.gov, followed a roundtable discussion with out-of-work LCCC students and comments by the college's president, Dr. Roy Church. One student told the story of his struggle after he lost his job. Obama asked, “Should we settle for an economy where only a few are doing well,” or where everyone “gets their fair share.” The president said prospective employees …
41.413857
-82.077125
1005 Abbe Rd N, Elyria, OH
/articles/lccc-proves-perfect-venue-for-obama-speech
/locations/6832266
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Obama's last-minute arrival announcement too soon to rearrange schedules.
President Obama’s speech in front of an intimate audience of less than 300 at Lorain County Community College (LCCC) on April 18 did not include two local dignitaries. The announcement of Obama’s visit to Lorain County Community College late Monday meant attendees would need to shuffle their schedules --although not everyone could--or would. Obama spoke on job creation in front of an invited audience of only 250, including unemployed LCCC students in a speech that began at 2:30 p.m. Avon Mayor Jim Smith who said he did not want to reschedule a talk to fifth- and sixth-graders and Avon Lake Mayor Greg Zilka had a prior commitment. Smith said he had planned his talk to students months ago and did not want to reschedule the event or other …
Bill Davis
3:56 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
I love how the engineer says "we are looking at everything" and follows it up with "we have a plan". Somehow I dont have too much faith in that explanation!!! more ›